Lack of quality sleep and Growth Hormone

[Geno]

I've noticed that many guys on this site have sleep issues, as do I. I have at least a 10 year history of "Insomnia" and "Unrefreshing sleep" as Dr. Mariano described it in one of his posts/threads. Maybe he can shed some light on this issue. I am wondering that since I have a long history of Insomnia/Unrefreshing sleep, which before I was diagnosed with Major Depression and Rx'd SSRI etc... I slept way too much, and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed and sleep all day, everyday. I am 44 years old, Diagnosed with Hyogonadism due to a Testiculalr Injury in High School Football and have been on TRT for 4 years, 100mg TCypionate IM injections 1 x per week. It is hard for me to shut off my mind and fall asleep, and once I do fall asleep, I usually wake up at 3 a.m. and cannot go back to sleep until 5 or 6 a.m. where I will sleep until approximately 11:00 a.m. Ambien CR only helps a little bit and Melatonin 5mg helps me become sleepy, but it is only effective for about one hour of sleep, then I usually wake up, feeling "Wide Awake" I do not drink alcohol nor use Illegal drugs, I do not smoke. I excercise, lift weights, eat healthy and I am 6'2" 230lbs. My thyroid tests always come back "Within the Normal Range" and I have been trying to convince my Endocrinologist to test my Adrenal Gland function, but as many of you guys know, it is a long waiting process with "Traditional Doctor's" and I am sure we have all experienced "The Drive Through" Medical treatment dilemma, and the "Hurry up and Wait" game that many Doctor's Offices practice. Anyway, my concern and question to anyone who would have knowledge of sleep issues and the "Release Bursts" of Growth Hormone, during a certain stage of our sleep etc... Wouldn't it be reasonable to think that if a person such as myself, who does not, and has not slept very well, averaging 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night, and for at least 10 years, who is Hypogonadal, has Major Depression, Chronic Fatigue, and who in General has a low "Quality of Life" may very well be suffering from AGHD Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency ?? I am open to serious replies on this post, and hopefully without insults. Thank you Geno

 

[cumkwakka]

I've noticed that many guys on this site have sleep issues, as do I. I have at least a 10 year history of "Insomnia" and "Unrefreshing sleep" as Dr. Mariano described it in one of his posts/threads. Maybe he can shed some light on this issue. I am wondering that since I have a long history of Insomnia/Unrefreshing sleep, which before I was diagnosed with Major Depression and Rx'd SSRI etc... I slept way too much, and all I wanted to do was to stay in bed and sleep all day, everyday. I am 44 years old, Diagnosed with Hyogonadism due to a Testiculalr Injury in High School Football and have been on TRT for 4 years, 100mg TCypionate IM injections 1 x per week. It is hard for me to shut off my mind and fall asleep, and once I do fall asleep, I usually wake up at 3 a.m. and cannot go back to sleep until 5 or 6 a.m. where I will sleep until approximately 11:00 a.m. Ambien CR only helps a little bit and Melatonin 5mg helps me become sleepy, but it is only effective for about one hour of sleep, then I usually wake up, feeling "Wide Awake" I do not drink alcohol nor use Illegal drugs, I do not smoke. I excercise, lift weights, eat healthy and I am 6'2" 230lbs. My thyroid tests always come back "Within the Normal Range" and I have been trying to convince my Endocrinologist to test my Adrenal Gland function, but as many of you guys know, it is a long waiting process with "Traditional Doctor's" and I am sure we have all experienced "The Drive Through" Medical treatment dilemma, and the "Hurry up and Wait" game that many Doctor's Offices practice. Anyway, my concern and question to anyone who would have knowledge of sleep issues and the "Release Bursts" of Growth Hormone, during a certain stage of our sleep etc... Wouldn't it be reasonable to think that if a person such as myself, who does not, and has not slept very well, averaging 4 or 5 hours of sleep per night, and for at least 10 years, who is Hypogonadal, has Major Depression, Chronic Fatigue, and who in General has a low "Quality of Life" may very well be suffering from AGHD Adult Growth Hormone Deficiency ?? I am open to serious replies on this post, and hopefully without insults. Thank you Geno

try some 200 mg 5-htp before bed and 1 gram of mucuna pruriens (velvet bean) powder

just don't dose the mucuna too high (say 2+ grams) i woke up just this morning after a horrible nightmare.. this happens time and time again when dosing mucuna too high

i do feel better rested though!

 

[Geno]

cool thanks, never heard of this but educating one's self on these type of issues is important for guys like us. Who else is going to help us? Thanks again.

 

[Suns_PSD]

Have you ever considered that you just don't need that much sleep any more?

I'd quit taking the ambien, and get up and go do something as soon as I woke up. And if I needed a nap later I'd take that too if you can fit it into your schedule but not longer than 1 hour.

Not everyone fits into the "needs 7-9 hours of nocturnal sleep every night". I know that my body doesn't like that too much.

 

[s0b]

Geno you are very right, and your thinking is quite correct about quality sleep and GH. It is important to sleep between 11 pm and 7-8 am for GH to be potentiated. I would say check your adrenals, its strange you are in Monterey, go visit dr M

 

[JimRat]

Have you ever had a sleep study done? I've been scheduled for one to rule out a sleep disorder as my IGF-1 has been low lately. I'm skeptical about the sleep issue but I've been dealing with chronic infection so I try to keep an open-mind about these things... The MD wants to make sure that I'm entering deep sleep....

 

[jimbo69]

melatonin works wonders

 

[pmgamer18]

I think your adrenals are bad over worked this will do in your sleep if you can't get your Dr. to test your Cortisol then do it your self.
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1) LAB WORK packages designed specifically for readers of Stop the Thyroid Madness with good pricesSTTM Thyroid and Adrenal Lab Packages You can choose just saliva for cortisol (which is six times in a 24 hour period), or use LabCorp facilities around the US for blood draws.

2) LAB WORK from ZRT LABORATORIES Saliva and a blood prick testor one or the other. Adrenal Function Test for cortisol. The blood spot test kit uses a finger prick and several tests can be done from a single sample. They state its on par with serum needle blood draw tests, though you can do this right in your own home. THIS IS ALSO A PLUS SINCE SALIVA CAN FAIL TO DETECT THYROID ANTIBODIES. One downfall: its at least $100 more expensive than saliva. ZRT Laboratory

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Doing a 4x's in a day saliva test is the best way tell if your cortisol levels are to low. Here is a good link about Thyroid and Adrenals in this the Dr. talks about how your sleep is affected.

Adrenals - and the thyroid connection
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~ Adrenal insufficiency is linked to insomnia in two ways.
1) If your cortisol drops too low during the night your blood sugar drops too. Your body compensate by releasing adrenaline as an emergency measure to mobilize more sugar. This has the effect of waking you in an instant. This can be reduced by eating high protein snack before retiring e.g. sardines, nuts of high quality protein shake.
2) In early stages of adrenal fatigue cortisol levels tend to rise and if they are high at midnight they can energise you and keep you awake. Phosphorylated serine can be used to lower cortisol at these times due to its ACTH dampening effect.

 

[Geno]

Thanks for the feedback. I downloaded the article you recommended pmgamer18.