Does lack of sleep stunt growth?
Posted , 3 users are following.
I'm a 20 year old male and I'm worried that lack of sleep during my teen years may have stunted my growth. My doctor said I was going to be around 5'9 when I was 15 but by 18 I ended up just being around 5'7. When I was 15, I only got about 6 hours of sleep on average on weekdays but then usually made up for it on the weekends. Did this affect my growth at all? Because the doctor also said my brother was going to be 5'9 and he's actually taller than me at 5'8 while still being only 17. I'd just like answers because this has been gnawing at me for a while now, especially since I fell just short of my predicted height.
1 like, 5 replies
lily65668 bob52555
Posted
I wouldn't worry about this, Bob. Predicting adult height in childhood is far from an exact science! The final height we achieve is influenced by all kinds of things, and I'm not aware that sleep figures very much in the equation. (I'm a former nurse btw.)
There's also no hard-and-fast rule about how much sleep people need. It's not always eight hours. Six hours is slightly on the low side for a 15-year-old but by no means abnormal, and it won't have impacted on your health in any way.
I'm far more concerned by your statement that this has been "gnawing at you". I think you should take a long hard look at your anxiety levels, and maybe do something about this while you're young, before it takes root. If you can't reason yourself out of this, some kind of "talking therapy" like CBT would help. But try to avoid medication, as this comes with side-effects, and is also difficult to stop.
It's fine to be 5ft 7in. You're within the normal range for males.
bob52555 lily65668
Posted
Alright thanks for the advice Lily! I'll keep the CBT in mind.
bob52555 lily65668
Posted
But I'm just curious, when I made up sleep on the weekends, would that have helped me catch up on the potential growth that I lost? Or is it that once you lose sleep, there's no way to get back that growth. even if you make up those sleep hours? (Also just for reference my dad's my height and my mom's like 5'5).
lily65668 bob52555
Posted
No to both. You wouldn't have lost any growth by sleeping only 6 hours per night, and you wouldn't have gained any by sleeping longer at weekends. The amount of sleep you got as a teenager has nothing whatever to do with your height.
angela55814 bob52555
Posted
Not sleeping when you were younger would have no affect at all on your eventual height. Judging by your Mother and Fathers height you seem to be following the pattern of your Father. You say your brother is taller. I have 3 sons. My husband is 6.2 one of my sons is 5.7 one is 6.1 and one is 5.10. Nothing to do at all with not sleeping! It’s just the way it goes sometimes.