Height Forum

Measuring your own height is a critical, but difficult task to accomplish. Not only is it hard to see what you are doing, you can easily measure it inaccurately. This often leads to unnecessary disappointments or false reports. How many times have you met people who think they're THIS tall, even though they are approximately your height? You know they're wrong because you know how tall you are, and you found out by carefully measuring it.

This article will cover the correct ways to measure human height. Although this method can be done by yourself, an extra helper would probably make this process quicker and more accurate.

1. When to Measure Your Height?

Although there is no standardized time for height measuring, try doing it later during the day or after a full day of normal activities. The reason is that you tend to be an inch or two taller right after you get out of bed. This is due to the collapsible nature of the spine. When laying down, the vertebrates in your spine are spread out horizontally, which causes the spine to lengthen. As you go through the day in an upright position, the vertebrae are stacked and compressed under the influence of gravity. Your height, therefore, shortens and stabilizes as the day goes by.

While it would ok to measure in the morning, I think it would better to record your shortest, baseline height. This is the height you spend the most time in, and the height that people know you by. Also, I think it is better to under-report than to over-report. I mean, would you want to "fall short" and feel like a jerk when people ask how tall you are?

2. How Frequently Should You Measure Your Height?

Again, I don't think there is a standard frequency. If you are actively growing, I'd suggest one session every few weeks.

Whenever you decide to measure your height, you should take measurements for 3 consecutive days, all performed around the same time. Because your height varies slightly with spine compression, the average value of these 3 measurements would be a better estimation of your true height.

3. How to Measure Your Height

Equipment You Need: Measuring tape, a small box (or any similar item), a wall, hard floor, a pencil, small ruler (optional)

Method:

1. Take off shoes and anything on your head that would inflate your height (besides hair).
2. Stand with your back against the wall with your feet together, preferably near a straight edge or a door hinge (explanation in step 6).
3. The back of your feet, butt, shoulders, and the back of the head should be touching the wall. Look straight ahead with your chin tucked in. This ensures that your body is as straight as possible.
4. If you are by yourself, have the box in one hand and pencil in the other before you start measuring. Once in good position, raise the box to the top of your head, push it against the wall, and push it down to your head. Practice this with a mirror or friend to make sure the box is horizontal. A slight tilt could mean a few inches of difference.
5. Mark the head level position with the pencil. Because you could be moving quite a bit with both shoulders raised, it might be difficult to make the mark in the measuring position. Therefore, try sliding out while keeping the box firmly pressed against the wall. Mark it and take a breath.
6. Use the measuring tape from the ground up to figure out your height. Make extra effort to make sure the tape is straight. This is where a door hinge or a corner comes in handy as they can serve as a guide for the tape.
7. (Optional) You could use the tape measure to accurately mark a few labels near your height. This way, you can quickly figure out new measurements based on the pre-determined positions with a small ruler. This will save you the trouble of aligning the tape over and over again.

Some of the steps would obviously be easier if carried out by a friend of relative. Make sure your measurements are similar to each other so you can trust your techniques.