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How to Increase Your Height: Is There

Anything I Can Do?
Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D.O. — By Natalie Silver — Updated on
July 25, 2022

How to increase height Other factors Growth stunting factors

Takeaway

Genes largely determine your height. You may get taller

by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, staying
active, and having good posture, but there is no
guarantee.

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.
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How to Increase Height: Is It Possible? Factors Involved https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-increase-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)  of calcium per day.

Vitamin D also promotes bone health. Common sources of vitamin D

include  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
A D Vneeds.
ERTISEMENT


Learn more: Balanced diet

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How to Increase Height: Is It Possible? Factors Involved https://www.healthline.com/health/how-to-increase-height

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 releases  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 recommended  for various age groups:

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Newborns up to 3 months old: 14-17 hours

Infants 4-12 months old: 12-16 hours

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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 hour  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 reduce  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.
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Being mindful of how you stand, sit, and sleep is key. Talk with a doctor

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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 700  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.
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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 include  :

Inadequate nutrition: A poor diet and deficiency in certain nutrients,

such as protein, can lead  to decreased growth over time.

Stress: Chronic stress can alter  the functional activity of human

growth hormone, which could negatively impact growth.

Poor bone health: Osteoporosis can cause  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 suggests  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.

The bottom line

In most cases, you reach your peak height by the time you’re done with
puberty. Although there are things you can do to maintain this height
during adulthood, your growing days are long behind you.

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Last medically reviewed on July 25, 2022

How we reviewed this article:

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