Testosterone is often thought of as the male hormone that affects and regulates sex drive. Well low testosterone can also affect mood, and overall interest in many activities in daily living. Doctors may often misdiagnose low testosterone with depression due to the similar clinical symptoms. One major symptom that distinguishes between the two disorders is muscle strength. Often people who have low testosterone, have not only low interest in doing physical activities because of lack of energy, but also have a deduction in their strength, while many men after the age of 40 begin to naturally have reduced production of testosterone.

Causes for Decreased Testosterone levels

1.) High protein / low carbohydrate diets can cramp your testosterone levels, and high amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of testosterone produced in your testes.

2.) Carrying excess body fat elevates your estrogen levels, and that may cause your testosterone levels to sink. Two or three pounds won't cause this hormonal shift, it really occurs once your 30% over your ideal body weight.

3.) Starving yourself to trim down makes your brain think that you're starving, so it shut downs testosterone production to wait out the famine, which in turn stops you from burning body fat efficiently.

4.) If you over train - meaning you don't allow your body to recuperate adequately between training sessions - your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40%. Over training symptoms are; irritability, insomnia, and muscle shrinkage.

5.) Binge drinking is another testosterone level killer. Alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop producing the male hormone.

Symptoms of low testosterone:
· You couldn't care less about sex.
· You've been having erection problems.
· You're depressed and lethargic for no good reason.
· You've lost muscle mass in upper body, even though you lift weights.
· You're over 55 years old.
· You're losing body hair.
· Your breasts are growing.

How to Increase Testosterone Levels

1.) Working on larger muscle groups, such as chest, back, and legs will increase your testosterone level more than smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps, even though the effort may seem the same, and never stress the same muscles with weight-lifting movements 2 days in a row.

2.) A penile erection causes your circulating testosterone to rise significantly. One in the morning can start your post dawn testosterone surge. Your testosterone levels are higher after a good nights sleep of a full 8 hours.

3.) Men who eat diets rich in monounsaturated fats - the kind found in nuts, olive oil, canola oil, and peanut butter - have higher testosterone levels.

4.) A heavy workload in the gym will produce the greatest boost in testosterone. Lifting weight that is 85% of your one rep maximum for 5 reps will do this, rather than running off countless reps with 5 lb dumbbells.

5.) Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone. If you want to raise your testosterone score, eat a diet composed of about 30% fat, and not much less.

6.) In step with your circadian rhythm, your testosterone levels spike and plummet throughout the day. They peak in the morning and then drop by as much as 20% by bedtime. Your life testosterone levels follow a more predictable trajectory:

· Age: 20-30 = 600 ng/dl
· Age: 31-40 = 675 ng/dl
· Age: 41-50 = 590 ng/dl
· Age: 51-60 = 505 ng/dl
· Age: 61-70 = 475 ng/dl
· Age: 71-80 = 325 ng/dl
*ng/dl = nanograms per deciliter of blood