It’s a well-known fact that our body grows and regenerates tissues while we rest. Proper sleep and rest are absolutely essential for a growing body. It’s believed that the Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is produced naturally in our bodies during sound, deep, and slow wave sleep. Growing children and teenagers should have at least eight to 11 hours of proper sleep every night in order to reach their maximum height. It is extremely important to ensure that you have a proper sleeping environment. It should be serene, and must not have disturbing noises or strong lights. Here are some tips to ensure you get good sleep:
Yoga is a great and comparatively less strenuous way to increase your height naturally. Yoga improves the overall fitness of your body, which is useful to give a boost to the rate at which you grow.
Certain yoga poses facilitate the release of growth-inducing hormones in the body. The stretching and balancing exercises involved in yoga strengthen the muscles and improve the posture of the body as well. Try yoga poses such as the Triangle pose (Trikonasana), Cobra pose (Bhujangaasana), Mountain pose (Tadasana), Pleasant pose (Sukhasana), and the Tree pose (Vriksasana). You can also add Surya Namaskar to your fitness regimetoo.
Right from childhood, emphasis must be laid on the maintenance of the right posture. A few simple ways to improving one’s posture include the following practices – sitting straight on a chair, keeping your shoulders straight and chin high, keeping your hips over your feet while walking or standing can, etc. Also, remember not to hunch while walking.
A straight spine and a strong back can help increase your height. Align your neck and head without bending or slouching. Having a good pillow and a body-friendly mattress are important in keeping your spine straight.
It should be noted that your shoulders should not stoop while walking or standing. Hunching should be avoided by all means. A good posture makes you look tall, smart, and confident.
A balanced diet is absolutely essential to get proper nutrition. Stay away from junk food at any cost. Avoid saturated fats, carbonated drinks, and excessive sugar-loaded foods, as these can cause a negative impact on your overall growth pattern. Ensure you get all the vitamins and minerals that your body needs in order to have a healthy growth. There are many other foods that can help you maintain a balanced diet.
You can ensure that your height doesn’t get affected by external or internal factors. Hence, keep in mind a few things:
Taking drugs and alcohol at a young age can be extremely harmful (7). Consuming these can lead to stunted growth and malnutrition, thus preventing you from reaching your maximum height. The intake of caffeine should be restricted, particularly among children, as it can impair the ability to fall asleep (8). As kids and adolescents require a good eight to 11 hours of sound sleep, caffeine can restrict that to a great extent, thus indirectly contributing to short stature.
Apart from this, steroids have also been found to inhibit bone growth in young children, adversely affecting their height. Research has shown that asthma-affected children and teenagers who use inhalers tend to grow up to about half an inch shorter than others. This is because these inhalers dispense relatively small amounts of the steroid called budesonide (9).
Certain childhood illnesses can also cause stunted growth. These can be avoided by regular immunization and intake of plenty of Vitamin C (which is found in citrus fruits like orange, grapefruit and lemon). There are a number of ways you can strengthen your immune system – by eating whole and fresh foods, and avoiding processed and hydrogenated foods such as the very popular margarine.
A healthy diet will lead to a healthy immune system. Incorporate lots of fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and foods rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids in your diet to maintain a healthy immune system (10).
If you have reached your mid-teens and hail from a family where all members are tall, but find yourself to be still short, then it could be time to visit a doctor. Certain medical conditions can be detected at an early stage. Hence, if you are doing everything required, but still aren’t seeing considerable growth, seek medical advice.
If a person is tall but lacks confidence, it’s of no use. Hence, it is very important to build confidence from childhood and cultivate it as you grow older. You can take part in school activities, or join a club and spend time pursuing your interests and hobbies. All of these act towards boosting your mood and give you a sense of well-being, thus affecting your confidence levels. If you have a positive mindset and are brimming with confidence, even a shorter stature won’t seem to be a hindrance for you. Hence, build your confidence!
Now that you know what you need to do to increase your height, you must also know something equally important – the factors that can affect your height.
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Karishma Mishra
Very good