If you’re wondering whether or not it’s possible to grow 3 inches taller in a short space of time—within a day, week, and month—then this guide will provide you with the definitive scientific answer.
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Can you grow 3 inches taller overnight?
Can you grow 3 inches taller overnight? No, growing 3 inches taller overnight is physically impossible because human bones don’t lengthen fast enough, even during a peak growth velocity phase.
Making certain postural improvements can lead to a rapid height increase, but this won’t be anywhere near 3 inches, and it’s not like stretching actually lengthens your bones.
Rather, standing tall and improving your posture simply enables you to display your maximum skeletal height.
Children who are experiencing rapid height growth during puberty can technically grow taller overnight, but not to any significant degree.
Is it possible to grow 3 inches taller in a week naturally?
Is it possible to grow 3 inches taller in a week? No, it’s definitely not possible for a person to grow 3 inches taller in a week naturally because the human body simply isn’t capable of such rapid growth.
Even if you had the worst posture in the world and suddenly corrected it, there’s little chance that you’d experience a 3 inch height increase.
The only way to “grow” 3 inches taller in the space of a week is to wear height-increasing shoes and/or insoles.
We’ll talk more about these products and their pros and cons a bit later on.
How can you grow 3 inches taller in a month?
How can you grow 3 inches taller in a month? The answer is simple: In the vast majority of cases, you can’t.
Now, I’m not saying that such a rate of growth is outright impossible. For example, if a person has some kind of genetic disorder and the ability to grow extremely tall, then they might grow 3 inches taller in a month if they’re in their peak growth velocity phase during puberty.
But, aside from extremely rare exceptions, nobody will grow 3 inches taller in a month by way of lengthening their bones naturally.
How long does it take to grow 3 inches taller?
It depends on how old you are and also on your gender. Males tend to grow for longer than females, meaning that boys have more potential to grow 3 inches taller.
For example, between the ages of 13 and 14, boys will typically gain around 3 inches of height. So that’s a 3 inch height increase in the space of about 12 months.
This is their peak growth velocity phase, meaning that height growth slows down (but doesn’t stop) after this period.
Once you reach adulthood, the chances of you getting 3 inches taller are slim to none, even if your diet, sleeping schedule, and exercise routine are all optimized.
How to grow 3 inches taller
Although it’s unlikely that you’ll get three inches taller, such a height increase is still possible for a minority of people.
Hope that you’re still developing
Puberty is the key to growing 3 inches taller.
The majority of males grow in height until around age 17, barring genetic conditions. After this time, the growth plates gradually begin to close, which subsequently rules out the possibility of additional natural height gain. [1]
So, if you’re still growing, then while you might not grow 3 inches in a month, it is possible to get 3 inches taller in one year or in a couple of years.
There are, of course, exceptions to all this. Some individuals do grow much later than 17 and by much more than 3 inches as well.
But unless you have the genetics to be tall, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to add 3 inches to your height—or anything close to it—upon entering adulthood.
Eat a healthy diet, avoid nutrient deficiencies
The healthiest diet in the world won’t make you taller after your growth plates have closed. But if you’re still developing, then optimizing your diet and preventing nutrient deficiencies can help you to reach your full height potential.
Zinc and vitamin D have both been shown to correlate with height. So, if you don’t get enough of these nutrients on a daily basis, a supplement could be a worthwhile investment.
Additionally, you want to cover your other nutrient bases by eating a wide variety of different foods. So, with fruit and veg, for example, you want to eat foods of different colors to get an array of vitamins and minerals.
Carbohydrates should be scaled to activity level and shouldn’t be arbitrarily restricted in the pursuit of some special diet, certainly not if you’re still growing.
Pasture-raised meat and poultry are not only packed with protein, but they also contain plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for maintaining a healthy body at any age.
On their own, none of these foods will increase your height by 3 inches or really by any amount. However, having a healthy body gives you the foundations to grow taller, which is why so many people emphasize the importance of diet when it comes to increasing your stature.
Make exercise a daily habit
There are two things that we know for certain.
Exercise increases growth hormone production.
Growth hormone therapy increases the height of those with growth hormone deficiency. [2]
So, while this might seem obvious to some, growth hormone is crucial for getting taller.
Therefore, you should seek to maximize its production naturally by exercising every day, with some of those workouts being at a high intensity and others being performed at a more moderate exertion.
Then, to top it all off, make sure to sleep well every night. Getting good sleep is another way to promote growth hormone production, and it will help you to tackle your daily tasks with more optimism and energy, too.
Stretch daily and improve your posture
All of the stretching in the world will not make you grow 3 inches taller.
In fact, stretching by itself does nothing to directly lengthen your bones.
Instead, stretching straightens out your spine and improves your posture, which enables you to display your full skeletal height.
Now, don’t expect a 3 inch height increase. Even half an inch might be pushing it, if I’m honest.
But few people stretch with the goal of increasing their height, so you can definitely gain an advantage, if that’s the right word, over others in the height department if you stand tall and maintain a good upright posture.
Wear insoles or height-increasing shoes
You might have guessed this one was coming.
You already know how to grow 3 inches taller naturally during puberty. But what about if your growth plates have closed? Can you still add 3 inches to your height?
Yes, but not through completely natural means.
First, see how much extra height you can gain by improving your posture and wearing a standard but generously-heeled shoe.
If these changes don’t yield the height increase that you’re looking for, then you might want to consider wearing special height-increasing shoes or insoles, which, when added together, can definitely help you to “grow” 3 inches taller.
Most people equate height with status. [3] So if you lack confidence and want to become taller pretty much instantly, then such products can be a worthwhile investment.
Related: 3 inch height difference
In conclusion: Is adding 3 inches to your height realistic?
Honestly? Not for most people. Unless you’re going through puberty, it’s almost impossible to add 3 inches to your height naturally.
This might not be what you want to hear if you’re concerned about your height, but it really is the truth.
Of course, certain products and practices can help you to maximize and inflate your height, which could be an option for some people.
References
- Ostojic, S. M., & Marinkovic, M. (2015). Early cessation of growth at age 13 in an athletic boy. QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians, 108(11), 903–904. https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcv037
- Sotos, J. F., & Tokar, N. J. (2014). Growth hormone significantly increases the adult height of children with idiopathic short stature: comparison of subgroups and benefit. International journal of pediatric endocrinology, 2014(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/1687-9856-2014-15
- Samaras T. T. (2012). How height is related to our health and longevity: a review. Nutrition and health, 21(4), 247–261. https://doi.org/10.1177/0260106013510996