HGH can be prescribed, but it is too expensive for many. Some natural ways to increase HGH levels?
- High intensity burst training in which one’s heart rate bursts high (so you feel lactic acid burn) for 30 second intervals five or more times in a workout. This engages super-fast twitch muscle fibers, which release HGH naturally.
- Get adequate sleep. Getting 8 hours per night optimizes production of HGH.
- Melatonin. Take 0.5 to 5 mg of melatonin before bed. Melatonin has been shown to increase growth hormone levels by up to 157 percent.
- GABA. Take 1.5 to 3 g of GABA immediately before bed. GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid, has been shown to increase growth hormone production by 200 percent.
- Eat high quality protein. Consume a high-protein, low-carbohydrate snack before going to bed. The amino acids will help to boost HGH, while avoiding too many carbs will keep insulin levels low so that it cannot inhibit growth hormone from doing its work.
- Optimize vitamin D levels.
- Avoid sugar after workouts. Consuming sugar (especially fructose) within 2 hours post workout will cause your hypothalamus to release somatostatin, which will decrease your production of HGH. Simple sugars that are high-glycemic also spike insulin levels. Not only does this lead to body fat storage, but it severely decreases the release of growth hormone.
- L-arginine and L-lysine. The combination of these two amino acids together before exercise and sleep has shown to increase growth hormone production by up to 700 percent. Take 3 to 5 grams for optimal results.
- Glutamine. Take 2 to 10 g of glutamine after a workout or before bed. Glutamine may boost HGH levels, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Louisiana State College of Medicine. They discovered that subjects consuming 2 g of glutamine experienced increases in HGH levels. Their findings were reported in the 1995 issue of "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition."
- Alpha-glycerylphosphorylcholine, or A-GPC, might increase HGH levels, according to a study published in the September 2008 issue of the "Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition." Researchers at the Center for Applied Health Science Research observed that subjects taking 600 mg of A-GPC two hours before resistance exercise had higher HGH levels post-exercise compared with those who consumed a placebo.
