Without testosterone we would not be able to develop our skin, organs, muscles and bones to a healthy level, and we would also be almost unable to maintain sex drive, energy levels and muscles. Men have a good deal more testosterone than women which is why a slight drop in it is not so serious as with women. But it is still important to know what the normal testosterone level is so that if it drops too much then it can be replenished if needed.
So why would someone want to make sure that their testosterone levels are kept up? Well, it is because when your levels of testosterone are low a person may feel weak, tired, moody and/or depressed and could also lose their libido. They may also find themselves losing a good deal of weight. All of these things need to be dealt with as the first four symptoms can affect the quality of your life and losing weight too quickly, whilst being good for pop starlets or footballers after their summer break, can end up being very dangerous.
The next thing that you need know is that testosterone can be found in three forms, two of which are inactive and one of which is active. The two inactive forms of testosterone plus the active testosterone make up the total testosterone level, which needs to be measured. However, this is not the important number. Inactive testosterone is bound to proteins, whilst active testosterone is free of other being bound to anything. Free testosterone constitutes 1 to 2% of the total amount of testosterone in the body. This ratio is the important measurement to take when finding out what you testosterone level is.
Measuring testosterone must be done at the same time of day every time in the same lab to make sure that you are comparing like with like. The best time to do so is the morning when your testosterone levels are at their peak.
Knowing what the normal testosterone level is for a man is quite difficult to do as what is low and what is high varies from person to person. But the general consensus of experts is that a normal level of testosterone for a man will range from the low 200s to more than 1200 ng/dl. For peak health men should make sure that their testosterone level is between the range of 500 ng/dl to 1000 ng/dl.
Ultimately, to know what is a normal level of testosterone for yourself you should allow your body to talk to you. When your libido is lower than you feel it should be, or you are constantly low in energy or you are losing weight too quickly then your testosterone may not be normal.