Men with low libido may be helped by increasing the amount of exposure to bright light – similar to individuals suffering from seasonal affective disorder.  This is good news for the estimated 25% of men who have a low sex drive or lack of interest in sex.

This finding came from a small study from Vienna, Austria, that found men receiving bright light therapy had enhanced testosterone levels resulting in boosting their sexual desire. 

What brought about the research was knowledge of how sexual function increases during spring and summer, times of the year when there is a longer exposure to light.  From previous studies it has also been shown that the higher frequency of exposure to light increases the levels of luteinizing hormone (LH) produced by the pituitary which is responsible for raising testosterone levels in men.

In this current research, scientists studied 38 men diagnosed with either hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) or sexual arousal disorder testing to see if bright light exposure influenced their testosterone levels and what impact this had on sexual arousal.  At the beginning of the study, researchers had each man rate his sexual satisfaction on a scale from one to ten, with ten meaning very satisfied.  The average score of the 38 men was a two.

The men were divided into two groups – one group had 30 minutes of exposure to a specially adapted light box each morning for 2 weeks; the other group also had exposure to light but was much less stronger than the first group.

After 2 weeks, men in the first group exposed to the bright light therapy had a significant increase in sexual satisfaction compared to the second group.  This time the group exposed to the bright light therapy tripled their sexual satisfaction from an average score of a 2 to a 6.3.  The control group rose significantly less from a 2 to a 2.7.

Another finding from this study was that not only was sexual satisfaction improved but men who received the bright light therapy had an increase in testosterone levels from 2.3 nanograms per milliliter to 3.6 nanograms per milliliter.  The control group had no change in testosterone levels.  This improvement in testosterone levels most likely points to the improvement in sexual satisfaction.

The researchers theorized that exposure to bright light may block pineal gland activity in the brain, helping to increase production of testosterone and also increases LH levels thus resulting in increasing libido. 

Light therapy has long been used to help treat people with seasonal affective disorder, a nonpharmacological treatment approach.  In the future, light therapy could possibly be used treating not just men with low libido but also women who have a low sex drive.  Low levels of luteinizing hormone have also been noted to be a contributor of low libido in women.