Question

Would you expect your height to be different depending upon the time of day? Why or why not?

a) Yes, due to changes in gravity.
b) No, height is constant throughout the day.
c) Yes, due to changes in atmospheric pressure.
d) No, height is unrelated to time of day.

Answer 1

Yes, you can expect your height to change slightly during the day due to your spinal discs compressing when upright and decompressing when you are lying down.

Step-by-step explanation:

Your height can slightly differ throughout the day due to spinal compression and decompression. When you are upright during the day, gravity pulls down on your spine and the soft cartilage between your bones gets compressed. When you lie down at night to sleep, your spine is relieved of the burden of your body weight, allowing it to rehydrate and slightly expand. So, you are actually a bit taller in the morning when you first get up. The correct answer to the question is c) Yes, due to spinal disc decompression.