What are the symptoms of male hormone health?

The core signal of male hormonal health is never the stereotypically thick body hair and exaggerated muscles, but rather that the whole person's physical and mental state is in a stable state of "motivation but not aggressiveness, consumption but replenishment". Many judgment standards posted online actually have quite a bit of deviation.

It's interesting to say that many people regard the amount of body hair as the first criterion for hormonal health. I have encountered a counterexample before. Xiao Zhou, a 28-year-old fitness instructor, was born with a beard and thick chest hair. He usually exercises heavy weights and is quite vigorous. He always thought that his hormone levels must be above the standard. However, when he checked for total testosterone during a physical examination last year, he was only on the edge of the passing line for his peers. He himself said that the time was really wrong. He was so tired after a day of classes that he didn’t even want to say anything. He and his girlfriend would get into arguments over the smallest things. He lost muscle very quickly when he was applying liposuction. Later, we explained to him that the thickness of body hair is more related to the sensitivity of androgen receptors, and is not completely linked to the level of androgen in the blood. No wonder there is a saying on the Internet that "more body hair means insufficient hormones". It can only be said to be a reference, but it is far from a gold standard.

For people whose hormones are truly stable, small details in their daily lives are more accurate. It's like they have a powerful voltage regulator installed in their body, which won't cause problems at every turn. For example, if you work overtime until 11 o'clock the day before, you can concentrate on a morning meeting without having to drink three cups of coffee the next morning. You can relax by squinting for 15 minutes at noon, and you won't be paralyzed at your work station with your eyes open at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Several men in their 40s who I have contacted basically have this characteristic, and they are in better shape than many 20-year-old guys who stay up late every day.

Many people don’t know how much hormones affect mood, which is a sign of hormonal health that can easily be ignored. It’s not that I won’t get angry or emo, but I won’t be irritable for no reason, and I won’t lose interest in anything. A 32-year-old programmer came to me for consultation before and said that he had no energy for more than half a year. He used to love playing games and basketball, but now he slumped on the sofa after get off work and watched short videos until he fell asleep. He also always quarreled with his wife over trivial things. After checking, his total testosterone was only one-third of the normal range. Later, he adjusted his work schedule and moved half an hour of staying up late playing games to do strength training. He also added high-quality fats to his diet. After more than a month, he reported that "the inexplicable feeling of panic in his heart was gone. Last week, he took the initiative to ask a friend to play ball for two hours, and he didn't feel tired to the point of falling apart after running the whole game." This kind of emotional relaxation and curiosity about new things are actually much more reliable than how "manly" he looks.

Another common misunderstanding is that many people think that hair loss is due to high androgen levels, and they even think that people with androgenetic alopecia have healthier hormones. This is actually a big cognitive bias. The core of androgenetic alopecia is that hair follicles caused by genetics are sensitive to DHT (dihydrotestosterone, a metabolite of androgen). It is not that the androgen itself is excessive. I have friends with androgenetic alopecia, and the hormone levels were found to be completely within the healthy range. On the contrary, some people with low hormones will also suffer from androgenetic alopecia due to genetic problems. It is really not accurate to judge hormonal health based on hair loss.

If you are really unsure of your condition and feel tired after sleeping enough and unable to get excited about anything for a month or two in a row, you can go directly to the hospital to see the men's department or endocrinology department and take a tube of blood to test the six sex hormones. It is much more reliable than guessing based on the online entries. After all, everyone's physique is different, and the numerical value is the most objective reference.