Have you crossed your 20s? And you are unhappy with your height after checking your height in the height chart. You find yourself shorter and are looking for ways to increase height after 20 or 21 naturally.
You have also heard it is impossible to increase height after you have crossed your 20 years. Although, that is not completely true. There are things that you can do to increase height even after you have crossed your 20 or 21 years of age.
Let us now explore the various aspects regarding height and ways to increase height after 20 or 21 years of age.
What are the Factors that Influence Height?
The following factors can affect how much a person can become tall:
Genetics
It is one of the primary biological factors that influence human height. One finding has revealed that there are three or four regions in our DNA that are important for height.
Another finding has evaluated about 80% of the human height is controlled by the DNA sequence variant you have inherited and about 700 gene variants have been discovered to date.
These genetic variants directly or indirectly affect the cartilage in growth plates which is the area between joints of the bones such as the elbows, knees, ankles, and ends of the ribs.
Environment
Not only genes but also environmental factors contribute to the growth in height from childhood. Environmental factors such as family background, altitude, temperature, climate, and childhood diseases are linked with the growth during development. [1, 2]
Food Habit
Food habit plays a very important role in height. Getting the right nutrients is essential to ensure proper growth in human height.
Protein contributes the most and is an essential single nutrient to get a healthy height growth. Getting other nutrients such as iodine, iron, folate, calcium, and vitamins A and D from childhood are also important for height growth. [3]
Getting an adequate and constant supply of calcium, protein, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin D, potassium, fluoride, manganese, copper, boron, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, and the B vitamins are helpful in bone formation and bone metabolic processes. [4]
Besides, in a study, it was observed that prebiotics could also contribute to child growth and development.
The above explanations indicate that getting or maintaining enough healthy food habits from childhood can help to reach your maximum height.
Growth Hormone
The growth hormone greatly influences our height by promoting the growth of tissues, organs, bones, and cartilage in the body. [5]
On the other hand, inadequate secretion of growth hormone can lead to growth hormone deficiency which results in growth retardation and short stature. [6]
Gender
Another biological factor to decide the height is gender. Generally, men are taller than women if compared. On average, an adult male can be 12 centimeters taller than an adult female. [7]
Exercise
Exercise or physical activity also helps a person to grow from childhood. Any type of exercise can stimulate the growth hormone which influences growth in the height. [8]
Ways to Increase Height after 20 or 21 Naturally
Following are the things that you can follow daily to boost your height:
1. Keep a Good Posture
A good posture helps you to look taller and thin. It helps to maintain your spine erect and stretched that in turn add some inches to give you a taller look.
Therefore, it is very important to maintain a good posture while walking, sitting, standing, and sleeping. You can improve your posture by keeping your head straight, back straight, and shoulders slightly backward.
2. Do Pituitary Gland Meditation
Pituitary gland meditation can help you to increase height by 2 – 3 inches at any age. It does so by stimulating the pituitary gland of your brain to release human growth hormone. When growth hormone increases in the body, it greatly influences height growth. So start practicing pituitary gland meditation daily for at least 5 minutes in a day to help your height to grow.
3. Start Swimming
Swimming is an effective physical exercise not to only reduce weight but also to promote height growth. [9] It is a perfect sport to gain a well-proportioned body with broad shoulders and chest, thin wrist, slim body, and tall posture. Swimming also increases human growth hormone production in the body which is essential to promote height growth.
4. Keep Your Bones Healthy
Low bone mass, osteoporosis, and other bone injuries can make you look shorter. [10]
So, it is crucial to ensure good bone health in your body by consuming foods that are rich in essential vitamins and minerals especially calcium and vitamin D. [11]
As well as doing physical exercise daily like walking, dancing, cycling, and using stairs instead of lifts can make your bone stronger.
5. Follow a Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced diet is important to get essential vitamins and minerals that can help to increase your height. Start in taking foods that are highly nutritious and contain vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, calcium, and other minerals. You can eat fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables, milk, whole grains etc. regularly to grow your height.
6. Practice Yoga Daily
Practicing yoga stretches your spine, lengthens your back and leg muscles, and improves your posture.
Additionally, it activates the growth hormones and increases dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) secretion that, in turn, helps to increase height. (12)
There are various yoga poses that you can perform to increase your height after 20 or 21.
i) Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Benefits:
- Strengthen and lengthen the spine
- Strengthens the knees and thighs
- Improves posture
Steps:
- Find a comfortable standing position. Stand straight on the ground, keep your feet at the hip distance and spine erect.
- Let your arms hang loosely by the sides comfortably.
- While inhaling raise your both arms upwards and interlock your finger just above your head. Exhale.
- As you breathe in, turn your palm to face upward, and raise your hand and heels simultaneously to stand on your toes.
- Stretch your shoulder, arms, and chest upward and balance your body on toes.
ii) Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)
Benefits:
- Strengthens spinal supportive muscles.
- Increases the flexibility of the spine.
- Improves posture.
Steps:
- Lie your stomach on the floor with your legs extended behind you.
- You can keep your feet together or hip-width apart.
- Bring your both hands under your shoulders and hug the elbows into the sides of your body.
- Press gently into the floor with both hands, tops of your feet, and pubic bone.
- With inhalation lift your head and chest off the floor while keeping your pubic bone and legs connected with the floor.
- Draw the shoulder blades back and puffing the chest forward while keeping the neck neutral.
- Hold this position for 15 to 30 seconds.
- To release, exhale, and slowly bring yourself back onto the floor.
iii) Sun Salutation
Benefits:
- Strengthens muscles and joints.
- Stimulates hormones.
Steps:
- Stand straight on the ground while facing the sun.
- Inhale and lift your both arms from the sides, exhale and join your palms together in front of the chest in a prayer position.
- Now, breathe in and lift the arms while keeping the biceps close to the ears.
- Bring the pelvis slightly forward and stretch the whole body up from heels to the tips of the finger.
- Bend forward from the waist while exhaling without bending the knees and keeping the back as flat as possible.
- Breath out completely, bring the hands down and try to touch the floor next to the feet.
- Breath in, push your right leg back pushing it as back as possible.
- Rest your right knee on the floor and look up towards the ceiling. Feel the stretch in the arms, hamstrings, and the back.
- Inhale, bring your left leg back, and keep your arms perpendicular to the floor while making the whole body straight.
- Bring both the knees down on the floor and exhale.
- Take the hips slightly back, slide forward, and rest your chest, knees, and chin on the floor. Raise your pelvis a little bit. The two hands, two feet, two knees, chest, and chin (eight parts of the body) should touch the floor.
- Inhale, slide forward, and raise your chest into a cobra pose.
- Exhale, lift your hips and tail bone to make an inverted “V” posture keeping both knees and back straight.
- Exhale, and reverse the cycle step by step.
iv) Wheel Pose (Chakrasana)
Benefits:
- Strengthens the back.
- Enhances spine flexibility.
- Increases the length of the whole body.
Steps:
- Lie flat on the floor with the face and torso facing up. Keep your both hands and legs close to the body.
- Slowly raise your arms, bend your elbows, and rest your palms beside your ears with fingers pointing towards the shoulders.
- Now with the help of your both hands lift the upper torso a bit.
- Slowly start straitening your arms and lift your body until your spine and legs form an arch.
- Look straight down and hold this position for 30 seconds.
v) Tree Pose (Vriksasana)
Benefits:
- Stretches leg and back.
- Strengthens the ligaments and tendon.
- Improves posture.
Steps:
- Stand comfortably in the Tadasana position with your weight distributed equally on both legs.
- Shift your weight into your right leg and lift your left leg off the floor by bending the left knee and place the sole of the left leg on the inner right thigh.
- Inhale and move your arms upwards over your head and join them in a prayer (namaste) position.
- Inhale and exhale slowly and maintain this position for at least 30 seconds.
- While exhaling release the left leg and come back to Tadasana position. Repeat the above steps with the other leg.
7. Stretch Your Body
Stretching is one of the easiest exercises that also plays a vital role in promoting height. Stretching improves your posture, keeps muscles strong and flexible, and provides strength to the joints which encourage your height to grow. Incorporating some stretching exercises such as cobra stretch, forward spine stretch, freehand stretch, wall stretch, and side stretch into your daily schedule will help you improve your height.
8. Do Hanging Exercise Regularly
It is the effect of gravity that hinders the height of people from growing by squeezing their cartilage and muscles. Hanging stretches the whole body which elongated the spine and decreases the pull on the vertebras. This helps to release the compression on the spine making you slightly taller. You can use a hanging bar or find a tree limb that can hold your weight and start doing hanging exercise for at least 30 seconds in the beginning.
9. Involve in Exercises and Sports
Exercises and sports activity are effective in toning and strengthening the muscles and can release the growth hormones which are responsible for height growth. [8]
So, exercises like burpee, ankle weights, jump squats, rope jumping, spot jumping and sports like badminton, volleyball, tennis, cycling can help to increase your height naturally.
10. Take Proper Rest
Deep sleep is also essential to increase your height after 20 or 21. During deep sleep, your body produces growth hormones that help your body to grow. [13] Therefore, it is essential to sleep soundly for at least 7 -9 hours daily.
Your sleeping posture is also crucial to growing taller. For the best results, use a comfortable and firm mattress and lay down on your back without a pillow. Don’t forget to practice deep breathing before going to sleep.
11. Avoid Smoking and Drinking
Smoking and drinking can affect the natural functioning and growth of your body. Regular smoking and drinking alcohol are associated with thyroid cancer which hinders the proper thyroid function. [14] The thyroid releases the growth hormone which plays an important role in height growth. So, stop smoking and drinking not only to gain weight but also to achieve optimal health.
Conclusion
Not everyone is blessed with a tall height. Factors such as genes, environment, hormone, nutrition, and exercise are linked with how much a person can become tall.
If you are unhappy with your height and also believe that it is impossible to increase height as you have crossed your 20s. Then there some beneficial ways such as a good posture, healthy nutrition, exercises, yoga, and proper rest can help to increase your height.
A little modification in your daily routine can bring some required changes in your height.
Recommended Read:
Height to Weight Ratio Chart in Kg and lbs. for Adults