Grow taller visually

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Stretch the crown of your head upward

Throughout the day, there is a natural reduction in height.

In the morning after sleep, the intervertebral discs are straightened, and the muscles feel rested. Height becomes a few centimeters taller compared to the evening height.

By the end of the day, the body fatigues and is unable to keep an upright posture, leading to a decrease in stature.

To achieve your maximum height at any time, lengthen your vertebral column — relax your shoulders and stretch the crown of your head upward. Think about runway models, and it will be clearer what type of posture I mean.

This advice given by doctors to regain height after diurnal variation.¹ When measuring height, a doctor presses on the patient’s mastoid process (the area behind earlobe, see photo below) and gently pulls the head up.

This technique minimizes variation in posture due to tiredness, which may otherwise amount to 1 or even 2 cm.²

Image. Studies on body height measurement methods. On the left, a doctor measures a child's height using the stretching method (Tanner et al., 1971). On the right, a graph illustrates differences between two height measurement methods: with stretching and without. The vertical axis indicates height in cm, and the horizontal axis represents measurement time. The triangle indicates height measured with stretching, and the square without stretching. On average, the first method adds 4–5 mm (1/5 in.) (Voss & Bailey, 1997).

People have different head bone shapes, so you need to find your best position while staying in front of a mirror.

Hold your head, shoulders, buttocks, calves, and heels against the wall.

Try to tuck your chin in, aligning it with your forehead. The line between the highest point of the auditory meatus and lowest point of the eye socket should be parallel to the floor. This line is also called the frankfurt plane.

It will be challenging to maintain the correct position for a long time if the neck muscles are weak. For example, if you mostly work on a computer or spend long hours behind the wheel, your head tends to tilt forward or backward.

Consistently strengthen the spine muscles. Walking with a book on your head, as models do, is likely a good start. Add physical exercises, stretches, and a relaxing massage to your neck and back.

For posture issues, it’s better to consult a specialist.

1. Voss, L D; Bailey, B J R (1997). Diurnal variation in stature: is stretching the answer?. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 77(4), 319–322. doi:10.1136/adc.77.4.319 ↩

2. Tanner, J. M.; Whitehouse, R. H.; Hughes, P. C. R.; Vince, F. P. (1971). Effect of Human Growth Hormone Treatment for 1 to 7 Years on Growth of 100 Children, with Growth Hormone Deficiency, Low Birthweight, Inherited Smallness, Turner’s Syndrome, and Other Complaints. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 46(250), 745–782. doi:10.1136/adc.46.250.745 ↩

Posted on 30 Dec 2023
Last edited on 17 Feb 2024