Sleep is a “little thing” that takes up half of our lives (1/3 of our lives are spent sleeping). “Sleep” is easy to say, who will not sleep ah, two eyes closed on the sleep, two eyes open on the wake up, seemingly simple action, but contains those things we do not know. There is a proverb widely circulated in Chinese folklore: “A child who can sleep grows big”. Thousands of years of experience tells us that a good night’s sleep is helpful for height growth. Here’s a little bit of a look at the things that go into height and sleep. The relationship between growth hormone and sleep A large part of human height growth depends on the growth-enhancing effects of growth hormone, so individuals with a lack of growth hormone secretion or whose bodies are insensitive to growth hormone will exhibit short stature. So what exactly is growth hormone? Growth hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland and its main function is to promote growth and development. Growth hormone is secreted in phases and pulses. For example, in newborn babies, growth hormone is secreted 24 hours a day. From childhood onwards, growth hormone is secreted in the body only during deep sleep. Puberty is an important period of rapid growth, when the secretion of growth hormone during sleep rises linearly, and it is only after the age of 20 that the secretion of growth hormone gradually decreases. So every night when we sleep, every moment will have growth hormone secretion, especially in deep sleep, growth hormone secretion is more exuberant, secretion more than the daytime secretion of 5 to 7 times. In reality, we often find that children who do not sleep deeply, are easily awakened or often dream, and have poor sleep quality tend to grow slower. The chart below shows the 24-hour secretion pattern of growth hormone. There are good tips to grow taller, away from the “five do not” Since sleep is so important, then what should we do to ensure good sleep quality. (1) not late: do not stay up all night, stay up all night seriously affects the time and quality of sleep at night, so that the normal secretion of growth hormone is also disturbed. (2) do not eat: some children like to eat before bedtime snacks, and eat sweets before bedtime is easy to make the body blood sugar and blood fat rise, affecting the secretion of growth hormone. (3) not lazy: proper exercise or labor during the day, the growth hormone will be secreted earlier and more after going to sleep at night. (4) not bright: try not to turn on the lights at night, but also close the curtains, as far as possible to create a dark sleep environment for children. (5) not less: children need to ensure adequate sleep time; after puberty to ensure at least 8 hours of sleep every day. Although sleep seems to be a “small matter”, its importance should not be underestimated. Let’s start now to cultivate good sleep habits!