Three Simple Lifestyle Changes Could Add Nearly a Decade to Your Life, Research Shows

A few small changes to your daily routine could add years to your life.

Combined changes in sleep, exercise and diet can significantly extend life expectancy and years of good health, according to a new study published in The Lancet.

Researchers from the University of Sydney analyzed data from 59,078 adults in the UK Biobank. Their sleep patterns and physical activity were measured using wearable devices and their diet was assessed using a questionnaire.

SLEEP PATTERNS COULD PREDICT RISK OF DEMENTIA, CANCER AND STROKE, STUDY SUGGESTS

The analysis estimated how changes in these behaviors affected life expectancy and health (years lived without major chronic diseases compared to those with less healthy patterns).

When combined, the following changes in sleep, movement, and diet correlated with about an extra year of life.

1. Five extra minutes of sleep a day.
2. Two additional minutes of moderate physical activity per day, added to a general exercise or movement regimen.
3. Slight improvement in diet quality or a five-point increase in diet quality score

This dietary improvement could include an additional half-serving of vegetables or 1.5 servings of whole grains per day, the researchers noted.

SLEEP LOSS MAY TAKE A HIDDEN PASS IN THE BRAIN AND LONGEVITY, RESEARCH REVEALS

A combined improvement of 24 additional minutes of sleep per day, 3.7 additional minutes of exercise, and a 23-point increase in diet quality was associated with four additional years of life.

Based on the findings, adjusting all three behaviors at the same time was shown to have the greatest benefit, contributing to an approximately nine-year increase in life expectancy.

“Our findings suggest that very small, probably achievable, combined changes in SPAN behaviors may offer a powerful and feasible public health opportunity to improve life expectancy for at least one year, while slightly larger behavioral changes may be necessary to avoid chronic diseases altogether for several years,” the researchers concluded.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES

They cautioned that additional studies are needed before integrating these findings into public health practice.

A similar study, published in The Lancet on the same day, also found that making small changes in movement helps reduce the risk of mortality.

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER

The research found that engaging in an extra five minutes per day of moderate physical activity, such as walking, was associated with a 10 percent reduction in death in adults who normally average about 17 minutes of daily activity. The risk reduction was 6% in less active adults.

The study, which included 135,000 adults in Sweden, the US and the UK, also found that reducing sedentary time by 30 minutes per day contributed to a 7% reduction in death in adults who spent 10 hours sedentary per day.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE News APP

Those who spend about 12 hours sedentary could experience a 3% decrease in the risk of death when that time was reduced by 30 minutes.

The greatest benefit was demonstrated when the least active 20% of the study population increased physical activity by five minutes a day, the study found.

Overall, the study found that adding 10 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day was associated with a 15% reduction in all deaths among most adults, while a one-hour reduction in sedentary time was associated with a 13% reduction in the death rate.

TRY OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ

This study also had some limitations, the researchers acknowledged. Because it was an observational design, it could only show associations and did not demonstrate that increasing activity or reducing sedentary time directly caused lower mortality. It was also based in part on self-reported data and other external factors could have influenced the results.