If you're curious about how to naturally increase human growth hormone (HGH) in your body, then you likely know that just as it’s important to maintain healthy levels of the hormones estrogen and testosterone, it’s equally as important to maintain your body’s level of HGH.

And it’s easy to see why. After all, HGH, a hormone produced by your body’s pituitary gland, is responsible for many of the body’s most vital processes, from cellular repair and growth to body composition and achieving a healthy metabolic rate. Exercise performance, weight loss and muscle gains are all promoted by healthy HGH. Fortunately, there are several ways to boost human growth hormone levels naturally, and this primer on achieving optimal HGH levels can help.

Shed Body Fat

Your body’s production of HGH is directly related to the amount of fat you carry on your belly. If you have more belly fat, then you have a greater impairment of HGH levels. This increases your risk of getting sick. Losing body fat can help you reverse the trend and improve your help.

Try Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting (IF) is becoming mainstream around the globe, and it’s a great way to increase your level of HGH naturally. In fact, after just three days of fasting, your body can experience up to a 300-percent gain in HGH. At one week, HGH levels are increased by up to 1,250 percent. The reason IF works for increasing HGH is because (1) it helps you shed your unnecessary belly fat and (2) it keeps your insulin levels stable, preventing the spikes that disrupt the production of HGH.

Cut the Sugar and Carbs

Both sugar and carbs spike insulin, which is synonymous with lowered HGH. Consuming excessive amounts of sugar is also linked to both obesity and weight gain, both of which are detriments to optimizing HGH levels.

Try High-Intensity Workouts

If your doctor says it’s okay, high-intensity exercise has been shown to help raise HGH levels significantly. If you’re not ready for high-intensity workouts just yet, any type of exercise can help, at least some.

Get Enough Sleep

Your body’s circadian rhythm (its internal clock) works in tandem with your pituitary gland to release HGH in tiny pulses while you’re asleep. Not getting enough sleep can reduce your body’s production of HGH, so work on sleep quality and quantity (a minimum of seven to 10 hours is the recommendation) to realize a natural uptick in HGH.

What Happens When HGH is Too Low?

When your body’s level of human growth hormone falls below acceptable levels, several things usually happen. First of all, your quality of life declines, and you become more susceptible to disease. You can also gain a significant amount of weight.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how to naturally increase human growth hormone in your body helps you achieve optimal HGH levels. Optimizing your HGH is crucial during athletic training, when recovering from an injury, or if you’re trying to shed a few pounds.