Are Your HGH Levels Out of Whack & What to Do About It?

You’ve probably heard about HGH – Human Growth Hormone. But did you know our HGH levels naturally begin to decline around age 30? And with each passing decade, our HGH levels continue to decrease by a whopping 15%.¹ By the age of 80, HGH production is nearly non-existent for both men and women.

Low levels of growth hormone do not affect our longevity. However, symptoms of low HGH can have a negative impact on our overall quality of life. That’s why it’s important to address HGH levels that are out of whack before they become a bigger problem.

Before we get into how we can naturally address these symptoms, let’s take a quick look at what HGH is all about.

What is HGH?

HGH stands for Human Growth Hormone. It’s what fuels growth and helps regulate tissues and organs throughout our lives. HGH is produced by the pituitary gland – located at the base of the skull. As we stated earlier in the article, the pituitary gland naturally slows the amount of growth hormone it produces as we get older.

Unfortunately, low HGH can negatively impact various life functions, making us feel much older than we actually are. Growth hormone helps maintain healthy muscle function, regulates thyroid activity, and encourages normal brain function. Additionally, adults who do not produce enough HGH are more at risk for diabetes and heart disease.

How Do You Know If HGH Is Too Low?

Chances are, if you’re over the age of 30, you have less growth hormone than you did in your youth. While that’s entirely natural, when HGH levels become too low that’s when problems arise.

Signs of age-related low HGH levels can include:

Inability to gain lean muscle mass
Unwanted stores of body fat (primarily in the belly)
Lack of energy, stamina, or motivation
Problems with concentration or “brain fog”
Low sex drive and/or poor erection quality

If symptoms of low HGH are affecting your day-to-day life in a negative way, it might be time to see a doctor. A doctor may perform GH stimulation tests to determine if you’re a candidate for growth hormone injections.² However, if your HGH levels fall within the “normal” spectrum, it could be easier to address your symptoms with simple lifestyle changes.

How Can You Naturally Address Low HGH Levels?

There are several ways that you can naturally address symptoms of low HGH before levels become too far out of whack. Even if your HGH production is at normal levels for your age, it’s a good idea to make certain lifestyle changes to prevent symptoms from impacting your day-to-day routine.

#1: Consume More Good Protein

When you eat good proteins, your body is able to convert these proteins into amino acids. Protein-rich foods have been shown to have a positive impact on blood glucose levels. When paired with carbohydrates and sugar, proteins are able to inhibit the absorption of these insulin-producing compounds.

It’s recommended that you get 10-35% of your calories from protein.³ Animal proteins can include meat, eggs, and milk. Vegetable proteins to look for include soy, quinoa, yogurt, legumes, and tree nuts.

#2: Embrace High-Intensity Interval Workouts

Research has found that among all forms of exercise, high-intensity interval exercises are most able to encourage HGH levels.⁴ Just 20 minutes of HIIT activity per day can have a significant impact on growth hormone synthesis.⁵

High-Intensity Workouts or HIIT can include interval training, weight lifting, or sprinting. Essentially, HIIT includes alternating between several minutes of high-intensity movements to significantly increase the heart rate, followed by short periods of lower-intensity movements.

#3: Lose Extra Belly Fat

Abdominal (or belly) fat is comprised primarily of visceral fat – an unhealthy fat that’s linked to numerous health conditions, from heart disease to high cholesterol.⁶ But, it turns out that too much belly fat can lead to lessened growth hormone production.⁷ What’s worse is the fact that reduced HGH may, in turn, further exacerbate visceral fat accumulation.

It’s a never-ending cycle that’s worth trying to stop before it starts. However, if you’ve already begun to notice extra weight around the middle, all’s not lost. Belly fat may be a little harder to lose once it accumulates, but when you do, the health benefits can be significant to your HGH levels and beyond.

#4: Encourage Better Sleep Sessions

Both sleep loss and fatigue can lead to lower HGH levels. That’s because during sleep, our body releases pulses (or waves) of restorative growth hormones. If we’re not getting enough adequate rest out of our sleep sessions, our HGH levels begin to suffer.⁸ Experts recommend you aim for 7 hours of quality sleep per night.

You can encourage better sleep by avoiding blue light exposure right before bed and ensuring your sleeping area is dark and comfortable. You should also avoid caffeine, alcohol, and overeating too close to bedtime, which leads us to our next topic.

#5: Skip Pre-Bedtime Snacks

You may be surprised to learn that your body produces larger amounts of HGH at night. Unfortunately, high amounts of insulin can interfere with this natural process. We already know that our blood sugar rises immediately after having a meal or snack. But did you know it can take 2-3 hours to drop again?⁹

To maintain healthy HGH production in the evenings, it’s a good idea to abstain from eating for at least 2 hours prior to your regular bedtime. Eating right before bed can also make a person more likely to wake in the middle of the night, which also interrupts sleep quality and HGH production.¹⁰

#6: Reduce Daily Sugar Intake

Eating sweets makes your blood sugar levels rise, which, in turn, triggers the pancreas to produce insulin. While this may be a normal bodily function, too much insulin in our system can inhibit growth hormone secretion and signaling.¹¹ Reducing the amount of refined carbs and sugar you consume can have a positive impact on your HGH levels over time.

In addition, eating too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which also has a negative effect on the amount of growth hormone our bodies are naturally able to produce.

#7: Add Ornithine to Your Diet

Ornithine-rich foods like fish, chicken, eggs, or beef have been shown to temporarily increase HGH production. In addition, research suggests that taking Ornithine 30 minutes post-workout can have a positive impact on HGH synthesis within the body.¹²

Ornithine is often used by bodybuilders for increased muscle mass. However, just 2-6mg of ornithine taken orally per day can elicit the release of growth hormones.¹³ Ornithine is also present in nuts such as coconut, peanuts, and walnuts.

#8: Try Intermittent Fasting

One of the best things you can do to temporarily raise HGH levels is short-term or intermittent fasting.¹⁴ This is a process that consists of an 8-hour eating window followed by a 16-hour fast. Another variation includes limiting your daily caloric intake for 2 out of 7 days per week.

There are two main ways fasting can help boost HGH. First, fasting encourages weight loss, which has a direct correlation to increased production of growth hormones. Secondly, fasting helps keep insulin levels lower throughout the day, which, again, has a positive effect on our HGH production.

#9: Eat Glutamine-Rich Foods

Glutamine is a unique amino acid that can significantly increase HGH even when taken in small doses. One study suggested that a single 2mg dose per day was sufficient enough to significantly increase hGH levels in healthy adult males and females.¹⁵

Dietary sources of glutamine include plant and animal proteins such as beef, pork, poultry, milk, yogurt, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, raw spinach, raw parsley, and cabbage.

#10: Enlist the Help of Dietary Aids

Dietary aids (also known as all-natural health supplements) can be a great way to encourage additional HGH production. There are specific supplements that aim to address low HGH by stimulating the pituitary gland to naturally produce more growth hormone throughout the day.

Look for supplements that contain key ingredients like amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. Dietary aids are not meant to be a quick fix for low HGH. These pills usually require regular, long-term supplementation to take effect. In addition, you should always consult your doctor before adding any supplement to your routine.

Take Control of Your HGH Today

Deciding to get your HGH levels under control can go a long way toward improving your day-to-day life. In addition, taking preventative measures can minimize symptoms before they start to become a problem. Whether you’re looking to get back the vitality of your youth or you’re more interested in maintaining your long-term health, HGH could be the key.

At Leading Edge Health, we recommend GenF20® Plus for all your HGH-related needs. GenF20® Plus is a well-known and trusted dietary aid that naturally stimulates additional growth hormone production. The unique blend is formulated to slow down father time so you can look (and feel) 10 years younger!