If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
Growth Hormone makes your child taller.
The major pulse of Growth Hormone is secreted at the onset of the first episode of Slow Wave Sleep early in the night. In other words, during the first phase of deep sleep, early in the night, shortly after sleep onset, there a huge secretion of growth hormone from the brain.
One study in 2014 on 900 children showed that long sleep duration at 3 months were taller when measured at age 2 years.
A 2024 study on 52,000 children showed that longer night sleep at 1.5 years, but not total sleep, is associated with taller children when measured at 3 years of age.
The Dutch are the tallest population in the world. Dutch children tend to go to bed earlier and sleep longer than American children (Blog Post 101).
The reason Dutch children have longer sleep durations is mainly because they have longer naps.
When Dutch children fall asleep at bedtime, they immediately drift into long periods of Quiet sleep, that is, first light sleep and then into deep sleep (when Slow Wave Sleep occurs), but American children do this about 2 hours later. Also, Dutch children have about 2 hours more of Quiet sleep compared to American children.
Either the earlier bedtimes or the long naps could affect the timing and duration of the first episode of Slow Wave Sleep which also means the amount of exposure to Growth hormone.
So if you want your child to be tall, provide nap opportunities that maximize nap duration and provide an early bedtime.
