Fellas, you ever just wake up and feel extra moody for no reason? Nobody ate the last bowl of Cap’N Crunch and your check wasn’t missing any decimal places, so what could possibly be wrong? As Sweetpea from "Baby Boy" said, “Women are some emotional creatures,” but don’t let this life fool you into thinking that men aren’t either. Brothers have A LOT of feelings. They might be bottled up, Saran wrapped and double bagged, but we have emotions. Women's hormones are definitely affected by their monthly menstruation cycles, but men also experience hormonal changes throughout the day that affect their moods.
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Irritable male syndrome (IMS) is a newly coined term that explains this indescribable mood that has men feeling extra irritable, distant and - brothers, I know this isn’t always synonymous with being a man but “sensitive.”
Irritable male syndrome can be defined as a state of hypersensitivity, frustration, anxiety and anger that occurs in males and is often associated with biochemical changes, hormonal fluctuations, stress and loss of male identity.
This is how we go from 0 to 100 in our feelings real quick.
Testosterone is a hormone produced in the testicles. This hormone plays a significant role in a man’s body with its many functions: fat distribution, sperm production, sex drive, muscle strength and mass, red blood cell production and maintaining bone density.
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Our testosterone levels are usually highest in the morning. When we wake up in the morning you’ll notice that the morning wood is at full attention. But from the morning on, men experience a decline in testosterone levels for the rest of the day, reaching an all-time low during sleep.
Testosterone plays the radio equalizer in your body. When you’re feeling good, feeling great, your testosterone is telling your emotions that life is awesome. But if you’re in the pits about life, not exercising, and possibly not getting any peaches and cream your testosterone will tell your emotions to play sadness on repeat.
Testosterone goes up and down 4 to 5 times per hour. A brother might not bleed, but each man does have his own hormonal cycle, so there’s no way to umbrella each man into a specific timeframe.
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Men can become more cognizant of these patterns by keeping a daily journal when they start to taper off emotionally. There might be some triggers in your life that are causing you to get down and you might not even be conscious of it. Daily events such as exercise, stress and competitive activities can increase testosterone.
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When testosterone is low a lot of physical changes can occur such as increased body fat, decrease in muscle size and decreased bone density. Stress plays a big part on IMS. When we’re worried, frustrated, angry and distressed our testosterone is sinking by the minute, leaving us emotionally unstable and physically weaker.
As men approach the age of 40 male menopause kicks in. Male menopause generally describes how male testosterone levels decrease greatly around the ages of 40 to 55. Research has shown that male testosterone decreases 1% each year after the age of 30. Hormonal levels are different for each man, but we do know that generally it lowers as men move up in age.
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Here are some natural and effective ways to increase testosterone:
Healthy Diet and Exercise
A lot of our health issues stem from us not eating right and exercising. Even some our most devastating diseases can be cured or prevented with a healthy diet and physical activity in our regular routine. Increasing your testosterone requires an aggressive approach, a lifestyle change of sorts. Put down the fried foods and pick up the type of soul food that will improve your moods. Fresh food that doesn’t bleed or oink and a light to moderate jog starting off will help you increase testosterone levels.
See a Doctor or Therapist
Stress plays a big factor in male testosterone levels. If you’re unable to shake your funk, don’t be afraid to go seek some help. Another ear on your problems will provide you with a perspective that’s different from your own. You might be too close to the situation to see the forest from the trees. A doctor/therapist can provide you a number of different methods to increase your testosterone levels. Medication and therapy have both been proven to be effective in addressing low testosterone levels.
