How does sleep affect your growth? Sleep is a way to relax, but it is indeed a vital part to help you grow. Here is how: Growth hormone When you sleep, the pituitary glands in your brain will produce the human growth hormone or HGH. This hormone will travel from the brain through the body to promote overall growth, including the muscles, bones, metabolism, physical performance, and more. Bones and growth plates The growth plates are where new bones are created. They are also in charge of connecting bones together as you grow. And do you know that sleep helps make your bone and growth plates grow as your body will repair itself from the damage caused by muscle movement? What is more, the elasticity of the muscles depends on how much sleep you get. If you do not sleep properly, your muscles will be less flexible and become stiffer over time, resulting in back pain, arthritis, and other health issues. Intervertebral disc The intervertebral disc lies between each spinal joint and serves as a padding or shock absorber. But during the day, it will be compressed between the spinal joints, which makes you shorter than you actually are. So, sleeping helps the disc manage to get its full size and recover Does sleep make you grow taller? Yes, sleep enables you to grow taller and grow in general. It makes bones and muscles develop, model, or remodel. It also ensures the body is totally relaxed and fixed for several hours while bones and muscles, in general, can grow peacefully. That said, the right amount of sleep is vital if you want to grow and develop. Otherwise, sleep deprivation might affect your overall health and development. For instance, when you are sleep-deprived over a period, it may lead to vitamin deficiency, especially vitamin D concentrations. That is because the body absorbs nutrients and transfers them to where they are needed during sleep. But if you do not sleep enough, vitamin D cannot be absorbed well, leading to a lack of bone density and growth When should you go to bed to grow taller? First, you need to know the recommended sleep times for nine age groups, especially for healthy individuals. And depending on a person’s condition, sleeping less or more than the average range will be acceptable [1]. Age Hours recommended (hrs.) May be suitable (hrs.) 0 – 3 months 14 – 17 11 – 19 4 – 11 months 12 – 15 10 – 18 1 – 2 years 11 – 14 9 – 16 3 – 5 years 10 – 13 8 – 14 6 – 13 years 9 – 11 7 – 12 14 – 17 years 8 – 10 7 – 11 18 – 25 years 7 – 9 6 – 11 26 – 64 years 7 – 9 6 – 10 65+ years 7 – 8 5 – 9 Since each person has a different amount of sleep, their bedtime is different, too. For instance, if the desired wake-up time is between 8 a.m and 9 a.m.: Infants should be put to bed when sleepy, between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. Toddlers should be placed to bed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Preschool kids should sleep between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. If your school or work schedule requires you to be up between 6 a.m and 8 a.m.: School-aged kids should go to bed between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Teenagers and adults should go to bed between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. The most important thing is to be consistent with your bedtime to acquire the health benefits of sleeping. When you sleep, you will experience many sleep cycles, which are divided into four different stages. Amongst the four stages of sleep, the first three are known as non-REM sleep while the last is REM sleep. The stage of REM sleep is believed to be essential for the brain. During this period, the body starts repairing tissues, works on growth, improves immunity, and builds up energy for the next day How to get the good sleep you need? Following are some helpful tips on how to easily obtain deep-level sleep: Your sleeping room should be quiet, dark, and fresh-smelling. Avoid exposing yourself to bright light because it might make your brain stay awake. A well-ventilated room is also necessary to get clean oxygen for growth. It is fine to open a window and add a wool blanket than breathe stale air. Put on soft, clean, and comfortable clothes while sleeping since rough clothing might prevent blood circulation and make you toss about during the night, preventing deep sleep. Keep your arms and feet warm to help induce REM sleep. Drink a glass of warm milk before going to bed to help you sleep well. But avoid eating a large meal less than three hours before bedtime. Do not consume caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine for at least 4 to 5 hours these stimulants might disrupt your body’s natural rhythms. Staying active during the day can help you sleep better, but do not exercise too much before going to bed. It is best to practice deep breathing for a few minutes to relax your body. Taking a hot bath is also a nice idea to lead to deep sleep since it helps relax the body as well as the tense muscles. Last but not least, you need to maintain a habit of sleeping at the same time daily, even on weekends Which workout should you do to grow taller before bedtime? Child’s Pose Kneel on your yoga mat and widen your knees. Breathe in and fold forward, letting your torso fall between your thighs and lengthening your arms overhead. Put palms on the mat. Breathe deeply and slowly for about 30-60 seconds while allowing your hips to lower. Legs Up The Wall Lie with your hip next to the wall and legs parallel to the wall. Relax your upper body on the floor to form an L shape. Close your right nostril with your right index finger and take 5-10 slow breaths in and out. Release your hand and breathe slowly and deeply through both nostrils. Neck Flexion and Extension Stand or sit comfortably. Gently drop your chin toward your chest, maintain it for 15 seconds, and return to starting position. Then bring your chin up toward the ceiling and hold it for 5 to 10 seconds before returning to the initial position. Plank Start a plank position on either your hands or forearms. Form your body straight from head to heels, and avoid sagging your lower back and hips. Hold and focus on breathing for 30 seconds to a minute. Supine Hamstring Stretch Lie on your back with your legs stretched. Raise your right leg straight up and hold the back of your right calf with your hands. Maintain this position for about 30 seconds. Drop your leg down and repeat three times. Switch to the left side and repeat. Figure-4 Stretch Lie on your back, bend your knees, and place your feet flat on the floor. Cross the right ankle over the left knee and pull back on the left hamstring until feeling a stretch in the right hip. Maintain this position for about 30 seconds. Release and repeat on the other side. Glute Bridge Lie on your back, bend your knees, and put your feet flat on the floor. Then place both arms at your sides. Breathe in and start raising your hips to form a straight line from the upper back to the knees. Pause for 1-2 seconds and turn back to the starting point. Perform 10-15 reps. To sum up Sleep affects immunity and metabolism, which are directly related to growth. That is why you need to set a sleep routine, try to eat healthily, and stay active (all are necessary to help you have quality sleep every night). Again, as long as you acquire a deep level of sleep, it does help make you grow taller naturally. Related post: Does Chocolate Milk Make You Taller? 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