The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know. Living a long and healthy life is something we all crave for; unfortunately we are only able to ward off the obvious enemies affecting our wellbeing. What about those killer-habits in disguise that we constantly indulge in everyday? Knowing this does not necessarily mean we have to eliminate those behaviors outrightly, it is a pointer to the fact that overdoing things could be detrimental to our wholesomeness. This article enlightens you on
everyday habits that potentially shorten your lifespan:
1. Sitting too much: You may be sitting comfortably reading this article now, after this, then another and so on until you have sat for stretched period of time. Did you know that British Medical Journal’s publication of an Australian researcher found out that sitting at a stretch of 3 hours per day could cut short your lifespan by 2 years? Even regular exercise cannot prevent the potential negative effects of sitting for long hours. The negative effects of sitting too much seem to overlap with the potential negative effects of watching TV for long hours. Time to stand up for a stroll, play, jog. Anything.
2. Horrible colleagues: People who unfortunately find themselves in a working environment where there is no tranquility have a high propensity of a shortened life span. Researchers at Tel Aviv University found out that people’s co-workers have a significant bearing on their wellbeing. Having welcoming and caring colleagues can help in lowering stress levels, reduction in blood pressure and faster detoxification of cholesterol. These negative effects are common in subjects between the ages of 38 and 43.
3. Eating junk food: I am sure this sounds threatening; we still fall into the ditch of eating junks. Perhaps you must have come by this saying: you are what you eat! According to research carried out by University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, people that daily rely on junk food die 7 years earlier than those that eat balanced diet.
4. Not sleeping moderately: having moderate sleep is highly essential in having good health. The more closed eyed you get, the healthier you are right? NO, it is a blunt lie. Harvard Medical School has researched that life expectancy decreases in subjects sleep less than 5 or more than 9 hours per night. Chronic cases of sleeplessness are associated with diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, memory problems, cancers weight gain and premature death. Therefore to function optimally you need average of 8 hours sleep per night.
5. Flying: Taking time-outs to holiday locations is unarguably a stress eradicating step. But on the other hand, travelling through the air could be categorically bad for your health. The Association of Flight Attendants has proven that people that have careers in the aviation industry are more at risk of dying from cancer. Robert Parish, a physicist studied that when you reach an average cruising altitude of 39000 feets in a plane, you are subject to 64 times more radiation than at sea level because of cosmic rays which could affect your wellbeing overtime.
6. Weak social connection: People with puckered brow are found to die at a much higher rate than their socially inclined counterparts. A research carried out by Bringham Young University and University of North Carolina found out that prolong loneliness could be as harmful to your lifespan as smocking 15 cigarettes a day. I am sure your heart bounced at that fact. Another study carried out by Sven Svebak at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology discovered that people with the high sense of humour were 35 percent more likely to live longer than their other counterparts who struggled to smile. It is time to kick off stress, immune problem and stagnant blood flow by maintaining a smiley face.
7. Not working: remaining unemployed can cut short a person’s life span by 63%. This finding was carried out by Canadian researcher who analyzed 40 years of data from 20 million people in 15 countries. Shell Health Services as well carried out a research discovering that people who retired at the age of 55 died earlier than those who retired at 65. By missing out in the usual daily activities, the body gradually gets weak such people are walking closer to their death. Don’t be idle, get something doing.
8. Eating junk food: According to research carried out by University of Washington Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, people that daily rely on junk food die 7 years earlier than those that eat balanced diet
9. Thanatophobia: When the abstract reality of death overshadows your thoughts, it potentially ends up causing a shortened lifespan. US National Library of Medicine found out that “life expectancy was perceived as shortened in patients with death anxiety”. This psychological problem is what makes cancer and HIV patients die earlier. Outside of this, an increase in fear of death increases the risk of cardiovascular ailments.
