text: Image copyright Thinkstock 
   
   Exposure to bright light can lead to greater sexual satisfaction in men who have low sexual desire, a new study suggests. 
   
   Scientists from the University of Siena in Italy found that using a light box, similar to those used to treat some forms of depression, increased testosterone levels. 
   
   And this led to greater reported levels of sexual satisfaction. 
   
   But they said more research was needed before it could be used as a treatment. 
   
   The researchers carried out their study on 38 men who had been diagnosed with disorders which cause a lack of interest in sex. 
   
   Bright light 
   
   One half of the group was treated with a light box, while the other half was treated with an adapted light box which gave out significantly less light. 
   
   They were treated for half an hour early in the morning for two weeks. 
   
   When they retested the participants, they found that the group exposed to the bright light tripled their sexual satisfaction scores while the control group's scores stayed roughly the same. 
   
   The researchers also found that testosterone levels increased in men who had been given the active light treatment from around 2.1 ng/ml to 3.6 ng/ml - but the control group showed no increase. 
   
   Prof Andrea Fagiolini, who led the study, said the increased levels of testosterone explained the greater reported sexual satisfaction. 
   
   What is light box treatment? 
   
   Light therapy is where a special lamp called a light box is used to simulate exposure to sunlight. 
   
   A light box contains very bright fluorescent tubes - usually at least 10 times the intensity of household lights. 
   
   They are commonly used to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. 
   
   A patient looks into the light box and when light hits the back of the eye, messages are passed to the part of the brain that controls sleep, appetite, sex drive, temperature, mood and activity. 
   
   Some people seem to need a lot more light than others for their body to function normally. 
   
   Mimics nature 
   
   And he went on to explain how the light box treatment works. 
   
   He said: "In the northern hemisphere, the body's testosterone production naturally declines from November through until April and then rises steadily through the spring and summer with a peak in October. 
   
   "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." 
   
   Prof Fagiolini said he thought the light therapy inhibited the pineal gland in the centre of the brain, which allowed more testosterone to be produced. 
   
   Future hope 
   
   There are several possible reasons for lack of sexual desire and treatment depends on the underlying cause. 
   
   It can be treated with testosterone injections, antidepressants, and other medications. 
   
   The researchers believe that light therapy in the future may offer the benefits of medication, but with fewer side effects. 
   
   But he said they were not yet at the stage where they could recommend it as a clinical treatment. 
   
   The paper will be presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Vienna. ||||| Shining bright lights at men might help them with flagging sex drives, according to a new study. 
   
   Exposure to light helps boost men’s levels of the male hormone testosterone and increases sexual satisfaction, according to the new research. 
   
   Many men experience low sexual desire after the age of 40. Some studies have estimated that up to a quarter of men might be hit by problems, which seem to depend on their age among other factors. 
   
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   But that flagging sex drive seems to vary with the seasons. That led scientists to suggest that it might be a consequence of the amount of ambient light, and that sex drive was reduced in the winter because it was so dark. 
   
   That led them to shine daily doses of bright light at men, and explore the way that it changed their libido. 
   
   Researchers at the University of Siena recruited 38 men who have been diagnosed with having low libidos. 
   
   Half of them then spent every morning for two weeks in a room with a light box, which can emit bright white light at people and simulate the effect of more sun. 
   
   Those men that spent more time with the box found that their testosterone levels had gone up significantly. And, accordingly, they were much more satisfied sexually, they reported. 
   
   "We found fairly significant differences between those who received the active light treatment, and the controls,” said lead researcher Andrea Fagiolini. 
   
   "Before treatment, both groups averaged a sexual satisfaction score of around two out of 10, but after treatment the group exposed to the bright light was scoring sexual satisfaction scores of around 6.3 - a more than three-fold increase on the scale we used. In contrast, the control group only showed an average score of around 2.7 after treatment." 
   
   The average amount of testosterone in the group that didn’t have the lights shone at them didn’t change. But the men that were treated with the light box had their levels rise from 2.1 nanograms per millilitre to 3.6. 
   
   "The increased levels of testosterone explain the greater reported sexual satisfaction," said Professor Fagiolini. "In the northern hemisphere, the body's testosterone production naturally declines from November through April, and then rises steadily through the spring and summer with a peak in October. 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." 
   
   He added: "We believe that there may be several explanations to explain the underlying mechanism. For instance, light therapy inhibits the pineal gland in the centre of the brain and this may allow the production of more testosterone, and there are probably other hormonal effects. 
   
   "We're not yet at the stage where we can recommend this as a clinical treatment .. however if this treatment can be shown to work in a larger study, then light therapy may offer a way forward. It's a small study, so for the moment we need to treat it with appropriate caution."
target: – Men with low sex drive might try switching on a light, a new study shows. Taking a cue from depression treatment, researchers at the University of Siena in Italy found that bright light stimulates testosterone levels and led to better results in the bedroom, reports the BBC. Using a light box lined with fluorescent tubes, researchers tested the effects on 38 men diagnosed with low libidos. One half were exposed to bright lights, and the rest to lower doses of light. Those who received the brighter lights for 30 minutes daily over two weeks tripled their rate of sexual satisfaction.The amount of testosterone in the control group didn't change, but the bright-light group saw their levels rise to 3.6 nanograms per milliliter from 2.1. "The increased levels of testosterone explain the greater reported sexual satisfaction," said lead author Andrea Fagiolini, per the Independent. He said testosterone production among men in the northern hemisphere declines naturally from November through April (peaking in October). "The use of the light box really mimics what nature does," Fagiolini said. He said light therapy "inhibits the pineal gland in the center of the brain and this may allow the production of more testosterone, and there are probably other hormonal effects." Light box therapy is commonly used to treat depression caused by Seasonal Affective Disorder. Although researchers cautioned that more research was needed, light therapy could be a promising hope for men whose sex drive is off, particularly during the winter months. A quarter of men over 40 report lagging libido and other problems, reports the Independent. (Women with low libido should check their heart rate.)