Now, research has shown that the cause may be extremely simple indeed. Poor sleep patterns have been found to be linked to lower levels of testosterone in men. Testosterone is the male sex hormone that is responsible for sexual wellness, and without enough of it, sex drive can be affected.
As well as low libido, a lack of testosterone can also cause reproductive problems, meaning that those who do not get enough sleep may struggle to conceive a child. In addition to this, lack of testosterone can have many other unpleasant side effects such as fatigue, poor concentration, low energy levels, low bone density and low muscle mass.
It can also be linked to metabolic syndrome, which puts the man at increased risk of various serious health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, stroke and heart disease.
The link between sleep deprivation and hormone levels is not a new idea, but this is the first time that testosterone has been specifically looked at and found lacking in those who are sleep deprived. In order to obtain these results, researchers tested the hormone levels of men who were regularly getting less than five hours sleep per night. These levels were found to be drastically reduced, and were more similar to a 15-year-old man than to a mature adult male.
The drop is the equivalent drop that would occur with 10 to 15 years of ageing, too, so in effect lack of sleep is ageing the reproductive system by a significant number of years. Fortunately, the effects are totally reversible, if a man simply ensures that he gets more sleep at night.