Sleep and Testosterone: What’s the Connection?

We get it: It’s more impressive to talk about how much you bench than how much you sleep. But getting quality shut-eye is huge for so many aspects of your health, including your testosterone levels. 

Testosterone, best known as the male sex hormone (androgen) that keeps your muscles strong, your energy high, and your libido humming along, does some of its best work while you’re asleep. 

And when your sleep sucks, your levels of testosterone might be impacted. On the flip side, if your testosterone is already low, it can mess with your sleep.

Below, we’ll fully explore the relationship between sleep and testosterone, plus some tips for getting both back on track.

Let’s get back to some basics first. Testosterone is often attributed to biceps and beards, but it does much more. 

It plays a big role in things like your energy, mood, strength, sex drive, and general motivation to get things done. Your testosterone is also involved in spermatogenesis (sperm production) and regulating how fat is distributed in your body.

Basically, when your testosterone is where it’s supposed to be, you feel more focused, driven, and vital. But if you’re dealing with low T, you’re more likely to feel irritable, sluggish, and possibly a little softer around the midsection. 

There are many ways you can help your body maintain normal testosterone levels, one of which is ensuring adequate, quality sleep.

The short answer is yes.

If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter and functioned like a zombie the next day, your testosterone levels were probably feeling the pinch, too. 

Testosterone production kicks into gear while you sleep, peaking during the first REM stage, and remains high until about mid-morning, then gradually declines throughout the day.

A small study in healthy men shows that just a week of sleep deprivation (say you’re only getting about five hours per night, something that affects at least 15 percent of the US workforce) can lead to 10 to 15 percent lower testosterone levels. That’s enough to make a noticeable impact on how you feel. 

A 2021 meta-analysis of 18 studies involving 252 men found that total sleep deprivation of at least 24 hours has an even more significant effect on lowering T levels.

It’s not just sleep duration, either, as frequently waking up at night may also be related to reduced testosterone levels, especially in older men. 

Furthermore, when you’re sleep-deprived, this often leads to an increase in cortisol (best known as the stress hormone), which can suppress testosterone production.

If you’re curious about other factors that might be involved, check out our guide to low testosterone levels.

For overall health, experts recommend adults get seven or more hours of sleep per night. This is the sweet spot for your stress levels, cellular repair, mental health, and hormonal balance. 

Your body secretes testosterone on a daily rhythm, kicking into gear overnight and reaching peak levels between 7 and 10 AM, and then gradually decreasing to a low point at the end of the day. 

If your sleep pattern is off-kilter — like if you stay up too late watching crime documentaries, are up well before any human should be, or are tossing and turning all night — this testosterone rhythm is also thrown off. 

Unfortunately, this means some guys can be even more vulnerable to testosterone disruption from poor sleep. If you’re a new dad or a night-shift worker, for instance, erratic sleep schedules can work against your hormonal harmony goals by confusing your internal clock. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that roughly one-third of American men sleep less than seven hours per night, which is below the recommended minimum for adults.

Lack of sleep isn’t just about daytime sleepiness and keeping your coffeemaker on a constant brew.

When you’re not well rested, whether from sleep disorders or poor late-night choices, your testosterone levels can take a bit of a nosedive, affecting more than just your morning motivation. 

Here’s what can go wrong when you have sleep problems:

• Lower testosterone production: Even a few nights of bad sleep can decrease testosterone levels. When it’s an ongoing problem, you may eventually notice changes in your strength, focus, and sex drive.

• Shifts in body fat storage: Low T can alter your body composition, making it easier to gain fat, especially around the midsection, and harder to maintain lean muscle mass.

• Mood swings and irritability: Low testosterone combined with poor sleep can make you feel more anxious, down, or just off your game emotionally.

• Lower libido: Testosterone is a main component of your sexual health, so when it drops, so can your desire (and possibly your performance).

• Sleep becomes even harder: The irony is cruel, and the cycle is vicious. Low T, made worse by not sleeping well, can actually cause more sleep disruptions.

In other words, while skipping sleep to meet a deadline or watch your show in peace might feel like a harmless hustle, your hormone levels might be quietly paying the price. The longer you let it slide, the harder it may be to bounce back.

The sleep and testosterone dance goes both ways. Abnormal testosterone levels may zap your energy and motivation during the day, but they can also mess with your nights. 

Low Testosterone Can Wreck Your Sleep

According to research, men with low T often report trouble falling asleep, waking up frequently, or feeling like they didn’t get restful sleep, even after a full night in bed. In older men, the link between low T and sleep problems is mostly due to higher body fat and more research is needed to understand whether extra weight affects sleep directly or by lowering testosterone.

If that’s not enough, low testosterone is also linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition where you repeatedly stop and start breathing during the night (which is usually treated with a CPAP machine that helps keep the airway open). The link between low testosterone and OSA is complex, but both conditions share common risk factors like obesity. Regardless of which comes first, OSA may lower testosterone by disrupting sleep and reducing oxygen levels during the night.

Sleep restriction (getting fewer than seven hours per night) feels awful, but it is also associated with a higher risk of heart disease and obesity, according to some studies. 

Low testosterone levels can also impact your circadian rhythm (your natural sleep-wake cycle or internal clock). This can make it more difficult to wind down at night and get going in the morning. 

So, if you’ve been feeling tired no matter how early you hit the sack or keep waking yourself up snoring, it might be time to get both your testosterone and any sleep-disordered breathing checked out.

Can High Testosterone Affect Sleep, Too?

On the other hand, you might wonder whether having elevated T influences your sleep, and the answer is…maybe?

Having high testosterone can cause symptoms like mood changes, aggression, increased body hair growth, and even acne.

There's some limited evidence that high T can cause sleep issues too, but the relationship isn't very well understood.

For example, a 2003 study—while small (17 men over age 60)—found that short-term high-dose testosterone therapy significantly worsened sleep quality by reducing total sleep time, increasing nighttime hypoxemia, and raising sleep apnea events—particularly during non-REM sleep. 

Despite these negative effects on sleep and breathing, testosterone improved body composition (increased lean mass, reduced fat) but didn’t affect upper airway measurements, physical or mental performance, mood, or metabolic measures. 

Overall, the authors suggest more research is needed on the long-term effects and safety of lower-dose testosterone therapy on sleep in aging men.

It’s also worth noting that guys with high testosterone levels from anabolic steroid use report feeling more anxious or restless, which could understandably make it more difficult to relax at night. 

Want to increase testosterone levels or better support your hormones and overall health? Start by upgrading your sleep game. Here are some science-backed ways to do just that:

• Stick to a schedule: Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day (yes, even on weekends, as much as possible) to prevent sleep loss. Consistency helps keep your internal clock and hormonal balance stable.

• Create a sleep-promoting environment: Does your bedroom scream “let’s party” or “let’s call it a day?” To achieve the latter, aim for a cool, dark, quiet, and cozy setting. Some guys like a blackout curtain, a fan, or a white noise machine to help set the mood.

• Avoid screens close to bed: The blue light from phones, TVs, and laptops can suppress your natural melatonin secretion at night and make it harder to fall asleep and achieve deep sleep. Try cutting off screens at least an hour or two before bed. This is a great time to listen to calming music on some headphones or read a book. 

• Limit alcohol and caffeine: Both can interfere with deep sleep stages. Avoid caffeine after noon, as it has an average half-life of five hours. As for alcohol, while it may be a depressant, it’s actually associated with frequently waking up at night. 

• Create a wind-down routine: Signal your body that it's time to chill. Try a warm shower, stretching, light reading, or calming music, whatever helps you unplug.

• Exercise regularly, but not too late: Physical activity encourages consistent sleep quality and testosterone stability, but try not to hit the gym too close to bedtime. Vigorous exercise without enough recovery time can make it harder to fall asleep. 

• Watch your weight: Excess body fat, especially around the abdomen, can lead to lower testosterone and increase your risk of sleep apnea.

• Skip the late-night snacks: Filling your belly with a heavy meal right before you lie down, without enough time to fully digest, might make it harder to relax and fall asleep.

Prioritizing sleep time isn't soft, okay? It's strategic for your well-being, so tell your friends. Even making small tweaks to sleep habits can lead to big wins for your energy, testosterone stability, and how you feel overall. 

If you’ve been grinding hard in the gym, watching your macros, and still not feeling like your best self, don’t overlook what’s happening (or not) while you sleep. 

Though an unexpected pair, testosterone and sleep are connected. When one takes a hit, the other often follows, so optimizing both is about working smarter, not harder.

Remember: 

• Testosterone production revs up during sleep, typically peaks around the first REM cycle, and remains high until about mid-morning. 

• Poor sleep, even in the short term, can negatively affect T levels, which you might notice in things like your energy levels and sex drive. 

• Having low testosterone levels can also work against your sleep, contributing to a vicious cycle. 

• Sleep is a priority, not a luxury, so set yourself and your T levels up for success by practicing consistency and avoiding sleep disruptors as much as you can. 

Sleep is a crucial aspect of men’s health, both for young healthy men and older men. We’re here to help you get things back on track. Check out our men’s sleep articles for more information.