If you want to grow taller, as many of us do, then the single most important thing your body needs is to get growth hormone. This is a hormone synthesised naturally by the body which encourages a range of anabolic activities in the body (anabolic meaning the ‘building’ of various tissues such as muscle, skin, tendon and bone). Of course that results in a better muscle tone, more rapid healing of wounds and if you are still growing – an increase in height.
This is the reason that sleep is so important in order for those hoping to grow taller – as it is when we are asleep that our body produces growth hormone. Thus the more deep sleep we get the more we will grow up until the age where our growth plates grow which can be anywhere between the ages of 19-27. Essentially if your growth plates are open and you are getting growth hormone, then you will continue to get taller regardless of other factors.
This is why it is so important for growing children and youths to get a lot of sleep in order to make sure they not only keep their bodies in good repair, but that they continue to grow into healthy adults. Of course sleep is still highly important for your emotional and physical well being even after you have finished growing, but if your growth plates are closed then you should be aware that the amount of sleep you get will have unfortunately no bearing on your height as your body will be unable to respond to it. An interesting added note is that if you have ever broken one of your growth plates by breaking a joint in an accident, then this may no longer be able to grow either and can in some rare cases result in limbs being different lengths.
There are also some other ways that you can increase the amount of growth hormone in your body too, and many of these if combined with sleep will result in far more height growth. For example sprinting will produce growth hormone, as will other forms of exercise including weights exercises and particularly squats (a bodybuilding move where you hold a bar bell across your shoulders and then squat down into a position as though sitting in an invisible chair)
Another thing that is said to increase the amount of growth hormone in your body is to take a hot shower or bath which will increase growth hormone production and melatonin which will make you sleep more deeply and heavily. As such by combining these elements you can greatly increase the amount of growth hormone in your body – go for a sprint or do some weight lifting, then have a very hot shower or bath, and then go to sleep.
By increasing how deeply you sleep you can also encourage your body to make more growth hormone, and as such anything that tires you out during the day will help, as will consuming sleeping tablets before bed. One such supplement that is designed specifically for this purpose is GABA which is commonly used by bodybuilders for its muscle building effects. However the effects of GABA are only minimal, while it can leave you feeling groggy throughout the day.
Finally some people will go further and take growth hormone directly. This is an expensive drug and in many states and countries is illegal to take on its own. As this will only help growth with the young then it really is not advisable for this purpose.
As such then the best method to increase growth hormone remains sleep, aided by some exercise and a hot shower. Sleeping is fun, it is good for you in other ways and it is completely natural. However if you are already fully grown and your growth plates have closed over, then you will find that sleep, nor anything else, will increase your height.
