The influence of sleep on growth hormone (GH)

Author: Bulanov Yu. B. (book "Growth Hormone 2").
2011-23-01

Sleep is an important factor in the proper secretion of growth hormone (GH). Throughout evolution, a very clear mechanism for energy conservation and supply during sleep has been developed. As soon as a person falls asleep, the level of GH in the blood immediately rises, especially during the first two hours of sleep. One of the main functions of GH is fat mobilization. During sleep, a person does not consume food, and the body activates a backup energy source—fat. While the body is nourished with carbohydrates and amino acids during wakefulness, during sleep it primarily relies on fatty acids. The breakdown of subcutaneous adipose tissue and the release of free fatty acids and triglycerides into the blood are facilitated by somatotropin. Naturally, this process slows down catabolic activity while enhancing anabolic processes in the body. Catabolic processes during sleep increase only concerning adipose tissue.

Even the slightest deficiency in sleep instantly deteriorates somatotropin secretion. Conversely, improving sleep restores it. The recommendation to sleep at least twice a day has a serious physiological basis. "Segmented" sleep leads to a noticeable increase in GH secretion. If a person sleeps at night and takes at least 1-2 hours of daytime sleep, the overall duration of daily sleep remains unchanged. However, GH secretion significantly improves. An even better effect is observed if a person sleeps three times a day. The primary sleep occurs at night, with two daytime naps lasting one hour each. Again, the total daily sleep duration remains unchanged. With two daytime naps, the length of nighttime sleep is significantly reduced.

The ideal scenario combines three short workouts with three daytime sleep periods. Young children sleep 3-5 times a day (sometimes more). Much of this is why their levels of somatotropin are very high, and anabolic processes significantly outweigh catabolic ones. Daytime sleep allows for an increase in GH release. Additionally, the release of sex hormones with anabolic effects into the blood increases while the release of glucocorticoids, which have catabolic effects, decreases. Overall, this creates a more favorable environment for the anabolic effects of somatotropin. With age, sleep duration significantly shortens and its depth decreases. Alongside this, somatotropin secretion also diminishes. It goes without saying how negatively this impacts the joints and ligaments, as well as overall health.

In sports practice, a procedure known as "electrosleep" is widely used. "Electrosleep" involves a device that delivers pulsed rectangular currents of constant voltage. One electrode is placed on the back of the head, and the other—on the closed eyes. When the device is turned on and the characteristics are correctly adjusted, the patient falls asleep and continues to sleep until the device is turned off. During this procedure, the current travels through the optic nerves directly to the hypothalamus, the sleep center, prompting the individual to fall asleep. Electrosleep is typically used to treat fatigue but can also serve as a good alternative to daytime sleep when falling asleep during the day is difficult for any reason.

Athletes, actively balancing work with training, often do not have the opportunity to sleep during the day, or even to sit and rest. In this case, there is only one solution: to modify nighttime sleep to enhance its restorative, anabolic, and anti-catabolic effects. There is a method referred to as "extended physiological sleep." This method is based on taking a sedative a few hours before bedtime. This extends nighttime sleep by 2-3 hours. Many sedatives, particularly those derived from barbiturates, have the ability to increase nighttime GH secretion. The most commonly used barbiturate is Phenobarbital, which was previously well-known under the name "Luminal." Other derivatives of barbituric acid, such as Cyclobarbitone, are also used. They have characteristics that distinguish them from sedatives of other groups. Barbiturates, in particular, slightly inhibit adrenal cortex activity and the release of catabolic hormones—glucocorticoids. In this regard, they can be viewed as anti-catabolic agents, although this is their primary function in this case.

Adrenal cortex hormones are antagonistic to sex hormones—androgens. The use of barbiturates leads to an increased synthesis of androgens by the sex glands. Sometimes the effect reaches such a degree that individuals who have been using barbiturates for a chronic condition (such as epilepsy) develop body hair similar to that of monkeys. However, the primary point remains that by reducing the synthesis and release of glucocorticoids into the blood, barbiturates "unblock" GH secretion from the pituitary gland and eliminate the blockade of GH effects on peripheral tissues (in this case, the liver, where somatomedin is produced).

If we use barbiturates to prolong nighttime sleep, it is essential to exercise maximum caution. Barbiturates have the ability to accumulate in the body. Therefore, they should be used for no more than 10 consecutive days and at minimal doses. Benzodiazepine derivatives are less toxic, or rather, completely non-toxic. Although they are classified as tranquilizers, their tranquilizing effect can sometimes be so strong (depending on the dose) that it induces sleep. They are quite suitable for use as sleeping pills. Sodium oxybutyrate and phenibut are preferred as they possess restorative and mild anabolic effects. Phenibut significantly enhances the synthesis of dopamine in the CNS, and as we know, dopamine is a good stimulator of GH secretion.

To this day, in some clinics in our country, a 5-day sleep regimen is used to treat nervous system exhaustion. It is noteworthy that prolonged sleep demonstrates maximum effectiveness in cases of gastric and duodenal ulcers, and the most effective remedy for ulcers is somatotropin. In practical sports medicine, it is often impossible to apply prolonged sleep; however, I have frequently utilized a two-day sleep regimen to treat overtraining and to overcome stagnation in athletic performance. This regimen is conducted on weekends. In the evening, the athlete goes to sleep as usual. In the morning, upon waking, they take a sedative, eat breakfast, and then fall asleep again until evening. In the evening, they wake up, take a sedative, have dinner, and again go to sleep until morning. If a person falls asleep on Friday evening, sleeps all through Saturday and Sunday (with breaks for meals and new doses of the sedative), and wakes up only on Monday morning, the total duration of that sleep amounts to approximately 2.5 days.

Any of the medications mentioned above are suitable for such sleep, and it is even better to alternate them to avoid accumulation and habituation. However, benzodiazepine derivatives or their combinations with sodium oxybutyrate are most preferred. In the case of such combinations, both benzodiazepines and oxybutyrate are taken in moderate amounts.

The food consumed during this 2.5-day sleep should ideally consist solely of amino acids, proteins, and pure proteins. This will maximize the release of somatotropin, and the increase in muscle mass will be accompanied by a reduction in subcutaneous fat.

Under no circumstances should neuroleptic drugs, such as aminazine and others, be used for calming or sleeping purposes. Many years ago, neuroleptics were created for treating agitated mental patients. They possess such a strong calming effect that an average person taking a neuroleptic falls into a deep sleep. This sleep can last several days, as some neuroleptics can induce sleep even deeper than those from powerful sleeping pills. However, neuroleptics have a multitude of undesirable side effects. The "worst" trait of neuroleptics is their reduction of L-DOPA, dopamine, norepinephrine synthesis in nerve cells and even the destruction of nerve cells that produce these neurotransmitters. Sleep induced by neuroleptics not only enhances the secretion of somatotropin but, on the contrary, blocks the release of both somatotropin and sex hormones. Anabolic processes in muscle tissue are significantly slowed down, while the mass of adipose tissue continually increases. Many uninformed doctors prescribe such medications to their patients to promote sleep, which literally destroy the CNS. Therefore, it would be an unforgivable mistake not to emphasize this issue. Not all sleeping medications are the same, and this should always be borne in mind.

Sleep management can be achieved without any medications by acquiring at least basic relaxation skills. There are many methods and techniques for relaxation. Let’s focus on the most common one, known as classical autogenic training by Schultz. By mastering the skills of this training, a person can effectively enter a state of deep relaxation or sleep. Even if a person does not manage to fall asleep and remains in a state of deep relaxation, this noticeably impacts the biological activity of the brain and enhances the secretion of somatotropin.

For complete relaxation, you should lie on your back and apply a standard set of techniques: 1. Close your eyes tightly (preferably in a completely darkened room); 2. Visualize a feeling of heaviness: 1) in the wrists; 2) in the elbows and forearms; 3) in the arms from the fingertips to the shoulders; 4) in the legs, starting from the toes and ending at the hip joints; 5) heaviness in the gluteal muscles; 6) heaviness in the back muscles; 7) heaviness in the abdominal and lateral muscles; 8) heaviness in the chest muscles; 9) heaviness in the shoulder muscles; 10) heaviness in the neck muscles; 11) heaviness in all the muscles of the head.

The last task is the most important, as relaxing the facial, masticatory, and speech muscles greatly contributes to overall relaxation and a feeling of peace. The sensation of heaviness is sequentially induced in: a) the masticatory muscles; b) the speech muscles (muscles of the tongue and larynx); c) the facial muscles (muscles of the lips, eyes, eyebrows, and forehead). After successfully imagining heaviness in all the muscles, a feeling of overall calmness and slight drowsiness sets in.

The third standard technique involves inducing sensations of warmth in all the muscles. The sensation of warmth is visualized in the same order as the sensation of heaviness.

If the usual imagery of warmth and heaviness does not work, it is necessary to use self-suggestion formulas like: "My hands are becoming heavy and warm," etc. These formulas should be spoken aloud. If verbalizing the formulas does not work, you can seek help from a qualified psychotherapist, ensuring they have a diploma. The psychotherapist takes on the part of the effort needed for concentration and relaxation. Therefore, working under the guidance of a specialist is much easier and simpler than doing it alone.

As relaxation skills are developed with a specialist, you can transition to independent practice. Some athletes have mastered relaxation skills to such an extent that they can enter a deep sleep in just a few seconds. Moreover, the awakening time is predetermined, and the person wakes up as if by an alarm clock.

Sometimes, to accelerate the acquisition of self-suggestion and relaxation skills, self-suggestion formulas are recorded on a special audio cassette with music and special sound effects—such as the sound of rain, flowing streams, birds chirping, etc.

Another combined method of psychotherapy is electro-psychotherapy, where self-suggestion techniques are employed against the background of the "Electrosleep" device. The most complex method is electro-narcotic-psychotherapy. In this case, suggestion or self-suggestion is performed alongside the administration of drugs using the Electrosleep device or through transorbital electrophoresis. Sodium oxybutyrate and phenibut are particularly suitable for electro-narcotherapy. They are effective not only because of their calming and muscle-relaxing actions and their ability to increase the release of somatotropin into the bloodstream during the procedure, but they also promote greater synthesis of somatotropin in eosinophilic cells of the pituitary and dopamine in the brain stem structures, which control the release of somatotropin into the blood during and after physical exertion.