OK, we all know there are changes we can make in our behavior that will increase our lifespans. My question is, which changes make the biggest difference? I believe that “stop smoking” is #1, and probably “maintain a reasonable weight” is #2, but what is next?
Just to add a little fun to our facts, note the financial impact of the change as well.
#1 Stop smoking (saves several hundred per year)
#2 Maintain a reasonable weight (probably a wash–eating less probably costs less, but you might be buying better quality food)
…
…
#? Drink 1-2 alcoholic drinks per day (may save money, or might cost money)
#? Exercise 1/2 hour 3 times per week (probably negligable cost)
#? Attend church every week (depends on what you put in the plate)
This may turn into a debate, in which case the mods could move it, but I’m hoping for some documented facts before that happens.
#3 eat a healthy diet, such as the Harvard DASH diet (a lot more expensive than McDonald’s)
#4 due to the depletion of our soil, take a multiple vitamin every day (negligible)
#5 Meditate to relieve stress
#6 Become involved in your community or volunteer; takes your mind off your problems and makes you happier and thus healthier
#7 Get enough sleep
#8 live around trees; their presence increases your lifespan
#9 Have pet or spouse (but not just any spouse).
I remember hearing in a health class that “they” discovered a correlation between calorie intake and life span – the fewer, the longer.
Looking for a cite, countless sites came up (heh) discussing experiments done on laboratory mice and other creatures. Sorry, but I’m too tired right now to fumble through all these pages looking for something on humans.
I remember seeing some guy on the discovery channel who had done research on mice etc and as a result was living on a reduced calorie diet. He swears he’ll live extra decades because of it (barring accidents)
Sort-of cite for the low-calorie life extension: years ago, the National Geographic looked for places where some % of the people lived past 100. They found them in the hinterlands of Russia, in Peru, a few other places. They commented in all these places people mostly didn’t have very much to eat, and correlated that with experiments on mice.
Not really well-controlled, but it made an interesting article.
I’m thinking weight should be #1 and smoking #2.
IANAD.
Any cite for this? I’ve heard it too, but a) dunno if it’s true and b) don’t know how much difference it makes.
C’mon, people, this is GQ. Let’s have some references, cites, sites and facts!
PS How does one quantify the difference? Is it average # of years longer that one will live? % difference in the chance one will have a particular problem (e.g. 20% less likely to have a heart attack)? Something else?
There was an article published last week (sorry, no cite) that said that the #1 predicter of life expectancy was the amount of sleep a person gets. Specifically, it mentioned that 40% of Americans get less than 6 hours of sleep a night - the amount said to be necessary to maintain a healthy body.
The article said that lack of sleep was more dangerous than smoking or overeating.
If that’s true, I’m screwed. I probably average 5 hours a night.
Sam, if you could find that article I’d sure love to read it. I don’t sleep much myself–too high-strung I guess. What did they suggest (if you can remember) for people who just wake up after 4 or 5 hours?
Here’s a questionaire. (I don’t know how good it is. The person that created the page didn’t like writing CGI that’s for sure, you have to do the arithmetic.)
http://www.dearpeggy.com/lpexpectancy.html
Another calculator (with CGI).
http://tools.apollolife.com/agetool/agetool.asp
Dont retire from your job.
About trees and lifespan, I did read once that it could add 10 years to one’s life but can’t find a cite. I know it has something to do with negative ions and how they affect your health and sense of well-being. Here is an article that explains it in general terms:
http://www.monumentalmassage.com/healthtips.php?articleid=34