Reality Check: Men Are Much More Driven by Hormones Than Women
Testosterone is the main hormonal game-changer for males. Men typically experience the eight testosterone cycles listed below:
- Rhythmic fluctuations that occur about three to four times per hour.
- Daily changes where testosterone levels are higher in the morning and lower in the afternoon.
- Rhythmic monthly fluctuations that are different for each individual.
- Fluctuations that occur during the year with testosterone levels being the highest in October and the lowest in April.
- Testosterone changes are typically associated with adolescence.
- Fluctuations that are part of the irritable male syndrome (IMS) and occur as a result of stress, loss of self-esteem, and end changes in brain neurochemistry. These fluctuations may happen at any time in a man’s life.
- Decreasing testosterone levels that are associated with andropause or male menopause.
- Moment to moment testosterone responses due to a male’s competitive, sexual and territorial behaviors.
The biggest takeaway is that just as women go through a 29-day hormonal reproductive cycle, men have their own version that happens every 15-20 minutes…..plus 7 more potential hormonal sub-cycles.
I think men have such a crazy hormonal potential and swing that the regularity of the female cycle with one predictable hormonal swing…. looks abnormal!
When discussing men’s hormonal cycles, I heard a woman presenter once say that if your man is not paying attention at the moment, or you don’t like his response, wait 20 minutes, and it will change. Seems actually true!
Understanding this and realizing that the distractedness, “stress” behavior, sleep disturbance, and irritability that some men go through may be more hormonal than anything.
The male lack of expressive venues for their hormonal fluctuations can help separate a moody, angry dude from a man suffering from mild to moderate depression, or what I have written about as the Irritable Male Syndrome.
Men and women express every function, hormone, and emotion differently. Why would the criteria for depression be the same for both?….. It’s not!
Man up (I hate that term) and build awareness, my brothers, and take steps to help yourself because it just might be you and not her that is hormonal!
The answer is not taking testosterone……there is so much that can be done to improve both the testosterone number and the efficiency of it for men of all ages.
Don’t wait.
Make a plan and start today! We can do better!
