http://encarta.msn.com/column_questiontall...he_morning.html

 

Martha Talks Back: Reader Questions Answered

by Martha Brockenbrough

Dear Martha,

 

My brother--don't ask me why--measured his height the other morning and compared it to his height before he went to sleep. He was more than 1/2 inch taller when he awoke! I didn't believe him, so I did it myself, and it seems to work. Are we genetically weird, delusional, or does this work for everyone? And WHY?

 

Thanks for your question!

 

Just once, I would like to be able to write back and say, "Yes, you and your brother are mutants." But it's not true, and therefore I cannot have this sort of fun at your expense. In fact, I have to stop and applaud your brother for undertaking scientific experiments on his own.

 

Okay. Now that I am done clapping and can type again, I will confirm that it is true that many people, especially people blessed with youth, are taller after they wake up. The same phenomenon happens to astronauts when they're zinging around in outer space.

 

Want to Learn More?

Try an experiment in microgravity.

 

When you're asleep in your bed, the disks that separate the vertebrae in your spinal column expand just a bit. This separation can give your height a little boost, but it all goes away during the day. According to NASA, astronauts get to enjoy the extra height that "microgravity" bequeaths them until they come home to Earth.

 

Researchers in Australia are in the midst of a six-month experiment measuring a man and a woman every day to learn more about this very subject. They told me they're finding that people are indeed taller after lying down. This works any time of the day, they say. So theoretically, you could lie down on the couch for a nap, and wake up taller. Sitting and standing compact our vertebral column, especially the intervertebral disks. It's also possible that the muscles holding us up might get tired, because the more strenuous your daily activities, the more height you lose.

 

Again, this bolsters the argument for naps and laziness in general. It might not make you taller, but it will make you less short.

I've never heard that before. That's pretty crazy!