Skip to the content 
Testosterone is the hormone that is most closely associated with the male libido. While it certainly does have a serious effect on a man’s ability to get aroused, it’s not the end-all. There are other things that you can work with to get aroused even if you have low testosterone.
That said, there’s no doubt that a testosterone deficiency can seriously impair your sexual health and libido. Low testosterone can lead to disinterest in sex and difficulty maintaining, or even getting, an erection.
In this article we’re going to talk about how you can find other ways to get aroused if you have low testosterone and libido. We’ll explain some ways to help you boost your T, but also provide an outline of some other ways that you can improve your sexual health without actually working with your T levels.
Combining some of the ideas in this article will certainly help to improve your sexual health and the satisfaction that you get out of sex.
- Testosterone and libido connection (does testosterone increase libido?)
- Testosterone and erectile dysfunction
- Ways to improve your sexual health when you have low testosterone
- Health and lifestyle changes
- Build better intimacy with your partner
Testosterone and libido connection (does testosterone increase libido?)
One of the biggest culprits that can cause low libido in men is low testosterone. There are a number of different reasons for this. If you want to know why your T levels are so important for your sexual health, it helps to know a bit about how the hormone works and what it actually is.
Testosterone is produced in your testicles (hence the name). It is involved in a lot of different bodily functions, such as:
- The growth and mass of muscle in the body
- The growth of hair
- The sound of your voice
- Your energy and motivation levels
- Your sexual health and libido
The last bullet (sexual health and libido) relates to a lot of different aspects of your sexual health. Testosterone is important for maintaining your overall interest in sex: men with low testosterone may actually not be interested in sex whatsoever.
Related article: How to arouse a man with low testosterone
But that’s not always the case. Some men with low T are still interested in sex, but find that their performance is lowered because of their T levels. Testosterone is what lets you get an erection and sustains that erection; without enough of it, you may develop erectile dysfunction and not be able to get it up at all.
T levels also affect your energy, which is hugely important if you want to perform well during sex. Being tired and lethargic is no way to satisfy you or your partner.
Low testosterone can also decrease your fertility, making it harder for you to have a child. This can also reduce your overall sperm count, making it hard to ejaculate a large volume of semen when you have an orgasm.
Testosterone and erectile dysfunction
Pretty much everyone has trouble getting or maintaining an erection at some time during their life. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re struggling with low testosterone levels. However, if you often have a hard time getting or keeping it up, it might be because of your T levels.
Some men with testosterone deficiency may be able to get a very weak erection (a half-chub) which isn’t sufficient for having sex. Others may not be able to get an erection whatsoever. Still others may be able to get erections, but they only persist for a few seconds or a few minutes. Yet others require a great deal of stimulation and time to get anything resembling an erection.
As you can see, there are lots of different forms that erectile dysfunction can appear as. It’s important to note that these different kinds of ED can also have different causes aside from low T levels.
Anything that interferes with your blood flow or cardiovascular (heart) health can also interfere with your ability to get an erection. Since an erection is caused by blood filling up the tissue in your penis, if you’re not able to get blood down there, then you won’t be able to get an erection. You can also try natural supplements like Male Extra to help improve your performance.
The majority of cases of ED are caused by some issue of blood flow. However there are also some psychological causes. These are some other common causes of erectile dysfunction.
- Hardening of the arteries (known as atherosclerosis) caused by a high-cholesterol diet can interfere with blood flow to the penis (and conversely, low cholesterol can affect T levels as well)
- Chronic high blood pressure can make it hard to get an erection
- Other physical health issues like diabetes can interfere with erections
- The use of drugs like tobacco and alcohol, and many prescription drugs, can make it hard or impossible to get an erection
- Anxiety and depression can both be psychological causes that prevent people from getting an erection
- Relationship issues and lack of communication can make it hard for you to feel comfortable in the bedroom and can thus prevent you from getting an erection
- Sleep deprivation or sleep disorders can mess up blood flow and make it hard to get an erection
- Surgeries or injuries related to the prostate or penis area
- Certain diseases: Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, and metabolic syndrome can all make it harder to get an erection
As you can see, there are plenty of things that can make it hard for you to get an erection. If you have erectile dysfunction, you shouldn’t immediately assume that it’s caused by low testosterone levels.
If you are experiencing erectile dysfunction in addition to other signs of low T, however, then you might want to work on increasing testosterone levels. Other symptoms of low T include:
- Low energy, lack of motivation
- Lack of interest in sex, not being attracted to anyone
- Difficulty thinking, ‘brain fog’
- Loss of muscle mass, difficulty putting on weight
- Changes in emotion – irritability, emotional instability, etc
- Sleep problems like insomnia or oversleeping, or worsening of existing sleep conditions like sleep apnea
Ways to improve your sexual health when you have low testosterone
Fortunately, there are lots of ways that you can go about improving your sexual health. Some of these suggestions may have a direct influence on your T levels, but some may not. You may find that you are able to increase your sexual health with other lifestyle changes that aren’t directly related to increasing your testosterone levels.
Health and lifestyle changes
One of the best ways to improve your sexual health is to enhance your overall health. You can do this by making positive changes to your lifestyle. These can include:
Eat healthily & eat foods that increase libido
One of the most important things for your sexual health is your diet. During school, we’re often told that it’s important to eat healthily so that we can have a strong body and lots of energy. What we’re not always told is that our diet is just as important for maintaining our sexual health and for increasing our libido.
The opposite is also true: unhealthy foods can wreak havoc on our sexual health. Even if you do eat a healthy diet full of fruits and veggies, eating garbage like processed sugar and refined carbs, like bread (especially white bread) can do terrible things for your sexual health.
These foods are known to spike blood sugar and, along with salty foods can aggravate blood pressure. This can make it hard to maintain an erection.
Cut out unhealthy food and include a lot of foods that increase libido and testosterone, such as oysters and pomegranate.
Exercise
One of the best things that you can do to improve low libido in men is to get a lot of exercise, especially cardiovascular exercise. Cardiovascular exercise is anything that causes you to get your heart pumping faster.
This is important because your cardiovascular system is what sends blood throughout your body. If you don’t have a healthy cardiovascular system then you simply won’t be able to pump blood down to your penis. This means you won’t be able to get an erection.
If, on the other hand, you get a good 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise several times a week, your body will be able to easily transport blood to all its tissues: including those in your penis.
Lose weight
This is a bit different than simply exercising for the sake of improving your cardiovascular health. If you are overweight, a number of problems can occur that would make it harder for you to get an erection.
Obesity can lead to blood pressure problems and can increase the risk of getting diabetes: two problems that can make it hard to get hard. Also, studies have shown that lower amounts of belly fat seem to be linked to higher levels of sexual desire.
Stop smoking and drinking
If you smoke tobacco or drink alcohol, these things can have a negative impact on your sexual health. They can raise blood pressure a lot, which means that it’ll become much harder for you to get an erection.
Many drinkers are also well-aware of the phenomenon known as whisky-dick, a problem that occurs when someone has drunk a lot of alcohol (whiskey or otherwise) and isn’t able to get hard or perform well during sex. This is because alcohol can decrease blood flow throughout the body both in the short and long-term.
Talk to a therapist
There are lots of psychological and emotional issues that can make someone more likely to develop erectile dysfunction. Talking to a therapist can be a great way to work through these problems, and can help you identify and work through any other mental health issues that you might be struggling with.
Build better intimacy with your partner
Another way to improve your sexual health is to improve your relationship with your partner. Many men feel like they struggle with erectile dysfunction, when really there’s just an issue in their relationship that they’re not aware of, or willing to work on.
Let me tell you – developing the best relationship with your partner is one of the best ways to get over erectile dysfunction and improve your sexual health. There are lots of ways that you can go about doing this.
Communicate more
Chances are, if you and your partner communicate openly with each other, you can learn more about your problem. Chances are she may be worried that you are not attracted to her, since you can’t get an erection.
This probably isn’t the case, but talking with her about it can ease her mind. You can also explain to her that the problem isn’t caused by anything that you’re aware of. Perhaps during this conversation, you will be able to uproot the real cause of your ED.
Try new things
Sometimes trying something new is all that it takes to increase your sexual health and libido. If things are getting stale in the bedroom, consider making a point of getting out of your comfort zone. Try things like:
- Living out one of the fantasies that you’ve never tried before – even (or especially) if it makes you a bit uncomfortable or embarrassed
- Try out some new sexual positions or sexual ideas (things like BDSM – when done safely and responsibly – or role-playing can really boost some people’s sexual desire.
Get more touchy and less goal-oriented
One of the best ways to build intimacy with your partner is to start practicing non-goal-oriented touch. When many people have sex, they feel that the goal is to have an orgasm and to make sure that their partner has one.
This makes people feel obligated during sex – like it’s something that they have to do well at, or they will be embarrassed or disappointing. This can turn sex into something more like a chore than a pleasure, and can make it harder for men to get an erection.
Conclusion
There are lots of reasons that men can experience erectile dysfunction, including low T levels. However, there are lots of solutions that can help you restore your libido and sexual health that don’t relate to testosterone.
Following the tips set out in this article should help you to both identify the cause of your sexual perfomance issues and resolve them, but if you’re still worried, be sure to chat to your doctor.
