GROWTH HORMONE is primarily released in pulses that take place during the beginning phases of sleep, with the highest release at the latest deepest stages of sleep, which is why it is important to get a minimum of eight hours of restful sleep for maximum natural production of HGH. People who do not get proper sleep have shorter life spans and sometime suffer from un-natural GROWTH HORMONE deficiencies. During the 24-hour cycle of the day, GROWTH HORMONE is released in smaller pulses, about 30 in total, but this number depends on the individual.