How to Grow Taller: What You Can and Can't Change

You can't grow taller than your genes allow, and nothing makes your bones longer once your growth plates have closed. But if you're still growing, sleeping 8 to 10 hours, eating enough, staying active and taking care of your health give your body what it needs to reach its full height. Good posture then makes sure you stand at every inch of it.

What decides how tall you'll be?

Mostly your DNA. According to the NIH's MedlinePlus Genetics, about 80% of the differences in height between people come from inherited gene variants, and researchers have found more than 700 of them. That's why kids usually end up roughly as tall as their parents, though brothers and sisters can still end up at quite different heights. To see the range your parents' heights point to, try the mid-parental height calculator.

The other part is environment: nutrition, sleep, illness and access to health care. The same NIH page notes that a well-fed, healthy, active child is likely to be taller as an adult than one with a poor diet or frequent infections. It's also why children of families who move somewhere with better food and health care often end up taller than the generation before them.

So here's the honest deal. Healthy habits can't push you past your genetic range, but poor sleep, too little food or an untreated health problem can keep you below it. Your growing years are the window to make sure that doesn't happen.

How to get taller naturally as a teenager

Sleep 8 to 10 hours a night

NIH guidance for teens is 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Your body releases growth hormone in bursts, and Cleveland Clinic notes those peaks happen mostly at night. Regular bedtimes, a dark and cool room, and no screens in the last hour all help. Read more in does sleep make you taller?

Eat enough, and eat the building blocks

Growing bones and muscles need energy and raw materials. Aim for protein at every meal, about 3 cups of dairy a day (or calcium-fortified soy milk) at ages 14 to 18, plus fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Chronic undereating is a known cause of poor growth, so dieting hard or skipping meals during puberty is a bad trade. Our list of foods that help you grow taller breaks this down with a sample day.

Move at least 60 minutes a day

Teens should get at least an hour of activity daily, with muscle- and bone-strengthening work like running, jumping or push-ups at least 3 days a week. Exercise won't stretch your bones, but it builds strong bones and muscles, improves sleep and keeps your appetite healthy. And no, sensible lifting doesn't stunt growth: see does working out make you taller?

Take care of your health

Long-term conditions like celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, an underactive thyroid or poorly controlled diabetes can all slow growth, according to the Endocrine Society. Getting them diagnosed and treated is the best way to protect your growth. High-dose steroid medicines taken for a long time can also affect growth, so doctors weigh that carefully; never stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Avoid what can stunt growth

The biggest one is anabolic steroids. The National Institute on Drug Abuse warns that in teens they can signal bones to stop growing too early, leaving you permanently shorter. Starving yourself to make weight for a sport is another. Here's the full list of what stunts growth.

How much taller will I get?

That depends on where you are in puberty. Most teens grow about 7 to 10 inches in total during puberty, per Nemours KidsHealth. Here's the median growth in the following year on CDC growth charts, with a guide for each age:

These are population medians. An early developer may be nearly done at 14, while a late bloomer can still be growing quickly at 16. For context, the average US adult man is about 5'9" (175 cm) and the average woman about 5'3.5" (161 cm).

Can you grow taller fast or overnight?

Not on purpose. How fast you grow is set by puberty: the median boy grows fastest, around 3 inches (7.8 cm) a year, between 13 and 14, and girls peak a couple of years earlier. You can't safely speed that up. Growth hormone treatment exists, but it's prescribed only by a pediatric endocrinologist for specific diagnosed conditions after testing.

Overnight, you do get slightly taller, but only for a while. Lying down lets the cushioning discs in your spine soak back up the fluid they lost during the day, so you measure a little taller in the morning and lose it again by evening.

What doesn't increase your height

• Stretching, hanging or yoga. These can improve posture and flexibility, not bone length. See does stretching make you taller?
• Height pills and "growth" supplements. No pill, formula or supplement has been shown to add height.
• HGH, testosterone or peptides without a diagnosis. Outside medical care these carry real risks, and anabolic steroids like testosterone can close growth plates early. Read does HGH make you taller?
• One special food. No food increases height "rapidly." Overall diet is what counts.
• Sleeping in a certain position or playing basketball. Neither changes how your bones grow.

How to tell if you're still growing

Measure yourself once a month, at the same time of day, barefoot against a wall. If your height hasn't changed over 6 to 12 months and you're well past the middle of puberty, you're probably at or near your adult height. Take our Am I done growing? quiz for a quick read. The only precise answer is a bone-age X-ray from a doctor, which shows whether your growth plates are still open.

How to be taller right now: posture and style

Slouching and a forward head can hide part of your real height. Standing up straight won't lengthen your bones, but it adds a small amount to your measured height, mostly by undoing the slump. A short daily routine of stretches for better posture helps loosen tight hips, chest and neck muscles.

A few style tricks also help you look taller: clothes that fit well through the shoulders and legs, one color from top to bottom, and shoes with a little heel or a modest insert. None of this changes your health, but it's a quick confidence boost.

When to see a doctor

Growing at your own pace is normal, but talk to a doctor if:

• You've grown less than about 2 inches (5 cm) in a year before your growth spurt.
• You're dropping across percentile lines on your growth chart.
• There are no signs of puberty by about 14 for boys (no testicle growth) or 13 for girls (no breast development).
• You're much shorter than your parents' heights would suggest.
• Your growth slows while you're also gaining weight, losing weight, or feeling tired and unwell.

A doctor can check your growth chart, order blood tests and a bone-age X-ray, and refer you to a pediatric endocrinologist if needed. Most short kids and teens turn out to be perfectly healthy, with short parents or a late start to puberty.

The honest bottom line

Bottom line: You can't out-train your genes, but you can make sure nothing holds you back. Sleep, eat well, stay active, treat health problems early and stand up straight.

If you're still growing, those habits are your best shot at every inch you're built for. If you're done, good posture and confidence go further than any pill ever will.