Could It Be Low Testosterone?
I’m Tired All the Time
Are you tired all the time? You drag yourself out of bed. By 2 PM, you are ready for a nap.
One question I hear from men constantly is, “Could it be my testosterone?”
It is a valid question. Testosterone is not just about libido. It is a key driver of your energy, your mood, and your muscle strength. When it drops, fatigue is usually the first sign.
But here is a piece of the puzzle most people miss.
Testosterone belongs to a family called steroid hormones. All steroid hormones are made from cholesterol.
Think of cholesterol as the raw material. If you do not have enough clay, you cannot make the bricks.
I have seen this pattern for years. A patient goes on a statin to lower their cholesterol. Suddenly they have terrible muscle aches and pains.
In my experience, those patients often had borderline low testosterone to begin with. When we lowered their cholesterol, the raw material, it made it even harder for their body to produce the steroid hormones they needed.
Now, you might be wondering why it seems like everyone has low testosterone these days.
Part of it is awareness. Twenty years ago, we would just chalk it up to stress or getting old. Today, men are actually testing their levels. That is a good thing. But levels do seem to be declining. Lifestyle factors like weight, stress, and environmental toxins are definitely dragging those numbers down.
Here is the detective warning, though. It is not always the hormones.
I had a patient come in convinced he needed testosterone replacement. He was absolutely exhausted. We ran some tests. His testosterone was a little low. But the real culprit turned out to be sleep apnea. He was not getting enough oxygen at night. Once we addressed the sleep apnea, his energy came roaring back.
Often these two things happen together.
It is a vicious cycle. Testosterone is important for building muscle mass. Without enough of it, you are more likely to put on fat. The more overweight you are, the more likely you are to develop sleep apnea. And sleep apnea can lower testosterone even further. It goes both ways.
So if you are dealing with fatigue, have you actually checked your numbers?
And more importantly, if you are on a cholesterol medication, did anyone ever tell you it might affect your steroid hormone levels?
I want to hear your experience. Are you someone who developed fatigue and muscle aches after starting a statin?
Authored by Gerard Guillory, MD
Gerard Guillory, MD, is a board-certified internist who practiced for nearly four decades with a focus on functional, root-cause medicine. He is the author of three books on irritable bowel syndrome and the founder of It’s My Health, where he and his team put current health news in context and help members understand the underlying causes of chronic symptoms.
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