Khaberni - Every Ramadan, the same complaints are repeated about fatigue, physical lethargy, less desire followed by a quick judgment summarized in the phrase "it seems that testosterone has dropped due to fasting".
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone, responsible for the development of male characteristics in the body, such as body and facial hair, muscle mass, bone density, and controlling libido and mood.
In popular imagination, hours of hunger mean a "drop in the battery of manhood", but when we refer to scientific evidence, we don't find that Ramadan fasting demolishes the male hormone as some may imagine.
The picture is more accurate and calm, showing that fasting itself is usually not the problem, but what we do during it, i.e., how do we sleep? What do we eat? How do we move? And how do we manage our stress? So, what do the studies actually say?
Why do some men feel lethargic during Ramadan?
Because testosterone is not a constant number on an analysis sheet, its level naturally:
• peaks in the morning.
• declines in the evening.
• and is directly affected by sleep, nutrition, and psychological stress.
A study published in 2011 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) titled "Effect of sleep restriction on testosterone levels in young healthy men", where researchers reduced sleep to about 5 hours a day for a week, showed a notable decrease in testosterone, with a clear decline in energy and vitality.
In Ramadan specifically, what changes in the lives of many men isn't the hormone first, but the "stage" around it:
• Sleep becomes scattered between staying up at night and broken sleep during the day.
• Staying awake sometimes extends beyond dawn.
• Consumption of sugars and fried foods increases at night.
• Weight may increase instead of decrease.
When these factors are combined, feeling tired and lethargic becomes understandable even if testosterone analyses are normal. And the question here is "Is it fasting or staying up and lifestyle to blame?".
Belly Fat.. The Silent Enemy of the Hormone of Manhood
Obesity, especially visceral fat in the belly, is not just about appearance, it's a hormonal metabolic problem as well.
Studies in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism have indicated that visceral fat is associated with increased activity of the aromatase enzyme in adipose tissue, which converts some testosterone into estrogen and contributes to lowering the hormone of manhood.
Conversely, a recent study published in 2024 in the Cureus journal concluded that weight loss, especially reducing body mass index and visceral fat, is associated with a significant rise in testosterone levels and improvement in metabolic balance in men with obesity.
Here appears the paradox of Ramadan:
• It can be an opportunity to improve weight and metabolic health.
• Or a season for stacking sugars and fried foods at night and increasing waist circumference.
Hormonally, belly fat is an active factor that lowers testosterone and increases the risks of diabetes and heart disease, not just a "pants size".
The Four Golden Rules to Protect Your Hormones in Ramadan
1- Sleep first.. No manhood without sleep
Deep sleep is the time when the body produces the most testosterone, and when Ramadan nights turn into a race of shows, screens, coffee, and staying up until dawn, you are practically shutting down the hormone factory in your body.
What can realistically be done?
• Aim to get about 7 total hours of sleep - night and nap - as much as possible.
• Make the deepest part of your sleep before dawn, not just after.
• Reduce screens and stimulants in the hours leading up to sleep.
Without sufficient and regulated sleep, no supplements or herbs will compensate for the deficiency.
2- A smart plate, not a rushed meal
What you put on your plate is the "raw material" for your hormones, not just a reward for breaking the hunger. In every breakfast and suhoor, make sure to have:
• Enough protein from eggs, dairy, legumes, meat, or unbreaded chicken.
• Healthy fats as in olive oil, a handful of nuts, or fatty fish like sardines and salmon if available.
• Vegetables and fibers to reduce sugar rush and support satiety.
• And make sweets and fried foods an exception not the rule.
The belly fat that silently accumulates during the nights of Ramadan might continue to lower testosterone and increase the risks of diabetes and heart disease throughout the year.
3- Resistance training.. The iron that preserves your manhood
Reviews in the Physiology of Physical Effort suggest that resistance exercises increase testosterone levels briefly after the session and maintain muscle mass and insulin sensitivity in the long run.
On the other hand, excessive long-duration endurance exercises combined with lack of sleep and energy are associated with increased stress hormones like cortisol and hormonal imbalance.
In Ramadan, the smart equation is simple:
• 2-3 resistance sessions weekly are enough.
• At a suitable time, preferably about an hour before breaking the fast or two hours after.
• With avoidance of combining long fasting and very strenuous exercise with a heavy meal and staying up until dawn.
4- Reduce stress.. Cortisol is not your friend
Chronic psychological stress is associated in psychological and hormonal studies with disruption of the hormonal axis and the rise of stress hormones at the expense of other calmer masculinity hormones.
In Ramadan, stress does not only come from work but also from trying to "succeed in everything" from worship, work, family, and relationships in a tight time and different sleep conditions.
Calm after taraweeh prayers, a warm family session, reading, remembrance, or minutes of deep breathing are not a luxury, but a part of protecting your hormonal balance.
What about Hormonal Injections?
Regulatory bodies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warn against using testosterone therapy without:
• clear symptoms of a hormone deficiency.
• and a low level proven by laboratory tests in more than one morning measurement (usually less than 300 nanograms per deciliter).
In a 2015 safety statement, the FDA warned against using testosterone therapy without clear symptoms of a hormone deficiency with low levels confirmed by repeated morning tests, noting the potential for increased risks of heart and brain clots in some users of these drugs.
Injections are not a magical solution for lethargy caused by staying up late, accumulating sugars, and lack of movement, and they may harm a man with normal hormone levels more than they benefit. The mature step is to consult a specialist in endocrinology or urology if symptoms persist after Ramadan despite improving your lifestyle, rather than taking "gym advice" as a medical prescription.
The Hormonal Ramadan Program for Men
Instead of asking "What does fasting do to my hormones?", it's more accurate to ask "How do I deal with Ramadan?", and here is a brief plan:
• Sleep a total of about 7 hours a day.
• Resistance exercises two or three times a week at a suitable time.
• Balanced breakfast and suhoor: proteins, healthy fats, and vegetables.
• Reduce sugars and fried foods and avoid heavy late-night snacks and stimulants.
• Consult a doctor if symptoms persist after Ramadan despite modifying these factors.
In the end, there is no "biological conspiracy" in Ramadan against manhood. Testosterone does not break down because you fast for hours, but it is severely affected by your lifestyle during those hours.
Ramadan can be a month of hormonal chaos or a yearly opportunity to reset your physical and psychological health, and the difference between the two is not determined by how full your stomach is, but by your habits.
لا انهيار هرموني
A study published in 2022 in the journal "Nutrients" concluded that intermittent fasting patterns may reduce some androgen indicators - such as testosterone - in physically active lean men, but these changes mostly remain within the normal physiological range, and available studies have not translated into a decline in muscle mass or strength.
As for Ramadan fasting specifically, a study published in 2005 in the "Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal" followed testosterone and pituitary hormone levels in 52 fasting young men, and found a limited decline that occurs within the physiological framework, without a permanent change in the hormone of manhood.
Conversely, studies on acute and chronic calorie restriction - as in very harsh diets and eating disorders - show a noticeable decline in testosterone in men, which is a completely different scenario from balanced Ramadan fasting with balanced breakfast and suhoor.
The scientific conclusion is that there is no evidence that disciplined Ramadan fasting causes a "collapse of manhood", but there is much stronger evidence that obesity, lack of sleep, and chronic stress are what press on testosterone.
