Your height is determined by your genes. There is no guarantee that you will get taller by eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and staying active.

Several factors contribute to your overall height. It’s thought that genetic factors account for about 80% of your final height. Certain environmental factors, such as nutrition and exercise, typically account for the remaining percentage.

After age 2, most children grow at a steady rate of around 2.5 inches every year. Once puberty hits, you may grow even faster. However, everyone grows at a different pace.

The growth spurt for girls usually begins by the beginning of the teenage years. The sudden increase in height may not happen until a couple years into the teen years.

After puberty, you stop growing taller. As an adult, you are unlikely to increase your height.

There are certain things that you can do to maximize your potential for growth. You should keep on doing these to promote well-being and retain your height as an adult.

There are several steps you can take to appear taller and increase your growth potential.

1. Eat a balanced diet

It is important that you get all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

Your diet should include:

You should limit or avoid high amounts of food.

If an underlying medical condition, or older age, is causing your height to decrease by affecting your bone density, consider increasing your calcium intake. It’s often recommended that women over age 50 and men over age 70 should consume 1,200 milligrams (mg) of calcium per day.

Vitamin D also promotes bone health. Common sources of vitamin D include tuna, salmon, fortified milk, and egg yolks. If you aren’t getting enough vitamin D in your diet, talk to a doctor about taking a supplement to meet your daily needs.

Learn more about a balanced diet.

2. Use supplements with caution

There are 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 supplement containing synthetic HGH.

Additionally, older adults may be advised to take vitamin D or calcium supplements to reduce their risk of osteoporosis.

“You should avoid supplements that promise height. If you combine your growth plates, you can’t increase your height, even if you use the supplement label.”

3. Get the right amount of sleep

“In the long term, sleep won’t affect height. If you clock less than the recommended amount, it may lead to problems.”

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 shut-eye.

Here is how much sleep is recommended for various age groups:

  • Newborns up to 3 months old: 14-17 hours
  • Infants 4-12 months old: 12-16 hours
  • Toddlers ages 1-2 years: 11-14 hours
  • Young children ages 3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
  • Children ages 6-13: 9-12 hours
  • Teenagers ages 14-17: 8-10 hours
  • Adults ages 18-64: 7-9 hours
  • Older adults over age 65: 7-8 hours

If you want to increase your production of human growth hormone, you should take that power nap.

4. Stay active

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

Children in school should get at least 1 hour of exercise a day. During this time, they should focus on:

  • Strength-building exercises include situps and pushups.
  • flexibility exercises, such as yoga
  • aerobic activities, such as playing tag, jumping rope, or biking

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. This condition occurs when your bones become weak or brittle, resulting in bone density loss. This can cause you to “shrink.”

Try to walk, play tennis, or practice yoga a few times a week.

5. Practice good posture

Poor posture can make you look shorter. Slanting or slouching can affect your height over time.

Your back should curve naturally in three places. If you regularly slump or slouch, these curves may shift to accommodate your new posture. This can cause pain in your neck and back.

Being mindful of how you stand, sit, and sleep is key. Talk with a doctor about how you can incorporate ergonomics into your daily routine. Depending on your needs, a standing desk or memory foam pillow may be all that’s needed to correct your posture.

You can also practice exercises designed to improve your posture over time. If you’re unsure of where to begin, talk to a doctor. They can help develop an exercise routine that’s right for you.

6. Use yoga to maximize your height

“If you don’t like targeted posture exercises, give yoga a try. This whole-body practice can help with posture. This will 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.

Some poses improve posture.

Your DNA accounts for around 80% of your height. In fact, scientists have identified over 700 unique genetic variants that are involved in determining height.

Several hormones also influence growth and affect your height, including thyroid hormones, growth hormones, and sex hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen.

Furthermore, some genetic conditions can cause delayed or stunted growth, including Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, and achondroplasia.

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

Stunting, impaired development, and a short stature can be caused by factors.

Some possible factors that can slow growth include:

  • Inadequate nutrition: A poor diet and deficiency in certain nutrients, such as protein, can lead to decreased growth over time.
  • Stress: Chronic stress can alter the functional activity of human growth hormone, which could negatively impact growth.
  • Poor bone health: Osteoporosis can cause loss of height, along with back pain and changes in posture. Though this condition can affect people at any age, it is most common in older adults.
  • Environmental factors: Some research suggests that exposure to pollutants like lead, cadmium, or polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) could be linked to decreased height.
  • Health conditions: Growth hormone deficiency and chronic conditions like anemia, cystic fibrosis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease may affect overall growth.

You reach your peak height by the time you are done with puberty. Although there are things you can do to maintain your height, your growing days are behind you.