Want to increase your lifespan? Science says do these eight things

Everybody wants to add a little extra time to their lives and it's never been easier to do the things necessary to make sure that is possible. Scientists have even outlined eight key things you should do that can actually add years to your life.

In October 2023, researchers revealed the eight essential health measures that can slow down human aging and outlined what you need to be doing to combat that process. How is that possible? Let's find out. 

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It turns out that the general advice about staying healthy is mostly true since several of the eight key health measures outlined by research are pieces of advice you’d typically hear from your friends and family. 

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However, that advice is now backed by science from the American Heart Association, which presented its health findings at the Scientific Sessions 2023 conference in Philadelphia. 

The research isn’t all that new at all, an earlier study about the subject was published back in 2022 in the scientific journal Circulation about what the study's authors termed Life’s Essential 8. 

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Life’s Essential 8 was an update to the American Heart Association’s seven key pieces of advice on maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system that was proposed in 2010. 

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Preliminary results from a new study of 6500 adults discovered what an American Heart Association press release called a “clear link” between cardiovascular health and aging. 

Individuals with higher cardiovascular health were found to be biologically younger by as much as six years and most people got there by adhering to Life’s Essential 8. 

Donald Lloyd-Jones is the current chair of the writing group managing Life’s Essential 8 and explained that the findings reveal how "following healthy lifestyle habits can help us live longer.” 

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“Everyone wants to live longer, yet more importantly, we want to live healthier longer so we can really enjoy and have a good quality of life,” Lloyd-Jones said. So what are Life’s Essential 8?

This one is a no-brainer and anyone who wants to live a longer life while also enjoying a better quality of life knows that eating the right diet can make a huge difference.

Again, this is a common piece of advice but the American Heart Association specifically recommends 2½ hours of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity a week. 

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Following healthy behaviors is key to what will happen to your cardiovascular system and quitting tobacco is very important if you wish to live a longer and healthier life. 

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It’s simple advice but it’s extremely effective. The Life’s Essential 8 guide recommends that you get 7-9 hours of sleep each night and the number can vary based on your age. 

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Ensuring you’re the appropriate size for your body is an important factor in maintaining your heart. This is where the snowballing effect of the first two pieces of advice will help out!

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This factor is tougher to manage but the key piece of advice here is not to reduce your total level of cholesterol, but rather to lower your bad levels. Good cholesterol is very helpful. 

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This is a fairly simple piece of advice. Stop eating so much sugar and focus again on a healthy diet that reduces the amount of bad food you eat. You should also regularly monitor your A1c levels according to the American Heart Association. 

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Keeping your blood pressure within the normal levels of 120/80 is an important factor for your health and the last addition to the key health measures you need to monitor if you want to live a longer life. It’s also one of 7 other pieces of advice that are fairly common! 

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