How to raise testosterone naturally: exercise, sleep, food and supplements

Q: What is testosterone?

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, made mostly in the testicles. It plays a part in sex drive, erections, muscle and bone, mood and energy. It peaks in your 20s and falls slowly with age, at very different rates from man to man. When low testosterone comes with symptoms such as tiredness and low sex drive, doctors call it testosterone deficiency or late-onset hypogonadism.

Q: Can I raise my testosterone naturally?

Research links it most clearly to sleep and weight. When 10 healthy young men slept under 5 hours a night for a week, their testosterone fell by 10 to 15%. In men with obesity, the more weight they lost, the more their testosterone rose. Most supplement ingredients have only small studies and no firm conclusion.

Q: Do testosterone supplements work?

For fenugreek, an analysis of 4 trials reported an effect on total testosterone, but the trials were small and used few products. For zinc, there are only small studies showing a rise in men who were low in zinc. Supplements are not a substitute for treatment. If you are worried about your level, a blood test is the reliable way to check.

Q: Does low testosterone cause ED?

Testosterone plays a part in sex drive and erections, so low levels can contribute to ED. But most ED comes from blood vessel, nerve or psychological causes, and men with normal testosterone get ED too. In a trial of 790 men aged 65 and over with low testosterone, hormone treatment was linked to a moderate change in erectile function scores, but that is medical treatment prescribed by a doctor.

Q: Where can I get my testosterone tested?

Your GP or family doctor, a urologist or a men's health clinic can check it with a blood test. Testosterone is higher in the morning and lower in the evening, so the blood sample is usually taken in the morning (around 7 to 11 am).

Updated Oct 21, 20269 references9 min readMen's Core Lab editors

The studies and sources we used are listed at the end. Not reviewed by a doctor. Editorial policy

Lower sex drive, fewer morning erections, always tired. One possible cause is falling male hormone. Here is what you can look at in daily life, what supplement ingredients really do, and when to see a doctor.

Key points

The clearest links to testosterone in research are sleep and weight. When healthy young men slept under 5 hours for a week, it fell by 10 to 15%, and in men with obesity, it rose more the more weight they lost. Strength training has not been shown to clearly raise everyday levels, but it matters for erections through weight, blood vessels and the pelvic floor. Most supplement ingredients have only small studies and no firm conclusion.

Contents

What testosterone is
Signs of low testosterone
Option 1: strength training
Option 2: sleep, weight and stress
Option 3: food (zinc)
Do supplement ingredients work?
Testosterone and ED
FAQ
References
Keep reading

What testosterone is

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, made mostly in the testicles. It plays a part in sex drive, erections, muscle and bone, mood and energy. It peaks in your 20s and slowly falls with age, but at very different rates: men of the same age can have very different levels.

Signs of low testosterone

When low testosterone comes with physical or mental symptoms, doctors call it testosterone deficiency or late-onset hypogonadism. The Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline (2018) lists these main symptoms:

Type	Main symptoms
Sexual	Fewer morning erections, lower sex drive, ED
Mental	Low mood, poor concentration, tiring easily
Physical	Loss of strength, weaker bones, more body fat

The same guideline recommends making the diagnosis only when there are symptoms and repeated morning fasting blood tests show clearly low testosterone; cut-off values differ between guidelines and laboratories. Don't judge it from symptoms alone: if you are concerned, ask your doctor or a urologist about a test.

Option 1: strength training

"Lifting weights raises testosterone" is often said, but the research is not that simple.

Everyday testosterone after regular exerciseHayes and Elliott2019Front Physiol

22studies in older men

Strengthno clear change

Endurancesmall rise

Found: Regular strength training did not clearly change everyday (baseline) testosterone. Endurance and interval training showed a small rise
Caveat: Older men and mostly short studies. Results varied with the type of hormone measured, and there are not many studies

Exercise is still worth it because it reduces body fat, keeps blood vessels healthy and trains the pelvic floor muscles involved in erections. Pelvic floor training is one of the methods for which changes in erectile function have been reported in trials of men with ED. You can try it with the free 1-minute Kegel timer.

Option 2: sleep, weight and stress

Testosterone after a week of short sleepLeproult and Van Cauter2011JAMA

10healthy young men (average 24)

<5 hourssleep for 8 nights

10–15%drop in testosterone

Found: After a week of sleeping under 5 hours, daytime testosterone was 10 to 15% lower. Aging lowers it by about 1 to 2% a year, so this equals 10 to 15 years
Caveat: Very few men and only one week. It did not test whether sleeping more raises testosterone

Weight loss and testosterone: a meta-analysisCorona et al.2013Eur J Endocrinol

24studies in men with obesity

Dietweight loss raised it too

More lossbigger rise

Found: Weight loss raised testosterone, whether through a low-calorie diet or obesity surgery. The rise was most closely linked to how much weight was lost
Caveat: Men with obesity only. It is not known whether men of normal weight gain anything by losing more

Ongoing stress and lack of sleep also affect hormone balance and sex drive. Around 7 hours of sleep a night and losing belly fat are the practical steps that research links to testosterone.

Option 3: food (zinc)

The food-related research is about zinc. Small studies found that restricting zinc lowered testosterone and that older men who were low in zinc saw it rise when they took more (Prasad et al., 1996). But these were men short of zinc; no study has shown that men who already get enough gain from more. Zinc is plentiful in oysters, beef and eggs. The US recommended amount for adult men is 11 mg a day, and the upper limit is 40 mg a day; too much from supplements can cause copper deficiency (NIH Office of Dietary Supplements).

Do supplement ingredients work?

Here is what research says about ingredients often found in "testosterone booster" products.

Ingredient	What research shows
Fenugreek	An analysis of 4 trials reported an effect on total testosterone. Small trials, few products
Zinc	Small studies show a rise in men who were low. Not shown in men who get enough
Astragalus	No good-quality studies of testosterone in humans found
Piperine	Added to help absorb other ingredients. Not studied for testosterone itself

Fenugreek is the ingredient with the most trials on male hormone (Mansoori et al., 2020), but they are small.

Astragalus is the root of a plant in the pea family, long used in traditional Chinese medicine. There are animal and cell studies, but we found no good-quality trials of testosterone in men.

Piperine is the compound that makes black pepper hot. In a human study, adding 20 mg of piperine to 2 g of curcumin (from turmeric) greatly increased curcumin in the blood (Shoba et al., 1998). In other words, it is added to help absorb other ingredients; no study has shown that piperine itself raises testosterone. It also affects enzymes that break down medicines, so ask a doctor or pharmacist if you take any medicine.

These products are food supplements, not medicines for treating or preventing disease. If you choose one, pick a product that clearly lists its ingredients and daily amounts, and avoid any that promise "guaranteed" results. If you are worried about your level, a blood test is more reliable than trying a supplement.

Testosterone and ED

Testosterone plays a part in sex drive and erections, so low levels can contribute to ED. But most ED comes from blood vessel, nerve or psychological causes, and men with normal testosterone get ED too.

Testosterone treatment in older men with low testosteroneSnyder et al.2016NEJM

790men aged 65+

<275testosterone (ng/dL)

1 yearof hormone treatment

Found: Moderate changes in sexual activity, sex drive and erectile function scores. No difference in vitality (energy)
Caveat: Hormone treatment under a doctor, in older men with low testosterone. These are not results for supplements

ED can be a sign of heart or blood vessel disease or diabetes. If erection problems continue, or fewer morning erections, lower sex drive and tiredness come together, see a urologist, men's health clinic or your doctor.

FAQ

What is testosterone?

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, made mostly in the testicles. It plays a part in sex drive, erections, muscle and bone, mood and energy. It peaks in your 20s and falls slowly with age, at very different rates from man to man. When low testosterone comes with symptoms such as tiredness and low sex drive, doctors call it testosterone deficiency or late-onset hypogonadism.

Can I raise my testosterone naturally?