A groundbreaking study published in the Lancet has revealed that tiny, achievable adjustments to daily routines can significantly boost longevity. Researchers tracking over 1.9 lakh people worldwide demonstrate that minor improvements in sleep, diet, and physical activity accumulate to add years to life.
Small Daily Tweaks Lead to Big Health Gains
The research shows that an extra five minutes of sleep each night, combined with two additional minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity like brisk walking or taking stairs, plus half a serving of vegetables daily, could grant an extra year of life for individuals with poor sleep, activity, and dietary patterns. These findings come from two studies conducted by University of Sydney researchers.
Dr Nicholas Koemel from the Mackenzie Wearables Hub at the Charles Perkins Centre led one study. His team found that combined tweaks to sleep, diet, and physical activity can effectively increase an individual's lifespan. Professor Melody Ding from the School of Public Health co-led another Lancet study, which discovered that small daily increases in physical activity directly impact early mortality rates.
Research Methodology and Key Findings
The Lancet study examined nearly 60,000 participants from the UK Biobank cohort, recruited between 2006 and 2010 and followed for an average of eight years. Researchers used wrist-worn accelerometers to measure sleep and physical activity over seven days. They assessed diet quality through a validated questionnaire, assigning a Diet Quality Score.
Results indicated that individuals who achieved seven to eight hours of sleep daily, over 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and maintained a healthy diet gained more than nine additional years of lifespan and years in good health. This comparison was made against those with the worst sleep, activity, and dietary habits.
Dr Koemel emphasized that lifestyle behaviors should be considered as a package rather than in isolation. He stated that while major overhauls are often recommended, they may not always be sustainable. Modest, combined changes offer meaningful health benefits and are more likely to be maintained over time.
Physical Activity and Mortality Risk Reduction
In a separate Lancet study, Professor Ding and her team analyzed data from more than 1,35,000 adults across cohorts in Norway, Sweden, the US, and the UK Biobank. Using device-measured physical activity and sedentary time, researchers estimated the proportion of deaths preventable through small daily increases in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity.
They found that for 80 percent of adults, walking an extra five minutes daily at a moderate pace reduces the chance of early death by 10 percent. Reducing sedentary time by 30 minutes per day resulted in a 7 percent mortality risk reduction. Researchers clarified that these findings highlight population-level benefits and should not replace personalized medical advice.
Expert Insights and Public Policy Implications
Dr K Srinath Reddy, honorary distinguished professor at the Public Health Foundation of India, commented that these studies provide additional evidence that adopting healthy living habits, even in moderation, adds years to life and life to years. He noted that small increases in daily physical activity can significantly lower the risk of all deaths, with the most inactive individuals gaining the most benefit.
Dr Reddy explained that combining healthy diet and good sleeping habits with moderate to vigorous physical activity prolongs both lifespan and health span, reducing risks of chronic cardio-metabolic diseases and dementia. He stressed that public policies across sectors must create environments conducive to making and maintaining healthy living choices throughout life.
The researchers also called for more studies using wearable activity trackers in low- and middle-income countries, where age, activity levels, and health risks may differ significantly from the studied populations.
