Athletes are some of the tallest people on the face of the planet. To know whether or not this is true, all you have to do is turn on the TV and watch an NBA game. You may also check out men who play volleyball professionally.
It’s easy to assume that these individuals are playing basketball and volleyball because they are tall.
However, if you take a look in the back of your mind, you may also be wondering if they are tall because they grew up playing basketball and volleyball. If you would like to know which is which, make sure that you read this article until the very end!
So, can playing basketball or volleyball make you taller? According to numerous scientific studies, there is a strong link between being taller and engaging in sports such as basketball and volleyball. Experts believe that it has something to do with the stimulation of both the pituitary glands and growth plates of the long bones of the body.
There is no denying that playing sports is good for one’s physical health. Mental health experts confirm that it’s also good for the mind. However, it seems like the medical community is not talking that much about the effect of sports on the height of a person.
If this leaves you feeling frustrated because you are looking for ways to increase your height employing different all-natural techniques, then you’re in the right place at the right time. That’s because this article will discuss why playing basketball or volleyball can, in fact, make you a taller individual!
Everyone Can Grow Taller
Before we talk about the main topic, let’s get one thing straight: height increase can happen at any age. Don’t believe what you often hear or read that people stop growing the moment that their teenage years are over.
To know that growing taller is still possible in your 20s, 30s or beyond, you simply have to log on the web and search for success or inspirational stories about people growing taller in their adulthood. There are lots and lots of them posted in cyberspace!
Since we were kids, we were told that boys stop growing when they reach 16 years old, and girls stop growing when they reach 14 years old.
The numbers may change a bit from one source to the other. However, the fact remains that different sources agree that height increase in boys and girls end in their teenage years.
This can be very frustrating for someone who is no longer a teenager and still wants to grow taller because his or her current height is not enough to meet society’s standards.
Nobody denies that being tall is associated with a lot of things that all of us desire. They range anywhere from looking more attractive and being more successful in life.
Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with the height of a tall basketball player or a statuesque supermodel. This is why ways to grow taller are some of the most searched things on the internet.
Going back to what we’re told about height increase stopping before the teenage years’ end, it seems like a lot of people miss the fact that growth spurts are the ones that end at 16 years old for boys and at 14 years old for girls.
Put simply, a growth spurt refers to growth that happens very quickly in a short period of time. Needless to say, growth spurts are the ones responsible for why babies tend to grow bigger rapidly, and teens tend to grow taller instantly.
Yes, it’s true that those who are no longer teens will no longer encounter growth spurts that can make them taller people. However, it doesn’t mean that they will stop growing.
It’s for this reason exactly why it is very much possible for adults to add a few inches to their height simply by doing certain techniques or practices.
The Impact of Jumping on the Growth Plates
Some people would say that tall people are professional basketball and volleyball players because of their height. Being taller than everyone else gives them the opportunity to engage in sports where height matters in order to attain victory.
However, it’s important to note that just because a person is tall doesn’t mean that he or she is good at playing basketball or volleyball. To really excel, the individual should have been playing basketball or volleyball since childhood.
And this brings us to a very important matter: playing basketball or volleyball can help kids to grow taller.
Scientists say that it has something to do with all the jumping that needs to be done to shoot the ball into the ring when playing basketball or hit the ball towards the other side of the court when playing volleyball.
Jumping can cause the growth plates to enjoy an increase in the supply of nutrients and oxygen through the bloodstream. As a result of such, they end up producing more bone tissue necessary for growth. Needless to say, the more jumps children perform, the more bone tissue that their growth plates provide.
Perhaps this is the reason why professional basketball and volleyball players have very long limbs — the growth plates are located in the long bones of the body, such as those that are found in the arms and legs. Having long limbs helps to make basketball and volleyball play better.
There is another reason why all the jumping involved with playing basketball or volleyball can make kids taller. It’s none other than the fact that the impact the bones receive due to jumping can cause the bones to become stronger.
In other words, jumping strengthens both new and old bone tissue in kids. This helps to keep the bones from losing density, which is something that can cause them to shrink and also become weaker.
You may think that playing basketball or volleyball is pointless for an adult-like you who would like to get taller because your growth plates had stopped working when your teenage years ended, and no amount of jumping can cause them to produce new bone tissue. Well, keep on reading this article to know that you are absolutely wrong!
Get to Know the Pituitary Gland
Before we proceed with talking about how jumping when playing basketball or volleyball can make you taller even if your bone plates are no longer working, let’s first focus our attention on the pituitary gland.
That’s because this tiny structure in the brain is the one that has something to do with height increase as a result of playing basketball or volleyball.
Scientists consider the pituitary gland as the master gland. It’s for the fact that it has the ability to control other glands found in the human body. Some of those that the pituitary gland has power over include the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, ovaries, and testes.
Your pituitary gland controls your other glands using the hormones that it secretes. In layman’s terms, hormones are chemicals that tell specific cells and tissues to carry out their respective tasks. You can consider hormones secreted by the pituitary gland as its messengers.
There are various hormones that the pituitary gland releases into the blood. Needless to say, each one of them has a different message to take to a specific organ in your body.
However, there are also hormones produced by the pituitary gland that sends messages to areas of the body aside from the glands, and they include the growth hormones.
Based on the name alone, it’s quite clear what the task of the growth hormones is: to make your body grow. This growth involves your height. This is why when checking out articles on the web about growing taller. It’s very much likely for the growth hormones to be mentioned a lot.
It doesn’t really come as a surprise because these hormones are major role players during the growth spurts of teens. Growth hormones are the ones responsible for making the muscles of teenagers bigger and their bones longer.
This is why some teens refuse to grow properly if the pituitary gland fails to produce enough growth hormones. Similarly, excessive production of growth hormones by the pituitary gland could cause teens to grow bigger and taller uncontrollably, at times, even after reaching their adulthood.
As you can see, the pituitary gland and the growth hormones it produces and releases into your bloodstream are both important to consider if your goal is to grow taller even if you are no longer a teenage person.
And to know how you can take advantage of them to turn your dream height into reality, make sure that you keep on reading!
Stimulating the Pituitary Gland by Jumping
The pituitary gland keeps on producing hormones no matter your age. It’s for the fact that growth hormones are greatly needed by your body. So, in other words, they are not just for height increase.
Some of the tasks carried out by the growth hormones include metabolism of protein and fats, repair of cells and tissues, maintenance of normal levels of sugar in the bloodstream, and growth of muscles.
Unfortunately, the amount of growth hormones that the pituitary gland produces tends to decrease with the passing of years. So, in other words, now that you are in your adulthood, your pituitary gland is no longer producing as much growth hormones as when you were in your teenage years.
This is just one of the reasons why it is very rare for adults to grow taller, except in instances in which there is a problem with the pituitary gland that can cause an abnormality in the production of growth hormones.
One example is acromegaly, a condition in which the adult is getting more growth hormones than the body needs, causing him or her to be incredibly tall and have unusually large physical features.
Even though your pituitary gland is no longer producing lots of growth hormones, it is possible to encourage it to make lots of the said hormones. Based on numerous scientific studies, one way to do that is by means of jumping — and this is why playing basketball and volleyball can make you a taller person.
Jumping is a high-impact activity, which means that it places stress on the body. However, the stress that the body gets from jumping comes with a few benefits.
For instance, it helps to increase the density of the bones, thus causing them to become stronger. Stress that jumping produces also encourages the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormones in order to ensure that there’s plenty of them around for repair and maintenance purposes.
It’s no secret that both basketball and volleyball are highly physical sports. While the game is taking place, the players spend a lot of their time jumping.
Basketball players have to jump, especially when dunking the ball into the ring, and volleyball players have to jump, especially when blocking the ball coming from the side of the opponents.
Because of the amount of jumping that those who engage in basketball and volleyball have to do, it’s not unlikely for them to be stimulating their pituitary gland a lot, thus flooding their bloodstream with growth hormones.
How Often Should You Play Basketball or Volleyball
If you are a professional basketball or volleyball player, then you may be required by your coach to play it on an everyday basis in order to keep your strength and endurance in tip-top shape. Such also helps to ensure that you keep on honing your playing skills, which is vital for your team to win against the opposition.
However, there is really no need for you to play basketball or volleyball all the time if you are doing it for fitness or leisure. Similarly, you don’t have to engage in it constantly if your goal is to become a taller person. Doing it more often than necessary may cause unnecessary problems, and we will mention some of them in a few.
Even though they are types of sports, basketball, and volleyball are also forms of exercise. As a general rule of thumb, training should be done on most days of the week for you to benefit from it.
This means that you should consider playing basketball or volleyball about 4 to 5 times per week if you want to use it to become healthier and fitter. The same should be done if your goal is to add a few inches to your height.
There are various signs that will tell you that you are playing basketball or volleyball more often than necessary. If your muscles and joints are aching and you are having a hard time carrying out everyday physical chores because of it, then you are playing basketball or volleyball excessively.
You are also overdoing it if you are no longer able to do your duties and responsibilities, such as taking care of your kids or going to work. Just like with any other things in life, moderation is crucial.
You may end up doing more harm than good if you excessively play basketball or volleyball for the sake of stimulating your pituitary gland and enjoying height increase.
For instance, health experts confirm that you may end up with a weakened immune system. You don’t want that to happen because your body will be defenseless against attacking bacteria and viruses, thus increasing your risk of suffering from infections.
Truth be told, too much exercise can damage your heart instead of making it stronger!
Final Thoughts
Based on the pieces of information mentioned above, it is very much possible for you to grow taller simply by playing basketball or volleyball.
This is true even if you are already way past your teenage years. That’s because both basketball and volleyball involve a lot of jumping. As stated earlier, jumping is something that can encourage the pituitary gland to produce more growth hormones, which is vital for growing taller.
It’s evident that both basketball and volleyball are team sports, which means that they have to be played with a bunch of people. Worry not if you want to grow taller by means of playing basketball or volleyball, but you do not have enough family members or friends who are interested in playing it with you.
That’s because any other physical activity that you can do on your own that involves jumping can also cause stimulation of the pituitary gland. Doing jumping jacks is one very good example. Another is using a jumping rope. If you want, you may also join kids in playing hopscotch!
Just because a form of physical activity or exercise doesn’t seem to involve jumping doesn’t mean that it cannot encourage your pituitary gland to produce more growth hormones.
You’ll be more than happy to know that the likes of climbing stairs, marching in place, brisk walking, jogging, and running can cause impact and thus promote increased growth hormone production by the pituitary gland. There are also fun and exciting ones, such as dancing and parkour.
As you can see, it’s not just basketball and volleyball that can make you taller, but many others! Just remember to do your chosen activity on a regular basis if you want to see results.
What’s Next?
If you are looking for my story and want to know how I got taller, I recommend checking the my article:
Image by Сергей Горбачев from Pixabay
Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay
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