The biggest problem we have with human growth hormone (HGH) is that it decreases as we age. Sore joints, aching knees, and muscle pain are all age-related challenges that correlate with reduced growth hormone (GH) levels.
Weight gain as we age can also be attributed to growth hormone as it is heavily involved in fat burning during our younger years. Growth hormone also assists with collagen and cartilage production and muscle growth.
An abundance of growth hormone is why you remember having so much more energy, endurance, and stamina in your youth. It's why you are slower to heal in your advanced years and why surgeries become much riskier the older you get.
Memory and cognitive function are associated with growth hormone. If you've been more forgetful or have more trouble concentrating than you are used to, it could be due to growth hormone.
Growth hormone is so critical to human development that if you didn't have enough when you were young, you may be shorter than you otherwise would have been.
What is Human Growth Hormone (HGH)?
HGH is such a huge problem in sports that the FDA considers it a controlled substance. But you don't need to make shady deals with suspicious characters to increase your HGH levels. There are many natural strategies you can use that won't risk your health or get you in trouble with the authorities.
It All Begins with the Hypothalamus.
The hypothalamus is an area of the brain responsible for telling the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. The pituitary gland creates GH, but the process is triggered by another hormone. GH goes straight to the liver after release, which works through another hormone called insulin growth hormone (IGF) number 1.
Keep reading to discover the secrets to increasing your growth hormone levels naturally.
How to Increase Growth Hormone Naturally
There are a lot of ways to naturally increase your GH levels. The following are just a few of the most popular methods that will also give you a general health boost.
1. Get Better Quality Sleep
There's a certain time of day when your body will get a huge boost of growth hormone, and that's when you're sleeping, but a quick nap won't do the trick.
Growth hormone is stimulated when your brain starts producing delta waves, which happens in the deepest part of your sleep cycle. If you aren't sleeping, you won't get nearly as much growth hormone.
Getting good quality sleep isn't always easy, but our article on getting more sleep might help. You will find tips on how to get to sleep naturally, with portable saunas as one of the most efficient methods to ensure your mind and body are ready to hit the sack.
2. Intense Exercise
Mild exercise helps, but if you want to maximize growth hormone production, you will need to include a few intense exercise sessions into your week. Vigorous exercise can increase your growth hormone by up to a thousand percent.
Sprinting is a good workout that doesn't require special skills, but if it's not your thing, you can still try high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or crossfit. The key is to move your whole body and utilize all your muscle groups.
Unfortunately, taking the dog out or walking on a treadmill is better for your health than nothing, but it won't do much for your GH levels.
Don't forget to use appropriate amounts of rest and recovery. A portable steam sauna is an excellent resource for home that will improve your recovery and treat sore, tired muscles.
3. Manage Blood Sugar Levels
Low resting blood sugars are another key to improving growth hormone levels, and the keto diet is perfect for this. The keto is a low carb diet that may be suitable for some. However, any sensible diet can help you manage your blood sugar levels.
4. Amino Acids
Your body needs protein to stimulate growth hormone, so ensure you get enough in your diet. Your body relies on several amino acids to trigger production, but the main one is l-arginine, an amino acid that helps the body build protein.
5. Periodic Fasting
Fasting will have an incredible influence over growth hormone production. Significantly more than other strategies listed here. In some cases, you may increase productiion by up to two thousand percent for males and thirteen hundred percent for females.
6. Niacin
Niacin (nicotonic acid, vitamin B3) is often taken in conjunction with hormone replacement therapy.
Niacinimide has a powerful sedative effect that works well with melatonin to help you sleep longer and get better sleep quality. As you know from above, quality sleep is essential for growth hormone production, but niacin also stimulates growth hormone secretion directly.
Research completed in 1983 revealed that a 500mg injection of niacin triggered a significant boost in growth hormone. Some people experience symptoms referred to as niacin flushing, which is when the skin gets warm, red, and itchy. Others may feel lightheaded. These are harmless but uncomfortable sensations you may be able to avoid by taking supplemental niacin with a meal.
7. Vitamin D
Your body produces vitamin D naturally with sun exposure, but make sure you don't overexpose yourself and get too much sunlight. This study revealed that vitamin D increases growth hormone in adults, implying that it might be beneficial when treating GH deficiencies.
More Ways to Improve GH Levels
The above methods are all excellent for boosting GH levels, but there are things, like stress, that can inhibit its production and work against your efforts to improve levels.
Eating too much sugar results in excessive insulin production, which means you are going to have far less growth hormone than you need.
Being overweight can impact your GH levels, mostly becuase of too much insulin (hypoerinsulinemia).
A fatty liver will affect how much growth hormone you have, so do everything you can to improve your liver's health. Eating a balanced diet and limiting or avoiding alcohol are excellent places to start.
Stress is a big one because it triggers cortisol production, which influences how much sleep you get. We recommend a portable sauna if you are looking for a great way to relax and reduce your stress levels while also getting a host of other health benefits.
