Testosterone is one of the main hormones in males. Females also produce it but in smaller amounts. This hormone in males is commonly associated with muscle and hair growth, deepening of the voice, and other characteristics. However, it also may affect your blood pressure, not only muscle development and libido. Testosterone impacts bone density, cardiovascular health, mood regulation, and others. Moreover, this hormone plays an important role in the circulatory system including heart and blood vessels function and regulating blood pressure.
Blood pressure is the force exerted by your blood against the wall of your arteries, which your heart pumps around the body. Increased blood pressure (hypertension) is a health condition this force against arteries is regularly too high. The pressure of the blood is measured in systolic pressure (the highest number) and diastolic pressure (the lowest number). Hypertension may provoke serious health problems (such as myocardial infarctions, heart failure, strokes, and others). Certain studies show that testosterone could protect your cardiovascular system by promoting healthy blood flow.
Hormones and Blood Pressure
The Endothelium is an inner layer of your blood vessels that helps to regulate blood flow and vessel dilatation. A study suggests that decreased levels of testosterone may increase the thickness of Endothelium, which may lead to increased arterial thickness. Therefore, this may be directly related to hypertension and heart-related conditions. Testosterone is very important in balancing other hormones that could affect blood pressure (including Angiotensin II and Aldosterone).
Factors-causing Low Testosterone
There are many factors that may affect testosterone levels and cause (high or low T). Thus, it may affect your blood pressure. For example:
- Aging: Testosterone reaches peak levels in men’s early adulthood and declines gradually as they age. Some researchers believe that decreased levels of testosterone may result in an increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular problems.
- Lifestyle: Poor lifestyle choices also may affect your blood pressure and testosterone levels. For example lack of exercise, smoking, excessive alcohol intake, unhealthy diet. All these factors may contribute to hypertension and obesity. In addition, increased body weight may lead to hormonal imbalance, which provokes testosterone levels to decrease.
How to Maintain Testosterone and Blood Pressure?
Many factors could affect your blood pressure and hormonal balance. In any case, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is one method of treatment for low testosterone levels. It can help to maintain healthy testosterone levels and improve your overall health. Physicians usually prescribe medicines to treat low T but may also recommend lifestyle changes (including regular exercise, a healthy diet, quitting smoking, and avoiding alcohol misuse).
Additionally, HRT may affect your levels of blood sugar. Therefore, talk to a doctor if you experience diabetes or if need some dietary or medical changes. While this hormone has a connection with blood pressure, a healthy lifestyle remains important for heart health.
