A new study has suggested that sitting in front of a light box every morning could seriously help men with low sex drives. And, it’s not as crazy as it sounds, we promise.
The new study was recently presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Congress in Vienna, Austria. They discovered that a light box (a box that emits UV light) similar to those used to treat seasonal affective disorder, also increased testosterone levels. In turn, men reported increased sex drive and higher levels of sexual satisfaction.
Their study took 38 men who had been diagnosed with hypoactive sexual desire disorder or sexual arousal disorder and asked them to fill out a questionnaire on their levels of sexual satisfaction. Nineteen of them underwent a 30-minute exposure to a specialized light box every morning over two weeks, and the other 19 were exposed to a box that did not emit the same intensity or quality of light.
After the two weeks were up, the group exposed to the bright light tripled their sexual satisfaction scores – leaping from an average satisfaction score of 2/10 to 6.3/10 – while the control group's scores remained more or less the same.
"As a matter of fact, we already knew that sexual function increases during spring and summer and hypothesized that this might well have to do with the exposure to light. You see the effect of this in reproductive rates, with the month of June showing the highest rate of conception. The use of the light box really mimics what nature does," researcher Professor Andrea Fagiolini, Department of Mental Health at the University of Siena in Italy, told Medical Daily News.
"Also, a previous study found a relationship between exposure to light therapy and an increase in the levels of LH – a pituitary hormone called luteinizing hormone that raises testosterone levels in men."
Specialized light boxes are often recommended as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder, depression, and anxiety. Conversely, some physicians prescribe antidepressants for men with low sex drives. The researchers hope this new discovery can become fine-tuned to deliver a therapy with minimal side effects to men with low sex drive.
