Six factors that affect children's height

If you say that Chinese children are shorter than Japanese children, people probably won't believe it. However, statistics from researchers show that the average height of Chinese 7-year-old boys and girls are 0.6 cm and 0.5 cm shorter than their Japanese counterparts, respectively. Male and female teenagers aged 15 to 18 are 1.4 cm and 0.6 cm shorter than their Japanese counterparts, respectively.

Key factor 2: Staying up late will affect children's height

In recent years, a large number of investigations and studies have confirmed that the amount of growth hormone secreted by short children is far less than that of normal children, and a considerable number of children do not get enough sleep at night. Since children secrete abundant growth hormone during sleep from childhood to pre-adolescence, the amount of growth hormone secreted from 9 pm to 9 am the next day is three times that of the 12 hours during the day. In particular, there is a secretion peak 70 minutes after falling asleep at 9 pm. In view of this, children should not stay up late.

Key factor 3: Lack of maternal love affects children's height

Some experts have found that emotional disorders can also affect height.

If a child grows up in an environment lacking family warmth and does not receive sufficient maternal love, then his height will often be shorter than children of the same age. Foreign countries call this type of dwarfism emotionally blocked dwarfism, and some information calls it "love blocked syndrome."

The main cause of emotion-blocked short stature is that the functions of the hypothalamus and pituitary systems are inhibited by emotions, which in turn causes a decrease in the secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland. In addition to being short in stature, such children also have abnormal behaviors such as delayed intellectual development, drinking and eating more, talking to themselves, hyperactivity, and poor interpersonal relationships.

Children with emotional blockage generally have restless sleep and lack a sense of security. Sometimes they wake up from their dreams by shouting or crying, which affects their sleep quality. Children's growth hormone is only secreted vigorously during deep sleep and sound sleep. Therefore, for children who have restless sleep and are easily awakened, the secretion of growth hormone is likely to be greatly inhibited. This is also one of the important reasons why children do not grow tall.

Key factor 4: Children’s early puberty affects their height

If a child has precocious puberty, parents should detect it early and take the child to a regular hospital for specialist treatment as soon as possible. It was summer vacation, and the number of outpatients at the Adolescent Growth and Development Center of Ruijin Hospital was more than three times the usual number. Professor Wang Defen, director of the center, said that with the increasing living standards, the developmental age of urban children is getting earlier and earlier. If the bone age is too advanced, it will affect the child's final height, and parents are reminded to pay attention.

It is reported that patients with precocious puberty account for the majority of the outpatient visits at the Adolescent Growth and Development Center of Ruijin Hospital. When the reporter was interviewing at the center, a mother brought her 9-year-old daughter to see a doctor. The mother said that her daughter's breasts began to develop when she was 8 years old. A year later, her daughter had her first menstruation and then went to Ruijin Hospital for treatment. As a result, doctors found that the girl's bone age was 13 years old. The doctor analyzed that because the medical treatment was delayed for a year and the girl's bone age increased by much more than one year during this year, her height would not exceed 10 centimeters. Therefore, it is unlikely that a 9-year-old child who is now 140 centimeters tall will eventually exceed 150 centimeters in height.

Key Factor 5: Genetics have an absolute right to influence height

Although humans still do not understand the secrets of genetics, when it comes to height, genetics has "absolute power." A child’s family genetic history is the No. 1 factor affecting his adult height. By looking at the parents' height and body shape and assessing the child's growth and development, you can roughly know how tall he will be when he grows up.

Key Factor 6: Physiological Conditions: Also beware of the side effects of medications

Some children are born with some serious physical illness, which, if not treated in time, will hinder their growth and development. The most common ones are: gastrointestinal disorders, such as celiac disease; food allergies; thyroid problems; hormone deficiencies; heart, kidney or liver disease; or certain chromosomal abnormalities. In addition, we must also be aware that the side effects of certain drugs in the treatment of diseases can also hinder development. For example, Ritalin and other stimulant drugs have been found to affect development in the treatment of ADHD. Therefore, if you need to take a special medication, you must choose the prescription and dosage carefully.