Can You Increase Your Height After Doing Stretching Exercises?

Chances are, you probably wouldn't mind being an inch or two taller, especially if you've lost a bit of height with age. Once you reach adulthood and stop growing, you're stuck with the bone structure you've got. So nothing -- not even stretching -- will increase your height. You can, however, manipulate some factors to make yourself appear as tall as possible.

  1. The Components of Human Height

    • Body composition can affect your height.

      Body height is determined by bone length, posture, body composition and bone health. Bone length is determined during the growing phases in childhood and puberty and cannot be increased during adulthood. While posture doesn't directly affect your height, it does have a very big impact on how tall you appear. Body composition can have an effect on your height, because if you carry a lot of excess weight on your frame, the joints of your body -- and especially of your spine -- become compressed, making you effectively shorter.

      Osteoporosis is the weakening of bone, usually resulting in a loss of bone mass and often fractures. Osteoarthritis is the wearing away of bone matter, especially at the joints. These two diseases can result in reduced bone length and a pronounced curvature of the spine.

    Straighten Up

    • Posture is an important component of height.

      Spending hours every day sitting hunched over a desk causes changes to the muscles in your upper back and neck, which leads to permanent slouching. When you stand and shift your weight onto one foot or too far forward or back, misalignment in the pelvic and lumbar spinal regions can occur and hamper your ability to stand straight. Correct these issues by practicing proper posture. When seated, scoot forward onto the front one-third of your chair and place both feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Position your computer monitor at a height that doesn't require you to look down. When standing, distribute your body weight evenly between both feet. An imaginary line should pass through your earlobes, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. You should feel the balls of your feet and your heel bones in equal contact with the floor. Your chin should be level and not tucked in toward the neck.

    Postural Exercises You Can Do

    • Yoga can help improve your posture.

      Yoga can be very beneficial for improving posture because the poses require you to stand in proper alignment, and they also create a sense of awareness of what good posture feels like. Practicing yoga three or more times per week can dramatically improve posture. Hitting the gym can also help you stand straighter. Slouching causes the muscles of your upper back and neck to be lengthened and weakened, so doing resistance exercises that strengthen those muscles can help correct this. Exercises like the seated row, rear deltoid butterflies and scapular retraction with a resistance band can strengthen your primary posture muscles.

    Tips and Considerations

    • Talk to your doctor about osteoporosis.

      Carrying more lean muscle mass than fat can help you appear taller in a couple of ways. Strong, lean muscles can help you to actively stand taller, and by losing weight, you relieve strain on your joints, which can help to prevent osteoarthritis. The bone fractures that often accompany osteoporosis can significantly decrease height and cause excessive slouching. To prevent or slow its onset, do not smoke, but do get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet, drink alcohol in moderation and talk to your doctor about your risk factors.