Andropause
The Andropause
Recent studies have shown that many men are still in the dark when it comes to understanding what the Andropause is. When women have the Menopause, this is understood by the majority of men. However, the applicable term when it comes to men having a ‘change’, the ‘Andropause’, is understood by few men.
The male hormone testosterone regulates much in the male body. When a man is in his twenties, the presence of testosterone in his blood is at its highest level (1000 nanograms per decilitre in the blood). By the time a man reaches fifty years of age, this level has dropped to 700 decilitres. Then the drop in levels continues, by around 100 decilitres per decade.
This is worrying for most men. Testosterone makes men males. It allows them to procreate because it keeps their interest in sex at appropriate levels for the male sex drive to be present and healthy. It also regulates the amount of hair on a man’s head. It is these and other factors, that make it particularly hard for a man to manage with the Andropause.
There may well be a higher chance of irritability when a man reaches his forties, for example. This is due to the drop in testosterone levels. And while it may be a joke in certain circles, a man will feel a drop in his sex drive as he gets older. Dopamine, the ‘fun’ element in our brains, drops away quickly for a man who is losing his testosterone. This can lead to a man wanting to ‘self-medicate’ with drugs such as alcohol and other substances that are perhaps not legal, or not good for you at least. All of this leads to a man suffering in the long term due to testosterone leaving the body gradually over time.
There are ways around this of course. Many men who are suffering from the Andropause find that a good exercise plan helps to stir up Dopamine for example. This means that they can experience a more natural high than the one they do when they drink or take drugs or mood supplements.
Diets rich in protein and including plenty of fruit and vegetables also help. This natural goodness staves off the problems the Andropause presents, by keeping the body healthy. This means that the natural regulation of the body and its cycles, including sleep and moods, is assisted.
The more men accept the fact that they are subject to life changes due to a hormone’s being present or otherwise, the more they will try to understand it. If they don’t, they could compensate for the lack of testosterone in ways that are less than recommended.