Lots of men struggle with low libido. Low libido can manifest in a number of different ways, such as having a hard time getting an erection, having difficulty keeping it up or generally being disinterested in sex.
No matter what symptoms you have, low libido can present a pretty serious problem for a dude – especially for one who’s already in a relationship. Many relationships have ended because the man wasn’t able to meet the sexual needs of his partner. It’s no wonder so many men are asking how to increase libido.
In this article, we’re going to describe some of the different causes of low libido and help you understand the best ways to overcome these problems. We’ll talk about different foods, supplements, and natural lifestyle choices that you act as a libido booster.
What Will You Learn?
- Causes of Low Libido in Men
- Foods That Increase Libido
- Other Natural Libido Boosters
- The Best Male Libido Supplements
Causes of Low Libido in Men
Low libido can wreak havoc on a man’s sex life, or his life in general. There are lots of different things that can contribute to low libido. These are some of the most common.
Low Testosterone & Libido
One of the main causes of low libido is low testosterone, however, this is generally the case in older men. While young men can experience low T, this is generally indicative of another issue.
Men with low T are probably going to be experiencing other issues in addition to their low libido. These issues can include lack of energy, low motivation, difficulty gaining muscle, etc. If you are struggling with low libido and don’t have any other signs of low testosterone, you can probably assume that your low libido is caused by something else.
Prescriptions
Prescription medication is another cause of low libido. All manner of different drugs can lead to a lack of sex drive. Some of the more serious culprits include antidepressants, anxiety-fighting meds, blood pressure meds, painkillers and sleeping pills.
If you have recently started taking any of these medications and you’re struggling to maintain your sex drive, this could be the reason.
Alcohol, Drugs, & Smoking
It’s not just prescription medication that can lead to low libido and lack of sexual health. Alcohol, smoking, and illegal drugs can cause the same problems. If you’re struggling with your libido, cut back on smoking, drinking, and recreational drug use and see if that makes a difference.
Exercise
Not getting enough exercise can lead to a weak cardiovascular system, and this can make it difficult for blood to flow throughout your body. This can lead to problems like erectile dysfunction.
Regular exercise is also important for regulating the body’s production of neurotransmitters, brain chemicals and nervous system messengers that are responsible for libido and sexual health (among other things).
Too much exercise can also make it hard to maintain your sexual health, so don’t go overboard!
Psychological Problems
There are lots of psychological problems that can contribute to low libido and erectile dysfunction. Some common ones include:
- Depression. Depressed men can have a hard time focusing on sex and may have difficulty maintaining libido.
- Anxiety. Men with anxiety – especially performance anxiety – may have a hard time performing and may lose their libido.
- Relationship problems. If you’re in a relationship with someone that you’re unattracted to or incompatible with, these issues can manifest as low libido.
Foods That Increase Libido
One of the first things that you can do if you’re struggling with your libido is to change your diet. Obviously, a well-rounded diet rich in all manner of vitamins and minerals will be the best way to ensure that your libido is in good shape.
However, there are a few foods that are better than others for men hoping to boost your libido. These are some of the most effective foods that increase libido.
Watermelon
Watermelon is considered one of the best foods for helping to fight erectile dysfunction. This is because it’s loaded with citrulline, an amino acid which the body converts into arginine. Arginine, in turn, is used by the body to relax its blood vessels. This helps to ensure that blood can reach the penis and that the man can get an erection.
Oysters
Oysters are a great source of zinc, which is one of the most important nutrients for male sexual health. This is probably why oysters have long been associated with improved sexual health and virility.
Zinc is known to help the body produce hormones like testosterone, which is involved in regulating our sex drive. It can also help enhance stamina and energy levels.
Fenugreek
An ingredient that’s often used in Indian food, fenugreek may also be useful for enhancing male sexual health. It is believed to help enhance testosterone, and while research is limited in this area lots of men have reported success enhancing their libido with fenugreek.
Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a particularly high source of zinc, especially when compared to other non-meat-based sources. As mentioned above, zinc is important for enhancing testosterone levels.
Walnuts
Out of all nuts, walnuts are the best source of arginine. As discussed above, arginine is involved in helping us regulate blood flow and can ensure that men can get strong erections.
Other Natural Libido Boosters
If your diet is already healthy and you’re still not sure how to boost your libido, don’t worry – there are some other natural libido boosters that you can take advantage of. These are some of the best natural libido-boosting activities.
Eat Chocolate
We could have listed this in the previous section, but we feel that chocolate is more powerful than most normal foods in regards to its ability to enhance libido. Chocolate contains a few psychoactive compounds, the most powerful and prominent being theobromine.
Theobromine is similar to caffeine except that it provides a much more relaxing form of stimulation. It’s also great at boosting mood and can help to restore libido in men who struggle with low libido.
Improve Self-Confidence
A lot of men struggle with self-confidence issues which can emerge in the form of anxieties or problems with libido. When a man is worried that he won’t be able to perform well, for example, he may subconsciously suppress his libido so that he never presents himself with the opportunity to fail.
By enhancing self-confidence and becoming better at approaching women and performing sexually, you may notice that your libido increases. One of the best ways to do this is to seek some form of counselor or life coach. These professionals will help teach you skills to enhance your self-confidence.
Reduce Stress
Dudes who deal with a lot of stress likely have other things on their mind than sex (big surprise!) If men are dealing with stress related to work, school, family life, or even romantic relationships, they’ll be unable to dedicate enough energy to maintain their sex life and libido.
Reducing the amount of stress in your life can be a great way to help improve your libido. If you can’t actually limit the number of stressful experiences in your life, seek the help of a coach, counselor, or therapist who can help you learn to cope with your stress better.
Sleep
If you’re not getting enough sleep, then your body isn’t going to be rested enough to produce the hormones that it needs to function. Sleep deprivation has been shown to have a dramatic effect on the amount of testosterone that a man can produce, which can have a negative impact on their libido.
Communicate
This might be the last thing that you’d expect to see on a libido-boosting list, but communication is important if you’re in a relationship.
Many men find that they become sexually uninterested in their partner at some point during their relationship. Unfortunately, most men aren’t really encouraged or taught how to communicate their emotions or feelings in relationships. This means that a lot of the time, we don’t even really understand why it is that we’re drifting away from our partners.
In many cases, men chock this up to just ‘having low libido’ and the relationship dwindles. Learning how to communicate, however, can help you overcome these bumps and restore sexual attraction between you and your partner.
Take Herbal Supplements
There are lots of different herbal supplements that you can use to enhance your sexual health. We’ll go into more detail about these in the next section.
The Best Male Libido Supplements
For thousands of years, traditional medicine systems have advocated the use of herbs, poultices, tinctures and other natural supplements to help enhance male libido. Now, science has begun to recognize that these supplements are actually pretty effective.
These are some of the most common and powerful supplements used to enhance male libido.
Horny Goat Weed
Aside from having one of the best names of any herbs ever, horny goat weed is known for its potent effects on libido. The herb – which was named by a farmer after recognizing that his goats became extra horny after eating it – is known to help boost libido in both men and women.
Citrus Sinensis
Citrus sinensis is a plant that’s known to help enhance nitric oxide levels in the body. This improves blood flow and makes it easier for men to get an erection. C.C. also helps to improve the amount of ATP produced by our cells, which gives us more energy and can enhance stamina.
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginkgo biloba is another powerful herb that has been used for thousands of years to help enhance blood flow throughout the body. For this reason, ginkgo has been used as a treatment for erectile dysfunction or low libido for many, many years.
Maca root
Maca root is a very powerful adaptogenic herb that grows in Peru. Maca has very strong libido-boosting effects and it is known to contribute to spontaneous erections. Maca can help to reduce the refractory period and can enhance the overall sexual experience.
Tribulus Terrestris
Tribulus is a herb that is well-known for its ability to improve sex drive and libido. It has an indirect effect on your testosterone levels because of the way that it fights cholesterol and reduces blood sugar.
Viasil
If you’re not interested in searching for, learning about and dosing yourself with tons of different medicinal herbs, you can take a supplement that has already done the research for you. Viasil is one such supplement, and it includes a number of the above ingredients.
- Horny goat weed.
- Zinc – which, as discussed earlier, is one of the most important nutrients for male sexual health.
- Citrus Sinensis.
- Ginkgo Biloba.
- Tribulus Terrestris.
- Panax Ginseng, a powerful adaptogenic herb that has been used for thousands of years to help enhance male libido and virility.
- Pomegranate extract, which is shown to help enhance nitric oxide and boost energy throughout the body.
Viasil is a fantastic supplement for helping to enhance erectile health, boost male libido, and encourage overall energy production. It also helps save time because you don’t have to spend time searching for individual herbs and learning how to prepare them yourself.
Conclusion
If you’re wondering how to boost your libido, don’t worry – you’re not alone. Low libido in men is a very common problem, but fortunately, there are a lot of different natural libido boosters that you can take advantage of.
Having a good diet, getting enough sleep, exercising, and taking male libido supplements will help to ensure that you have a strong and healthy sex drive.
