Low Testosterone Might Mean Poor Sleep Need Testosterone Hormone Injections

Sleeping Issues Tied to Low-T

Testosterone has a complex and widespread effect on physiological function. Most people think of Testosterone strictly as a hormone related to sexual function. Still, Testosterone plays a role in various other systems—one area where Testosterone (or the lack of Testosterone) can significantly impact is sleep.

Have You Had Trouble Sleeping?

Many men report that, as they get older, they start having more and more trouble sleeping. Have you caught yourself laying in bed, staring at the ceiling, more often than you'd like to admit? Do you wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back asleep? This may be a symptom of Testosterone Deficiency.

Testosterone and Sleep Quality

Low-T may affect not only your ability to stay asleep but the quality of your sleep as well. As we sleep, the human body goes through different phases of sleep, all of which are important.

What Are the Normal Sleep Phases?

There are five stages of sleep, all of which are important to getting the most restful night possible. When we first fall asleep, we enter Stage 1, which is characterized by a pattern of falling in and out of light sleep. During this phase, we are most prone to waking and also to being jolted awake by the feeling of falling. During this phase, the muscles and the eyes are still active, but minimally.

As we fall deeper into rest, we enter Stage 2, characterized by a combination of suppressed brain activity and occasional flourishes of neuronal activity. Stage-3 comprises Delta Waves, the slowest rate at which our brains operate under normal circumstances.

The brief bursts of activity from Stage-2 slow down but remain far more active than Delta Wave. During stage three, all muscle and eye movements cease. Stage-4 is the deepest form of sleep and consists almost entirely of Delta-Wave activity.

The first two sleep phases are considered light sleep, whereas the latter is considered deep sleep. There is a fifth stage of sleep, which is incredibly important. It is known as REM Sleep, REM an abbreviation for Rapid-Eye Movement.

The first half of the regular sleeping pattern is characterized by a slow progression to deep sleep, while the latter half of the night is a shift back and forth from REM Sleep and an increasingly lighter and shorter reversal of the other four phases. REM Sleep is strongly associated with memory and learning and is the period in which we dream.

Testosterone and Sleep Phases

Testosterone Production is tied directly to sleep phases. Testosterone Levels during sleep peak around the time that the first phase of REM-Sleep begins and remain elevated for the rest of the night under normal circumstances. Testosterone Production ramps up as we enter stages three and four of deep sleep.

If poor sleep prevents us from sustaining deep sleep for a sufficient time, testosterone levels fall. As men enter their fifties and sixties, sleep issues become more and more common.

Recent research suggests that Low Testosterone Levels may account for as many as one in five men's sleep issues. The typical sleep pattern results from a complex interplay of cerebral and physiological sequences, and Testosterone Deficiency impairs the body and mind's systems and aspects from working together in appropriate synchronicity.

Testosterone and Insomnia

Another sleep-related condition that impairs normal Testosterone Secretion is insomnia. Insomnia is a condition where it is incredibly hard to fall asleep, leaving some patients up all night, perhaps falling into occasional periods of light, fitful sleep at best.

Insomnia is a spectrum condition, with some patients experiencing minor, occasional bouts and others struggling with the condition for days, months, years, or even their entire life.

Testosterone Production is susceptible to periods of inadequate sleep. One study suggests that even a single week of insomnia can impair Testosterone Production by around 15%. Sometimes Insomnia is the result of poor sleeping habits; other times, it is the result of underlying physiological or neurological issues.

If you are worried about your Testosterone Levels, it's essential to improve your sleeping habits. Some steps you can take to improve your sleeping habits are avoiding caffeine at night, installing blackout curtains, turning the television off in the bedroom, and simply having a more rigorous bedtime. If your efforts at improvement don't impact insomnia, you should see a sleep specialist.

What Is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep Apnea is a common condition where your body doesn't get enough airflow while you sleep. This can result in shallow breathing for some patients, while others stop breathing for brief periods throughout the night. The range at which breathing can pause varies due to the severity of the Sleep Apnea and other factors.

Breathing can stop for simple moments at a time or much more extended periods, even minutes. In severe cases, breathing can stop more than thirty times each hour.

When oxygen supplies drop to a certain level in the bloodstream, the body recognizes it's choking and reinitiates breathing with a start, often associated with a choke or a snort. Sleep Apnea severely impairs sleep quality because it prevents the brain from naturally moving along the typical pattern of sleep phases. As a result, Sleep apnea often causes significant fatigue and exhaustion throughout the day.

Testosterone and Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea's lengthy pauses in breathing lead to repeated awakenings as the body struggles to recover oxygen to stabilize its functions. Sleep fragmentation leads to chronic sleep deprivation, excessive daytime sleepiness, and other sleep disorders like insomnia.

While we are sleeping, the brain and body go into full repair mode. While we sleep, our bodies recover from the previous day and prepare us for the next day. Sleep enhances functions from cell to cell and system to system, providing energy and keeping us healthy.

One of the vitally important aspects of sleep is hormone maintenance. The body releases the highest quantities of many of the essential hormones while we are asleep. Testosterone and Human Growth Hormone are primarily released at night. The body releases the majority of its Testosterone while we are in deep sleep.

Sleep Apnea prevents deep sleep, causing Testosterone Levels to plummet. Testosterone Levels drop as the day proceeds to a close, and the body restores Testosterone up to peak levels as we sleep.

Testosterone Deficiency can also contribute to sleep apnea. Patients with Low-T are more likely to be overweight and have diminished muscle mass, both of which can cause their airways to be impaired while they sleep.

Sleep Apnea Treatment to Increase Testosterone Levels

So Sleep Apnea and Testosterone Deficiency combine to create a double-edged sword. Low-Testosterone Levels make Sleep Apnea more common and problematic, and Sleep Apnea suppresses Testosterone Levels.

Getting tested and treated for Sleep Apnea is one way to help support healthy and normalized Testosterone Production. There are breathing machines, breathing masks, and other tools which can create airflow and prevent Sleep Apnea. Some patients may even benefit from surgery.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Better Sleep

As you can tell, Testosterone plays a decisive role in your ability to get healthy and restful sleep. Testosterone Deficiency causes many problems for patients, and not enough men seek a Hormone Specialist that can get them the prescription testosterone they deserve.

We are a Licensed and Board Certified Hormone Clinic that operates in all fifty states. If you believe that Testosterone Therapy can help improve your life, we encourage you to contact us by phone or form to get in touch with one of our professionally trained Hormone Doctors.

We also offer a variety of other HRT Programs that may interest you, including Human Growth Hormone Replacement Therapy, HCG Injections for Weight Loss, and Sermorelin Acetate HGH Booster, among others. We look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions or comments!

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