The Ultimate Guide on How to Grow Taller | How to Increase Your Height

Society tends to view taller people as more superior and attractive than it does short people. As a result, teenagers and other people that see a tall stature as an advantage would try everything thing to add to their height.

A few factors play a role in height growth and among them are genes. Yes, parents have everything to do with your current stature, and we can’t blame them, or can we? Science tells us that our bones fuse, and stop growing after the passing of puberty, and there’s nothing you can do after that to be taller.

But don’t be too quick to throw in the towel – there’s some ray of hope.

There are a couple of things you can do about that height, and be the kind of person you want – the adage, ‘we chart our own path’ may, after all, apply to your height.

Increasing Your Height Naturally

Eating Right

Eating an unhealthy diet, without the critical nutrients is among the surest ways of becoming shorter. See, when you consume all the junk food you can lay your hands on, your body becomes fat and heavy. The result is a compressed spine and a shorter stature.

There are many times that you may have come across some of your friends that have added weight and wondered why they appear shorter. Well, now you know.

The right diet for adding some inches to your height include foods with lean protein such as soy, beans, and nuts to strengthen your bones and add muscle mass. A proper and strong structure is necessary to keep you standing tall.

Avoid simple carbohydrates like soda, cakes, and French fries.

Eat plenty of calcium-rich foods such as kales, and other leafy green veggies, and of course, milk. Typically, our bones are partly calcium, and it is necessary to replenish it, time and time again for healthy bones and growth.

Some studies suggest a possible relationship between zinc deficiency and stunted growth among boys. Even though the studies are inconclusive, it is best always to include zinc in your diet – it’s wise not to confirm with your body, don’t you think so?

Zinc-rich foods include wheat germ, squash seeds, and peanut – talk of peanuts, don’t we all love peanut butter?

Vitamin D is critical in bone and muscle growth, especially in young children. It helps in calcium absorption and formation. As a result, it is always ideal to include the nutrient in your everyday diet to ensure nothing stands in the way of a taller you.

You will get Vitamin D from such foods as mushrooms, eggs, fish, tofu, and alfalfa. Alternatively, you can make it a habit of basking in warm morning sunlight for a decent dose of vitamin D.

There is a tendency for most teens to diet to look lean and attractive – it is the new trend. However, this habit is retrogressive and deprives your body of critical nutrients, necessary for growing bigger and taller.

No evidence exists suggesting a link between caffeine and stunted growth. However, caffeine can act as an appetite suppressant and can lead to a loss of sleep. Remember that sleep is critical to the release of growth hormone. For more information on foods that help you grow taller, we recommend you check out this article.

Exercise

Well, apart from sleeping like a baby, exercising is the next easiest way of promoting growth hormone within your body. Essentially, exercising stimulates nerve endings that link directly with the part of the brain associated with growth hormone secretion, which helps your bone tissues form. There are various ways that you can ensure you exercise frequently – it doesn’t have to be complicated.

Become a member of a sports team or gym to access activities and equipment to exercise and burn calories. Alternatively, you can incorporate walking into your lifestyle, and make the necessary savings, while keeping healthy by burning those extra body fats that add weight and lead to bone compression.

Exercising is necessary for your overall body health. It strengthens your muscles to support your body structure and weight, appearing taller in the process. However, it is not all the exercises that you can come up with that are right for growing tall. Some will achieve the opposite.

Some of the ideal grow tall exercises you can use to grow taller include hanging on a monkey bar, and playing basketball. Others like cycling and swimming help with muscle growth and stretch your bones to express your height better.

They help stretch, and decompress the spine, allowing space between your spinal bones for cartilage growth. Stretching and yoga decompress your spinal discs, thereby helping you appear taller.

Cobra pose: is another useful exercise that will decompress the spine and help you look taller than average. To strike the pose, you get down on the floor with your stomach to the floor. And with palms under your shoulder and on the floor, lift yourself up, arching the spine as much as possible. Repeat the exercise several times with each pose lasting a few seconds.

Stretching Exercises

There are numerous claims and counterclaims regarding the connection between stretching and growing taller that it’s almost impossible to sift through the spoils of the argument. However, there are a few things that may finally underscore some ray of hope for those looking to park up a few inches into their height.

Specifically, science tells us that chances of growing taller diminish as we reach puberty and your bones fuse. However, there’s one study that shows a possible height growth attained by a group of seniors following some spine decompression procedures.

In an attempt to determine the impact of non-intrusive spinal decompression on lower back pain relief, researchers found that the procedure not only relieved pain but also led to height increase.

The non-surgical spinal decompression is comparable to the stretching exercises in our case. You see, your spine is a series of bones interconnected by intervertebral disks, the same disk that researchers decompressed to reduce lower back pain.

Therefore, if the seniors that are way past the puberty stage can add some inches to their height, then there’s a possibility of growing taller through stretching and other ways. Trying can never hurt. However, you will need to be persistent to see the fruits of your labor.

The following are some of the stretches you can easily do at the comfort of your home. Try them out; you may love the results.

Rotating the Spine

Most of the time, the most effective exercise is the one that you find simple. Rotating the spine is simple and effective. You see, the majority of people are a few inches short as a result of years of bad posture. That is why it is possible to add something like three inches to your height.

For the exercise, you extend your arms as far as possible and then rotate as far as possible on every side. The rotation will enhance the spine’s flexibility, and decompression leads to a few inches of height gain.

The Cat Stretch

For the cat stretch, your knees and hands should be on the ground, and arms locked out. Stretch your spine down, inhale deeply, and bring your head up. Then as you exhale, arch the spine, and bring the head down.

Do the stretch a few more times, and you should feel some relaxation.

Leg Stretch

For the basic leg stretch, you sit down, and spread your legs far apart. Bend down and try to grab your toes with your hands. And while you are at it, don’t bend your knees, and keep your spine straight.

If you can hack it successfully, the stretch should work miracles on your spine and legs – a good thing. Repeat the exercise a few more times with each lasting around 15 seconds.

Sleeping

Life is becoming a lot busier, and it seems that the only way to get ahead is to put in more hours, and less sleep. However, sufficient sleep is an important pillar in growing stronger, healthier and taller.

In some cultures, parents tell their children to get enough sleep if they want to become taller, and healthier. The good news is that there is some truth in these claims.

Our body produces the Human Growth Hormone when we are asleep, and the longer, the better. You must enter into deep sleep mode to enhance the production of the growth hormone, and allow your spine to decompress, your muscles to relax and your whole body to recuperate.

See, the naturally synthesized hormone is at the center of anabolic activities within your body. In simpler terms, the human growth hormone is critical in the building and repair of various bodily tissues such as bone, tendon, and skin. The result is an improved muscle tone, and increased height, as well as, the healing of wounds.

The role of the growth hormone is to make your bones thicker, and stronger. It is also responsible for making them longer and thus making you taller.

Alternatively, you can look at it this way. For most of the day, your body is in a vertical position, and that places some pressure on the squishy intervertebral disks. As you go down the spine, the total weight the succeeding disks bear, increases.

Having a snooze allows these flexible parts of the spine to decompress, and slightly expand. The total effect is a feeling of tallness in the morning. Another good thing about the resulting intervertebral decompression is that it offers a slight chance of cartilage growth and thus bone growth.

But does it mean that lack of sleep leads to no growth? Well, it’s not exactly that. The thing is that the rate of growth is faster when asleep than when awake. As a teenager, slowing down the growth process is not a smart thing to do, with puberty and locking of the bones fast approaching.

But how much sleep is sufficient for growth?

Well, simply, all of it. The recommended length is around eight hours of uninterrupted sleep to give your bodily functions a much-needed rest, and time to recuperate. You have to admit that your body works so hard to keep up with your indulgences, but don’t overdo it.

As they say, ‘too much of anything is not good.’ You cannot over-rely on sleep to grow taller. In other words, don’t be the ‘lazy bones’ in an attempt to be taller. In any case, and if it were possible to add to it this way, your height is not everything.

Which is the right way to sleep to grow taller?

Yes, there is a right way and the wrong way to sleep. Choose the mattress depending on the sleeping style. For example, stomach sleepers need a firmer mattress than the back sleepers. You spend up to thirty percent of your life sleeping, and you should consider it a good investment.

The ideal sleeping position for your spine is back sleeping, as it exerts the least pressure on your back. If it is impossible to sleep on your back, try side sleeping. Stomach sleeping is for those that can’t find sleep in any other way.

Side sleepers should typically use two pillows: one for your head and the other between the legs to ensure the spine is in perfect alignment. Find the pillow that aligns the curve of your neck with the spine. All these factors will help achieve a better spine decompression, and if your bone plates are still open – it happens – then chances of height growth are high.

A Good Posture

Maintaining a good posture helps avoid spine decompressing habits that constrain your spinal bones leading to short stature. You see, your bones need space to grow and when not available, they stop to grow.

Among the easiest ways that you adopt a bad posture is by sitting. We easily slouch towards our work desk when concentrating on some project and that decompresses the spine. The ideal sitting posture is with your shoulders back, spine straight, and your buttocks at the end of the seat.

Constant slouching can render your muscles weak, and your spine can adopt an unnatural shape – not a good thing really. You become shorter, and feel shorter in the end – never worth it!

The good habits for long sitters include standing up, and walking around every thirty minutes or so to relax your back and decompress a bit. And while seated, ensure your feet are firmly on the ground, and your knees are at a right angle – 90 degrees. If necessary, you can utilize a stool or footrest to maintain this angle.

Strengthening the Core Muscles helps achieve the right posture for longer. But which are these core muscles, and how do they help maintain the right posture?

The core muscles include the abdominal muscles and lower back muscles. Essentially, the stronger your core muscles are, the better the posture, and the better the chances of feeling and appearing taller. The muscles must be strong to support your spine, and overall body.

The ideal exercises include those that work on your abdominal muscles and lower back. Good examples include planks and standing abdominal exercises.

However, if you experience any back pain, stop the exercise and consult a doctor.

Strengthened core muscles may not increase your height overnight but will enhance your posture, and in the end, appear taller.

Avoid Growth Stunting Habits

Genetics may have a hand in a short stature, but environmental influences can, as well be the main cause, or even make it worse. Ingesting alcohol, and drugs, as well as, malnutrition at a younger age stunts growth – that’s according to several studies. And even though the studies are inconclusive, research indicates a possible relationship between children smokers and stunted growth.

Anabolic steroids will hurt bone growth in teens and children. Other health risks of using steroids include hypertension and heart attack.

Using Supplements

The five essential amino acids, critical to the production of Human Growth Hormone include L-Ornithine, L-Glutamine, L-Lysine, L-Glycine, and L-Arginine. While it is possible to source these supplements from various particular foods, it is not an easy task to keep track.

The easy way that you can do it is by taking supplements. Typically, there are different forms of supplements you can purchase. Some of which you take several pills in a day, and others which you only take one pill. Well, the one pill per day supplements, like the Growth Factor Plus are effective and easier than others to keep track.

You only need to take one pill in a day to provide your body with the growth hormone enhancing proteins. However, you may not see any results for a couple of months. You will need to be persistent, and of course, patient. Rome was not built in a day.

However, no clinical trials supporting the effectiveness of such supplements as Growth Factor Plus, but that does not always mean that you are shooting in the dark.

Many users swear by their effectiveness – both those that are below puberty and those that are beyond.

Hormone Treatment

Some children and individuals may have stunted growth as a result of insufficient production of the growth hormone. They may be eating right; exercising right, and sleeping adequately but nothing seems to change. In such a case, hormone treatment may be necessary.

However, you will need a qualified medical professional to conduct some tests and determine whether all the hormones are working as they should, and are in the right amount. Don’t be too quick to self-diagnose.

It is always best not to mess with the endocrine system. A lot of things can go wrong, among them the inability of hormonal glands to function well thereafter.

Surgery

There’s also surgery for people that want to grow taller faster. However, the procedure is highly intrusive and risky.

Typically in this procedure, the surgeon breaks your tibia and fibula and inserts a device to keep them apart. Thereafter, you can place any weight on the bones, and you will need physical therapy every few hours to keep them from becoming stiff.

The whole treatment can take months for the new bone to form fully. You will then need an additional six months for the bones to strengthen on their own. In most cases, the bone lengthening procedure and healing can take as much as two years.

Unfortunately, surgery may be awash with a variety of complications.

For example, the bones may fail to form adequately, and chances of breaking are high. The bines may also not form in the right angle, thereby leading to unsightly formations.

The length growth may not be even subsequently. It can grow disproportionally and cause walking and gait problems. Furthermore, an infection can prove tragic, given the fact you are dealing with the bone.

There are also nerve damage risks that can cause you to lose your leg entirely.

The distraction osteogenesis surgery is a common procedure for people that have one leg taller than the other. In the majority of cases, the patient will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if their capability to handle the demanding healing process.

Looking Taller

But you don’t have to undergo an expensive, risky and intrusive procedure to look taller in the eyes of your peers. There are simple things you can do and achieve the look of being taller than usual, especially when meeting an acquaintance for the first time and who you want to impress.

Among the simple things, you can do to seem taller include having risers to make your shoes higher. And if you blend risers with high heels, then you will seem taller than usual.

Avoid baggy clothes and instead, go with fitting clothing. Skinny shirts and jeans will not only make you appear leaner, but also taller than your average. Science also shows that you will look taller by wearing clothing with horizontal stripes.