Adopting these 8 healthy habits by middle age could add between 23 and 24 years to your life
Don’t Smoke: Life expectancy for smokers is at least 10 years shorter than it is for nonsmokers, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The good news: If you quit smoking before age 40, you can reduce the risk of dying from a smoking-related disease by about 90%.
Being physically active: In the study, those who got 30 minutes or more of moderate or vigorous physical activity a day were considered to be physically active. Such people should be able to walk up a flight of stairs without getting winded, according to Nguyen.
Not regularly binge-drinking: Study participants whose peak daily alcoholic beverage consumption in the past month was four drinks or less were not considered to be binge drinkers. Those who consumed five or more drinks in one day on their heaviest drinking day in the past month were considered to be binge drinkers.
Getting good sleep: Participants who got, on average, seven to nine hours of sleep a night and didn’t suffer from insomnia were considered to have good sleep. Insomnia was defined as having one or more of the following symptoms: difficulty initiating sleep, difficulty maintaining sleep, and/or early-morning awakenings, along with sleep that isn’t refreshing or excessive daytime sleepiness.
Eating a healthy diet: Those who generally adhered to a plant-based diet were considered to have a healthy diet.
Living a minimal-stress life: Chronic stress advances one’s biological (or epigenetic) clock, potentially shortening their life span, according to a 2021 Yale-based study. Thankfully, relaxing can set that clock in reverse.
Having positive social relationships: Loneliness is a greater risk factor for early death than obesity and physical inactivity, comparable to the risk associated with smoking and drinking, some studies have found. In fact, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared loneliness a public health epidemic this year. When it came to the study, participants were considered to have positive social relationships if they had someone to talk to, hug, or otherwise interact with at least 50% of the time.
Avoiding opioids: U.S. opioid deaths hit a record high in 2021, according to federal data, seemingly fueled by pandemic isolation. Those who use opioids like hydrocodone, fentanyl, and oxycodone for more than two weeks are at risk for addiction. Medications exist to treat those with opioid use disorders, and to make quitting more bearable. But they’re not always readily accessible, according to a White House fact sheet.
