Testosterone Levels and Your Mood

The relationship between testosterone levels and your mood is something that might be thought of as more of an issue of energy levels. The perception might be that testosterone levels can impact mood because people with lower testosterone levels have decreased energy, which causes them to feel sad or depressed. The reality, however, is that the connection between testosterone levels and your mood can be important not only in terms of how a person feels, but also in terms of the consistency and stability of a person's mood (Can Low Testosterone Cause Mood Swings?). In this way, the impact of testosterone levels and your mood can be about more than simply feeling energetic or feeling vibrant with age. Instead, testosterone levels and your mood can be a serious issue that can impact the entire lifestyle of a person.

Depression

One of the important issues that should be considered with regards to testosterone levels and your mood is the way in which decreases levels of testosterone can make you feel. Decreased levels of testosterone in the body can have an important negative impact on mood. For example, people with decreased levels of testosterone can begin to feel sadness or depression. The reason for this is that the brain contains testosterone receptors. When testosterone is produced and travels to the brain, it finds these receptors. The impact of testosterone when it attaches to the receptors in the brain is a feeling of enhanced mood and happiness (Finn).

Research has shown that men who report feelings of depression actually have testosterone levels that are 20% lower as compared to men who do not report feelings of depression (Finn). This statistic provides a way of understanding the importance of testosterone levels and your mood. While the perception may be that testosterone is something that only impacts energy or sexual desire, the reality is that reduced testosterone levels in the body have been shown to result in an increased likelihood of depression. In addition, in studies in which people were given testosterone therapy to increase the levels of testosterone in the body, the result was that feelings of happiness increased and feelings of depression decreased (Becker 957). This information provides further evidence of the connection between testosterone levels and your mood. Reduced levels of testosterone levels in the body certainly do not always cause depression. However, a person who has feelings of depression may need to check their testosterone levels.

Mood Stability

Aside from feelings of sadness and depression that persist, the impact of testosterone levels and your mood can be a instability in mood throughout the day. It is important to understand that testosterone levels in the body generally fluctuate during the day. The body tends to produce higher levels of testosterone in the mornings and less testosterone at night. Testosterone levels in the body can also fluctuate based on the time of the year. Testosterone production generally reaches a peak during the months of June and July and decrease during the winter months. However, an overall lower level of testosterone in the body can cause a person's moods to become unstable. A person may be happy at one moment while feeling sad or irritable at another moment (Can Low Testosterone Cause Mood Swings?).

In addition, the impact of testosterone levels and your mood can be a change in the feelings of enjoyment of activities. People who previously enjoyed engaging in specific activities, such as walking, jogging, or golf may no longer enjoy engaging in these activities. Even more, a person may experience mood swings that result in enjoying these activities sometimes while not enjoying these activities or not having the energy with which to engage in them at other times (Can Low Testosterone Cause Mood Swings?). The instability in mood toward specific activities or even in general can certainly be troubling for a person and his or her loved ones.

Research has shown that people who take part in testosterone therapy experience increases in mood stability. The increase in testosterone in the body, even through the use of testosterone therapy, is a way to decrease mood swings in people as they experience natural declines in testosterone (Can Low Testosterone Cause Mood Swings?). What the research really demonstrates with regards to testosterone levels and your mood is that decreases in testosterone is something that must be considered to be an important factor in overall mood stability. The perception among some is that men simply become more irritable or cranky as they become older. However, the change in mood that is sometimes thought of as occurring in men as they get older can often be traced back to the changes in testosterone levels in the body (Reevy, Ozer and Ito 312).

In addition, the relationship between testosterone levels and your mood is not something that should be viewed as a condition that cannot be helped. Instead, there is research that has shown the benefits that can occur to people because of testosterone therapy (Reevy, Ozer and Ito 312). The ability to replace the testosterone that is produced in smaller amounts with age can be an important means by which people can regain the feelings of happiness and self-confidence that they experienced when they were young. The negative impact of mood changes and mood instability is not something that must be endured or tolerated with age. Instead, options are available for replenishing lost testosterone so that happiness and mood stability might be regained, and a generally feeling of happiness and self-confidence can return.

Summary

The relationship between testosterone levels and your mood is about the changes that occur within the body that result in decreased testosterone levels with age. As people grow older, testosterone levels naturally decrease. However, the outward symptom of this natural decrease in testosterone can be mood instability, mood swings, and even depression. Testosterone levels and your mood is not something that should simply be attributed to getting older. Instead, it is something that should be viewed seriously because of the impact that it can have on your life and the lives of the people around you. Depression and mood swings are certainly not always attributable to changes in testosterone levels. However, the decrease in testosterone levels can be one cause of depression, mood swings, and mood instability.

Works Cited

  • Becker, Kenneth L. Principles and Practice of Endocrinology and Metabolism. New York:
  • Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2001.
  • Can Low Testosterone Cause Mood Swings? 2011. ElderlyJournal.com. 7 June 2011
  • http://www.elderlyjournal.com/menopause/mood-swings/Can-Low-Testerone-Cause-Mood-Swings.html
  • Finn, Christian. 2011. "The Forgotten Symptoms of Low Testosterone Levels." 7 June 2011
  • http://www.thefactsaboutfitness.com/research/test.htm
  • Reevy, Gretchen, Yvette Malamud Ozar, and Yuri Ito. Encyclopedia of Emotion (Vol. 1). Santa
  • Barbara, CA: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2010.
LowTestosterone.com is committed to providing our clients with exceptional testosterone treatment at the absolute best prices available! Our extensive network of doctors are "Low Testosterone Certified" and are eager to help improve your quality of life today!