How to live longer? Let’s be honest with ourselves. Longevity has been our most important concern since the beginning of history until today. At different ages, we have been looking for ways to live longer and happier, and no one can be found who wants to die early! Today, we have prepared for you the top 10 ways to live longer.
1. Manage your stress
The most common way to live longer is stress management! Especially for women who ask how to live longer as a woman, stress management is the most important method. Have you ever heard the saying that “every pain and suffering we have comes from stress?”. This sentence is largely correct.
Chronic stress increases cortisol levels in the body, which can lead to immune system disorders, cardiovascular diseases, anxiety, depression, and even accelerated aging. Also, research has shown that long-term stress can cause telomere shortening, which is linked to reduced lifespan.
The most important factor of stress in our time is the crisis of identity and meaning. The first step to live longer and happier is to find the meaning of your life. Experience has shown that “living with a purpose” has a very high effect on increasing people’s lifespan.
How to manage our stress to live longer
Stress management includes a combination of mental, physical, and behavioral methods that help reduce mental pressure and improve the ability to deal with challenges. Relaxation techniques such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga can calm the mind and increase focus. Regular physical activity, such as walking or exercising, helps reduce stress by releasing endorphins. Setting time, prioritizing tasks, and learning to say no are also effective factors in reducing work pressure.
2. Reduce smoking
To live longer, we all know that we should not smoke, but how much do we do? It is not surprising that scientists say that one out of three people will get cancer in their lifetime! This statistic becomes interesting when we look at the number of smokers in the world:
According to the reports of the World Health Organization, approximately 22.3% of the world’s population in 2020, i.e. something close to one billion and 800 million people, use tobacco products, including 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women.
The most important reason for reducing smoking and smoking for a longer and better life is the direct connection between smoking and the increase of cancer cells:
Carcinogens in cigarette smoke, such as nicotine, benzene, and aromatic polyamines, cause damage to the DNA of cells. This damage can cause genetic mutations that prevent DNA from repairing properly and initiate abnormal cell division. As a result, cells go out of control and become cancerous.
Also, smoking weakens the body’s immune system and reduces its ability to identify and destroy cancer cells. These effects are particularly seen in cancers related to the respiratory system, such as lung cancer, as well as bladder, larynx, and stomach cancers.
3. Exercise for God’s sake!
One of the problems we have today regarding longer life and longevity is that along with the development of longevity science and the understanding of longevity methods, humanity is becoming lazier than yesterday. The development of technology has made people more productive and is beneficial for the development of countries and human welfare, but at the same time, it has made us all lazier.
Scientists and health organizations such as the American Health Association and the Harvard School of Public Health recommend that adults engage in the following physical activities to maintain their health and longevity:
- Aerobic sports: at least 150 minutes per week of moderate activity (such as brisk walking or slow cycling) or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity (such as running or swimming). This time can be divided during the week.
- Strength training: at least two days a week doing activities that strengthen the main muscles of the body (such as weight lifting or resistance training).
- Increasing the amount of activity to about 300 minutes per week can have more health benefits and reduce the risk of early death to a greater extent.
4. Adjust your hours and sleep quality
One of the most important ways to live longer for men and women is to regulate the sleep cycle, the amount of sleep hours, the quality of sleep, and pay attention to the body’s biological clock.
What is the body’s biological clock?
The body’s biological clock is an internal time-regulating system that coordinates daily cycles such as sleep, wakefulness, digestion, and cell repair. This clock is set by the suprachiasmatic nuclei in the brain and by environmental signals such as light.
The regular functioning of the biological clock improves sleep, strengthens the immune system, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This regularity helps the body to better manage stress and optimize repair processes.
Ways to set and manage your sleep
Natural morning light, regular sleep, limiting blue light at night, and having a fixed meal plan are among the most important ways to synchronize the body’s biological clock. Reducing stress and regular exercise can also keep this clock stable
5. Try fasting for a longer life
Today, many scientists have realized the importance of fasting and its effect on a longer life. Fasting, by restarting the digestive, hormonal, and natural cycles of the body, does almost the same thing as the “reset factory” in mobile phones!
Every day, we consume all kinds of food and our body uses a large part of its energy to digest and break down these foods. These foods, with our usually unhealthy diets, become different toxins over time by remaining in different parts of our bodies. This is where fasting shows up and is introduced as one of the best ways to live longer.
What is the effect of fasting on the body?
During fasting, the body turns to fat stores by reducing glucose as an energy source and a process called ketosis begins, in which fats are converted into ketones and used as fuel. Also, cell regeneration mechanisms such as autophagy are activated, which helps to remove damaged cells and reduce inflammation.
6. Manage alcohol consumption
Like smoking, alcohol is one of the most important factors in preventing a long life! Chronic alcohol consumption can reduce life expectancy through organ damage and disruption of biological processes.
Alcohol directly damages the liver and causes diseases such as cirrhosis and liver cancer. Also, by weakening the immune system and increasing inflammation in the body, it increases the possibility of contracting infectious and chronic diseases.
Chronic alcohol consumption increases the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke, and impairs brain function, increasing the risk of dementia and depression. Alcohol also accelerates the aging process by increasing oxidative stress and DNA damage and increases the risk of premature death.
7. Fill your body with water
Balanced consumption of water plays an important role in improving body function and promoting longevity, as it helps maintain fluid balance, regulate body temperature, improve kidney function, and eliminate toxins. Adequate water also keeps joints supple, skin fresh and the digestive system healthy, all of which help reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Don’t forget:
However, drinking too much water can have the opposite effect. Hyponatremia (abnormally low sodium in the blood) caused by too much water can lead to cell swelling and serious disturbances in the body’s vital systems, including the cardiovascular and nervous systems. Therefore, to enjoy the benefits of water, its daily consumption should be adjusted according to the body’s needs, activity level, and environmental conditions.
8. Worry about your fats
You probably know that fat is a bad thing! But you don’t know how much it can reduce your life span!
Fats, especially saturated and trans fats, can pose several risks to human health. High consumption of these types of fats increases the level of bad cholesterol (LDL) and decreases good cholesterol (HDL), which leads to blockage of blood vessels and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Also, unhealthy fats are associated with weight gain and obesity, which is a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and joint disease. Accumulation of fat in the liver can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. To reduce these risks, the consumption of healthy fats such as omega-3 and unsaturated fats is recommended, and harmful food sources should be avoided.
9. Review your social connections
One of the most important ways to live longer is to fundamentally revise your social connections, circle of friends, colleagues, and all the people you interact with daily.
Friends, colleagues, and people around you can have a significant impact on a person’s lifespan. Studies have shown that strong social support and close relationships can reduce the risk of mortality by about 50 percent, while social isolation and feelings of loneliness can have the opposite effect. This effect is exerted by reducing stress, regulating the immune system, and improving mental health.
10. Watch out for the dangers of calories
The relationship between calorie intake and longevity is a topic of significant interest. Research on animals indicates that reducing calorie consumption by 10–50% may enhance maximum lifespan.
Similarly, studies of long-lived human populations suggest a connection between lower calorie intake, a longer life expectancy, and reduced risk of chronic diseases. Furthermore, calorie restriction can help decrease body weight and abdominal fat, both of which are linked to shorter lifespans.
However, maintaining long-term calorie restriction can be challenging and may lead to side effects such as persistent hunger, reduced body temperature, and a lower libido. While the potential of calorie restriction to slow aging or extend lifespan remains intriguing, its full impact is not yet completely understood.
How to reduce daily calories to live longer?
Here are five practical steps to help reduce daily calorie intake sustainably for those aiming to increase their longevity:
- Prioritize Nutrient-Dense Foods
Replace calorie-dense, low-nutrition foods with nutrient-rich options like vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. These foods provide essential vitamins and minerals while keeping you full with fewer calories. - Practice Portion Control
Use smaller plates, measure portions, and avoid eating directly from large packages to prevent overeating. Mindful eating can help you recognize when you’re full and avoid consuming extra calories. - Eliminate Empty Calories
Cut back on sugary drinks, snacks, and processed foods, which are high in calories but offer little nutritional value. Opt for water, herbal teas, or black coffee instead of sodas and sweetened beverages. - Adopt Intermittent Fasting or Meal Timing
Restrict eating to specific time windows or reduce the frequency of meals. Strategies like skipping late-night snacks or following an intermittent fasting plan can help naturally lower calorie intake. - Track Your Progress
Keep a food journal or use a calorie-tracking app to monitor your daily intake. Awareness of what you consume can help identify areas for improvement and reinforce healthy eating habits.
By reading and doing the above, you have a checklist for signs you will live a long life. How long you live depends entirely on how much you will live. You are the one who decides to live a short or long life!
