Human life is gradually becoming longer. Kakih-nibud two hundred years ago the life of the average person was short and was pretty bleak. The average life expectancy did not exceed 37 years.
If to speak about our time, standards of modern life is very high, especially in developed countries. In many of them the average duration of life inspires much more optimism, accounting for about 79 years.
Also it is estimated that about half a million people on our planet was a hundred years or even more. Scientists still have not come to a consensus about those factors that affect the increase in the duration of human life, although I believe it will continue to increase.
Some researchers are even more optimistic, suggesting that the existence of the upper limit of life expectancy is not necessarily a law of nature. That is, we can live indefinitely.
However, it is unlikely that the immortality of man is something attainable and real. But it is really to increase the duration of your life, if you follow the following ten practical tips.
How to live longer
Red hot pepper
For anyone not a big secret that there is a connection between nutrition and life expectancy. Unfortunately, often can be seen such tendency that the healthier a food is, the less it attracts their taste.
However, there is one very bright exception to this rule – red hot pepper. This product is definitely not be called boring, considering all its variations – from the prosaic jalapenos to melt the brain of the sharpest in the world of peppers under the name “Carolina Reaper.”
And although red hot peppers love is not all, for those who like the “make the juice” in his life, there’s good news. In China conducted a large-scale study, which involved nearly half a million people.
The results showed that people who ate spicy food six or even seven times a week reduced the total risk of sudden death by 14 percent. The same conclusion was drawn by researchers in similar studies (except that no such large-scale) conducted in the United States.
Despite this, you will not find red pepper in the list of so-called Superfoods, containing a maximum of vitamins and useful nutrients. Perhaps this is due to the presence of hot pepper alkaloid such as capsaicin.
The sharper red hot pepper, the higher the concentration of capsaicin. And if we are talking about the spicy peppers, should take extra care, as their use can cause not only palpitations and vomiting, but in some cases lead to death.
Intermittent fasting
The correct diet is an important component of a long life, but not least, how often we eat. The results of one recent study conducted by experts of Harvard University, argue that short-term fasting can suspend the aging process.
When our body senses a shortage of food, it will enter the so-called survival mode. The body becomes not so important in this period, the functioning of his liver, kidneys and other systems, so he spends the bulk of their energies and resources to service the digestive system.
The theory is that when the hunger strike ends, our body begins to restore itself. In the process of this recovery is the process of replacing old cells with new, more viable version.
There is even evidence that fasting combined with chemotherapy helps destroy cancer cells in experimental mice. However, more research is needed to explore the effectiveness of such treatment in humans.
Although many researches discover new benefits of short-term starvation, it is useful not for all (and for some people at all dangerous). Therefore it is efficiency is a less extreme variant, is associated with diets that reduce calories to the daily minimum.
Infusion of young blood
Advances in modern medicine have played an important role in enabling people to live longer than before. Unfortunately, these achievements often comes through numerous experiments on different animals.
One of the most eerie examples of such experiments is the so-called parabiosis – a phenomenon achieved by the anatomic merging of the two animals in such a way that they form a single circulatory system.
Thus researchers found out that the blood of a healthy young mouse has a marvelous rejuvenating effect on older individuals. This improves the functionality of the brain, is a more rapid recovery of tissues and organs throughout the body begin to work more efficiently.
By parabiosis was able to correct many of the consequences of the damaging effects of age in mice. Some scientists believe that blood transfusion (cruiseman) may lead to similar results in humans.
This theory raises a great controversy in the scientific community, as science has no final convincing arguments supporting its effectiveness for longer life. However, there are many types of treatment based on the transfusion of blood, which are quite successful.
In 2017, the year of the company from California, USA, under the name “Ambrosia” offered people the possibility of an infusion of young blood. This procedure was proposed to carry out for a fee of 8 thousand American dollars.
It took not much time, so it is too early to say how effective was the operation in prolonging life. Maybe the effect of it and all will be reduced to zero… In any case, this is one of those procedures from the list that you are unlikely to exercise independently at home.
How to extend the life
Proper sleep duration
The average person spends about a third of his life in sleep. The final answer to the question, why is it necessary to our body still remains a mystery to researchers.
Of course, despite the fact that the mechanisms of sleep are not well understood and studied, we do know that sleep is extremely important for maintaining our mental and physical health.
Quite amazing is the fact that all need about the same amount of sleep; it was found that too much sleep can bring much more harm than ordinary lack of sleep.
Children and teenagers need more sleep time; seniors missing less duration; and for others, the most appropriate seems to be the average sleep duration of seven hours every night.
As a rule, everyone who manages to constantly stick to this figure, marks of extraordinary favour of such graphics for their health. Professor Matthew Walker from the University of California, the United States, went even further, saying that sleep is important for maintaining good health than proper diet and sports activity.
Some data is definitely amazing. The researchers found that the risk of death among people who sleep six hours or less, 12 percent above. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that this risk increases for those who sleep nine hours or more.
Brushing your teeth flossing and brushing
Dentists highly recommend their patients to spend at least two minutes brushing our teeth in the morning and in the evening. Agree, this procedure requires not much time from our lives, however, it is believed that about a third of people even in civilized countries do not follow this rule.
Even more deplorable statistics is revealed when it comes to brushing your teeth with dental floss. According to various reports, in the developed countries every day not more than 16 percent of the people.
As you know, those people who do zealously maintain the health of their teeth and mouth in excellent condition, rarely confronted with the phenomenon of caries, periodontitis and so on.
However, this is not the only health benefits – there are even more amazing profits. Studies show that there is a connection between brushing your teeth (as brush. and flossing) and reduced risk of age-related dementia, lung disease and certain heart diseases.
May cause some surprise is the fact that dental hygiene can have such a strong influence on health in General; however, the reasons for which this is indeed true, quite serious and quite logical.
When around our teeth plaque, this area becomes the perfect breeding ground for millions of bacteria. And if these bacteria can enter our bloodstream, they are able to seriously undermine our health.
To live where the above
With the average lifespan not exceeding 53 years, the people of the Central African Republic, Chad demonstrates one of the worst statistics on life expectancy in the world.
And there is nothing surprising in the fact that brought to the extreme poverty of the people, there is a significant gap in the life expectancy compared to the much more affluent developed countries of the West.
However, the real surprise is the fact that among the citizens of various developed countries also there is a fairly noticeable difference in lifespan. And it is at about the same high standard of living and income.
Comprehensive a thorough investigation of this issue, which took more than three decades, was conducted in all U.S. States. The results were very curious and contradictory.
For example, the average life expectancy of residents of the state of South Dakota is 66.8 years. The biggest life expectancy was identified among residents of the state of Colorado in some regions of the state, she exceeded the life expectancy of Dakota for nearly twenty years!
And although Colorado is a relatively rich state, which certainly plays a role, but it is not the most prosperous state in the country. It turns out that life expectancy is affected by a number of other factors.
As you know, Colorado is the highest state in the US located at high altitude of 2073 meters above sea level. It took a few studies that were able to convince scientists that the highlands are the most “healthy” for living.
A low content of oxygen, is believed to prevent the development of certain types of cancer; also, this factor has a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, which significantly reduces the risk of heart disease and blood vessels.
There is no doubt that there are reasonable limits to this pattern; that is stay at extreme altitudes is almost impossible, and a long stay there leads to the symptoms of altitude sickness, which includes nausea, dizziness. This can sometimes lead to death.
How to slow down aging
Learning a second language
The human brain is probably one of the most complex structures in the universe – at least as far as now known to science. It is sometimes said that if our brains were more simple, we just didn’t have enough sense to realize how difficult it is.
Science it is also known that the peak of its efficiency, the brain reaches about 22-crazy year, and after that, this efficiency is gradually reduced. Most people with aging also occur irreversible physical changes in the brain.
Fortunately, there are several ways that allow you to delay reduction functionality. The process of learning a new language is one of the most effective ways, which can significantly slow down aging of the brain.
Numerous studies show that people who know two languages showed a significant greater resistance to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than those who know only one language and say all my life.
Although the benefits of knowing two or more languages is more obvious for those who studied them since early childhood, if you will start learning an additional language in adulthood or even old age, it’s also able to suspend the ageing brain.
Regular consumption of coffee
Coffee is one of the most popular drinks on the planet. The value of the world coffee market is in the order of several trillion dollars per year (in second place after the circulation of oil). Hundreds of billions of cups of coffee people drink on the planet for one year.
And it’s good as there are quite clear evidence that regular consumption of coffee can increase the duration of our lives. In particular, this is indicated by the results of a study conducted by the International Agency for research on cancer.
According to the Agency, people who drink coffee on a regular basis, show greater resistance to heart disease and also less likely to suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Although the controversy on this subject quite a lot, it is believed, however, that three cups of coffee a day is the optimal amount of water that is able to increase the duration of your life by daily adding to it for about nine minutes.
In fact, the true mechanism of how drinking coffee is beneficial to our health, is not fully understood. However, it is known that the answer to this question is not exactly is to caffeine.
The results of the studies show that much of a difference in the impact on our health, if we drink decaf coffee, natural instant coffee or not. In any case, this is good news for all coffee lovers, who for many years has frightened potential health issues for this drink.
To support social activity
Any study of the topic of life expectancy of people associated with various difficulties. Human beings are pretty complicated life. And for the duration of this life affects a huge number of different factors.
In addition to the lifestyle of each individual, there are numerous genetic factors. It is sometimes very hard to identify what exactly is the cause and what the consequence.
However, it should be said that there is one highly variable factor that repeatedly has proved its importance as one of the most important factors affecting the duration of human life.
As we know, man is a social being. There is overwhelming evidence that people who regularly are in close contact with your family and friends, much more likely to live longer than singles.
In General, it is a fact that social interaction is extremely important for mental health. For example, a single prison sentence brings so palpable harm to the person that some experts require its prohibition by classifying not only as torture.
An active social life brings real physical benefits, regulating blood pressure, strengthening the immune system. The effect of this can be so strong that, according to the study in 2008, his benefit comparable to the benefit received by the body of the smoker, to abandon this habit.
To have a pet
The famous French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre once said that hell is other people. For those who agree with this statement of Sartre, but is acutely aware of the benefits of social interaction for a lifetime, there is a great alternative.
The results of numerous studies suggests that pet owners live longer, healthier lives compared to other people.
In fairness it should be noted that this is not such a surprising fact. It is known that responsible dog owners that make them regular walks, get from this the same benefits as those who exercise regularly.
However, not everything can be explained with additional physical activity, since not only the dog lovers reap positive results for health and life from interactions with their Pets.
For example, owners of cats are also less likely to suffer from problems related to the violation of blood pressure. According to the research of experts of Institute of stroke in Minnesota, USA, and such people are three times less likely to happen heart attacks.
And even those animals which can not be called cute and fluffy (turtles, lizards), also have health benefits for their owners. There is evidence that even the usual sight of a floating fish in an aquarium can lower blood pressure and regulate heart rhythm.