How much will illness/lack of sleep/fasting affect natural test levels.

[counterfit_hero]

I have been feeling a bit off lately and don’t train with any regularity now as I have a two y/o who is hard work and a business to run. I got my doc to check my test levels and they came back at 565, however I had picked up a bug/virus from my child, was 20hrs into a fast and had not been sleeping more than maybe 3/4 hrs a night for the previous couple of weeks as my little girl has been ill. Probably not the best time to have my levels checked, will these factors have had a big effect on my levels and should i get them tested again? I am 37 for reference.

Thanks in advance if anybody can shed some light on this.

[OldFartTom]

Disclaimer: I am not medically qualified.

* All this is best discussed with your doc, not some random internet crazy (like me)
* T levels are connected to day/night rhythm (and why testing was traditionally done fasted from blood between 08:00 and 10:00, although I think some docs no longer bother about that). If you sleep/eating is disrupted it might affect testing results slightly, not sure if significant though
* Why do you care about exact level? T level isn't as big a deal as the hype (while inside normal levels as determined by your doc)
* Your rest and recovery is the most important factor for benefiting from training, but what can you do about sleep currently? (maybe not much)
* Hope your daughter gets well soon and it's nothing too serious. My youngest has got chicken pox right now, it's all part of the fun

[counterfit_hero]

Thanks for the reply.

My first interest is wether or not my test level is o.k for my age. The rage they show is really big and is for men in general rather than separated by age, so if the average is taken from men aged 18 to 80 it is hard to place where my results sit.

i have had a hard to describe felling of general malaise, tiredness, joint pain etc that I though could have been low test, but from my understanding I think a level somewhere in the region of 600 should be o.k for a 37y/o.

I am an engineer by trade so i like the numbers to be correct, not sleeping/being fasted did have an effect I would prob do them again to get the most accurate result.

Thanks, she is on the mend, just picked up two illnesses back to back from nursery.

[OldFartTom]

Thanks for the reply.

My first interest is wether or not my test level is o.k for my age.... ...i have had a hard to describe felling of general malaise, tiredness, joint pain etc that I though could have been low test, but from my understanding I think a level somewhere in the region of 600 should be o.k for a 37y/o.... ....

IMHO that's something that needs diagnosing by a qualified GP, because it's a judgement call not matching a number (unless number is crazy high or crazy low). There's a physician joke about surgeons, the joke is based on surgeons having it easy because their decisions are only two choices: chop it out/don't chop it out, but a physician is a detective and needs wise judgement and experience to weigh up many factors. Of course surgery isn't simple and they were just joking, but you see from the joke how hard physicians (like your GP etc) need to think sometimes to decide if a level is right/wrong... You really need to speak to a doc not a forum. Your malaise could well be nothing at all to do with your T and something else entirely different (see my original disclaimer, I'm medically knowledgeable not even up to the level of being incompetent, but that number doesn't sound crazy high or low to me). Definitely go back to your doc about the whole issue.

Get well soon, to you and daughter.

[BigZLifter]

While you are ill, at least try to get everything your body needs through right nutrition. To sleep at least 6 hrs is must do, there are no recovery and gain without it. At least 3-4 times per week, if you are really in no-sleep situation. My opinion... Get well and all the best to you and your family.

[counterfit_hero]

Thanks fort the replies, i am not in the best shape i have ever been in and have always been used to being in great shape. The feeling could just be, being out of shape,stressed and missing a good chunk of sleep.

I am going to get these things in line and see if the feeling persists, i have had bloods done for all the usual levels then test, pholate and b12. They all came back o.k.

[Payton1221]

All of the things that you mentioned could negatively affect your T-levels. In fact, some people who are borderline "low" and wanting to start TRT have been known to do things like you've described to reduce the measured value. Some say that a really taxing workout the day before your blood draw and even a hangover can lower the number even more

[drudixon]

When I was getting divorced I dropped and stayed below 100. Makes a huge difference.

[weiss1967]

lack of sleep may initially even boost the test slightly. It is more like a natural reserve switch, but then it dies off quickly. Prolonged, cumulative lack of sleep like in you case, for a week, is different. Dru mentioned stress, this is a major one. There were articles on this. Friend of mine, when he went on to develop his business, lifelong dream of his, ended up stressed out with complete absense of sexual drive. Divorced too. I say it because you mentioned running your own business.

[HanleyTucks]

I am an engineer by trade so i like the numbers to be correct

Your body is not a machine. The relationship between testosterone and muscle mass, or muscle mass gain, or running speed or whatever, is not linear - there's only a rough correlation.

Have a look at the Art of Manliness article on "how to increase testosterone naturally." Basically he exercised, ate better food and got better sleep. And if your doctor thought you had low testosterone then that's what they would tell you to do first anyway before they started jabbing you. And these are all good things to do anyway. So don't worry about it.

[counterfit_hero]

Thank for the replies, all taken on board. I don’t have the ideal set up for a low stress life but who does? I am really focusing on overall health and longevity now, I think i need to be building and maintaining a body that is to last me for maybe 40 or 50 more years if I am lucky. I don’t employ 100s of people so I know my employees personally and it is hard not to feel the pressure to look after them so they can pay their mortgages and look after their own family’s etc. My wife is a pretty high level engineer (structural) dealing with projects worth 100s of millions so she is mentally taxed also, then throw a 2yo into the mix and it is all fun and games. We are making more time away from work and getting some time to ourselves which is lowering the stress for sure. Most guys on a 35+ forum will understand working so hard for so many years to make a success of your life and then being unable to switch off when you get what you are after.