Concerns
Hormones and men's health
You have less energy, your sex drive has dropped and your waist has grown, even though you train much as before. Perhaps you have thought it comes with age, or not wanted to bring it up with a doctor.
You are not alone, and it is not just age. Many men only get in touch with us after someone in the family has told them to, and by then the problems have often been there for a while.
Does this sound familiar?
- You are tired even though you sleep, and have less energy at work and at home.
- Your sex drive has dropped, and it is not something you like to talk about.
- Your waist has grown even though you eat as before.
- You recover more slowly after training.
- You have been told your testosterone is normal, but you do not feel as you used to.
Why is it hard to get help?
Men seek care later than women, and when they do, the appointment is often about a single symptom. Tiredness, sex drive, weight and sleep are linked, but they are rarely covered in the same appointment.
Testosterone is also often measured at the wrong time of day, and without SHBG, which affects how much of the hormone the body can use. A value within the range can then look better than it is.
With us, we take the tests in the morning, read them together and look at sleep, weight, stress and alcohol before drawing any conclusions.
What affects testosterone?
Testosterone is highest in the morning and falls during the day. It affects energy, sex drive, mood, muscle and fat. With age it falls slowly, by about one percent a year from middle age.
Lack of sleep, sleep apnoea, fat around the middle, insulin resistance, long-term stress and alcohol lower testosterone more than age does. That is why it often rises when the underlying cause improves.
What could be behind it?
We often find that low testosterone is a sign of something else, and that the level rises when the underlying cause improves.
Sleep
Too little sleep, or sleep apnoea, lowers testosterone noticeably.
Weight and blood sugar
Fat around the middle and insulin resistance are closely linked to low testosterone.
Read the guide: Blood sugar and diabetes risk →Stress
Long-term stress and a heavy workload affect both sex drive and energy.
Read the guide: Hormone balance →Alcohol
Regular alcohol lowers testosterone and makes sleep worse.
The thyroid and iron
They can cause tiredness and low energy that is easy to mistake for a hormone problem.
Read the guide: Thyroid health →Age
Testosterone falls by about one percent a year from middle age, slowly rather than suddenly.
Read the guide: Men's health →What you can do yourself
- Sleep seven to eight hours, and take snoring and pauses in breathing seriously.
- Do strength training two to three times a week.
- Cut down on alcohol, and see what happens to your sleep and energy after a few weeks.
- Eat protein and vegetables and fewer refined carbohydrates.
- Measure your waist. Fat around the middle is closely linked to low testosterone.
- Do not buy supplements that promise to raise testosterone before you know whether you are deficient.
What we look at
Your symptoms and your history
How you feel, when it started, previous results, medication and whether there is heart disease or diabetes in your family.
Sleep, food, alcohol and training
How you sleep, what you eat and drink, how you train and how much stress you have.
Tests with a purpose
We only suggest tests that could change the next step, taken in the morning. Here that often means testosterone, SHBG, blood sugar, blood lipids and the thyroid.
Tests that may be relevant
How it works
Four steps
- 01
Tell us about you
You fill in a health questionnaire about your symptoms, your sleep, what you eat and your daily life.
- 02
Take your blood test
You give a blood sample at a lab near you, in Stockholm or at any of more than 100 sampling locations across Sweden. We help you choose the tests that answer your questions.
- 03
Go through your results
You receive a personal health report and a session with one of our practitioners, and we make a plan together.
- 04
Follow up
We follow how you are getting on and adjust the plan. A new blood test after three to six months shows how your results have changed.
When to get medical help
Contact your health centre soon if you also have any of these:
- You have difficulty passing urine, pass urine often at night or have blood in your urine.
- You have a lump or change in a testicle.
- You have chest pain or breathlessness on exertion.
- You feel low or have thoughts of harming yourself. Call Mind Självmordslinjen on 90101, or 112 in an emergency.
Call 112 in an emergency. Call 1177 for advice on where to get care.
Frequently asked questions
How do you know if you have low testosterone?
The symptoms, such as lower sex drive, tiredness and less muscle, often have other causes. A blood test in the morning, ideally repeated, shows where you actually are. It is also worth measuring SHBG, which affects how much testosterone your body can use.
Can you raise testosterone naturally?
Often, yes. Better sleep, less fat around the middle, strength training and less alcohol can raise testosterone. Supplements sold to boost testosterone rarely help unless you are deficient.
Does alcohol affect testosterone?
Yes. Regular alcohol lowers testosterone and worsens sleep, which lowers it further. Many men notice a difference after a few weeks of drinking less.
Can stress lower testosterone?
Yes. Long-term stress, poor or short sleep and heavy training without enough recovery can all lower testosterone. Levels often improve when the underlying cause is dealt with. We often see it in men who have been through a hard period at work.
What is included in a Health Assessment?
A health questionnaire, a personal health report and a short session with one of our practitioners. You add the blood test depending on what you want to look into, and we help you choose. If you have a long-term condition and want to find out whether your diet and lifestyle may be contributing, or you need a referral to our doctor, we also offer longer appointments.
Do I need a referral?
No. You book yourself, and the blood sample is taken at a lab near you. We have sampling locations in Stockholm and at more than 100 places across Sweden.
Would you like help understanding why you have less energy? Read about the Health Assessment →
Read more
Sources
Reviewed by
Wellth Team
Wellth
Our content is written and reviewed by Wellth, and fact-checked against peer-reviewed research and current Swedish clinical guidelines.
Learn more about our team →Important to know
Wellth does not diagnose or treat disease. We work with diet, lifestyle and preventive health, alongside the care you already have.
Our reports and sessions do not replace medical advice, and a test result should not be read as a diagnosis. We use both standard healthcare reference ranges and optimal ranges. A value can therefore be normal by healthcare standards and still fall outside the range associated with good health. That does not mean disease, but it can be a chance to act early.
Supplements are only recommended by a nutritional therapist as part of a consultation, never automatically from a test result.
If anything in your results needs to be looked at by a doctor, we will tell you clearly. Contact your healthcare provider if you are worried about your health. Call 1177 for advice, or 112 in an emergency.