cause apparently it releases the most from around 10pm to 1 or something like that right but what about like different time zones and stuff or does it just follow your body’s internal clock and then cant that time be forced to change by messing up your sleep schedule or what
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stupid 4am question from a 165cm 16 y.o male
In: 4
Questions in the search for knowledge are never stupid.
Disclaimer I studied biology in university but never went on to do anything with it, so my answer will be very rough indeed – but basically, yeah hormones operate on a negative feedback loop – i.e. if the body detects insufficient levels of a hormone, it’ll signal to endocrine glands to produce more. It’s a very complex system that relies on a whole system of hormones regulating each other, and neural signals/proteins have a role in control as well. The body’s natural circadian rhythm will have a profound effect on the release of certain hormones, including growth hormone, melatonin, cortisol, leptin, and so on.
So in answer to your question, it’s not so much ‘clock time’ it’s your internal sleep-wake cycle that plays a role. It just so happens that most people are sleep between 10 and 1, which is where the correlation comes from, but it’s not strictly speaking, based on our time system. Anything that impacts your sleep cycle, be it jet lag from changing time zones, shift work, stress, drugs, alcohol, illness, pregnancy, menopause, whatever, will affect your hormones and the way they function.
Hehe this question made me giggle at the thought of elite athletes travelling on Jets chasing midnight time zones to increase their HGH.
But honestly no stupid questions – you don’t ask you don’t learn.
1st commenter answered it pretty well!
It follows your sleep cycle, but lack of sleep doesn’t actually reduce the amount of growth hormone produced. If you don’t sleep enough, your body will just compensate by releasing some while you are awake.
if you have a normal sleep pattern (sleeping at night) Growth hormone is mostly released while you sleep.
But scientists have studied people who work night shifts, and they produce the same amount of growth hormone as anyone else, but the timing is different. They release less while they sleep, but they also produce surges of growth hormone while they are awake, so the total amount produced each day is the same.
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