No one lives forever – Father Time will come for all of us someday. But is it possible to live longer than you otherwise would? Is it possible to extend our lives past the point of when the statistics say we should pass on? Yes, it is possible!
So, what’s the secret to living a longer life?
While there is no singular, magic answer to this question, doctors and scientists agree that living a healthy lifestyle – one that incorporates specific healthy habits – gives us the best shot at longevity.
There are no guarantees, of course. Even the healthiest, fittest and safest people sometimes have misfortune fall on them – a catastrophic injury or the diagnosis of a life-threatening illness.
With those caveats out of the way, it’s important to recognize that our lifestyle choices have a lot to do with the length of life – not to mention our quality of life. What we put in our bodies, what we avoid, how much physical activity we get, how well we hydrate and sleep – all these things can be tied directly to longevity.
What is for certain is that seemingly magical treatments – hyperbaric chambers, pills, etc. may sound interesting – but there is really no evidence that any of these things promote longevity. Instead, it’s best to focus on the basics if you want to live your longest and healthiest life possible.
Good News: We Are Living Longer
According to 2023 data, the average life expectancy in the United States at birth is 78.4 years. Women typically live longer: female life expectancy is 81.1 years, while men average 75.8 years. While life expectancy data does fluctuate a bit, the overall trendline shows people today are living longer than our ancestors: one hundred years ago, the average life expectancy was just 59 years.
Why are Americans living so much longer today? There are many factors that have contributed to us living healthier, safer and ultimately longer lives:
Access to health care
While too many people today still can’t see a doctor on a regular basis, it’s a lot better than it used to be. More doctors and other health care providers, combined with more people having health insurance, means more access. Medicare provides health and hospital coverage for all senior citizens. Before Medicare, a lot of older Americans could not afford to go to a doctor.
Better health care
Advances in medicine – both in terms of early detection and diagnosis, as well as effective treatments – mean many diseases that were once a likely death sentence can now be overcome. Many types of cancer and heart disease are good examples.
Vaccines
Vaccines have saved countless lives. A century ago, lives were being cut short by diseases like polio and diphtheria. As long as we keep up with widespread vaccinations, death from these diseases is mostly a thing of the past.
Workplace safety
People used to do very dangerous jobs with little protection. Building a railroad or working in a coal mine were extremely dangerous jobs that shortened many lives. People still do dangerous work in many professions today – but improved workplace safety standards have helped keep people safer.
Automobile safety
Auto safety has improved dramatically over the last few decades. Seatbelts, airbags and other safety improvements have made traveling by car or truck much safer.
Better Living
Extreme heat and cold are major health threats to human life. Technological advances like air conditioning and central heating have helped people live healthier and safer lives. Better building construction – with safety in mind – has significantly lessened the risk of fire and other calamities.
The Role of Genetics in Longevity
Some aspects of longevity are simply beyond our control. Genetics is one of those; the genes we inherit from our parents play an important role in our medical future. Doctors know certain conditions are more likely to manifest in a patient if a family member has had it: many types of cancer and some forms of heart disease fall into this category.
While we can’t control or alter our genetic makeup, we can be aware of our family’s medical history and discuss it with our doctors. That information may lead to specific health care recommendations that may well help promote longevity.
For example, a woman whose mother was diagnosed with breast cancer is herself at greater risk for getting the same cancer. That knowledge may lead her doctor to recommend regular breast cancer screenings starting at a younger age. If cancer is detected, it will be caught earlier, giving the patient a better opportunity to have it treated successfully and make a full recovery. Those actions may well extend her life – that’s why knowledge of your family history ties into longevity.
The Keys to Longevity
Doctors generally agree that there are several key lifestyle choices that will help you live a longer and healthier life.
Eat Right
“What we put into our bodies has a lot to do with how long they remain strong and healthy,” says Dr. Elisabeth Anne Wagner, an obstetrician and gynecologist in Fort Worth. “Diets that include plenty of vegetables, fruits and whole grains have been linked to better health – plant-based food is high in beneficial vitamins and antioxidants that help protect our cells. Conversely, diets high in sodium, sugar, saturated fats and processed foods are associated with higher risk of elevated cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.”
This doesn’t mean you have to become a vegetarian or vegan to live a long life. It doesn’t mean you can’t ever eat a cheeseburger or have some ice cream. But it does mean that those kinds of foods should be more of an exception than the rule. Emphasizing fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and lean chicken or fish will pay health dividends.
Physical Activity
Physical activity is a key contributor to longevity. Exercise is an important form of physical activity, but we get physical activity in many ways: walking around the grocery store, cleaning the house or working in the yard. Moving – as opposed to sitting around – is the fundamental objective.
If you work in a job where you are moving around all day, doing hard physical work, you may not need as much dedicated exercise time. But for those of us who tend to be sedentary in our day jobs, working behind a desk, intentional exercise is crucially important.
Many people are motivated to exercise to lose weight. That’s a good reason! But losing weight – and keeping weight off – are not the only reasons to exercise. In addition to weight loss, physical activity helps aid longevity. Exercise promotes good health and can help prevent or delay the onset of numerous health challenges, including:
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Hypertension
- Type 2 diabetes
- Arthritis
- Falls
- Depression
- Anxiety
How Much Exercise Should You Get?
For aerobic activity, the weekly guidelines for adults are:
- Between 150 and 300 minutes (2 hours, 30 minutes to 5 hours) of moderate aerobic physical activity OR
- 75 to 150 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes to 2 hours, 30 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity OR
- An equivalent combination of the two.
Moderate-intensity aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart rate up, like going for a brisk walk. Vigorous exercise, like running, will get your heart rate way up.
In addition, adults should make time for strength exercise by doing moderate to high-intensity exercises that involve all major muscle groups, twice a week.
Sleep!
Don’t you feel better after a good night’s sleep? It’s not your imagination – your body is much better off after getting the rest it needs.
In addition to affecting how we feel, extended periods of inadequate sleep can contribute to chronic disease and underlying health conditions.
Here’s how sleep improves our health: when we sleep, our brains prepare themselves for the workload the following day. Sufficient sleep promotes learning, creativity, concentration and problem-solving; lack of sleep hinders those things. Chronic insufficient sleep can adversely affect the brain and contribute to depression, risk-taking behavior and even suicide.
As we sleep, not only does our brain benefit, but the rest of our body does also. Sleep helps the heart and blood vessels repair themselves. It fortifies the immune system, helping us fight off germs that cause illness.
Additionally, sleep promotes balance in the hormones that affect our appetite. Inadequate sleep can lead to a person feeling hungry, even when the body does not need more food. Sleep also helps regulate insulin levels, essential to keeping our blood sugar and diabetes risk in check.
Consistently getting enough sleep – 7-9 hours for most of us – is one of the best things you can do to promote longevity.
Don’t Smoke and Limit Alcohol
Smoking and vaping are among the worst things you can do to your body. Smoking is a leading cause of a shortened lifespan and has been proven to cause many types of cancers, respiratory disease and heart disease.
If you smoke, it is time to quit! The good news is that you don’t have to do it on your own. Your doctor can help you with a plan to quit for good.
For people who drink alcohol, it is important to only drink in moderation: that’s defined as one drink per day for women, two maximum for men. Too much alcohol consumption increases the risk of heart disease, cancer and causes weight gain. Repeated excessive alcohol use can affect the brain. Plus, becoming intoxicated increases risk of injury and dangerous behaviors.
Manage your Stress
We all experience stress, so it’s not realistic to say you’ll eliminate stress from your life. The key is to manage it effectively so that it does not threaten your physical or mental health.
“Most stress is routine, such as you might experience when trying to meet a work deadline,” explains Dr. Jeffrey D. Moore, an internal medicine physician in Stephenville. “Stress becomes a problem when it is chronic.”
When people feel continuously stressed out, their mental and physical health may be damaged. Chronic stress can contribute to depression and anxiety. It can take a physical toll on the body, leading to digestive problems, high blood pressure and lack of sleep. Excessive stress can also lead to unhealthy behaviors, such as neglecting exercise, overeating and drinking too much alcohol. All these things can shorten your life.
Get Social
Humans are meant to be social creatures. We need human interaction and the stimulation that comes with conversation. Having a circle of family and friends who you can talk with and visit on a regular basis is important for our health and longevity.
This is especially important for senior citizens who may not get out of their homes much – it’s important that they have people who call them and spend time with them.
If the need for regular human interaction was not evident before, it became crystal clear during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-21. When people, especially seniors, were forced to isolate in their homes for long periods of time with little to no contact with the outside world, it created a real strain on folks.
In fact, loneliness and social isolation have been identified as serious public health threats. Researchers have found that extended periods of isolation are linked to increased stress levels and may even cause changes in the structure of the brain.
“Having a network of family and friends that you can engage with on a regular basis is a basic human need,” explains Dr. Moore. “And if you have an elderly relative or neighbor who doesn’t get much interaction with others, checking in on them and spending time with them may be a wonderful gift for their continued good health.”
Live Well, Live Longer
While there is no magical elixir or special pill we can take to extend our lives, we can boost our odds of growing old in a healthy and rewarding way. By taking care of our bodies and minds, being mindful of what we put in them and getting plenty of physical activity and human interaction, we can put ourselves in a good position to live a long life.
Interested in what you can do to extend your life? Make an appointment to talk with your doctor today – he or she can help you take steps to improve your health and give you a better shot at living longer.
This article has been reviewed and approved by a panel of Privia Medical Group North Texas physicians.
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