🔗 Share this article Fact or Fiction That You Get Shorter as You Age? Definitely, individuals often lose height over the years. Once past 40, individuals commonly shed approximately one centimeter each decade. Men experience an annual height reduction around 0.08% to 0.1%. Women often experience 0.12-0.14% annually. What Causes Height Loss Some of this reduction is caused by increasingly slumped posture as we age. Individuals who adopt a stooped stance over long durations – possibly during desk work – could find their back slowly conforms that hunched shape. Everyone loses vertical stature throughout each day when gravitational force squeezes moisture from vertebral discs. The Biological Process of Height Loss Height alteration occurs at a microscopic level. During the early thirties, height stabilizes when skeletal and muscular tissue gradually reduce. The cushioning discs separating our spinal bones shed water and begin shrinking. The porous interior throughout our skeletal framework reduces in thickness. As this occurs, the bone compresses somewhat becoming shorter. Decreased muscle additionally affects our height: the framework sustains their form and size through muscular tension. Can We Prevent Shrinking? While this process isn't stoppable, it can be slowed. Consuming a diet containing adequate calcium and vitamin D, engaging in regular resistance training while limiting nicotine and alcohol from younger adulthood can decrease the decline of skeletal and muscular tissue. Practicing good alignment also provides protection of height reduction. Is Height Loss Concerning? Becoming slightly shorter may not be problematic. Yet, significant deterioration of structural tissues with aging associates with chronic health conditions including heart complications, bone density loss, osteoarthritis, and mobility challenges. Consequently, it's beneficial to take preventive measures to support bone and muscle health.