How to Naturally Increase Testosterone: What Actually Works

I'm 56. I train six days a week, I've run a supplement shop for over a decade, and most weeks a bloke in his forties or fifties leans over the counter and asks me the same thing: which testosterone booster actually works?

My answer surprises people. If you want to know how to naturally increase testosterone, the answer mostly isn't in a tub. It's in how you sleep, what you weigh, whether you lift, how much you drink and how much stress you're carrying. Here's what I tell them, what the evidence says, and when it's time to stop guessing and see your GP.

Why testosterone drops, and why it's usually not the whole story

Testosterone is a hormone, and in men it's involved in a lot more than the gym: muscle and bone, body fat, mood, motivation, sleep and sex drive. Levels vary a lot from one man to the next, they move through the day, and they drift down gradually as you get older. That drift is normal.

Here's the part that gets lost. Most blokes who feel flat, unmotivated and slow to recover don't have a hormone problem. They've got a sleep problem, a stress problem, a drinking problem, or they've quietly put on fifteen kilos since their thirties. The good news is that those are exactly the things you can change.

How to naturally increase testosterone: six things that actually matter

None of this is glamorous and none of it is new. For most men, this is how to increase testosterone naturally: do the boring things well, and keep doing them.

1. Fix your sleep first

If you're reliably getting five or six hours, nothing else on this list matters much. In one well-known study, healthy young men limited to five hours in bed a night for a week had daytime testosterone 10 to 15% lower than when they'd slept properly (Leproult and Van Cauter, JAMA 2011). Those were fit blokes in their twenties. It doesn't get easier at 50.

Aim for seven hours or more. Same bedtime most nights, phone out of the bedroom, go easy on caffeine after lunch. If you snore heavily, or wake up exhausted no matter how long you've slept, mention it to your GP. Sleep apnoea is common in middle-aged men and it quietly wrecks your sleep.

2. Bring your body fat down

Carrying extra weight is linked to lower testosterone in men. Healthy Male, the Australian men's health organisation, puts it plainly: being overweight lowers testosterone levels. Losing some of it is one of the most reliable things you can do. Not fast, not with a crash diet, just steadily.

3. Lift weights, and keep lifting

Resistance training is good for men at every age. I'm not going to tell you one session spikes your hormones for the afternoon, because that's not why you do it. You lift for strength, muscle and bone density, for a body that doesn't let you down, and because it's one of the best tools you've got for keeping body fat in check.

Two or three full-body sessions a week is plenty to start. Squats, deadlifts, presses and rows. Add weight slowly and don't get hurt, because the sessions you miss injured are the ones that cost you.

4. Be honest about alcohol

Heavy, regular drinking is not neutral here. I'm not preaching, I like a drink. But if you're chasing energy and drive while having a few most nights, that's the first thing I'd look at. Try a month with most nights off and see how you sleep.

5. Take stress seriously

Long stretches under real pressure, badly slept and poorly fed, affect how you feel and how your body runs. healthdirect lists keeping stress to a minimum alongside exercise, a healthy diet and a healthy weight. Most men in their forties and fifties are carrying a lot: work, a mortgage, kids, ageing parents. You can't delete it, but you can stop letting it eat your sleep. A daily walk, your training and some time properly switched off all count.

6. Eat properly

Eat real food, get enough protein, and don't live on a permanent crash diet. A decent, consistent diet is on every credible list for a reason. It keeps your weight where you want it, it fuels your training and it helps you recover. There's nothing clever here, and that's the point.

Symptoms of low testosterone, and why a checklist isn't enough

Low testosterone is a real medical condition, and it's different from normal ageing. According to healthdirect, common signs in men include:

• lower energy and low mood
• poor sleep
• reduced sex drive, or problems with erections
• more body fat, and less muscle and strength
• trouble concentrating or remembering things

The catch is that almost everything on that list has other causes too: bad sleep, thyroid problems, low iron, depression, plain overtraining. That's why you can't work it out from a list you found online. Guessing is how people spend a year treating the wrong problem.

How to test your testosterone levels

This is the part I'd underline. If you genuinely think your levels are low, go to your GP and ask for a blood test. It's a normal request, it's not awkward, and it's the only way to actually know.

Two things worth knowing before you go:

• Get it done early in the morning. Testosterone moves through the day, and healthdirect recommends an early-morning test while you're fasting.
• One low result isn't a diagnosis. Levels vary, so a low reading needs a second test to confirm it.

If something is genuinely out of range, that's a conversation with your doctor about the cause and the options. It's not a supplement decision. Anyone selling you a bottle as the answer to a medical question is selling you something.

Do testosterone boosters work?

I sell supplements for a living, so take this for what it's worth: mostly, the evidence isn't there.

A 2019 study looked at 50 products sold as "T boosters". Ninety percent claimed to boost testosterone, but only about a quarter of those claims (24.8%) had published data behind them. Some ingredients had data showing no effect at all, and a few had data suggesting they lower testosterone (Clemesha and colleagues, World Journal of Men's Health). And an Australian study found more than 1 in 20 of the 112 supplements it tested contained steroids that weren't declared on the label (via Healthy Male).

So if you're going to buy anything in this category, here's what I'd check:

• Proprietary blends. If a label lists ingredients but not amounts, you can't tell whether you're getting a real dose or a dusting. That's usually the point.
• Big claims. Australia has rules about what supplements are allowed to claim. A brand promising to raise your testosterone is either ignoring those rules or hoping you don't know them. Neither inspires confidence.
• Doses you can check. Compare the amount per serve against comparable products. If a brand is proud of its formula, it prints the numbers.
• Where it comes from. Buy from an Australian retailer you can walk into and ask questions, not a random overseas listing.

Supplements can sit on top of a routine that's already working: training, eating and sleeping properly. They can't replace that routine, and they're not a fix for low testosterone.

What I actually do

Since people ask: I train six days a week, mostly weights, plus a couple of walks. I aim for seven hours' sleep and I'm honest that I don't always get it. I eat enough protein. I drink a lot less than I did at 40. And I get my bloods done through my GP, because I'd rather know than guess.

I'm stronger at 56 than I was at 40. I also recover slower, and I plan around it. None of that is exciting. It's just what works, and it keeps working.

Where to start

If you're in your forties or fifties and feeling flat, here's the order I'd do it in. Fix the sleep. Cut back the drinking. Keep lifting. Lose a bit of weight if you're carrying it. And if you still feel off after a couple of months of that, get the blood test.

And if you're local, come into the shop in Caringbah and have a chat.

Michael Mezrani
Director, BootyNBuff

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're concerned about your testosterone or your health, or you're thinking about starting a new supplement, speak with your doctor or pharmacist.