Short answer: Growth hormone (HGH) is released in pulses, mostly during deep sleep, and it tends to fall as we age. The best-supported ways to support it are protecting deep sleep, high-intensity and strength exercise, and reducing excess belly fat. Fasting and supplements get a lot of attention, but the evidence behind them is thin. No lifestyle change will match a prescription, and growth hormone injections are not approved for anti-aging.
Searches for "how to increase HGH naturally" are full of big promises and tiny studies. This guide sorts what research supports from what is mostly marketing, explains what HGH therapy can and can't do, and covers when testing makes sense.
What growth hormone does, and why it drops with age
Growth hormone is made by the pituitary gland. In adults it helps maintain lean muscle, fat distribution and tissue repair. It is released in bursts rather than a steady stream, and the largest bursts happen in deep (slow-wave) sleep.
That is where aging comes in. A University of Chicago study published in JAMA in 2000 followed 149 healthy men aged 16 to 83. Deep sleep fell from nearly 20% of the night in men under 25 to under 5% in men over 35, and growth hormone secretion declined by about 75%. By around age 45, most of the men had almost no deep sleep. The study was in men only, but it shows why sleep sits at the center of this topic.
What the evidence supports
1. Protect your deep sleep. Because most growth hormone is released during deep sleep, a short or fragmented night reduces output. Keep a consistent bedtime, make the room dark and cool, and limit late caffeine and alcohol. The research links sleep and HGH clearly, though no one has shown a specific bedtime habit that raises HGH by a set amount.
2. Exercise with intensity. High-intensity intervals and resistance training raise growth hormone in the hours after a session in several studies. The honest caveat: those are short-term spikes, and it is not established that regular exercise raises your daily HGH. The larger benefit probably comes indirectly, through muscle, fat loss and better sleep.
3. Reduce excess body fat, especially around the waist. Studies link more abdominal fat with lower 24-hour HGH release. This is an association, not proof that losing fat raises HGH, but it fits with the other benefits of a healthier body composition.
4. Watch sugar and refined carbs. High insulin appears to blunt the growth hormone response, and sugar and refined carbohydrates raise insulin the most. The link is indirect, and no trial has tested sugar reduction against HGH levels head to head.
What is overhyped
Fasting. One small study of 47 people reported HGH rising roughly fivefold during a 24-hour fast. That was a full day without food, not the 16:8 pattern most people try, and evidence for shorter fasts is limited. Long fasts are also not realistic or advisable for everyone.
Supplements. Arginine, GABA, glutamine, ornithine, melatonin and creatine have all been studied for HGH. The studies are small, many are decades old, results conflict, and the effects are temporary rises in a blood number, not better muscle, bone or health. Supplements can also interact with medications, so check with a clinician first. If you want to try one for its own reasons, such as creatine for training, L-glutamine for gut support, or a melatonin or GABA-containing sleep formula for bedtime, our sister store Regen Wellness Vitamins carries them. None of these has been shown to raise growth hormone in a way that matters for your health.
"HGH boosters" sold online. A short-lived rise in a lab value is not the same as a benefit you can feel or measure.
What about HGH injections?
Growth hormone is a prescription medicine approved for specific conditions, such as diagnosed growth hormone deficiency in children and adults. The FDA has not approved it for anti-aging or athletic enhancement, and federal law prohibits distributing it for uses outside treatment of a recognized medical condition.
The research on healthy older adults is not encouraging. A review of 31 studies, summarized by Harvard Men's Health Watch, found that people given growth hormone gained about 4.6 pounds of lean mass and lost a similar amount of fat, with no significant change in cholesterol, aerobic capacity, bone density or blood sugar markers. Side effects were common, including fluid retention, joint pain, breast enlargement and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Growth hormone-releasing peptides are a separate conversation, and their regulatory status has been shifting in 2026. If a provider recommends one, ask what the product is, whether it is FDA-approved, how it is made and what it is expected to do.
When testing makes sense
Because growth hormone comes in pulses, a single random blood draw tells you very little. Clinicians usually look at related markers such as IGF-1 alongside the full picture: symptoms, sleep, body composition, thyroid, sex hormones, glucose and inflammation. Testing is worth discussing if you have persistent fatigue, trouble building or keeping muscle, increased belly fat, poor sleep or slow recovery, since these have many possible causes and HGH is only one of them.
At Regen Wellness in Dallas, we start with a free info call, then lab testing and a review of your symptoms and history. If you want a quick starting point, take the free Root Cause Score assessment. For background, see our guide to what human growth hormone is.
A simple weekly starting plan
Pick a fixed bedtime and protect seven to nine hours.
Do strength training two to three times a week.
Add one or two short, hard interval sessions, as your doctor allows.
Cut back on sugary drinks and refined carbs.
Recheck your sleep and energy after four to six weeks, and get labs if you aren't improving.
The bottom line
Sleep, exercise and body composition are the levers with the most support, and they help your health whether or not they move your HGH number. Be skeptical of any product promising to "boost HGH," and of any clinic offering growth hormone for anti-aging. A good provider will test before treating and explain what is proven and what is not.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. Talk with a qualified clinician about your own health history before starting or stopping any treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fastest way to increase HGH naturally? There is no fast, proven method. The best-supported steps are getting enough deep sleep, doing high-intensity and strength exercise, and reducing excess belly fat. Exercise raises HGH briefly, and whether it raises daily levels is not established.
Does intermittent fasting increase HGH? Prolonged fasting raised HGH in a small study of 47 people, but that was a 24-hour fast. Evidence for common shorter fasting windows is limited, so fasting should not be treated as a reliable HGH strategy.
Do HGH supplements work? Studies of ingredients like arginine, GABA and glutamine are small and often old, and they show short-term rises in HGH rather than better health outcomes. They can also interact with medications, so talk with a clinician before using them.
Is HGH therapy legal for anti-aging? No. The FDA has not approved growth hormone for anti-aging, and federal law prohibits distributing it for uses other than treating a recognized medical condition such as diagnosed growth hormone deficiency.
At what age does growth hormone start to decline? Secretion falls with age. In a University of Chicago study of healthy men, deep sleep and growth hormone dropped sharply from early adulthood into the mid-30s and 40s, with growth hormone secretion declining by about 75% across the age range studied.
Sources & Further Reading
University of Chicago Medicine — Aging alters sleep and hormone levels sooner than expected (coverage of Van Cauter et al., JAMA, August 2000). https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/news/aging-alters-sleep-and-hormone-levels-sooner-than-expected
Harvard Men's Health Watch — Growth hormone not safe or effective in slowing aging (May 2010). https://www.health.harvard.edu/press_release/growth-hormone-not-safe-or-effective-in-slowing-aging
Harvard Health Publishing — Are there any advantages to human growth hormone? (June 2016). https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/are-there-any-advantages-to-human-growth-hormone
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Diversion Control Division — Human Growth Hormone fact sheet. https://deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drug_chem_info/hgh.pdf
Healthline — 11 ways to increase HGH naturally (review of the supporting studies on sleep, exercise, fasting and supplements). https://healthline.com/nutrition/11-ways-to-increase-hgh