Does human growth hormone (a.k.a. HGH) make you taller?
And more importantly…
Is human growth hormone safe?
There seems to be a flood of contradicting information regarding these questions.
And in this post, you will learn exactly how human growth hormone makes you grow taller, and discover the truth behind common myths about HGH (especially around safety).
But that’s not all…
I will also reveal several practical ways that you can increase HGH in your body (without ANY injections or treatments).
Table of Contents
Why Your Body Cannot Survive Without HGH
Importance of HGH for Increasing Your Height
Why Teenagers and Children Need HGH To Grow Taller
Why Adults Need HGH To Grow Taller
Is HGH Safe?
Part 1: How to Increase Natural HGH
5 Natural HGH Maximizers
Amino Acids that Increase HGH
Part 2: How to Increase Synthetic HGH
Symptoms of HGH Deficiency
Why HGH Injections are Risky
When Should I Avoid HGH Altogether?
Symptoms of Excess HGH (A.K.A. Acromegaly)
Frequently Asked Questions
Bottom Line
Why Your Body Cannot Survive Without HGH
There are a ton of scientific and complicated articles about HGH that you can find online.
But here, I want to be as practical as possible, and focus solely on how you can use HGH to increase your height.
Having said that, let’s go over the very basics of this hormone, and what role it plays in your body.
So… what is human growth hormone, and what does it do?
Human growth hormone (a.k.a. HGH) is a hormone that your body produces naturally.
It is secreted from your pituitary glands, which is located in a region inside your brain. HGH is released from this region into your bloodstream, which then reaches different parts of your body.
HGH provides your body with many benefits, such as:
- Height growth
- Strengthening of your bones, joints, cartilages, and muscles
- Weight loss
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Better mood and cognitive function
- Increasing sexual drive and performance
- Better sleep
Why is the relevant?
Because it is crucial to know that HGH is not some external drug or chemical that you inject into your body, but rather a hormone that your body needs in order to function properly.
And if your body had no HGH at all… you probably wouldn’t even be alive reading this post right now.
Now that you have a gist of why Human Growth Hormone is so important for your body, let’s move on to how it affects your height.
Importance of HGH for Increasing Your Height
Whether you’re an adult, a teenager still going through puberty, or a child, having sufficient amount of HGH in your body is crucial for increasing your height.
But here’s the catch:
The way in which HGH will increase your height will depend on whether you are still growing or not.
That is why I created 2 different sections below, to illustrate the role of HGH in both age groups:
- People who are still growing, and
- People who have stopped growing.
Why Teenagers and Children Need HGH To Grow Taller
If you’re still growing (or you have children that are), this is the section for you.
Because In order to fully maximize your height by the time you’re done growing, it is crucial to maintain high levels of HGH throughout your childhood and teenage years.
Why?
Because your human growth hormones is responsible for growing your bones and cartilages.
As I mentioned earlier, a region in your brain called the pituitary glands releases HGH into your blood.
When HGH reaches your bones and cartilages via your blood vessels, it provides a signal to your bones, and as a result, initiates the growth process.
Therefore, when your growth plates are fully open during childhood and adolescence, you can maximize the growth of your bones and cartilages by elevating your HGH levels.
Why Adults Need HGH To Grow Taller
If you’re almost done growing, or have completely stopped growing altogether, you may be thinking:
There is no way HGH (or anything) is going to help me grow taller. I mean… haven’t all of my bones fused anyway?
Yes and no.
If you’re an adult, the chances are, most of your bones have probably fused indeed.
But no matter how old you are, there is a part of your body that is still capable of increasing in length.
And that is your spine.
Possible to Increase Spine Length After Puberty?
So… how is it possible that your spine can grow after all of your bones have fused?
Because your spine isn’t one giant bone, but a series of smaller bones.
And these bones are connected by cartilages known as intervertebral discs.
As you can see from the above diagram, you upper spine (cervical, thoracic, lumber) are composed of 24 bones, that are connected by 23 intervertebral disc (red regions).
So what makes height growth possible after puberty?
Since your discs don’t fuse, you can increase the length of each disc in order to increase your height.
And since there are so many of these discs in your spine, lengthening each disc by even the slightest amount could result in you becoming significantly taller.
To give you concrete numbers:
If you increase each cartilage length by only 1 mm (which is as thin as the tip of a pencil), you would grow 1 mm x 23 which equals 2.3 cm (almost 1 inch).
But don’t just take my word for it.
A study was conducted to reduce back pain in a group seniors.
The result?
30 adults, whose average age was 65 years old, were able to increase their spine length in just 6 weeks, without ANY surgery.
What does this mean?
If 65-year-olds can increase their height, you can too.
HGH Increases Your Spine Length
So going back to HGH: How can it help you grow taller as an adult?
By increasing the length of your intervertebral discs.
Since HGH is responsible for increasing the length of your cartilages, increasing the amount of HGH will result in more cartilage growth in your spine, making you taller.
So how the hell do you increase HGH in your body?
There are several different ways to do this.
But before we dive deeply into this topic, let’s briefly address the most important issue that pertain to HGH: SAFETY.
Is HGH Safe?
You may have heard from many different sources that HGH is dangerous for your body, and can cause various side effects.
The answer?
It depends on how you increase your HGH levels.
Since different methods of increasing HGH are much safer than others, your safety will depend on how you increase HGH in your body.
So which method of increasing HGH is the safest and most reliable?
Keep reading.
2 Types of HGH
There are countless number of ways to increase HGH.
However, there are only 2 types of HGH that you can increase in your blood:
- Natural HGH
- Synthetic HGH
Now, which type of HGH sounds safer to you?
If you guessed natural HGH, you are right.
However, just because natural HGH is safer, it doesn’t mean that it’s the ultimate solution for everyone.
Before we go into further detail of each HGH type, here is an overview of which option is the most appropriate for you:
- Natural HGH: If you are generally healthy, and don’t suffer from any kind of HGH abnormality, this is the ONLY option you should stick to.
- Synthetic HGH (injections): This is the best option if you suffer from severe HGH deficiency.
- No HGH: If you’re suffering from Acromegaly (too much HGH), you shouldn’t increase HGH for any reason.
Part 1: How to Increase Natural HGH
Most people assume that the only way to increase your HGH is to inject external HGH, but this is simply not true.
If you don’t suffer from any HGH abnormality, increasing natural HGH is your safest and wisest choice.
Why?
Remember: HGH is a hormone that your body produces on its own.
Therefore, the safest way to elevate your HGH levels is to simply increase the amount of HGH that you’re body is already producing.
And if you follow the tips that I’m about to share with you, it is virtually impossible to produce too much HGH for your own safety, since these are all natural habits that healthy people practice regularly.
There are a few important factors that you must nail in order to increase your HGH naturally.
I call them the 5 Natural HGH Maximizers.
5 Natural HGH Maximizers
Despite the fancy name, the strategies that you are about to learn are very straight forward and easy to implement into your lifestyle.
So without further ado, here are the 5 Natural HGH Maximizers:
Natural HGH Maximizer #1: Sleep
You’ve probably noticed that you’re slightly taller in the morning than the night before.
While this is mainly due to your spine decompressing, it is also because HGH is mainly released during deep sleep.
Since the majority of HGH is released from the pituitary during deep sleep, this is the best time for your bones and cartilages to grow longer in length.
This is why it’s very important to get a sufficient amount of sleep every night.
Here are some strategies to get a good night’s sleep:
1. Increase melatonin in your body.
Melatonin is the biochemical that signals your body to shut down at night. Therefore, if you increase the amount of melatonin your body produces, you’ll be able to sleep more deeply.
The best part?
Melatonin doesn’t just improve your sleep quality, but also increases HGH directly!
2. Keep your bedroom pitch black.
If possible, do your best to block out all lights from entering your bedroom. This will allow you to have a much deeper sleep.
3. Keep your bedroom cool.
Although the optimal sleeping temperature varies from person to person, the optimal range is between 65 ~ 72 degrees.
However, you should stick with whatever temperature that you feel the most comfortable in.
Natural HGH Maximizer #2: Relaxation
HGH is produced mostly when your body is resting and recovering (hence why sleeping is so important).
Here are some ways to recover your body effectively:
1. Perform a deep breathing meditation.
There are many health benefits from meditating.
But most importantly, it will help you recover your mind and body substantially.
So how do you meditate?
There are 1000 different ways to do this, but one of the best meditations for relaxing is to simply breathe deeply and watch your breath for 5 minutes every day.
This can have a dramatic effect on your ability to relax and stay calm.
2. Take a hot bath
Soaking your entire body in warm water will improve your overall circulation, and relieve stiffness and tension in your muscles.
3. Stretch
Stretching is the most effective way to relax your muscles.
Make sure to stretch every part of your body after you engage in any type of physical activity.
Natural HGH Maximizer #3: Exercise
There are many exercises that you can do to increase your HGH levels.
But if you want to maximize the HGH that your body produces, you want to engage in short & high-intensity activities.
So how do you perform high intensity activities?
Here is a simple 4-step formula you can follow:
- Pick an activity that you want to perform intensely (sprinting, cycling, rowing, swimming, pullups, pushups, etc.)
- Perform the activity as intensely as possible for 30 seconds.
- Give yourself a minute of break.
- Repeat steps 2 & 3, at least five times in a single workout.
Now, there is one thing to watch out for.
Since your goal is to increase your height, you must avoid any type of spine-compressing activities.
In other words, avoid any exercise that requires you to push weight over your head.
Common examples of overhead exercises are:
- Squats
- Shoulder presses
- Handstand pushups
As long as the activity doesn’t force you to bare any weight over your head, you can choose to perform whatever exercise you like.
Natural HGH Maximizer #4: Body Fat Reduction
If you want to maximize your HGH levels, you must minimize your body fat percentage.
In one study, individuals that had 3 times the amount of body fat produced less than half of the HGH that their lean counterparts produced.
And needless to say, carrying excess fat in your body only does you more harm than good.
Here are 3 diet tips that will not only keep you lean, but simultaneously increase your HGH levels as well:
1. Reduce sugar intake
Sugar increases your insulin levels, which lowers HGH production in your body.
Therefore, if you limit the amount of sugar that you consume, you will minimize your insulin levels, which maximizes HGH production.
Now don’t put yourself in a prison and cut out sugar altogether… or you’ll end up eating more sugar than before.
However, do your best to restrict it whenever you can, and start consuming complex carbs instead of refined carbs.
2. Fast intermittently
Fasting will further lower your insulin levels, since no sugar can enter your body whenever you’re not eating.
So how does intermittent fasting work exactly?
To put it simply: Allow yourself to eat only for an 8-hour period, and fast for the other 16 hours.
There are many other health benefits that you get from fasting periodically.
But just know that fasting will help you increase your HGH, which will help you grow taller.
3. Don’t eat before bed
As I mentioned before, sugar increases your insulin levels, which decreases HGH production.
And since most foods contain at least a bit of sugar, the best way to keep your insulin levels minimized is to eat nothing at all.
Why does this matter?
Because your body produces the most amount of HGH during sleep.
Thus, if you want to fully maximize your HGH levels, you want to ensure that your insulin levels stay minimized when you go to sleep, so that your body can secrete as much HGH as possible.
Natural HGH Maximizer #5: Amino Acids
This is probably the most important aspect of maximizing your HGH levels.
Why?
Because amino acids are one of the fundamental components of hormone production in your body.
And without them, your body would not be able to secrete vital hormones, including HGH.
5 Amino Acids that Increase HGH
In order for your body to produce HGH, it needs 5 essential amino acids:
- L-Ornithine
- L-Arginine
- L-Lysine
- L-Glutamine
- L-Glycine
Now, there are 3 different ways you can consume these 5 amino acids.
Let’s look at each method:
Method #1: Consume foods that contain the 5 essential amino acids.
Here is a chart of all the foods that are high in each one of the 5 amino acids:
L-Ornithine | L-Arginine | L-Lysine | L-Glutamine | L-Glycine |
---|---|---|---|---|
Beef | Beef | Beef | Beef | Beef |
Chicken | Chicken | Chicken | Chicken | Chicken |
Pork | Pork | Pork | Eggs | Pork |
Eggs | Turkey | Eggs | Cabbage | Lamb |
Salmon | Chickpeas | Lamb | Yogurt | Lobster |
Mackerel | Lentils | Shrimp | Shrimp | Shrimp |
Herring | Tuna | Tuna | Asparagus | Crab |
Brown rice | Spirulina | Cheese | Legumes | Cauliflower |
Chocolate | Soybeans | Soybeans | Soybeans | Spinach |
Peanuts | Peanuts | Almonds | Hazelnuts | Kale |
If you’re on a budget, this is probably going to be the best option for you.
However, relying only on these foods is going to be fairly tedious and hard to keep track, since you’ll never know if you’re consuming enough of each amino acid
Furthermore, this process will be even more difficult if you’re a vegetarian, since many of the foods that are rich in these amino acids are in the meat category.
Method #2: Consume amino acid supplements.
An alternative method to relying only on foods would be to consume supplements that contain each one of the 5 amino acids.
In comparison to the previous method, this option is much more convenient and easier to keep track. However, you will need to invest a little bit of money to order them on a regular basis.
If you’re interested in this method, go to your local pharmacy store, and you should be able to find them there.
Method #3: Consume one supplement that contains all 5 amino acids.
This is my favorite method of all.
Why?
As you can probably agree, this option is the simplest and the most reliable way to ensure that you consume all 5 amino acids sufficiently on a regular basis.
The best part?
On top of consuming this supplement, you can also consume the foods that I laid out in order to increase your amino acids even further.
The downside?
Supplements that contain all 5 amino acids are hard to come across.
Fortunately, there is one supplement which contains all 5 of these amino acids.
Check out my full review of Growth Factor Plus, which is a height supplement that boosts your HGH levels for maximum growth.
Part 2: How to Increase Synthetic HGH
(Disclaimer: Information is provided without warranty. This is NOT medical advice. By reading & applying any advice on this website, you agree to take 100% responsibility for all consequences. Please read my full disclaimer for more information.)
If you suffer from severe HGH deficiency, synthetic HGH injections are your best bet.
Why?
If your HGH levels are abnormally low, trying to increase your HGH by natural means is simply not going to be sufficient in bringing your HGH levels to a healthy range.
And since there is no limit as to how much HGH you can inject into your body, this method is the most effective at counteracting severely low levels of HGH.
Am I Suffering from HGH Deficiency?
So how do you know if you have too little HGH?
The most accurate way to find out would be to get tested for your growth hormone levels in your blood.
But since HGH tests can be tedious to undergo, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with common symptoms of HGH abnormalities.
These symptoms differ for for adults vs children.
Here is a comparison chart that shows the most common symptoms of HGH deficiency in each age group:
Symptoms of HGH Deficiency
Adults | Teenagers & Children |
---|---|
Anxiety / depression | Significantly shorter than other people of your age |
Hairloss | Facial features look much younger than other people of your age |
Decrease in sex drive | Delayed puberty |
Fatique | Slow hair growth |
Dry, thin skin | Slow teeth development |
Difficulty concentrating | Increased fat mass |
(Source: draxe.com)
Why HGH Injections are Risky
As I mentioned earlier, it is much better to inject synthetic HGH if you’re severely low in HGH, since it is the most reliable way to ensure that your HGH levels are maintained within the normal range.
But also realize that HGH injection treatments are risky in nature, since they are very provocative.
There are 3 main reasons that make this method risky:
1. Side Effects
It is possible to experience any of the following side effects from HGH injections:
- Muscle aches
- Joint discomfort
- Headaches
- Swelling of the hands and feet
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Swelling in the arms and legs
- Joint and muscle pain
- Enlargement of breast tissue in men
If you experience any of these symptoms, it could be a sign that your body doesn’t react well to synthetic HGH, or that your HGH levels are too high. Make sure to speak to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms upon injecting HGH.
2. HGH Overdose
Since there is no limit as to how much HGH you can inject into your body, it is possible to inject too much of it if the injection is not carefully monitored and/or calculated.
And if you inject too much HGH into your blood, you can suffer from Acromegaly, a condition you develop from having too much HGH in your body (I talk about this condition in further detail below).
Thus, if you’re going to go with this option, make sure to speak to a doctor, and receive injections from someone who is qualified.
3. Dangerous for People with Certain Conditions
If you’re a victim of any of the following conditions, synthetic HGH is not safe for you:
- Tumors
- Cancer
- Serious illness
- Severe breathing problems
- Multiple injuries
Furthermore, if you suffer from diabetes, make sure to monitor your blood sugar levels precisely, since HGH can effect insulin usage in the body.
Another Dark Side of HGH Treatments: It’s Pricy
Another reason why you should only consider HGH injection as a serious option is because of the overwhelming price that comes with it.
According to WebMD, a typical price of HGH treatments range from $10 000 ~ $60 000 annually.
On average, it would cost about $52 000 per an inch (2.5 cm) of growth. There is also insurance to pay for, in which the price would vary for each patient.
So… Should I Go For HGH Injections?
As you probably realize by this point, HGH injection treatments are very powerful, but are also risky, and can cause serious complications if not done properly.
Having said that, don’t let any of these pitfalls sway you from making the right decision.
If you genuinely believe that you or your child may be suffering from severe HGH deficiency, you speak to your doctor to discuss this option thoroughly.
When Should I Avoid HGH Altogether?
Earlier, we discussed the common symptoms of HGH deficiency in adults and children.
However, it is just as crucial to also be aware of the symptoms that you get from having too much HGH in your body.
This condition is called Acromegaly.
So how is Acromegaly caused?
When there is a tumour in your Pituitary Gland, an excess amount of HGH is secreted into the blood, which causes many abnormalities in your body.
It can also be caused from injecting too much HGH into your blood.
Here are some of the most common symptoms of Acromegaly:
Symptoms of Excess HGH (A.K.A. Acromegaly)
-
- Enlarged bones in the face, hands, and feet
- Excessive hair growth in women
- Excessive growth spurts
- Weight gain
- Swollen and painful joints that limit movement
- A hoarse, deep voice
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Inability to sleep
- Muscle weakness
- Excessive sweating
- Thickened skin
(Source: Healthline.com)
It’s a given that you don’t attempt to increase your HGH levels if you’re suffering from this condition.
If you suspect that you are suffering from Acromegaly, make sure to get your growth hormone levels tested, and speak to your doctor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Does HGH decline as you age?
A: Yes. This is another reason why it is crucial to maintain HGH at sufficiently high levels as you age.
(Source: Dr. Jockers)
Q: Is there an age limit for growth hormone therapy?
A: There is no lower or upper age limit for HGH therapy.
However, in order to apply for HGH therapy, the height progression of the patient must be tracked for at least one year. Therefore, the patient must be at least 1 year old, unless they suffer from hypoglycaemia GH deficiency.
Bottom Line
Whether you’re an adult, teenager, or a child, maintaining sufficient levels of HGH is essential if you want to maximize your height.
But more importantly: HGH is a fundamental part of what keeps your body healthy and functioning properly.
Thus, If you’re truly serious about growing taller while staying healthy, make sure to implement the tips on this page that are the most relevant to you.
And if you want to learn about more tips on how to grow taller, make sure to check out other pages on my site.
Remember: Growing taller is not an overnight feat, but a gradual process.
Got Any Questions?
Got any questions about HGH?
Or maybe you have general questions about growing taller.
Either way, let me know by leaving a comment below right now.
Hello, very interesting article, I am an adult interested in growing taller… currently boosting my HGH levels with frequencies and subliminals… anyway I was wondering if you still got the article regarding adults… I tried to access the link but couldn’t find it.. “If you’re an adult who has passed puberty, click here” thanks in advance
Glad you found it helpful, Hannah. Sorry about the link not working, here is the link to the guide.