Even small changes to your sleep habits, physical activity, and diet can make a difference. longevity According to a new study, people with unhealthy habits.

Previous research has shown that exercise, sleep duration and quality, and diet are important. strongly associated with longevity. However, it is generally not known exactly how these factors affect aging. studied in isolation.

A new study assesses that a combination of minimal improvements in sleep, physical activity, and diet can lead to significant increases in sleep. lifespan And you’ll stay healthy for years.

A study published in the same journal found that getting just five more minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, such as walking briskly or climbing the stairs, and eating half a vegetable a day can add a year to your life even if you have the worst of these habits. eClinical Medicine.

Researchers evaluated data from approximately 60,000 people. UK Biobank This cohort was recruited between 2006 and 2010 and was followed for an average of 8 years.

They then used statistical models to estimate the participants’ longevity and years of good health across different behavioral variations.

Researchers have found that an optimal combination of behaviors such as seven to eight hours of sleep a day, at least 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day, and a healthy diet can extend lifespan by more than nine years.

“The combination of 24 minutes of sleep per day, 3.7 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and a 23-point increase in DQS resulted in an additional 4-year benefit,” the researchers said.

The DQS (diet quality score) was based on the intake of vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, fish, dairy products, oils, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

Researchers found that the combined effects of sleep, physical activity, and diet were greater than the sum of the individual actions.

For example, the study found that people with the least healthy sleep, physical activity, and eating habits needed five times as many additional 25 minutes of sleep per day as those with modest improvements in physical activity and diet.

“This study shows that small improvements in sleep, physical activity, and nutrition combined are associated with increases in both theoretical and healthy lifespan that are clinically meaningful and relevant to population health,” the researchers wrote.

However, they cautioned that additional research is needed to examine whether and how these findings can be translated into clinical practice.

“These findings inform future trials and public health interventions by highlighting practical approaches to improving population health that combine modest behavioral changes,” the researchers wrote.