Sleep and Testosterone – Why is Quality Sleep So Important In Testosterone Production

As part of a healthy lifestyle, quality sleep should receive the same dedication and attention as healthy eating and regular physical activity. Younger people in particular tend to sacrifice sleep in favor of having more time to complete tasks and obligations.

However, sleep is a period during which your body performs necessary and extremely important processes. One of these is the secretion and production of a range of different hormones, including testosterone. It is exactly this relation between sleep and this hormone that we will cover in today’s article.

Why is proper sleep so important ?

Sleep is an irreplaceable and essential need of the body through which it restores, rests, and repairs itself. Sleep is crucial for every tissue and every cell, maintaining normal metabolic function, immune system recovery, growth and development, and more.

Without enough sleep, our brain is the first to suffer, which reduces its normal abilities and functioning. General recommendations for adults suggest 7-9 hours of sleep per night. This is different for younger populations, which sometimes require more than 10 hours of sleep.

Of course, this doesn’t always align with people’s daily schedule and responsibilities, so they often sleep less than recommended. This leads to impaired cognitive function, changes in energy levels and mood, weakened immunity, and more.

Even more concerning is that people often build a kind of tolerance to chronic sleep deprivation, which misleads them into thinking they can live and function without any problems or consequences. Science links lack of sleep to an increased risk of various health conditions such as weight gain, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, mental health issues, elevated levels of stress hormones, and more.

What is considered sleep deprivation?

Sleep deprivation or sleep deficit is considered to be sleep that lasts shorter than the recommended 7–9 hours (for adults). Theoretically, sleep deprivation is measured solely by the duration of sleep. However, in reality, the quality of sleep and the level of restfulness we feel upon waking are also taken into account.

Some people may sleep for 8 hours during the night yet still wake up feeling tired. This can be due to frequent awakenings during the night, frequent need to urinate, conditions like sleep apnea, and so on. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to how we feel during the day—poor sleep quality can often cancel out the benefits of long sleep duration.

There are considered to be three main types of sleep deprivation:

Acute sleep deprivation 

This is insufficient sleep over a short period of time, typically a few days.

Chronic sleep deprivation

refers to a lack of sleep lasting longer than three months and is significantly more dangerous and harmful to health than acute sleep deprivation.

Chronic sleep deficit 

Long-term sleep deficiency, meaning a combination of insufficient sleep (less than the recommended 7–9 hours) and poor sleep quality (frequent awakenings, difficulty falling asleep, etc.).

How does sleep affect hormone levels in the body?

Sleep is a period during which the body creates and regulates hormone levels. Hormones play key roles in:

– Regulating appetite and metabolism

– Body temperature

– Reproductive health

– Blood pressure

– Heart rate

– The circadian rhythm

Without regular and quality sleep, the risk of hormonal imbalances increases significantly. During sleep, the body produces a large number of hormones, including: growth hormone, melatonin, appetite-regulating hormones (leptin, ghrelin), insulin, cortisol, estrogen, and testosterone, among others. Testosterone is mostly produced during sleep, so sleep deprivation can lead to insufficient secretion of this hormone.

Testosterone relation to sleep

Some studies suggest that sleeping less than 5 hours a night leads to a significant drop in testosterone levels in men. This drop can manifest as reduced energy, lower libido, impaired reproductive health, and a variety of other unwanted effects.

This hormone is also crucial for building strength and new muscle tissue in men, as well as bone health. It’s estimated that in the U.S., as many as 15% of young men sleep less than 5 hours per night.

One specific study investigated this exact effect of sleep on testosterone levels in young men. Scientists found that just 8 consecutive nights of poor-quality sleep (less than 5 hours) resulted in a testosterone decline equivalent to what would normally be seen in men 10-15 years older.

The men in the study (with an average age of 24) had testosterone levels 10–15% lower than normal. They reported feeling tired, in a worse mood, and with less energy. Normally, testosterone levels in men are expected to drop by 1–2% per year, so a 10–15% decline is quite significant and concerning.

On the other hand, low testosterone levels are also linked to a higher risk of insomnia, which further worsens this cycle. Insufficient testosterone production is associated with reduced sleep quality and disruptions in the sleep cycles typical of healthy rest.

This cycle can be “broken” by improving overall sleep habits. That’s why regular “sleep hygiene” is recommended, which includes sleeping 7–9 hours a night, going to bed and waking up at roughly the same time, and similar practices.