How to Optimize Testosterone & Estrogen

In this episode, I discuss testosterone and estrogen hormones and how they impact the brain, body, and behavior after puberty. I also discuss how various behaviors such as exercise (resistance and endurance training) and sex or observing sex impact these hormones and their levels. I ask: "what specifically is it about such activities that impact testosterone and estrogen?"; the resounding theme is that when our nervous system is activated in particular ways, it drives our endocrine system and vascular system to activate or repress certain hormone networks in predictable ways. I also discuss peer-reviewed studies and protocols addressing (at a mechanistic level) how light, cold and heat, and respiration (breathing) can positively or negatively impact testosterone and estrogen. We discuss specific supplements and compounds that peer-reviewed studies illustrate can adjust testosterone and estrogen levels by changing their binding to other proteins, raising them directly, or changing other hormones released from the brain and pituitary. I discuss optimization in the normal reference ranges for these hormones, and I discuss pheromones, apnea, menstrual cycles, menopause and andropause.

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

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Waking Up: https://www.wakingup.com/huberman

Timestamps

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:26 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up

00:05:50 Hormone Optimization

00:07:00 Salutogenesis: A Powerful Way to Conceptualize Health

00:10:03 Estrogen and Testosterone: Sources, Levels and Ratios

00:15:46 The Power of Competition, Plus: Anxiety, Persistence and Dopamine

00:20:58 Testosterone and Libido Pre-Ovulation

00:21:48 Estrogen and Sexual Receptivity; Libido In Males

00:23:10 How Sex Behavior Impacts Testosterone: Observing vs. Actual vs. Abstinence

00:26:46 Testosterone and Prolactin: Sex Seeking vs. Pair Bonding

00:27:30 DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone): Effects on Levels/Ratios

00:28:45 Behaviors That Decrease Testosterone (and Cortisol): Parenting and Prolactin

00:31:24 How Illness Impacts Testosterone and Estrogen: Cytokines, e.g., IL-6

00:33:20 How Exactly Do Behaviors Change Hormones?

00:34:18 Pheromones: Miscarriage, Menstrual Cycles, Puberty Onset, and Mate Recognition

00:43:33 Apnea: A Powerful Bi-Directional Influence On Estrogen and Testosterone

00:47:44 Mouth vs. Nose Breathing and Hormone Levels: Effects Via Sleep and Direct Effects