How to Increase Your Height: Is There Anything I Can Do?

Eat a balanced diet

During your growing years, it’s essential that you get all of the nutrients your body needs.

Some research suggests that not eating a balanced diet and having nutrient deficiencies, such as a protein deficiency, can lead to decreased growth over time.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, this should include eating:

• fruits
• vegetables
• whole grains
• lean proteins
• healthy fats
• dairy products

It is best to limit the intake of:

• added sugars
• trans fats
• saturated fats

Consider speaking with a doctor if you have an underlying medical condition that affects your bone density and may be causing your height to decrease. They may recommend calcium supplementation if you’re not getting enough in your diet, as calcium may play a role in maintaining bone density.

The recommended daily calcium intake for adults is 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams (mg).

Vitamin D also promotes bone health, which may contribute to overall height. Common sources of vitamin D include tuna, salmon, fortified milk, and egg yolks. Talk with a doctor about supplementation if you aren’t getting enough vitamin D in your diet.

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 medication that contains synthetic HGH.

Older adults may be advised to take vitamin D or calcium supplements to help reduce the risk of osteoporosis, which is associated with height loss. Osteoporosis occurs when your bones become weak or brittle, resulting in bone density loss. The condition can cause you to appear to “shrink” due to vertebral compression fracture and stooped posture.

Although not all studies support the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements for bone density management, meeting the daily recommended values through diet may help support bone health.

In all other cases, you should avoid supplements that make height claims. Once your growth plates become fused together, there’s no way that you can increase your height, regardless of what the supplement label advertises.

Get the right amount of sleep

Occasionally not getting enough sleep won’t affect your height in the long term. But if during adolescence you regularly get 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 sleep.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides the following sleep recommendations for various age groups:

Stay active

Regular exercise has many benefits. It strengthens your muscles and bones, helps you maintain a moderate weight, and promotes HGH production.

Children and adolescents need to get at least 1 hour of moderate to high intensity exercise a day. During this time, they should focus on:

• aerobic activities, such as playing tag, jumping rope, or biking
• strength-building exercises, such as pushups or situps

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.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults do the following each week:

• at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise
• at least two resistance training sessions that work all of the body’s major muscles

To reduce your risk, try walking, playing tennis, practicing yoga, and lifting weights several times a week.

Practice good posture

A slouching posture may make you look shorter than you actually are. And over time, slumping or slouching can also affect the length of your spine and your actual height.

Some ways to help improve your posture include:

• doing regular exercises
• sitting with your shoulders back and relaxed
• setting up your computer screen at eye level
• placing a memory foam pillow behind your back when sitting
• using a standing desk when working

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 improve your posture, which could 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.

What other factors affect height?

Genetics are mostly responsible for your height, but other factors may also affect your height. These include:

• hormonal imbalances, such as those affecting the thyroid, growth, and sex hormones
• some health conditions, such as kidney disease, chronic stress, cystic fibrosis, obesity, and anemia
• some genetic conditions, such as Turner syndrome and achondroplasia

Age also plays a role in your height, as you tend to experience growth spurts during puberty, and you may lose height later in life.

During adolescence (ages 12 to 18 years), you’re more likely to experience bigger growth spurts than during other periods, largely due to puberty and hormonal factors.

For girls, this growth spurt typically begins between ages 12 and 14 years, while boys may not experience this sudden increase in height until a few years later.

After puberty, most people stop growing taller, so you’re unlikely to increase your height as an adult.

In fact, research suggests that people gradually start to lose height between ages 30 and 50 years, and the shrinkage increases as you get older.

Following a balanced diet, staying active, and getting plenty of sleep are all factors that can support growth.

The bottom line

In most cases, you reach your peak height by the time you’re done with puberty. Genetics is the main factor that determines your height, and it is generally not possible to encourage growth beyond your maximum height after you stop growing.

Eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and managing your posture could help a child reach their maximum height and also maintain this height during adulthood.

Speak with a healthcare professional if there are concerns about growth or changes in your height.