How to increase testosterone naturally: what works and what does not according to science

Published on 23 September 2026

One week of sleeping 5 hours lowered young men's testosterone by 10 to 15%. What actually raises it, which supplements do not work and when you should see a doctor.

"How to increase testosterone" is one of the most common men's health searches, and also one of the ones that drives the most business: boosters, plant extracts, "hormonal" routines and tricks to raise it "in one minute". Most of it has no backing. What does have backing is far less eye-catching, but it works: getting enough sleep, not carrying excess fat, training strength and not following a diet that is too low in fat.

In this guide you will see which testosterone levels are considered normal, what the studies say about each habit, which supplements do not work, what changes with age and when it makes sense to ask for a blood test. An important note: this is general information and does not replace a medical consultation. If you have symptoms, talk to your doctor.

What testosterone is and what normal levels are

Testosterone is the main male sex hormone, although women also produce it in smaller amounts. In men it is involved in sex drive, sperm production, muscle and bone mass, fat distribution and mood.

For years each laboratory used its own ranges, which caused confusion. Travison and colleagues (2017) harmonised the measurements of 9,054 men from four large studies in the United States and Europe, calibrating them against the CDC reference method. In healthy men without obesity aged 19 to 39, the normal range of total testosterone turned out to be 264 to 916 ng/dl.

To convert ng/dl to nmol/l, multiply by 0.0347. Notice how wide the range is: a man with 350 ng/dl and another with 850 are both within normal limits.

Is testosterone falling across the population?

It is a widely repeated idea and it has some basis. Travison and colleagues (2007) followed more than 1,500 men aged 45 to 79 in Boston for years and observed a substantial decline in testosterone over time that was not explained by age, nor by the changes in smoking or obesity they measured. The cause is unclear. What is clear is that several factors within your control influence your levels, and that is what the rest of this article is about.

What works

1. Lose fat if you carry too much

This is probably the most important factor for people with overweight or obesity. Fat tissue is involved in converting testosterone into oestrogens, and obesity is associated with lower levels. Corona and colleagues (2013) pooled 24 studies on weight loss and sex hormones in men in a meta-analysis: both low-calorie diets and bariatric surgery were associated with increases in total and free testosterone, and the rise was greater with surgery, which produces much more weight loss.

If you want to know where you stand, measure your body fat percentage and your waist. And to lose fat without sacrificing muscle, follow the plan in losing fat without losing muscle.

2. Get enough sleep

Most testosterone is released during sleep, and too little sleep shows up quickly. Leproult and Van Cauter published a study in JAMA in 2011 with 10 young, healthy men who spent a week sleeping 5 hours a night: their daytime testosterone fell by 10 to 15%. It is a small study, but the effect appeared in just seven days and in healthy people.

Aim for 7-9 hours a night on a regular schedule. There is more on the role of sleep in sleep and muscle.

3. Train strength (but do not obsess over hormones)

Strength training produces an acute rise in testosterone, growth hormone and cortisol. Kraemer and Ratamess (2005) explained in their review that these rises last about 15-30 minutes after the session, and that they are larger with high-volume training, moderate-to-high intensity, short rest periods and large muscle groups. They also pointed out that many studies find no change in resting levels even though strength and muscle increase.

Do those rises matter for building muscle? West and colleagues (2010) tested it: they trained the arms of 12 men for 15 weeks, one under normal conditions and the other followed by lots of leg work to trigger a hormonal spike. The muscle in both arms grew the same, 12% and 10%, with no differences in strength. Practical conclusion: train strength because it improves your body composition, your health and your insulin sensitivity, not to "raise hormones" for half an hour.

4. Do not follow a diet that is too low in fat

Steroid hormones are made from cholesterol, and dietary fat has an influence. Whittaker and Wu (2021) analysed 6 intervention studies with 206 men in a meta-analysis and found that low-fat diets reduced total testosterone, free testosterone and dihydrotestosterone compared with higher-fat diets. The effect was moderate and the authors themselves call for more trials, but it is a reason not to cut dietary fat to a minimum. Getting 20-35% of calories from fat, with olive oil, nuts, fish and eggs, is a reasonable range.

5. Vitamin D, only if you are low

Here the results depend on who takes it. Pilz and colleagues (2011) gave vitamin D or placebo for a year to overweight men who were vitamin D deficient: in the group that took it, total testosterone rose from 10.7 to 13.4 nmol/l, and in the placebo group it did not change. But Lerchbaum and colleagues (2017), in a trial with 98 healthy men with normal testosterone, found no effect at all. Practical reading: vitamin D may help if you are deficient, which you will only know with a blood test, but it is not a "booster" for people who are already fine.

What does not work

Tribulus and other "boosters"

Tribulus terrestris is the star ingredient in many testosterone boosters. Qureshi, Naughton and Petroczi (2014) reviewed the available trials and concluded that the evidence indicates it is not effective for increasing testosterone in humans, and that the marketing claims are unsubstantiated: the increase only appeared when it was taken combined with other products. Many other trendy extracts follow a similar pattern: small studies, often funded by manufacturers, and results that are not replicated. Check which supplements do have backing in the guide to supplements that work.

Quick tricks

There is no way to raise testosterone "in one minute" in any way that matters. Acute rises, like the one a weights session produces, last minutes and, as West showed, do not even change how much muscle you build.

Testosterone after 40, 50 and 60

Testosterone declines gradually with age, and in many men that decline is combined with more fat, less muscle and worse sleep, which lower it further. The good news is that the levers are the same and work at any age: strength training, body composition, sleep and diet. Strength training is also the best tool against age-related muscle loss. There is an adapted plan in the gym routine for over-40s.

What about women?

Women also need testosterone, in much smaller amounts, for sex drive, bone health and muscle mass. The habits in this article are just as useful for them. What is not a good idea is taking supplements or products "to raise testosterone" on your own: if there are symptoms such as low desire, persistent tiredness or cycle disturbances, the right place to go is your doctor or gynaecologist.

When to see a doctor

Ask for an assessment if you have several of these symptoms over time: lower sex drive, erection problems, persistent tiredness, unexplained loss of muscle mass, increased abdominal fat or low mood. According to the Endocrine Society guideline, the blood test should be done in the morning while fasting, and repeated to confirm.

If a deficiency is diagnosed, treatment is decided and monitored by a doctor. A clear warning: using testosterone or anabolic steroids on your own suppresses natural production and can affect fertility. The guideline itself advises against starting testosterone therapy in men who want to have children in the near term.

Conclusion

Testosterone is not raised with tricks or plant extracts. What works is less flashy: losing fat if you have too much, sleeping 7-9 hours, training strength regularly, eating enough fat and correcting a vitamin D deficiency if you have one. And if you have symptoms, what you need is a properly done blood test and a medical consultation, not a supplement. If you want to start with training, Progrevia's routine generator builds you a strength routine adapted to your level.

Progrevia · Updated 26 September 2026 · How we write our guides

Informational content based on the available scientific evidence: it does not replace advice from a healthcare professional. If you have an injury or a medical condition, or are pregnant, check with one before changing your training or diet.