Meditation is a practice that if done regularly can greatly assist in reducing stress, but you probably knew that already. What you may not know is that by reducing stress with the diaphragmatic breath during meditation it can also have a positive impact on your hormones. When we are stressed our bodies produce cortisol, which increases blood sugar, reduces immune function, and can decrease testosterone.
In this study, 4 months of meditation increased both testosterone and HGH in the subjects while simultaneously reducing cortisol. So if you are struggling with low-T and have a stressful lifestyle, you may want to consider a meditation practice before diving into any type of hormone replacement.
In addition to testosterone and HGH, meditation has been shown to increase the release of serotonin and oxytocin, which are key hormones that improve mood and empathy. Dopamine is another hormone that has shown to be stimulated by meditation, which improves memory, attention, and problem solving.
So you see, taking a few minutes each morning and evening to relax, breathe, and meditate not only starts and ends your day on the right mental track, it can have pretty profound affects on your body on a much deeper level than you once thought.