Dr. Baraki,
Have you any experience with "exercise-induced" hypogonadism?
I believe that I am recovery challenged in that I am a piss poor sleeper: wake up for no reason (that I can discern) multiple times, wake up 2 hours before alarm and then can't fall back asleep, wake up feeling like crap, can't get out of bed, etc. I am 99.7% sure that I do not have sleep apnea. I'm a middle aged male (39) that has been doing SS and intermediate programs for the last 3 years with decent results.
Given that poor sleep is both a cause and a symptom of a hormonal imbalance, where would one start with trying to address a suite of symptoms would otherwise point toward low testosterone? For example, for the last year, I've felt chronically fatigued (feel like passing out between hours of 2-4, take 2 hour naps on weekends), have ED, libido tanking, lack motivation, irritable and low mood (not depressed, but no joy).
I've had some blood work done:
first
second
My testosterone is considered "normal", but on the low end. I have not had SHBG or cortisol tested, but my suspicion is that my SHBG is high and my cortisol is whacked. I think my adrenals are jacked up due to poor recovery and stress from lifting and that is affecting my HPA axis and therefore my hormonal milieu.
Any thoughts or recommendations (e.g., would one of those 4 sample cortisol saliva tests be worthwhile)? I realize that I am not a special snowflake so surely there are others who feel this way and are not willing to chalk it up to "getting older"? I'm not even looking to go on testosterone. I am very interested in exploring a "restart" option like Clomid given my age and situation. I have a consultation scheduled with one of the more well known HRT tele-medicine practices.
Thank you for your time.