For thousands of years, stories of immortality and endless youth have been passed down through the generations. The ideal of living forever has been documented throughout history, from ancient Greek mythology to contemporary literature and films. While the Fountain of Youth may still exist only in myths and tales, developments in science, medicine, and public health have made the potential of living longer a reality. Healthy practises, not a miraculous elixir, are the secret to longevity, unlike in the myths.
According to some studies, heredity accounts for 25% of the variation in a person's lifetime, with the remainder being determined by environmental and lifestyle factors. Those who have lived the longest - into their nineties and hundreds - have been found to be less likely to develop age-related chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, thanks to comparable healthy practises like not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.
While ageing is unavoidable, making healthy lifestyle adjustments today can help you age gracefully and possibly add years to your life. Here are some research-backed techniques to live longer and healthier:
1. Get up and about.
It should come as no surprise that exercise is beneficial to the body. Regular physical activity, even in little amounts, can lengthen your lifetime in addition to keeping you healthy and strong. Exercise has been found to lower the risk of age-related diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain malignancies, as well as build your bones and muscles and extend your life expectancy. Meanwhile, studies have connected sedentary lifestyles and a lack of exercise to an increased risk of dying young. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises 150 minutes of moderate activity per week, but you can still reap the advantages of exercise in smaller amounts. According to one study, simply 15 minutes of physical activity per day can extend your life by three years. On a cellular level, exercise has also been demonstrated to halt and reverse ageing.
2. Give up smoking
In the United States, smoking is the largest cause of preventable mortality, and it has been linked to disease in nearly every organ. Smokers die over ten years earlier and have a thrice higher death rate than nonsmokers. It is, however, never too late to quit. Quitting smoking can extend your life by up to ten years and lower your chance of disease or death from heart attack, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other cancers. It's much better if you resign while you're still young! It has been discovered that quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of dying from a smoking-related disease by roughly 90%.
3. Consume alcohol in moderation
Excessive alcohol intake can lead to heart disease, liver disease, excessive blood pressure, and some malignancies, all of which can shorten your lifespan. Adults who drink 14 to 25 drinks per week may reduce their life expectancy by one to two years, while those who consume more than 25 drinks may reduce their life expectancy by four to five years, according to one study. If you do drink, keep it to one drink per day for women and up to two drinks per day for males to avoid these detrimental health effects. According to several studies, light to moderate drinking (particularly wine) may lower your risk of heart disease or stroke. However, there is evidence that even moderate alcohol consumption can be dangerous, so there is no reason to begin drinking if you haven't already.
4. Lower your stress levels
While stress is unavoidable in life, excessive anxiety and worry may take a toll on the body and affect nearly all of its functions. Chronic stress has been linked to an increased risk of depression, anxiety disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, inflammation, and obesity, as well as a reduction in life expectancy, according to research. Heavy stress, for example, shortened the lifespans of both men and women by more than two years, according to a Finnish study. From journaling and yoga to therapy and meditation, there are a variety of techniques to manage stress and safeguard your mental health.
5. Keep in touch
Friendships and connections are good for more than just your emotional well-being; they're also good for your physical well-being! Individuals with strong social networks have a 50% higher likelihood of survival than those with less social support, according to a clinical assessment of over 150 studies. According to the study, social isolation is more harmful to one's health than smoking 15 cigarettes per day and is more dangerous than being overweight or inactive. Strong, meaningful connections can promote overall health and happiness by reducing stress and increasing feelings of overall contentment with life. Even being supportive of others can be beneficial to your health, so make time for your friends and family.
6. Get plenty of rest
A consistent sleep schedule is also important for your body's overall health. Inadequate sleep has been related to major health problems such as hypertension, inflammation, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, all of which contribute to a shortened lifespan. Too much sleep, on the other hand, can be harmful to your health, since it has been linked to an increased risk of stroke and heart disease. Try to go to bed at the same time every night to boost your longevity, and get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
7. Eat a balanced diet
Many people consider their diet in terms of short-term health objectives, such as weight loss or improved digestion. However, what you consume now can have a significant long-term impact on your life, including its longevity. A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fibre, and whole foods has been demonstrated to protect against inflammation and chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and certain malignancies, which are responsible for the majority of premature deaths. According to one study, dietary improvements could avert over 400,000 deaths per year. Even little dietary modifications can help; researchers discovered that improving nutrition by 20% reduced the risk of early death by 8 to 17%. While there is some disagreement over which foods promote lifespan, it is preferable to focus on including a range of full, unprocessed foods in most meals. In general, this means eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes while avoiding refined sugars to the greatest extent feasible. Some studies have found a link between the Mediterranean diet, which emphasises fish, fruits, vegetables, olive oil, whole grains, and legumes, and lifespan, as well as a reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes.
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