{"id":478,"date":"2020-09-18T08:57:08","date_gmt":"2020-09-18T08:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sleeping.guide\/?p=478"},"modified":"2023-06-20T09:04:26","modified_gmt":"2023-06-20T13:04:26","slug":"lack-of-sleep-stunt-growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sleeping.guide\/lack-of-sleep-stunt-growth\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Low Sleep Stunt Growth: Does Sleep Affect Height?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Height is almost never a bad thing to have on your side.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With society rewarding height in so many ways \u2013 from dating to job promotions<\/a> \u2013 there\u2019s no wonder we\u2019d all like to be an extra few inches taller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, height is also something decided primarily by our genetics. But does sleep<\/a> affect our growth, and if so, can a lack of sleep stunt growth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was curious about this, so I dove into the research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s what I found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lack of sleep can have a slight influence on growth. This is because growth hormone is released during sleep, and so a chronic lack of sleep could stunt growth. While studies (referenced below) show some correlation between disturbed sleep and stunted growth, it is a weak signal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want to learn more? Then let\u2019s dive in.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can Lack of Sleep Stunt Growth? The Science<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We can all tell anecdotes until the sun comes home, but at the end of the day we need evidence-based fact to draw any real conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my research I found two studies which looked at the effect of disturbed growth and sleep<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study 1: Children with Sleep Apnea.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Sleep Apnea in children can lead to sleeping issues.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Study Source: Official Journal of Pediatrics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This 2002 study looked at 70 children admitted to hospital with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. (Essentially, snoring so loudly it disturbs their sleep and inhibits their ability to enter into a deep sleep.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The children were split into groups (which were initially no different in relative height or weight), with two out of three groups getting surgery to help fix their sleep apnea. Post-surgery, the children had reduced symptoms and could sleep much better?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So what effect did this better sleep have on their height?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good question! Well, 6 months later the study found that the relative height in both groups of operated children had increased following the surgery. This was backed up by finding much higher growth hormone (IGF-1 and IGFBP-3) concentrations in the operated children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll quote their final conclusion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThese observations indicate that growth hormone secretion is impaired in children with OSAS and PS. <\/strong>Respiratory improvement after adenotonsillectomy in children with OSAS results in weight gain and restored growth hormone secretion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news to take from this study is that post-surgery, the sleep apnea children\u2019s height increase means it\u2019s possible for a child to \u2018bounce back\u2019 once their sleep is healthy again.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this one small-scale study isn\u2019t enough to draw a full conclusion. Let\u2019s look at another.<\/u><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Study 2: Sleep Habits & Height in Children Ages 5-11<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
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Study Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up is a much<\/em> larger 1990 study that looked into the effects of sleep in children and their height.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

While not the most accurate, surveys of parents were used to estimate the usual sleep and wake times for 5,145 children aged between 5 and 11 years old. Great effort was made to ensure that the children were from all types of race and backgrounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To quote their finding directly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After adjusting for the effects of other variables known to be associated with height, it was shown that there was a weak negative association between sleep duration and height. It is concluded that variation in sleep duration between children is unlikely to have an important influence on growth.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, there was a small<\/u> association between sleep and height, but not anything which could be taken as significant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Results in Short<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While both studies found a link between lack of sleep and stunted growth, the first was small scale (and didn\u2019t say there was a major link), and the second exclusively stated that lack of sleep is \u201cunlikely to have an important influence on growth\u201d.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my eyes \u2013 that\u2019s the answer. Sleep does have some<\/em> influence on height, but it\u2019s not going to make a massive difference. That\u2019s why you still get tiny rich kids, and tall lanky poor kids. It\u2019s your genetics that decides 95% of how tall you\u2019re going to be, and other factors are minor at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not to say you should keep sleeping badly!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just to help hammer the message home\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What else is affected by lack of sleep?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re reading this because you (or a loved one) isn\u2019t sleeping well, I\u2019m about to give you some tough love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being underslept is like going through life with the difficulty turned up to max. Here\u2019s a few of the (proven) side effects of not getting enough sleep:<\/p>\n\n\n\n