Most of us want to have a long, full and rich life – really, who doesn’t? It is the primary reason we are drawn to read this article right now. Unfortunately, there often are little mistakes we make daily that work against this desire to increase our life-span.
Some are habits you already know about and others you will discover in the following session:
Having a Hard Time Finding Love
Research has shown that being single for a long period of time reduces life expectancy up to 10 years. This implies that single men dont live as long as their married counterparts and never getting married could increase the risk of an early death by a whooping 32 percent.
Sitting Still For a Long Time
A study in the early 2015 shows that even a regular exercise cannot offset the negative effects pf sitting still for long stretches of time. Sitting still for more than 3 hours per say is associated with a two-year loss in life-span.
Furthermore, sitting for more than 11 hours daily increases the risk of death by 40 percent over the following 3 years. Hence, PLEASE DO NOT STAY GLUED TO YOUR DESK AT WORK, WITH YOUR TV OR EVEN YOUR VIDEO GAMES. Get up at intervals and stretch in order to keep your blood circulation in motion. Also, try as much as possible not to commute long distance for hours.
You Don’t Have Any Close Friends
Research shows that people with weak social ties are more likely yo die at a faster rate than those with a strong social ties. Prolonged loneliness could be as bad for your life-span as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
Bear in mind, the number of friends are unimportant. What is critical is that you share a deep connection with people who are special to you. However, let us establish that people with lots of acquaintances are not better than people with small circles of friends.
You Eat Too Much Unhealthy Food
I guess we all know this already. of course! – It is difficult to stay off the burgers and iced sodas. (No specific brand in mind) However, studies over the years have shown the harmful effect of eating too much sugar meat and processed food (obesity is the least).
Eating a diet high in healthy foods reduces life-span by upto 7 years.
You Don’t Have a Job
Ever wondered why pensioners seem to die off shortly after disengagement? Studies have confirmed that being unemployed can increase a person’s risk of premature death by 63 percent. The implication on Nigeria is quite sadden as unemployment rate hits 30 percent of the population. Our life expectancy according to last year survey (2017) stands at 54 years.
Th way forward would always be to start a business, find your purpose and start doing something productive with your life.
You Are Not Getting Enough Sex
An active sex life is necessary for a long life. Going without an orgasm for long periods of time can increase your risk of early death by 50 percent when compared to those who have more frequent orgasm.
However, it turns out that we need strong connection with people to enjoy a longer life. This is related to having a well-connected social circle and finding love as aforementioned in earlier tips.
Getting Too Much or Little Sleep
A recent study showed that the life-span suffered a significant decrease with (in) those who sleep an average of less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours per night. We each need different amount of sleep, but getting too much or too little is bad for your health. Learn from the story of the 42 years old CEO that slept an average of less than 4 hours per night and died suddenly of cardiac arrest.
As a take home, get some good quality, adequate but not excessive sleep.
Finally, I hope this affects your lifestyle positively as much as it did me – or perhaps even more so.