8 healthy habits that may add 24 years to your lifespan

Researchers find that people who adopt eight healthy lifestyle habits by middle age could live substantially longer.
 

Some of these habits included having good sleep hygiene and not smoking.
Men who adopt all eight habits by age 40 would be predicted to live an average of 24 years longer than men with none of these habits.
 

Women who adopted all eight habits by the age of 40 would be predicted to live an average of 23 years longer than women with none of these habits.

The eight identified habits are:

1. being physically active
2. not smoking
3. managing stress
4. maintaining a good diet
5. not regularly drinking alcohol excessively
6. maintaining good sleep hygiene
7. maintaining positive social relationships
8. not developing an opioid addiction

What habits can lead to significant increase in lifespan?
 

The data used for this study was collected between 2011 and 2019. It featured U.S. veterans between the ages of 40 and 99. Over 30,000 participants died during the follow-up.

Veterans who adopted all eight habits had a 13% reduction in death from any cause compared to those who adopted none of the eight habits.

The researchers found that low physical activity, opioid use, and smoking had the biggest impact on an individual’s lifespan. During the study period, these habits were associated with a 30% to 45% higher risk of death.

Stress, drinking alcohol excessively, poor diet, and poor sleep hygiene were associated with around a 20-30% increase in the risk of death during the study period. In comparison, the lack of positive social relationships was associated with a 5% increased risk of death.

It’s never too late to adopt healthy habits
 

There are benefits to be had even if patients can’t adopt all eight healthy habits.

While the research suggests that adopting healthy habits at older ages likely results in smaller estimated gains in life expectancy, it’s still probably fruitful.

Our research findings suggest that adopting a healthy lifestyle is important for both public health and personal wellness. The earlier the better, but even if you make changes in your 40s or 60s, it still is beneficial as seen in our study findings!