If you want to enjoy a long, healthy life, avoiding smoking and obesity isn’t enough. Research shows that habits like maintaining a good diet, getting enough sleep, nurturing friendships, and even building financial security can significantly impact your longevity.
Eat Right — and Less
The connection between diet and health is no secret. Consuming unhealthy fats, added sugars, and excess salt, while neglecting fiber, increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and obesity—all of which shorten life expectancy.
A 2023 Norwegian study revealed that a healthy diet could extend life by up to ten years. Even beyond eating well, reducing caloric intake can help slow aging. This is linked to hormesis, where mild stress, like occasional hunger, strengthens the body.
Some researchers suggest intermittent fasting—a few days each month—to enhance cell resilience and potentially lengthen life.
Sleep Your Way to Longevity
Adequate sleep is one of the simplest ways to improve longevity.
Quality rest allows the body to repair cells, tissues, and muscles while regulating telomere length, which affects aging and the risk of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Although not directly fatal, conditions like dementia can lead to complications that shorten life.
Recommended sleep:
Children: 8–12 hours per night
Adults: 7–9 hours
Stay Active
Walking just 7,000–8,000 steps daily can significantly lower weight, blood pressure, and cardiovascular risks. Regular walking also strengthens bones, helping prevent osteoporosis later in life.
More intense exercise offers added benefits by boosting mitochondrial production—the powerhouses of cells. While mitochondria naturally decline with age, exercise encourages their renewal, keeping cells healthy and energized.
The Power of Friendships
Humans thrive on social connections, and strong friendships can add both meaning and years to life. Research shows that loneliness can be as harmful as smoking or obesity.
Social interactions help reduce stress, lower stroke risk, and delay cognitive decline by keeping the mind active. Friends also provide emotional and practical support, often noticing health issues early on.
Wealth and Longevity
While money can’t buy happiness, it does improve access to healthcare, especially in countries with privatized systems. Wealthier individuals often lead healthier lifestyles, eat better, and experience less stress, all contributing to longer lives.
A U.S. study found that men in the top 1% income bracket live 14.6 years longer, while women live 10.1 years longer, than those in the bottom 1%.
