Do you wake up in the morning and still feel exhausted? Get up from your chair and realize you want to sit right back down again? Never seem to be able to feel refreshed and energized?

It’s possible that you are suffering from low testosterone.

Low Testosterone is linked to chronic fatigue, loss of muscle mass, increased body fat, insomnia and reduced sex drive. Some of these things make sense right off the bat. But what does low T have to do with fatigue?

How Low Testosterone Can Cause Chronic Fatigue

Being a man’s leading hormone, testosterone is responsible for many important aspects of male life. It causes the deepening of the voice at puberty, development of muscles, sex drive, and the growth of pubic and facial hair. Thank testosterone for your fabulous beard or mustache! And of course your great enjoyment of sex.

But most relevantly, it also helps to generate overall energy. And once it goes down, energy generation reduces as well.

Testosterone levels naturally decrease in every man with age. And for every human, energy and sex drive may also decrease a little as time wears on. However, if testosterone levels drop so low that fatigue affects daily life, there is something abnormal at work.

How to tell if Low Testosterone is the Problem

There is no way to self-diagnose low T. However, there are many symptoms that point towards low testosterone. Besides chronic lethargy, if you have the following symptoms, it may be time to think about going to your doctor.

  • Decrease in sex drive
  • Erectile dysfunction
  • Lowered sperm count and infertility
  • Breast enlargement or tenderness
  • Increased irritability, inability to concentrate, and low mood
  • Hot flashes

Diagnosis of low T is only sought if there are symptoms indicating it may be an issue. However, if you have the above symptoms, talk to your doctor about getting a diagnosis.

How to Treat Low Testosterone

If your doctor diagnoses you with low testosterone, there are numerous ways to treat it. Some doctors may suggest a lifestyle change. Others may prescribe you testosterone therapy, where your body is given testosterone to replace what it’s not currently making. Testosterone may be prescribed in any of the following ways:

  • Injections, every 2 weeks
  • Skin patches
  • Gels
  • Buccal tablets, applied to the gums twice a day

About 3 to 6 months after beginning testosterone treatment, you should check back in with your doctor to get your levels checked. If everything goes well, afterwards yearly check-ups will suffice to keep everything in balance.

At every check-up, feel free to ask your doctor any questions that come to mind. If something seems weird to you, ask! You will likely be experiencing many excellent changes as your body adapts to your newly proper testosterone levels.

Along with increased sex drive and stamina, with your testosterone levels restored, you will experience renewed vigor. Be gone, chronic fatigue! You’ve been defeated by the powerful T and life is back to how it should be.

Author's Bio: 

Brian values the ability of all ages to learn from the power of stories. His mission is to write about health conditions, educational topics, and life situations in an entertaining way in order to help children understand their own health conditions and daily circumstances. See more at healthstoriesforkids.com

Brian Wu graduated with a Bachelor's Science Degree in Physiology and Neurobiology. Currently, he holds a Ph.D. and is an MD Candidate (KSOM, USC) in integrative biology and disease.