These 8 habits could potentially add several years to your life.
American researchers have recently identified eight lifestyle habits that, when embraced, could potentially extend our lifespan beyond those who do not practice them
By analyzing the medical records of nearly 720,000 individuals aged between 40 and 99, researchers from the Carle Illinois College of Medicine identified eight lifestyle principles. When adopted from the age of 40, these principles could extend men’s lives by 24 years and women’s lives by 21 years. These principles are:
– Regular physical activity
– Avoiding opioid dependency
– Not smoking
– Managing stress
– Maintaining a healthy diet
– Not excessively drinking on a regular basis
– Practicing good sleep hygiene
– Fostering positive social relationships.
One Additional Good Habit is Enough
The study found that low physical activity, opioid consumption, and smoking have the greatest impact on lifespan, increasing the risk of death by 30 to 45%. Stress, excessive alcohol consumption, poor diet, and poor sleep hygiene were associated with a 20% increase in the risk of death. Lack of positive social relationships was found to increase the risk of death by 5%. Researchers were surprised to discover the potential gains in life expectancy by adopting one, two, three, or all eight lifestyle factors. It is preferable to adopt healthy habits as early as possible, but even making a small change in your forties, fifties, or sixties can still be beneficial. The authors suggest that focusing on lifestyle and underlying causes of chronic diseases rather than just the symptoms could help reduce the ever-increasing healthcare costs.