How Your Job Can Effect Your Testosterone Level!!

[LowT Mike]

How Does the Job Affect a Firefighter's Testosterone ?

The physiological link between stress and testosterone is another hormone called cortisol. Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone, which increases sugar (glucose) in the bloodstream. It communicates with your brain to help control mood, motivation, and fear, and alters the immune system. When stress (either physical or physiological) is applied to the body, it produces cortisol (a flight-or-fight reaction), but if your body is continuously under stress, the body's natural alarm system is always on. Continuous elevated cortisol levels are very dangerous and can lead to a number of health issues, including depression, heart disease, and stroke.

How can elevated cortisol levels and decreased testosterone levels affect a firefighter during the course of his career? Over a 30-year career, a firefighter may develop poor sleeping habits (increasing cortisol), poor nutritional habits (reducing testosterone), and place their body under constant stress (increasing cortisol). All of these things will directly impact their health, but more importantly it will elevate their cortisol while reducing their testosterone. For example, 65 percent of calls are generally EMS related, but 75 percent of calls come between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Responding constantly to this type of call will impact firefighters' sleep over the course of a 30-year career and create elevated cortisol levels. On the other hand, a simple structure fire could last 20 minutes or longer, with the average heart rate being 153; this constant stress load will impact their cortisol levels because during this prolonged time period testosterone production may be turned off to allow for the flight-or-fight response system to work properly. If we do not reduce the stress, then these elevated levels of cortisol will continue to exist, thus keeping our testosterone levels low.

Firefighter Fitness: Low T and Cortisol: The Silent Killer

[kelkel]

I assume that this would generally apply to most swing shift workers in high pressure jobs as well. Thanks Mike.

[LowT Mike]

Absolutely. On a different note but you can see the causal relationship to work environment and health>>>There was another rather famous study done on nurses that worked the night shift and their exposure to fluorescent lights in hospital and the depletion of melatonin leading to a higher incidence of breast cancer. Called "The Nurse Study". Same in women as it is in men. Our bodies our ment to sleep at night and ramp up hormonal signaling to maintain a healthy Endo system. Lifestyle, diet as well as sleep is very important to our Endocrine system.

[bigt405]

This is something I have been aware of for awhile.....I have worked 12 hour rotating shifts with an average of over 500 hours of overtime each year for twenty one years. The lack of sleep and regular sleep patterns wreaks havoc on the human body. There are many studies out there show this. The only thing you can do short of changing jobs is try to live as healthy as possible to try and offset the negatives. Also get your test levels checked if you think there is an issue because trt has been a game changer for me

[2Sox]

I assume that this would generally apply to most swing shift workers in high pressure jobs as well. Thanks Mike.

I wonder if there has been a study done on career teachers regarding this. I spent 30 years teaching high school in NYC and even though I absolutely loved my job, I know being constantly "on" for all those years had to have an effect on my hormone levels.

I've been retired for about a year and now I'm stressing because I'm having such a difficult time adjusting to days without structure! I need a JOB! ;-)