During an experiment, researchers from China collected the blood from people aged between 29 and 70. The men also filled in questionnaires about their sleep habits. The researchers found that many men over age 50 were sleeping no more than 6 hours a night, compared to men in their 40s.
In this study, the researchers also found that the less men slept, the lower their serum testosterone was. There was a direct connection between sleep and testosterone levels and this finding was regardless of age, total body fat, and exercise intensity.
In the past it was reported that men who slept between 4 and 6 hours had lower testosterone levels than men who slept more than 8 hours. In a more recent research it was discovered that bioavailable testosterone was lower in men who slept between 4 and 6 hours, compared to men who slept more than 6 hours. This gives credence to the suggestion that men who sleep less than 6 hours a night have lower testosterone and free testosterone, in comparison to those who sleep more than 6 hours.
It is interesting that endocrinologists may want to look at sleep history as a provider to low testosterone in older men when they perform blood tests for serum testosterone. In men with low concentrations of androgens who also have deprived sleep habits, the support of better sleep hygiene may represent a non-drug intervention for improving their androgen concentrations.
An adequate night sleep is a key part of man’s recuperation process following a working day. This recovery process is the engine for the renewal of alertness necessary for optimal cognitive and physical functional abilities.