Height plays a crucial role in boosting a person’s persona. Although it is acceptable to be at any height—short, medium, or tall—and there is no right or wrong height, many of us are unhappy with our looks, weight, or even height! And the truth is that there are solutions everywhere, though some may be more practical than others.
It is common knowledge that a person’s height is determined by genetics, but the truth is that physical factors like healthy eating and regular exercise also have an impact on height! A sound exercise programme can assist in toning and developing the muscles that give you more height.
Growth plates in the long bones typically fuse after puberty begins. However, for some people, growth continues until the age of 22 to 25.
Genes largely determine your height. You can help to maintain your height by a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, staying active, and having good posture. But there aren’t any proven strategies for making yourself taller.
Several factors contribute to your overall height. It’s thought that genetic factors account for about 80% of your final height. Certain environmental factors, such as nutrition and exercise, typically account for the remaining percentage.
After age 2, most children grow at a steady rate of around 2.5 inches every year. Once puberty hits, you may grow even faster. However, everyone grows at a different pace.
For girls, this growth spurt typically begins by the beginning of the teenage years. Boys may not experience this sudden increase in height until a couple years into their teens.
You generally stop growing taller after you go through puberty. This means that as an adult, you are unlikely to increase your height.
However, there are certain things that you can do throughout adolescence to ensure that you’re maximizing your potential for growth. You should continue these as an adult to promote overall well- being and retain your height.
How to increase height naturally
Though height is mostly determined by your genetics, there are several steps you can take to appear taller and optimize your growth potential.
1. Eat a balanced diet
During your growing years, it’s crucial that you get all of the nutrients your body needs.
Your diet should include:
• fresh fruits
• fresh vegetables
• whole grains
• proteins
• dairy You should limit or avoid foods containing high amounts of:
• sugar
• trans fats
• saturated fats
If an underlying medical condition, or older age, is causing your height to decrease by affecting your bone density, consider increasing your calcium intake. It’s often recommended that women over age 50 and men over age 70 should consume 1,200 milligrams (mg)Trusted Source of calcium per day.
Vitamin D also promotes bone health. Common sources of vitamin D includeTrusted Source tuna, salmon, fortified milk, and egg yolks. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin D in your diet, talk to a doctor about taking a supplement to meet your daily needs.
Learn more: Balanced diet
2. Use supplements with caution
There are only a few cases where supplements may be appropriate to increase height in children and combat shrinking in older adults.
For example, if you have a condition that affects your human growth hormone (HGH) production, a doctor may recommend a supplement containing synthetic HGH.
Additionally, older adults may be advised to take vitamin D or calcium supplements to reduce their risk of osteoporosis.
In all other cases, you should avoid supplements with promises about height. Once your growth plates become fused together, there’s no chance that you can increase your height, regardless of what the supplement label advertises.
3. Get the right amount of sleep
Occasionally skimping on sleep won’t affect your height in the long term. But if during adolescence you regularly clock less than the recommended amount, it may lead to complications.
This is because your body releasesTrusted Source HGH while you sleep. Production of this hormone and others may go down if you aren’t getting enough shut-eye.
Here is how much sleep is recommendedTrusted Source for various age groups:
• Newborns up to 3 months old: 14-17 hours
• Infants 4-12 months old: 12-16 hours
• Toddlers ages 1-2 years: 11-14 hours
• Young children ages 3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
• Children ages 6-13: 9-12 hours
• Teenagers ages 14-17: 8-10 hours
• Adults ages 18-64: 7-9 hours
• Older adults over age 65: 7-8 hours
Getting extra sleep may even increase HGH production, so go ahead and take that power nap.
4. Stay active
Regular exercise has many benefits. It strengthens your muscles and bones, helps you maintain a moderate weight, and promotes HGH production.
Children in school should get at least 1 hourTrusted Source of exercise a day. During this time, they should focus on:
• strength-building exercises, such as pushups or situps
• flexibility exercises, such as yoga
• aerobic activities, such as playing tag, jumping rope, or biking
Exercising as an adult has its benefits, too. In addition to helping you maintain your overall health, it can also help reduceTrusted Source your risk of osteoporosis. This condition occurs when your bones become weak or brittle, resulting in bone density loss. This can cause you to “shrink.”
To reduce your risk, try walking, playing tennis, or practicing yoga several times a week.
5. Practice good posture
Poor posture may make you look shorter than you actually are. And over time, slumping or slouching can also affect your actual height.
Your back should curve naturally in three places. If you regularly slump or slouch, these curves may shift to accommodate your new posture. This can cause pain in your neck and back.
Being mindful of how you stand, sit, and sleep is key. Talk with a doctor about how you can incorporate ergonomics into your daily routine. Depending on your needs, a standing desk or memory foam pillow may be all that’s needed to correct your posture.
You can also practice exercises designed to improve your posture over time. If you’re unsure of where to begin, talk to a doctor. They can help develop an exercise routine that’s right for you.
6. Use yoga to maximize your height
If targeted posture exercises aren’t your thing, give yoga a try. This whole-body practice can strengthen your muscles, align your body, and help with your posture. This will help you stand taller.
You can practice yoga in the comfort of your own home or in a group setting at your local gym or studio. If you aren’t sure where to start, search for a yoga routine on YouTube or try some poses for beginners.
Some popular poses to improve posture include:
• Mountain Pose
• Cobra Pose
• Child’s Pose
• Warrior II Pose
What other factors affect height?
Your DNA accounts for around 80% of your height. In fact, scientists have identified over 700Trusted Source unique genetic variants that are involved in determining height.
Several hormones also influence growth and affect your height, including thyroid hormones, growth hormones, and sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen.
Furthermore, some genetic conditions can cause delayed or stunted growth, including Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, and achondroplasia.
Following a balanced diet, staying active, and getting plenty of sleep are all factors that can support growth, along with overall health.
What are growth stunting factors?
Several factors can negatively affect growth, leading to stunting, impaired development, or a short stature.
Some possible factors that can slow growth includeTrusted Source:
• Inadequate nutrition: A poor diet and deficiency in certain nutrients, such as protein, can leadTrusted Source to decreased growth over time.
• Stress: Chronic stress can alterTrusted Source the functional activity of human growth hormone, which could negatively impact growth.
• Poor bone health: Osteoporosis can causeTrusted Source loss of height, along with back pain and changes in posture. Though this condition can affect people at any age, it is most common in older adults.
• Environmental factors: Some research suggestsTrusted Source that exposure to pollutants
like lead, cadmium, or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) could be linked to decreased height.
• Health conditions: Growth hormone deficiency and chronic conditions like anemia, cystic fibrosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease may affect overall growth.
15 effective exercises to increase height
Jogging
Jogging is a useful activity for slimming your legs. Your bones become stronger as a result. When puberty first begins, practice is extremely beneficial. Jogging entails moderate running for an extended length of time at a constant speed.
Forward Spine Stretch
Let’s perform a seated workout that will make you taller. Just sit straight and spread your legs out in front of you to perform a forward spine stretch. Keep them together and extend them as far as you can. You can also maintain a shoulder-width gap. Inhale, extend your arms and try to reach your fingers all the way to your toes.
Perform 3–4 sets with a 10-15 second hold to improve height at home. This height-enhancing workout extends your spine, which contributes to its height-enhancing effects. Jump squats
This pose is one of the finest for growing taller since it strengthens the body’s joints and muscles. This aids in raising the body’s height. To practice this pose, start by standing normally with your body looking in front.
Squat down, bringing your knees to your chest while lowering your hips and back. As you stand up from a squat and begin to jump, drive with your legs.
Bar Hanging
Bar hanging is regarded as one of the super effective height-increasing exercises because it stretches the lower torso and lessens the pull on the vertebrates, even though the results are not immediately apparent. Just a sturdy bar set seven feet above the ground will do.
Three to four times a day, stand up straight with your hands straight up, lift your body, use all your upper body muscles to communicate effectively and hold this position for 20 seconds. Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals, you may add variation by wrapping your legs over the bar while turning your torso upside down.
Cobra Stretch
This technique, known as Bhujangasana, a common yoga asana, is good for the growth of the cartilage between your vertebrae. Lay down on the ground flat with your legs extended. The next step is to inhale deeply, lift your chest and abdomen, and support your entire weight on your palms.
After 30 seconds, maintain this posture while releasing your breath gradually. Four to five times a day, repeat this. Other advantages of the cobra stretch include greater food to grow taller and improved blood and oxygen circulation. If a person has a fist injury of any kind, they should avoid this stretch or only perform it for five seconds if the pain is severe.
Wall Stretch
It’s harder than it seems to stretch. Start by putting your hands flat against a wall. Your right leg should be forward flatly on the ground and them slightly bend your knees. Next, extend your left leg as far back as you can and rest.
Because the calf muscles are engaged when you are on your tiptoes during this stretch, you will experience better results.
Dry Land Swimming
Dry ground swimming is a good replacement for swimming. This practice is sometimes known as an alternate kick. Try to alternate the movement of the long-hand pair like the freestyle stroke. Each repetition should last roughly 20 seconds. This stretch targets the lower back and thigh muscles at the same time, stimulating the growth of cells.
Pelvic Lift
This is the activity to do if you want to get taller. When you shift your pelvis, your body resembles the bridge stance. Knees must be bent while lying straight on the ground.
At least shoulder width should separate your feet. Now press down on the foot while raising your hips. Your back ought to be straight and bridge-like. Bring your hips back to the base by taking a slow, deep breath. Repeat. This is a fantastic alternative if you want to work out to become taller. After spending all day sitting, the pelvic shift also aids in stretching the back.
Alternate leg kick
An alternate leg kick is a defensive manoeuvre where you bring one leg to your chest while standing straight and then straighten it. It is a variation of the Korean martial art “Tae Kwon Do”.
It is similar to a motion in cycling, and there isn’t a place to put your feet down in between. To put it simply, it is a demanding activity to gain height. This exercise maintains equivalence in body-mass gain while concentrating on your thighs.
Pilates Roll Over
Pilates is an excellent method to stretch out your spine in general. This stretch will lengthen your upper body, and your neck’s vertebrae will be stretched. First, position your arms by your sides with the palms facing downward.
Then extend your legs up and behind until they are parallel to the ground. Although it could feel like your bones are cracking throughout this challenging exercise, keep in mind that there is no gain without suffering. If you don’t have resistance bands, you can still do it with professional supervision, even without them.
Low Lunge Arch
It takes effort to tone the upper body, but arching it is a great exercise to do so! Put your right foot forward while kneeling and bending it. Knee touching the ground, extend your left leg backwards. Raise your hand and unite your palms in the Namaskar position.
Keep going as long as you can, then repeat the motion with your left knee pointing forward. In addition to toning your back and leg muscles, this stretch makes your arms appear thinner. Add this exercise to your fitness routine right away to stretch your shoulders and leg bones as well!
Side Stretch
Side stretch will elongate the muscles, increasing the height by strengthening the intercostal muscles. Stand straight with your feet together. Clasp your hands on both sides of your love handles, then slowly bend your upper body to the right, and then to the left.
Hold each stretch for atleast 10 seconds and get back to the beginning position. Repeat the stretch for atleast two times and do it in sets of 10. While doing a side stretch, make sure that you feel the muscles pull all along your side from your lower back and up to your shoulder to enhance height growth.
Mermaid stretch
Your intercostal muscles will be enhanced by the mermaid stance. It aids in improving bad posture, like hunched shoulders. Posture adjustment makes you appear taller. To practice this pose, sit down and kneel to the left. Your left hand should be holding onto your ankles. Raise the right arm, extend your arm and try to reach over the head. Hold the position for 20 to 30 seconds.
Puppy pose The puppy’s position can help flee the spine, lengthen bones, and strengthen the legs. To practice this pose, place your hands and legs on a mat while you are standing on all fours. Place your hands and knees in a line on your shoulders.
Now twist your toes and advance your hands with your hands a few inches. Extend your hips so that they are roughly halfway to your feet. Your lower body will feel stretched. For around 60 seconds, maintain this posture.
Downward facing
This position is similar to a downward V. Your back muscles will elongate and become stronger as a result. To practice this pose, bend your body so that you are on all fours while keeping your feet hip- width apart and hands at shoulder width. Stretch your tailbone upward while pushing the floor away. Your arms, shoulders, and spine will all experience a light stretch.
Summary
Genetics play a significant role in height. However, there are a few things you can attempt to increase by a few inches. Some significant aspects that influence health are nutrition, sufficient sleep, and physical conditions.
Usually, the height increase ends a few years after reaching adolescence. Therefore, the long bones join together. After this, there is practically no possibility of getting taller.
