Low sex drive is a common issue with men, especially as you get older. It is not uncommon to feel less like having sex, or, for your erections to come and go quickly. Sometimes, you will not have as firm an erection has before, and that might be due to a low libido or sex drive. This can be frustrating if you’re in a relationship with someone and want to have sex frequently with that person.
There are many ways to increase male libido naturally or with medicine or therapy. Libido, or sex drive, starts in the brain and works its way out through the genitals. Because of that, a lot that goes into increasing male libido is about taking care of the whole body – mind and all. Here are ten things you can to do effectively increase male libido and enjoy a healthier sex life and keep it that way.
#1 – Take herbal supplements
The first tip for how to increase male libido is to take herbal supplements that are known for increasing libido and stimulating arousal. One such herbal supplement is velvet bean extract. Velvet bean extract is a natural aphrodisiac and can be found in pill form. Velvet bean extract naturally increases libido and also has several other positive benefits for your body and sexual health.
Another herbal supplement that helps you increase your libido is Ferula Assa-Foetida. This herb is included on Livestrong.com as one of the best known male libido increasing herbal supplements. According to Livestrong, this herb was found to increase libido and erectile function in 60% of men who take it. You can cook with it, so that may be an easy way to add it to your diet. Or, you can find it in supplement form.
Gingko biloba is a common energy supplement found in pill form, powder, and energy drinks. This herbal supplement is known for increasing libido in men who take it, along with other sexual health benefits.
# 2 – Take libido enhancing pills
You can take pills that are specifically created to increase your libido, too. These pills are usually a combination of different herbs known for increasing libido and stamina. Most often, they are all natural. They are found online or even in grocery stores and drug stores. You can talk to your doctor about drugs that you can get a prescription for, but most of the time, that isn’t necessary for just increasing libido. There are usually other factors.
Libido enhancing pills range from very low cost to high cost. It’s difficult to really pinpoint the reasons for the differences in the price, but keep in mind that potency may be a factor if you buy one that is very low cost. The pill may be mixed with fillers or things that do not have anything to do with increasing libido, and so they may not work as well as higher cost ones. Try going to a men’s health and fitness store or even one for both men and women. Fitness stores often have at least a few items on their shelves that are for sexual performance or libido. Many times, the elements in a fitness performance pill are similar or even the same as a libido or sexual performance pill.
# 3 – Get aroused through erotica
Read or watch erotica to help get yourself aroused before sex. Keep in mind that this doesn’t only mean watching porn. It could mean reading something that is sexually stimulating, such as a steamy text message from a girlfriend. If you find that you’re able to get aroused easily from erotica, you can incorporate it into your sex life instead of separating it. This is definitely something to talk about with your partner if you’re in a close relationship, though. Erotica, or pornography, can be addictive and can even have the opposite effect on your libido if you’re not careful about how you use it.
One tip is to just start a little fun texting game with your partner before sex or before a date. Talk about what turns you on, or even use emojis that imply sex. Allow your partner to turn you on. Sex is a two way street and you don’t have to put all of the pressure on yourself. The two of you should be working together to make sex fun and help get each other aroused. Make sure the things you are talking about and doing are actually arousing you, and don’t be afraid to suggest something else if whatever you’re doing isn’t working.
#4 – Stay physically active
Exercise, exercise, exercise! This is such an important tip on how to increase male libido. You have to keep your body active through cardio and strength training. Strength training is especially a good way to keep up your stamina. The stronger you are, the more it will take to tire you out both mentally and physically. Fatigue is the enemy of libido and arousal. It is really hard to stay aroused if your body or your brain is over tired.
Work out five to six times per week in a gym or at home. You can run, jog, bicycle, or skateboard for a great cardio workout. This type of exercise increases blood flow through your body and to your genitals, too. Strength training can be done with or without weights. In fact, body weight exercises like push ups, pull ups, hand stands, and planks are fun, enjoyable, and often incredibly effective.
Stay agile, too, with simple exercises like high knees, running in place, jump roping, kickboxing, or standard boxing. These exercises keep your body flexible and agile and may help you in bed! You’ll be able to switch into different positions with ease and keep your joints toned and lubricated.
# 5 – Eat foods that increase libido in men
Eat foods that are known for keeping your libido up. According to fitnessmagazine.com, black raspberries are a fun food that increases libido (and tastes really good). Black raspberries have something called phytochemicals that stimulate arousal and increase libido. You can eat them just a couple of hours before sex and notice the effect.
Another food that increases libido is a clove. This is really a spice, or supplement, and you can get it in the form of an oil as well as in the spice aisle at your grocery store. According to experts, clove has been used to treat male sexual issues for many years. Try clove in tea, or use clove oil in pill form. There are other benefits to it beyond libido.
# 6 – Stop taking medications that decrease libido
This one is hard, but if there are medications you are taking that decrease your libido, talk to your doctor. You may be able to stop taking them and take something else that doesn’t do that. The reality is that a lot of medications can interfere with the mind, and the mind controls arousal signals and triggers. Antidepressants are known to decrease libido. You may want to talk to your doctor about taking an all natural herbal supplement that acts as an antidepressant, but doesn’t lower your libido.
You may notice the effects right away after stopping certain medications, or, it could take awhile for the drugs to leave your body completely. Some medications have long-lasting effects on libido, too.
Before starting any new medication, ask your doctor if it will change your libido. Then decide what to do. Clearly, there may be conditions that are more important to your health than your libido, but this is something you can talk about with your doctor.
# 7 – See a therapist to increase male libido
Another tip for how to increase male libido is to see a counselor or therapist. It could be that the reason your libido is low is due to something going on personally that is causing depression. A therapist can help you sort out the underlying issues. A therapist can also help you find ways to increase energy level and deal with anxiety and stress.
Sex therapy is a specific type of therapy that helps overcome issues around sex and sexual performance. A sex therapist can help you work through issues in your relationships that may cause low libido. Sometimes, unresolved differences with your partner can impact your ability to get aroused by them over time. Excessive guilt is another serious issue that leads to very low libido in men. Talk to your therapist about religious issues that may be impacting your sex life, too.
# 8 – Cut down on stress through meditation and yoga
Take some steps to seriously and dramatically cut down on any unnecessary stress in your life. You can do this through meditation and yoga. For meditation, get a guided meditation app for your phone, such as Headspace. You can put headphones in and meditate in the privacy of your home. One of the most significant benefits of meditation is that you learn to deal with things that stress you out. It’s not a method of completely getting rid of stress. Instead, meditation helps you manage stress that comes naturally into your life. Relationship stress, financial stress, and career-related issues can impact your sex life quite a bit.
Yoga is a physical form of exercise and breathing practice all in one. Yoga has been shown to be very beneficial in managing stress and anxiety. It also leads to a leaner physical body – you can lose weight doing yoga, easily. You can practice yoga on your own, or for even more benefit, try it with your partner. There are so many videos available on Youtube to teach yoga individually or as a couple.
# 9 – Reduce alcohol and recreational drugs
Another way to increase male libido is to stop taking recreational drugs that mess with your system. Just like prescription drugs, some recreational drugs can lower libido or interfere with your hormones. The long term effects of cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and MDMA on your libido are negative. Too much alcohol can significantly decrease your libido or lead to alcoholism, which comes with a whole host of issues beyond sexual health, but definitely linked.
Recreational drugs like cocaine get into the nervous system and endocrine system, where your hormones are controlled. This kind of drug is damaging to the nervous system both in the short term and long term. For optimal sexual health, keep all parts of your body completely functional – especially your brain. There are natural herbs and supplements that have similar effects on the brain as cocaine or marijuana that are not as impactful long term. The reason these drugs are so popular is because they are potent, to be sure. The downside, though, is the impact they will have on how your brain functions and it may be enough to completely alter your libido.
# 10 – Get your testosterone level checked
Lastly, you can have your testosterone level checked and talk about hormone replacement therapy with your doctor. Low testosterone levels are linked with low libido, and both issues are treated in similar ways. Except, testosterone is a physical component and you can just get therapy to increase it. If your testosterone level is actually low, you can get hormone therapy to increase testosterone or do other things to increase the production of it. The cure is definitely doing to depend on the reason it’s low in the first place.
Conclusion
There are many websites and articles with information on how to increase male libido. The tips above offer ten of the very best ways out there. These tips keep your body and mind healthy and will lead to a better sex life through an increased libido. Depending on why your libido is low, some of these tips may work better than others. Overall, use a well-rounded, thoughtful approach to increasing your libido and you will see your sex drive improve over time.