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Has anyone heard of this before? Anyone done any bloodwork? Any gut reactions?
Synchro :: Can Sitting In A Sauna Raise Human Growth Hormone (hGH) Levels?
Synchro :: Can Sitting In A Sauna Raise Human Growth Hormone (hGH) Levels?
A Finnish team published a paper in 1976 that looked at hGH levels in 55 healthy individuals before and after a sauna session. It found that hGH levels were on average 140% higher immediately following a sauna session than they were before the session. hGH levels returned to normal levels after an hour for most participants, but the temporary spike was large enough to make the findings significant.
Several studies have shown that the body will adapt to the stress of the sauna when it's used every day. For this reason, the effect on hGH levels diminishes significantly after three consecutive days of sauna treatment. [4] The studies that showed the greatest continued hGH response followed a format of sauna treatments every second day.
A 2007 study used both 30 minute continuous sessions and 45 minute sessions 5-minute break at the midpoint. The participants in the first group (30 continuous minutes) showed much greater elevations in hGH levels. [5] Temperatures used in most studies were around 80 degrees Celsius (176F) with humidity generally around 5-20%.