How To Increase Testosterone Naturally

Why testosterone matters for men's health

If your sex drive has dipped, you’re more tired than you used to be, or you’ve read that testosterone falls with age, it’s natural to wonder about your own levels. Testosterone is the main male sex hormone. It drives libido and supports erections, and it also helps maintain muscle mass and strength, bone density and the production of red blood cells [1]. 

The most effective ways to increase testosterone naturally are losing excess weight if you're carrying it, eating enough to fuel what you do, protecting your sleep and not drinking heavily on a regular basis.

It's worth being realistic about what these changes can do. The biggest gains are in men with excess weight: across studies of men with obesity, total testosterone rose by about 2.5 nmol/L on average after diet-led weight loss, over months, not weeks [2]. If your levels are already normal, training programmes don't push resting testosterone higher, and most supplements sold as boosters don't raise it [3, 4]. And if you have symptoms of low testosterone, start with a blood test, because lifestyle changes alone aren't recommended as the first treatment for confirmed deficiency [1].

Signs of low testosterone 

When levels are genuinely low, the clearest signs are sexual: reduced sex drive, fewer morning erections and erectile dysfunction, especially when they occur together. Tiredness, low mood and poor sleep are common too, but they're less specific and often turn up in men whose testosterone is normal [1]. If you've noticed signs of erectile problems, low testosterone is one possible cause among several, and it's one a doctor can check.

True deficiency is less common than advertising implies, which may reassure you if you're worried. In the European Male Ageing Study, which assessed more than 3,000 men aged 40 to 79, about 2% had symptomatic testosterone deficiency (rising to around 5% of men in their seventies) [1].

How testosterone changes with age

   

Testosterone is often said to fall steadily from middle age, but the long-term data are less tidy. In the UK Biobank, which tracked more than 7,800 relatively healthy men aged 40 to 69 for just over four years, average total testosterone barely changed. What did change was sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), the protein that carries testosterone in the blood. It rose, and the free testosterone that isn't bound to it fell slightly [5].

Much of what looks like an effect of age is really an effect of health. Higher rates of deficiency in older men are mainly linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes and chronic illness, and most men keep healthy testosterone levels into old age [1]. The same UK Biobank data linked weight gain with falling testosterone: men whose BMI and waist size went up over the study period tended to see their total testosterone go down [5].

How to boost testosterone with exercise

Exercise does boost testosterone levels, but only briefly. A meta-analysis of 48 studies found that moderate and high-intensity exercise pushed testosterone up immediately after a session and for up to 30 minutes afterwards, with no difference beyond that point. Light activity had no measurable effect [6].

Training over weeks or months doesn't seem to shift resting levels in men whose testosterone is already normal. Across 11 randomised trials in 421 inactive but otherwise healthy men, exercise programmes lasting a median of 12 weeks made no measurable difference to resting testosterone, whatever the type of training, the men's age or their body weight [3].

If you’re looking at how to get an erection naturally, exercise earns its place: physically active men tend to score higher on erectile function than inactive men, and regular exercise can help counter the hormonal effects of stress [7]. 

Strength training with weights

The NHS recommends strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups on at least two days a week, alongside at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity [8]. A hard weights session raises testosterone for a short time, as other demanding exercise does, because intensity is what drives that response [6]. Trials haven't found resistance training to raise resting testosterone any more than aerobic or combined training in men with normal levels [3]. Lift for strength and fitness, and treat any hormonal effect as a bonus.

Short, intense workouts

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short bursts of very hard effort with recovery, and it counts towards the NHS weekly activity target [8]. Moderate and hard sessions produce the short post-exercise rise in testosterone while gentle ones don't, but that rise fades within about half an hour [6]. Trials found no difference between types of training on resting levels, so HIIT has no proven edge over steadier exercise [3].

How sleep can increase testosterone levels

Sleep supports testosterone mainly by keeping levels from falling. A meta-analysis of 18 studies involving 252 healthy men found that going without sleep entirely for 24 hours or more clearly reduced testosterone, and the authors concluded that sleep duration helps maintain healthy testosterone levels [9].

Shorter spells of partial sleep loss are less clear-cut. In the same analysis, short-term sleep restriction had no significant effect, so an occasional short night is unlikely to make a measurable difference. Those studies were short-term, though, so they can't tell us what months of poor sleep do [9].

Sleep problems can also be worth getting checked. Obstructive sleep apnoea, where breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep, is among the conditions linked with higher rates of testosterone deficiency [1].

How weight affects testosterone

Body weight has one of the clearest links with testosterone. Low testosterone often goes hand in hand with excess body fat, particularly visceral fat stored deep around the abdominal organs, as well as obesity and metabolic syndrome. In one primary care population of men aged 45 and over, obesity and type 2 diabetes were each linked with roughly double the odds of deficiency [1].

How much weight loss helps 

Losing excess weight is the change most likely to raise testosterone levels naturally. A meta-analysis of 44 studies in men with obesity found that total testosterone rose by about 2.5 nmol/L after low-calorie diets and about 7.2 nmol/L after weight-loss surgery. Men who started heavier, or with lower testosterone, tended to gain more [2].

Losing weight is hard, and it rarely happens in a straight line, so it helps to know where the bar sits. Guidelines cited by the British Society for Sexual Medicine say a significant rise isn't usually seen until more than 5 to 10% of body weight is lost, and data from the European Male Ageing Study suggested a 20% fall in BMI was needed before free testosterone rose significantly. 

For men with confirmed, symptomatic deficiency, the society doesn't recommend lifestyle change on its own as the first treatment, and advises combining it with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) [1].

How a balanced diet affects testosterone

Research on diet and testosterone mostly looks at overall eating patterns and supplements rather than individual foods. What it does suggest is that avoiding extremes matters more than fine-tuning if you want to maintain healthy levels.

Fat intake and eating enough 

Cutting fat too far may lower testosterone slightly. A review of six small intervention studies, involving 206 men in total, found that total and free testosterone were lower when men ate low-fat diets (around 20% of energy from fat) than on higher-fat diets (around 40%). The low-fat diets also contained less monounsaturated fat (found in olive oil, nuts and avocados) and saturated fat, and the authors suggest this change in fat type may be part of why testosterone fell. They also say larger randomised trials are needed before practical recommendations can be made [10].

Eating too little can also suppress testosterone. A prolonged energy shortfall is one of the main reasons intensive physical training suppresses testosterone, especially when it's combined with lost sleep [7].

Vitamin D and zinc 

Vitamin D and zinc are the nutrients most often linked with testosterone, and both turn up in products sold as boosters. In a systematic review of 52 studies, including 10 on vitamin D and five on zinc and magnesium, neither was among the few ingredients found to raise total testosterone [4].

That doesn't make vitamin D deficiency something to ignore. The body makes vitamin D from sunlight on the skin, and from late March or early April to the end of September most people can make all they need that way. Between October and early March, UK sunlight isn't strong enough, and it's hard to get enough from food alone, so the NHS advises everyone to consider a daily 10 microgram supplement in autumn and winter for general health [11].

How stress can lower testosterone

Intense physical stress lowers testosterone, at least for a while. After arduous military training, which combines heavy exertion with limited food and lost sleep, testosterone can stay suppressed for up to 72 hours before recovering with rest. Stress hormones damp down the signals from the brain that tell the testes to produce testosterone [7].

The link with everyday psychological stress is less direct. A 2026 review found that long-term stress is linked with fat storage around the abdomen and other metabolic changes such as raised blood sugar, and that it's often tied to lower testosterone indirectly, through those changes. The review also noted that no studies have directly examined how cortisol affects testosterone production in the human testes [7].

Stress affects your sex life more directly. Chronic stress is linked with erection problems and reduced sexual desire, so it's worth considering alongside other causes of erectile problems. Cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, relaxation training and regular exercise are all recognised ways to manage stress and its effects [7].

How alcohol consumption affects testosterone

Regular drinking is linked with lower testosterone. A meta-analysis of 21 studies involving more than 10,000 men found that alcohol consumption was associated with lower total and free testosterone and higher oestrogen [12].

The pattern of drinking matters. The effect showed up in healthy men who drank regularly over time, not after one-off drinking, and the research can't say how much alcohol it takes before testosterone starts to fall [12]. Doctors also ask about alcohol misuse when assessing low testosterone [1].

When to get a testosterone blood test

   

See a GP if you have symptoms such as low sex drive, erection problems or fewer morning erections, particularly if several occur together. Raising them can feel awkward, but you won't be the first: the British Society for Sexual Medicine recommends testing every man who reports erection problems or low sexual desire, as well as men with type 2 diabetes, a BMI over 30 or a waist over 102 cm, and men on certain long-term medicines, including opioid painkillers and some antipsychotic and anticonvulsant drugs [1].

Timing matters, because testosterone is highest in the morning. Blood should be taken between 7am and 11am, on at least two occasions, ideally four weeks apart, and not during an acute illness. Fasting beforehand is preferred where practical, since sugar can lower testosterone temporarily [1].

A diagnosis needs both symptoms and consistently low results. A total testosterone between 8 and 12 nmol/L is treated as borderline and usually prompts further tests, such as free testosterone and the pituitary hormones that control the testes. Very low results combined with abnormal pituitary hormones may lead to a referral to a hormone specialist. If deficiency is confirmed, treatment may include TRT, a form of hormone replacement therapy, alongside lifestyle changes [1].

Frequently asked questions

How quickly can testosterone rise?

It depends on the cause. The rise after a workout lasts less than half an hour [6]. Changes from weight loss take months: studies in men with obesity followed them for a median of about six months [2], and in one weight-loss study cited in UK guidelines, testosterone rose over a year as men lost around 10 kg [1]. Testosterone suppressed by intense training on too little food and sleep can recover within days once you rest [7].

Can exercise alone increase testosterone?

Not by much if your levels are already normal. Trials in inactive but healthy men found no change in resting testosterone after training programmes lasting a median of 12 weeks [3]. If you're carrying excess weight, losing it has far stronger evidence behind it [2].

Do testosterone supplements work?

Mostly not. A systematic review of 52 studies covering 27 ingredients sold as natural testosterone boosters found that most didn't raise total testosterone. A handful, including ashwagandha and Eurycoma longifolia (tongkat ali), were rated only possibly effective in healthy men [4]. Oral testosterone products themselves don't raise blood levels above placebo [1]. If you're hoping a supplement will boost your testosterone, a blood test to check whether your levels are actually low is a better first step.

Which foods support testosterone?

No individual food has good evidence behind it. A diet that gives you enough energy and includes healthy fats, rather than cutting fat to very low levels, is the sensible approach [7, 10]. In the largest review of boosters, vitamin D, zinc and magnesium weren't among the supplements found to work [4].

Can exercising too often lower testosterone?

It can, mainly when hard training is combined with too little food or sleep. Arduous military training lowers testosterone for up to three days, and in a survey of more than 1,000 runners training for a marathon, libido was about 20% lower than in other runners, possibly because they weren't eating enough to cover their training. Regular, moderate activity is linked with better sexual function, so this is a concern at very high training loads, not for most people [7].