Why is a person’s height taller in the morning than in the evening?
The reason why a person’s height is higher in the morning than at night is due to the influence of the body’s physiology and daily activities on the spine. The spine is made up of multiple vertebrae and discs, which are rich in water, especially in the lumbar part of the vertebrae. During the day, due to the human body’s activities such as standing and walking, the intervertebral disc is subjected to gravity, and the water in it will be squeezed out under pressure, making the height of the intervertebral disc slightly reduced. At the same time, other joint tissues in the spine will also be slightly compressed due to force after daytime activities.
After a full night’s sleep, the body is lying flat, the spine and intervertebral discs are no longer subjected to vertical pressure from the weight of the body, and the water is redistributed and absorbed into the intervertebral discs, so that the intervertebral discs regain their expansion and the spine stretches slightly, so that the height measured in the morning is slightly higher than in the evening.
It is important to note that this height difference is usually small and has no significant impact on daily life. However, in fields with strict height requirements, such as medicine and sports, this time difference is often taken into account when measuring height.
In general, this height difference is generally between 1-2 cm, which is a normal physiological phenomenon, does not affect human health, and does not represent a real height increase. When taking height measurements, it is generally recommended to do them in the morning when you are just out of bed and not yet active, to get more consistent data.