Is it possible to increase your height after 18 years old?

If you’d like to know whether you can increase your height after 18 years old—as a male or female—then this informative guide will be very helpful indeed.

We analyzed the height measurement data for thousands of teenagers and adults and found a rough age when males and females stop growing. So, can you get taller after 18 or not? Let’s find out.

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Is it possible to increase your height after 18?

A woman wondering if it is possible to increase her height after 18

Is it possible to increase your height after 18 years old? Yes, it’s technically possible to increase your height after the age of 18 if your genetics allow for an increase in height as you enter adulthood.

It’s important to note, however, that growing taller after 18 years old is quite unlikely for males and extremely unlikely for females.

Of course, I’m sure we’d build up a lot more hype around this article if we said that you can grow inches more after turning 18. But the truth of it is that most individuals have already achieved their final height by the time they turn 18.

Specifically, girls tend to stop growing taller at 14, whereas boys usually finish growing in height at around age 17.

Now, these two ages are simply our best estimates based on what is actually pretty good anthropometric data. Still, these ages are when most people stop growing, but there are definitely exceptions to this.

So, if you’re intent on doing everything in your power to maximize your height growth potential as an eighteen year old, listen up to what I’m about to tell you.

How to increase your height after 18

A man trying to figure out if you can grow taller after 18 years of age

Statistically, you won’t get any taller after 18. But why not lead a healthy lifestyle anyway? Why not set yourself up for maximum height growth should your genetics gift you another growth spurt in early adulthood?

Worst case scenario (from the perspective of someone who really wants to get taller), these tips will increase growth hormone levels and testosterone, which will help you to sculpt a leaner and more muscular physique, which is one aspect of your physical appearance that you can control.

Let’s start with nutrition. You absolutely don’t want any nutrient deficiencies. Many people lack zinc and vitamin D in their diets, which is not good for getting taller since these nutrients correlate with height growth. ^[1]

We’ll talk more about diet a bit later on, but for now, we’ll just go over the main points for each major category when it comes to getting taller after 18 years old.

Next up, exercise. People these days are so sedentary that our ancestors would probably call us lazy. ^[2]

With this in mind, you can’t expect to maximize your height potential by sitting in a dark room all day staring at a screen. You need to get outside, ideally in the sun, and perform daily exercise at a moderate and sometimes vigorous intensity.

Do a combination of aerobic activities (like running or sports) and strength training so that you can boost growth hormone levels, improve your cardiovascular fitness, and strengthen your bones.

Finally, sleep and stress. One is good for you (sleep, obviously), and the other can be toxic when it becomes chronic. So, please, get 8-9 hours of sleep—more if you feel like you need it—and don’t worry about your height. Focus on the areas of your life that you can control.

I’ll discuss some ways to make yourself look taller later on, but for now, understand this: Nobody cares as much about your height as you do. So if you can stop focusing on your height so much, then your problem will go away or be greatly reduced.

What foods and diet can help you to get taller after 18 years old?

Nutritious foods laid out on a table, including fish, meat, dairy, nuts, and beans

There’s no special diet that will guarantee height growth—certainly not during adulthood or after 18 years old.

Even if you eat the best diet in the world, it’s unlikely that you’ll grow any taller after puberty or in adulthood. There are, of course, exceptions to this.

So some foods that will build a strong body are fruits and vegetables because they give your body plenty of nutrients without the caloric load, which you should get from unprocessed carbohydrates, healthy fats, and proteins.

Specifically, you want to consume fruits of vegetables and different colors to get a wide variety of vitamins and minerals in your diet.

As for protein, foods like grass-fed meat, pasture-raised eggs, fatty fish, and quality dairy will nourish your bones and muscles with amino acids while also giving you a good dose of fat for optimal hormone production.

To increase your calorie intake and give your body plenty of energy for exercise, you also want to eat carbohydrates, such as oatmeal and potatoes, especially after a workout when your muscles might be glycogen depleted.

Other good foods include beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, which you can combine with many of the foods listed above for massively nutritious meals.

Can you have a growth spurt at 18?

Since a growth spurt is a period of rapid physical development—and since most people have finished growing in height by the age of 18—it’s unlikely that you’ll experience a growth spurt at 18 years old.

But is it actually possible to get a growth spurt at 18?

Yes, it is. I’ve seen examples with my own eyes. If you look around on YouTube, for example, there are a few genuine case studies where males grew taller after 18.

But understand this: These guys had the genetics to be tall and were essentially just catching up to their potential. They didn’t follow any extreme methods and, indeed, weren’t obsessed with their height. It just happened naturally due to their genetics.

Does yoga increase your height after 18?

Does yoga increase your height after 18? No, yoga does not directly increase your height at any age, certainly not at 18, when you’ve most likely stopped growing.

But this doesn’t mean that you should discount yoga as a useless endeavor.

Yoga will improve your posture and encourage you to stand tall, both of which will absolutely make you look taller.

Does basketball increase your height after 18?

Does basketball increase your height after 18? No, although it’s great exercise, basketball will not make you taller after 18 in any direct way.

Obviously, many tall people do play basketball. But it’s not the sport itself that made these individuals tall; rather, they are and were tall, and therefore they play basketball because it’s a sport in which being tall is a massive advantage.

Can skipping increase your height after 18?

Can skipping increase your height after 18? No, skipping definitely can’t increase your height after 18, nor can other forms of aerobic exercise.

Skipping is a great way to get in shape and increase growth hormone production, but so are countless other types of exercises. There’s nothing magic about jump rope, yoga, or basketball that will increase your stature.

In conclusion: Can you grow taller after 18 years old or not?

So, in summary, can you grow taller after 18 years old or not? While it’s certainly possible to increase your height after 18 if your genetics allow for it, most people—males and females—have already attained their final height before they turn 18.

It’s important to remember that improving your posture doesn’t lengthen your bones. So temporarily becoming a couple of centimeters taller after stretching is simply a result of you standing taller.

References

Yin, Y., Li, Y., Li, Q., Jia, N., Liu, A., Tan, Z., Wu, Q., Fan, Z., Li, T., & Wang, L. (2017). Evaluation of the Relationship Between Height and Zinc, Copper, Iron, Calcium, and Magnesium Levels in Healthy Young Children in Beijing, China. Biological trace element research, 176(2), 244–250. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-016-0830-0
Kumar, B., Robinson, R., & Till, S. (2015). Physical activity and health in adolescence. Clinical medicine (London, England), 15(3), 267–272. https://doi.org/10.7861/clinmedicine.15-3-267
18-Year-Old Child Development Milestones. (2022, March 11). Verywell Family. Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/18-year-old-developmental-milestones-2609030