Why do people shrink as they get older?
When we say older people shrink, we don’t mean they become tiny enough to fit in your pocket! We just mean that it’s common for older people to become a little shorter over time. It isn’t dramatic or sudden. It takes place over years and may add up to only an inch or so off of their adult height (maybe a little more, maybe less). Gravity (that force that keeps your feet on the ground) takes hold, and the disks, or cushions between the bones in the spine, get compressed over time. The back bones, called vertebrae (say: vur-tuh-bray), end up pressing closer together, which makes a person lose a little height and become shorter. Did you know that every day you shrink a little, too? You aren’t as tall at the end of the day as you are at the beginning. That’s because as the day goes on, water in the disks of the spine gets compressed (squeezed) due to gravity, making you just a tiny bit shorter. Don’t worry, though. Once you get a good night’s rest, your body recovers, and the next morning,
