Does Swimming Make You Taller?
5 min read
Swimming is renowned for its advantages in shedding pounds, toning up the muscles, and improving cardiovascular fitness. Swimmers are well known for being some of the tallest athletes on the planet, and it is also no secret that swimming is one of the best forms of exercise. This raises the question of whether swimming increases height. Please take the time to read this article carefully if you want to learn whether swimming makes you taller.
Does Swimming Make You Taller
No, swimming doesn’t make you taller. The swimmer appears taller because the force of gravity is reduced while they are swimming, allowing the spine to decompress. Because of this, swimming may appear to temporarily lengthen the body, but there is no evidence to support this claim.
As you can see, any height gained while swimming (if any is gained at all) is only temporary and won’t significantly alter your height or appearance.
It’s also important to keep in mind that, according to the Journal of Annal of Human Biology, height variations throughout the day are entirely normal and can vary by up to half an inch (1.5 cm) depending on the time of day.
As a result, depending on the time of day you measure yourself, you might mistakenly think that swimming contributed to your height gain.
However, even though swimming won’t directly increase your height (especially after your growth plates have closed and you stop growing typically at the age of 18), it can help you lead a healthy lifestyle, which may help you realize your genetic potential for height.
Read More: Does Basketball Make You Taller?
Benefits Of Swimming
Burn Calories
If you want to burn calories, swimming is the best option. You can burn different numbers of calories depending on your weight.
For example, if you are 160 pounds, you can burn 432 calories every hour of swimming at a low or moderate pace. However, you can burn more than 715 calories if you swim quickly.
Regulate Your Breath Better
If your face is out of the water while you’re swimming, you need to breathe in through your mouth, and if it’s submerged, you need to breathe out through your nose. By exercising regularly, you can improve your breathing, which will help you in life away from the pool.
Support Cardiovascular System
By swimming, you’ll build up your heart and lungs’ capacity. According to a study, kids with asthma who swim frequently see significant improvements in their heart and lung health. Furthermore, swimming lowers the chance of passing away.
According to statistics, people who swim have a death risk that is roughly half that of people who do not swim.
Decrease The Risks Of Injuries
Because swimming has a low impact, injuries are less likely to occur than they would while playing rugby or soccer. Your entire body will be massaged as you swim, causing you to feel calm, balanced, and coordinated.
Lower Stress
Regular swimming aids in lowering cortisol and adrenaline levels in the body. Additionally, it helps increase the production of feel-good endorphins. So, if you’re feeling stressed out at work or school, go swimming right away.
Help You Smarter
A child’s ability to integrate sensory information and speed up their reaction time is improved by swimming in a real way. Children who regularly swam were able to learn languages and skills faster and better than a control group of non-swimmers, according to an Australian study.
What Sport Makes You Taller
Although particular sports do not directly affect one’s height or growth, other factors (such as making one taller) include:
Sleep
One of the most crucial external factors for ensuring maximum growth, particularly during your growth years, is getting enough sleep. 8 hours of sleep per night is the recommended general guideline. There are a few minor differences based on age, though.
The National Sleep Foundation has the following suggestions/recommendations:
- Infants (ages 0 to 3 months) need between 14 and 17 hours of sleep per day.
- Infants (aged 4 to 11 months) typically sleep 12 to 15 hours per day.
- Toddlers (age: 1-2 years) → 11 to 14 Hours (of Sleep)/ Day.
- Preschoolers (ages 3-5) need between 10 and 13 hours of sleep per day.
- School-aged children (ages 6 to 13) sleep between nine and eleven hours every day.
- Teenagers (14–17 years old) need 8–10 hours of sleep per day.
- Adults (age: 18+ years) → 7 to 9 Hours (of Sleep)/ Day
Healthy Nutrition Plan/diet
Next to sleep, nutrition is a significant external factor that affects a person’s height. To make sure they get enough calories, vitamins, and minerals each day, one should eat a well-balanced (healthy) diet. This will guarantee that the body is adequately fueled for growth to occur.
Regular Exercise
Although exercise is necessary for maximum growth potential, the mechanics of swimming (or any sport) do not directly affect one’s height. It has been demonstrated that exercise has an impact on stature growth through its stimulating effects on growth hormones and other anabolic hormones.
Natural growth is a complex process that is influenced by interactions between a person’s genetics, nutrition, and socioeconomic factors.
When Do We Stop Growing Taller In Height
Puberty is the period when a person grows the most. Nevertheless, because boys and girls experience puberty at various ages, the rate at which one grows taller can vary.
In the year or two after their first period, girls typically only gain one to two inches in height, whereas boys typically gain three inches per year during puberty. Because of this, men are typically taller than women.
The maximum height a person can achieve during puberty is influenced by a number of variables, including genetics, diet, level of activity, and maternal nutrition during pregnancy.
Most boys reach their full height at age 16, according to the National Health Service. By the time they are 14 or 15 years old, girls generally stop growing taller.
Listen up if you’re interested in learning why we grow taller (and stop growing) in the first place. We basically become taller as a result of the lengthening of our bones, which is a result of the epiphyses, which are growth plates found in our bones.
Conclusions
Swimming works almost all of your muscles and all of your body parts, making it a great exercise. Swimming can help one live a healthier lifestyle, which may help one achieve maximum height potential even though it cannot directly affect one’s height.
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