Every human on the planet has hormones. They’re an important part of our body’s communication mechanism, and they keep a lot of important processes running. Growth, repair and rejuvenation, cell regulation and reproduction – all of them are controlled by hormones. Typically, your body knows how much of which hormones to produce and when so that everything can work smoothly. But sometimes that doesn’t happen. A hormone is missing, present in too high or too low levels, or just appearing at the wrong times, and this can cause all sorts of problems. This is called hormone imbalance.

Hormone imbalances are very common in both men and women, however, most of the information you read online will be about women’s hormones, the changes and how to manage them. But while men’s hormonal cycles are different to women’s, they’re still incredibly important to the body, and when they’re disturbed, they can cause all sorts of weird and not-so-wonderful things to happen. And if you’re a man, you should know that it’s normal, how it might affect you, and what you can do to get things balanced again.

The Male Hormone Cycle

Unlike women, whose hormone cycle lasts an entire month, men’s hormones are much simpler, and their cycles much shorter. In fact, the cycle starts and finishes every day! Another key difference is that men’s hormone cycles have nothing to do with their reproductive abilities. They are producing sperm and testosterone all year long, so their fluctuations aren’t going to be motivated by monthly occurrences like ovulation.

Instead, testosterone levels are at their highest early in the morning, diminishing over the course of the day with small spikes when there’s an increase in physical activity. When we say early morning – we mean it! The levels start to drop after 9am, and their lowest ebb is at night, right before sleep. Testosterone levels then build up again overnight, ready for that peak. So in the morning, you will feel energetic, focussed, confident and impulsive. You’re more likely to be talkative, and you can also get more aggressive. Around midday, things will chill out a bit. You’ll still feel upbeat, driven and focused, but you won’t be angered so easily. Once the evening hits, your testosterone has bottomed out, which means you’ll be more low-key, passive and agreeable.

The Big Male Hormones

Oestrogen: Traditionally known as the ‘female’ hormone, oestrogen in men controls libido, erectile function, and the production of sperm cells.

Progesterone: Needed to produce testosterone and help prepare sperm for possible fertilisation. There is also some evidence that it can help support sleep.

Testosterone: The iconic ‘male’ hormone, testosterone is an androgen. Its job is to regulate libido, determine bone mass, fat distribution, muscle mass and strength. It’s also the key hormone responsible for producing sperm.

Prolactin: Men have small amounts of prolactin in their system, mainly as a way to protect the central nervous system and reduce anxiety. Research has shown that prolactin levels rise in men after their partners give birth in order to boost paternal behaviour and provide that drive to care for and comfort their baby.

Oxytocin: A chemical messenger that controls behaviour. It’s a key bonding hormone for women, but in men it regulates sperm function and testosterone production.

What Does A Hormone Imbalance Look Like?

There are a few different hormones involved in the male hormone cycle, but the most important by a country mile is testosterone. It plays a critical role in your energy levels, sexual health and physical well-being, which means it causes a variety of symptoms when it’s not present in the right amounts. Symptoms of hormone imbalances for men include:

• Constipation
• Depressed or anxious moods
• Difficulty concentrating
• Developing breast tissue
• Erectile dysfunction
• Fatigue and weakness
• Joint stiffness
• Reduced libido
• Reduced muscle tone
• Sleep problems
• Thinning hair or baldness
• Unintentional weight gain

Many of these symptoms are a bit of a Catch-22. If you’re feeling anxious or depressed, you might feel less interested in pleasurable activities such as sex. Less physical intimacy with a partner can bring on more stress or anxiety, especially if your partner’s libido continues as normal. 

Similarly, fatigue can keep you from exercising — which can then increase other effects of hormone imbalance, such as weight gain and reduced muscle mass. So it can be tricky to get to the root cause of the issue.

What Does All Of This Have To Do With Mental Health?

In a word – everything. Hormones play a big role in our emotions, and testosterone more than most. If your body isn’t producing enough testosterone, it can cause depression, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, low sex drive, increased aggression and even physical symptoms like erectile dysfunction. Male menopause is a condition that can cause all of these things, and yet hardly any men realise that their changes in mood are actually related to their hormones. Which often means they don’t, or can’t seek help when things get bad.

The fact that testosterone and hormonal balance are important to mental health means that thousands of men experience negative mental health effects at the hands of their hormones each year, and don’t even know it. While there isn’t a way to stop the gradual decline of testosterone after 30, there are plenty of things you can do to rebalance your hormones, which in turn can improve your mental health. 

So this month, if you do nothing else, talk to the men in your life about what you’ve read today whether it is a friend, Dad or partner. Talk about how their hormones can impact their moods too, and it’s not just limited to women. And most importantly, that they’re not alone, and help is out there. If you or they are interested, you can use the Melp app, which provides a wide range of tools and tips to help rebalance your hormones in a natural way and go a long way to improving your mental health struggles. If you have any questions, or would like to know more, just get in touch with the team today.