Andrew Huberman: 5 Ways to Boost Growth Hormone Levels
Growth hormone is quite straightforward to understand because it follows the same logic as thyroid hormone. Their functions overlap so much you might wonder why we need both systems. Growth hormone releasing hormone comes from the brain, telling the pituitary to release growth hormone into the bloodstream. This hormone then acts on many tissues – muscle, ligaments, bone, fat – to increase metabolism and promote repair and growth.
During puberty, the pituitary produces tons of growth hormone to drive development. As we age, we naturally make less of it, which explains why we recover more slowly from injuries, accumulate more body fat, and experience a slowing metabolism.
Growth hormone replacement therapy has become popular in recent years, though it’s not without problems. If levels get too high, it can cause unwanted growth of all tissues – not just muscle, but also organs like the heart, lungs, liver, and spleen. That’s the concern with growth hormone abuse.
There are several ways anyone can naturally increase their growth hormone levels. Some of these methods can boost levels by 300-500% or more, even if only temporarily.
Growth hormone is naturally released during sleep, specifically during slow wave sleep in the early part of the night. Two conditions must be met for optimal release: you need to reach deep sleep, and your blood insulin and glucose levels need to be relatively low. This is why eating within two hours of bedtime will suppress growth hormone release.
What makes slow wave sleep special for growth hormone release is the delta wave activity in the brain. These big, sweeping waves of neuronal activity stimulate the brain to signal the pituitary to release growth hormone.
Meditation can be a powerful tool for increasing growth hormone. As described in the book “Altered Traits” by Goleman and Davidson, certain meditation practices can get your brain into states that closely mimic slow wave sleep, potentially triggering growth hormone release during waking hours.
Exercise is another powerful way to boost growth hormone, but it must be of particular duration and intensity. For maximum effect, exercise should be limited to about 60 minutes, with a proper 10-minute warm-up. Getting your body temperature elevated seems important, as does approaching but not necessarily reaching failure in weight training.
This approach can lead to 300-500% increases in growth hormone levels both during exercise and the following night during sleep. Interestingly, drinking sugary sports drinks immediately after exercise can flatline growth hormone levels, highlighting the importance of keeping blood glucose low.
Supplements can also help. Arginine, an amino acid, can substantially increase growth hormone levels if taken in doses between 3-9 grams, particularly when blood glucose is low. However, taking arginine before exercise doesn’t create an additive effect – you’ll still see around 300-500% increases, not more.
Perhaps most dramatic is the effect of heat exposure. Sauna sessions have been shown to increase growth hormone release up to 16-fold – that’s 1,600%! The protocol involves 20 minutes in a sauna (80-100°C), followed by 30 minutes of cooling, then another 20 minutes in the sauna. Repeating this for three consecutive days led to these remarkable increases.
What’s particularly encouraging is that between ages 30-40, our natural growth hormone release decreases two to threefold. The behavioral interventions we’ve discussed – exercise, proper meal timing, optimized sleep, and perhaps sauna use – can completely offset this age-related decline through entirely natural means.
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