eli5: why does testosterone decrease when you’re stressed

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That makes no sense to me, isn’t our body supposed to make us stronger in a stressful environment so why reduce test levels

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Testosterone is anabolic i.e. it promotes growth. Stress is a state promoted by fear, biologically it is supposed to be for acute situations where you must take action immediately, e.g. a lion attack. The body engages flight or fight mode where it is prepped to burn energy as quickly as possible, to maximise strength in the immediate short term, not to divert energy to growth and development as testosterone would encourage.

Energy is diverted to the heart, to speed it up and make it pump harder, to ready the muscles for flight or fight. This is why a burst of adrenaline makes your heart race, or why stressed and anxious people often tend to have raised blood pressure.

Chronic stress isn’t a state the body was naturally designed for. It is designed to have two distinct “modes”, growth and repair, and flight or fight. In ideal circumstances, most of the time the body will be in growth and repair mode (rest and digest) and the flight or fight mode will only be occasionally engaged.

In a state of chronic stress, the body is “stuck” in flight or fight mode, and anabolic functions are neglected in favour of readiness for physical action.

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