Why Testosterone and Sleep Matter for Men (more than you know)

Read time: 4 minutes

Coming up: news, needles, diet hacks, blacking out your bedroom, increased libido, getting better rest, 2 game-changing supplements, and why your sleep and testosterone might be worse than you think.

❌ You’re tired

❌ Your libido is low

❌ The gym’s a slog

❌ You’ve got a big belly

❌ You’re feeling grumpy

❌ You’re always low on energy

❌ You’re losing muscle and strength

Not great.

Two things could be to blame:

Bad sleep
Low testosterone (especially if you’re 35+)

… and, bad news—there’s a good chance you might be struggling with both:

Most people don’t get sufficient sleep—one recent study showed only 15% of people sleep enough! And of those who do, most still aren’t getting QUALITY sleep.
From the age of around 35, male testosterone levels drop around 1-2% per year.
We live in a world that isn’t built for health. Artificial light ruins our sleep, there are microplastics in almost everything we eat and drink, we all work too hard and eat too much, and it’s tough to live an *actually* healthy life.

💪 I’m Rob: entrepreneur, father of two, and co-founder of Sentro Labs.

Over the last few years, I’ve struggled with both sleep and testosterone…

… and along the way, I’ve learned some tips and tricks to improve both:

Low testosterone, high testosterone, and what it really does

Testosterone is a hormone.

We all have it, but men (usually) have more of it.

Among many other things, it’s responsible for:

● Body hair

● Building muscle

● Deepening your voice

● Boosting your sex drive

● Improving mood and energy

✅ High testosterone causes increased muscle mass, higher sex drive, more body hair, a deeper voice, and increased red blood cell production.

❌ Low testosterone causes reduced muscle mass, low sex drive, fatigue, depression, decreased bone density, and difficulty concentrating.

So… how do I increase my testosterone?

To a certain extent, your testosterone levels are influenced by things you can control. Like:

● Diet: eat healthy wholegrain foods, increase your fruit and veg, and up your protein. Specific foods that can boost testosterone include avocados, eggs, leafy greens, salmon, and berries.

● Exercise: lift more weights, increase your strength and muscle mass, and do more HIIT training (high-intensity interval training).

● Losing weight: being lean is a big factor in increasing testosterone—and there’s a particularly big link between having lots of belly fat and having low testosterone.

● Stop drinking (or dramatically cut back): both in the short-term and long-term, alcohol can HUGELY affect testosterone (for a variety of reasons).

But three of the most important factors are:

Reducing stress
Improving sleep
Supplementation

Reducing stress and improving sleep (for testosterone)

Sleep is way more important than most people think.

Here’s the thing: getting some sleep is VERY VERY DIFFERENT to getting the right sleep.

❌ If you get insufficient or poor-quality sleep, your body isn’t resting or recovering.

… and most testosterone production occurs during sleep.

Insufficient, poor-quality sleep can lead to:

● Higher chances of heart failure and some cancers

● Poor mental health, and reduced memory

● Reduced testosterone production

● Erectile dysfunction

● Decreased libido

● Low energy

A study from the University of Chicago found: young men who slept under 5 hours a night (for just 1 week) experienced a drop in testosterone levels similar to aging 10-15 years.

Stress is also very bad for testosterone:

When you have high stress, your body produces more cortisol. And high cortisol can disrupt testosterone production.

So, here are some ways to improve sleep and stress:

● Stop drinking caffeine 8-12 hours before bed (and drink less caffeine in general)

● Consider meditation, yoga, and breathing exercises

● Sleep and wake at the same time every day

● Avoid big meals in the 3 hours before bed

● Turn off your screens 1 hour before bed

● Make your bedroom VERY dark

For way more: 7 surprising tips for getting a great night’s sleep.

I also use EQUILIBRIUM, which is designed specifically to reduce stress and improve sleep. Featuring Ashwagandha, L-Theanine, Lemon Balm, Magnesium Bisglycinate, Chamomile Extract, Hops Extract, and L-Ornithine HCL, it’s a big dose of daily calm.

Supplementation for low testosterone

There are two ways men sometimes boost their testosterone (and both come in a needle):

💉 Some people jab steroids into their bums. That might work in the short-term, but it halts the body’s ability to produce testosterone naturally. So, if you stop taking steroids, you’re in a much worse position than you were before. It’s also illegal and potentially very dangerous—and you don’t really know what you’re getting.

💉 TRT (testosterone-replacement therapy) is better, but it’s a lifelong journey. Once you get on, it’s very hard to get off… and it requires regular health checks and blood tests. TRT can also have lots of tricky side effects, including acne, heart problems, and blood clots. Here’s more on TRT, from our Instagram.

I really don’t want to use either of the above.

… so, instead, in the past, I’ve used many different supplements:

Zinc. Vitamin D. Various types of Magnesium. Complexes. Melatonin. Gimmicky stuff that I can’t even remember the names of.

Some of them worked. Some of them didn’t. And many of them only worked in the right dosages and right combinations. So getting it right was VERY tricky.

That’s why my wife and I developed PERFORMANCE. A specifically-engineered complex featuring Vitamin D, Maca Root, Zinc, Selenium, Fenugreek, L-Arginine, and Carnitine, it’s boosted my testosterone—and in turn increased my sex drive, muscle mass, strength, energy, and mood. I take it every day, and I feel and perform like I’m 10 years younger.