Are you the shortest person in your friend’s circle or family? Have you always felt inferior because of your height? As a child, it is easy to ignore comments or nicknames like “Chotu”, “Choti”, etc. But, at 18 years of age, you find them very annoying, almost to a stage that you feel like avoiding people. The struggle is real and you are not alone in this! Many people of your age have a common question, How to increase height after 18 years?
An even bigger question is, Is it really possible to grow tall after 18 years? Can exercises and diet help you put on a few inches vertically? In this article, we shall discuss the possibilities of height increase after 18 years to understand what you can expect at this age!
Is It Really Possible to Increase Height After 18 Years?
To know the answer to this question, let us first understand the height growth process in humans.
Height in an individual is caused due to lengthening of bones in the body. Two main hormones determine this length – Somatotropin (hGH) and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF -1). These hormones are secreted in excess quantities during the adolescence period and gradually subside after that. This is the period when the height growth process comes to a halt!
During adolescence age, the growth plates which are specialized cartilages at the ends of long bones, are still active and allow the lengthening process. Once the individual reaches 18-20 years, these growth plates get hardened, making it difficult for the long bones to grow anymore.
It is known that an average healthy individual grows from birth up to 20 years, where the growth rate between 18-20 years is the slowest or almost zero!
What is the Maximum Age Limit for Humans to Grow Taller ?: Male and Females:
Studies indicate that there is a close link between the gender and height of a person. Research shows that both boys and girls grow quickly until the first three years, with the boys recording an inch or two more.
During the 8th year, the growth rate of boys slows down, and girls lead the race until 11 years of age. After 11, the growth of girls starts slowing down and reaches a peak at 16 years. Boys start growing tall at 11 up to 18 years of age.
By this, we understand that the maximum age limit for girls is 16 years and 18-19 years in the case of boys. However, there are many exceptions with factors like genes, diet, ethnicity etc., playing a role.
How to Grow Taller After 18 Years?
Experts opine that exercise and diet can play very role in height growth after 18 years. This does not mean you give up! Eating a wholesome diet and taking up targeted stretching exercises may help you grow taller, although there is no evidence to claim the same.
Let us understand more about these popular Tips To Increase Naturally Height After 18
1. Have a Balanced Meal
If you want to look tall, you must aim toward looking lean. The first step to that is to eat right and maintain your weight. Including certain foods can stimulate your growth hormones and increase their production. They also offer complete nutrition to enable healthy growth. Here’s how to increase height at 18:
Height Increasing Foods:
Your meal must contain the following things to maintain weight and grow tall. These include:
Lean Protein: white poultry meat, fish, soy, and dairy products.
Calcium: dark leafy green vegetables and dairy products (yogurt and milk).
Vitamin D: Fish, eggs and mushrooms.
Other Nutrients: zinc, manganese and phosphorus help aid growth.
Tips: Do not skip breakfast at any cost. Also, try eating smaller and frequent meals to increase your metabolism levels and balance your BMI. Above all, drink plenty of water.
Read: How to Gain Height Fast
2. Exercise:
Given the high energy levels in teenage and till puberty, one needs to do a lot of exercises. It will keep you fit and will just about yank up your height. Certain activities help in stretching your spine and improving your flexibility. This can show a visible difference in your overall height. Also, weight management is important to increase your height. Being obese puts up a lot of pressure on your spine and lead to growth stunt. Here’s how to increase height naturally after 18 using exercises:
Height Increase Exercises:
The following exercises are proven to be effective in increasing your height:
- Skipping and jumping
- Basketball or other team sports which involve stretching
- Swimming
- Gymnastics
- Freehand stretching
- Yoga and Pilates
Tips: All of the above work on the same Darwinian Theory, which did the trick with the giraffe’s neck. This means that if you stretch out regularly or do activities that help you stretch then the chances are that the HGH will be channelized in the right direction. If nothing else, then it will maintain your weight and keep the body lean.
3. Adequate Sleep:
Sleeping is the time when the muscles rest and the body grows. The pituitary gland secretes HGH during the deep sleep phase. So get plenty of sleep and give the body a chance to grow. About 9-11 hours is just fine. But this will also not work if you skip steps 1 and 2 above, in which case the body will grow horizontally!
Tips: Keeping your posture right while asleep is important to increase height. Curling up or bending can compress your spine and stunt your growth.
Read: Growing Tall After 20
4. Things to Avoid:
Now that you know how to increase height after 18 for male and female users, you need also to know what stops the growth in the first place, While there are three steps to grow tall, there are a few caveats that need to be followed in order to avoid putting brakes on your efforts.
- Do not hunch back or slouch. Walk straight and maintain good posture. Good posture always makes you look tall.
- Don’t stay all the time indoors. Sunlight helps the absorption of Vitamin D in our body. So go out and play.
- Avoid alcohol: there is a reason why the drinking age is higher.
- Avoid drugs and hallucination: they confuse your hormones.
- Avoid smoking: it stops your primary growth altogether, thereby affecting height gain.
- And Avoid steroids or supplements: your body is new and fit, so go for natural options. Induced supplements are bound to have side effects on your body, which will surface someday. Don’t create complications for your body.
5. How Do Genetics Play A Role In Your Height?
Genetics can play a major role in determining your height. Unfortunately, whether you have a tall gene depends upon your parents. Having shorter parents indicates that your height will tend to be on the shorter side. But on the flip side, there is a possibility of a dormant tall gene that sometimes skips a generation. Genes can be tricky that way!
Increasing height after 18 years may nor may not be possible in all cases! You must realize that height is just a physical aspect and should not control your life. Accept your body and start appreciating all the beautiful aspects of it. Work on your strengths to make everyone else forget about your height and start talking about what a wonderful person you are!
Read: Does Height Increase After Puberty?
DISCLAIMER: The information written in this article is purely for the informational purpose(s) only. The article is not an alternative to a medical opinion of a qualified doctor. You must consult a specialist to understand more information on this subject. Stylesatlife does not take any responsibility for the accuracy of information furnished in the article.
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers
Q1. Will Drinking milk make me taller after 18 years?
Ans. Milk contains good amounts of Calcium and Vitamin D which are essential for healthy bone growth and development. Some studies show that milk can stimulate the secretion of growth hormones in children. But in adults, especially those who reached their maximum growth age limit, drinking milk may not make any difference other than adding to the calorie count.
Q2. Will lifting weights after 18 years make me shorter?
Ans. No! It is a myth that lifting weights causes stunted growth. In adults, weight lifting doesn’t make any difference because your growth plates would have been hardened by now. In fact, weight lifting can strengthen your body and make you feel more confident about your muscles than your height.
Q3. Can I grow tall by spinal stretches after 18 years?
Ans. Spinal stretching exercises can decompress your spine to an extent. But you will not find any major difference in the height and the results are also temporary. Once you stop the exercises, the changes are reversed and you are likely to go back where you originally started!
Q4. Are There Any Height Increasing Products That Work?
Ans. Many products in the market claim to increase height after 18! The effectiveness of these remains questioned. The main funda is that they improve your growth hormones, which are responsible for increasing height. While we are unsure whether they work or not, their side effects are quite harmful to the body.
Q5. What Is Limb Lengthening Surgery?
Ans. A limb lengthening surgery is a surgical procedure which involves lengthening of your bones. This complex procedure involves breaking of your leg bones and inserting rods. An internal fixator is adjusted inside by 1mm till the desired height is reach. This is a dangerous procedure and involves plenty of risks!
Q6. What is the easiest way to gain height after 18?
Ans. There is no easy route to success, including height! However, if you want to look taller instantly, investing on elevator shoes and heels can do the trick. These shoes come with a platform heel or raised heel to give an illusion of 2-3 inches taller. They come in all designs, styles and patterns to go along with different types of outfits.
Q7. How Can I Increase Height After 18 Naturally?
Ans. Natural procedures may be time taking but are effective and safe. Yoga is considered to be the best form of exercise, which involves proper stretching of muscles. Also, certain asanas are known to stimulate the hormones responsible for height increase. You need to practise them regularly to see visible results!
Q8. What are the best exercises to increase height?
Ans. There are many exercises that are known to improve your height. Certain asanas like Cobra pose, warrior pose, and tree pose help in stretching your spine and elongate it. You need to combine these poses with the right breathing exercises to channelize the proper flow of energy. Hard work and determination can play a key role in achieving your goals.
Q9. Is it Possible To Increase Height After 18 Years?
Ans. Although it is said that the growth hormones stop getting secreted after 18, there is no proof of it. In fact, experts opine that there is no specific age limit for growth. Factors like genetics, lifestyle, exercise and diet play a role in deciding this limit. You may notice an instant growth spurt after puberty which can lead to a height increase after 18 years.
