Small, everyday lifestyle changes such as sleeping a few minutes longer, moving slightly more, or improving diet modestly could significantly extend life expectancy, according to new international research published on Wednesday.
A study featured in The Lancet journal eClinicalMedicine found that adding just five extra minutes of sleep and two minutes of moderate physical activity, such as brisk walking or climbing stairs, could add up to one year to a person’s life.
The research tracked nearly 60,000 people over eight years and focused on the combined impact of sleep, physical activity and diet.
The findings showed that people with the poorest health habits stood to gain the most.
For them, even small changes, including half a serving more of vegetables each day, translated into meaningful longevity benefits.
Researchers found that seven to eight hours of sleep per night, over 40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, and a balanced diet delivered the best health outcomes.
Together, these habits added more than nine extra years to life, with much of that time spent in good health.
The researchers emphasised that improving multiple habits at once produced a stronger effect than focusing on a single behaviour.
They explained that gaining one extra year of life through sleep alone would require about 25 additional minutes per day if diet and physical activity remained unchanged.
In contrast, modest improvements across all three areas achieved the same result more efficiently.
Small Increases in Movement Reduce Mortality
In a separate study published in The Lancet, researchers from Norway, Spain and Australia highlighted the life-saving potential of small increases in daily movement.
The analysis showed that adding just five minutes of walking each day could reduce the risk of death by around 10 per cent for most adults.
Among the least active individuals, the risk reduction stood at approximately 6 per cent.
The study, which analysed data from over 1,35,000 adults, also found that cutting sedentary time by 30 minutes per day lowered overall mortality by an estimated 7 per cent for the general population. Even among highly sedentary individuals, the reduction could prevent around 3 per cent of deaths.
Professor Ulf Ekelund of the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences said the findings underscored the powerful public health impact of small, achievable changes.
Researchers cautioned that the results should guide population-level strategies rather than individual medical advice.
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