LIVING
HEALTHY
IN THE NEW YEAR
Researchers at the Yale School
of Public Health found that
people who read books for as
little as 30 minutes a day over
several years lived an average
of two years longer than people
who did not read at all.
HEALTHY RESOLUTIONS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
Many people see the dawn of a
new year as the perfect time to
implement changes that they
hope will have positive impacts on
their lives in the year ahead. New
Year’s resolutions have a way of falling
by the wayside as the year progresses,
but sticking with the following healthy
resolutions can have lasting impacts
on the lives of men and women:
READ MORE
Many adults wish they had more
time to read, but busy schedules fi lled
with commitments to work and family
can make it hard to pick up a book
every day. But perhaps more men and
women would fi nd time to read if they
knew doing so could add years to their
lives.
In an analysis of 12 years of data from
the University of Michigan’s Health
and Retirement Study, researchers at
the Yale School of Public Health found
that people who read books for as little
as 30 minutes a day over several years
lived an average of two years longer
than people who did not read at all.
SLEEP MORE
More time to sleep might seem like
an unattainable goal for many men and
women. But the National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute notes that ongoing
sleep defi ciency can increase a person’s
risk for chronic health problems,
including heart disease, kidney
disease, high blood pressure, diabetes,
and stroke. The American Academy
of Sleep Medicine recommends adults
age 18 and older get between seven and
eight hours of sleep per night.
TURN OFF YOUR DEVICES
As recently as 15 years ago,
many adults made it through their
days without smartphones, tablets,
e-readers, and other devices that are so
prevalent today. While it might seem
impossible to live without such devices
in the 21st century, turning them off
can have profound impacts on people’s
quality of life.
A 2013 survey of more than 1,000
people conducted by the resilience
platform meQuilibrium found that 73
percent of respondents felt their devices
contributed to stress in their lives. The
American Psychological Association
notes that stress can negatively affect
the musculoskeletal system, the
respiratory system and the nervous
system and potentially increase a
person’s risk for heart disease and
gastrointestinal problems.
WORK LESS
Working fewer hours may help
many professionals cut back on their
stress, as the American Psychological
Association notes that 65 percent of
Americans cited work as their primary
source of stress. But working fewer
hours may also make men and women
more productive.
A recent experiment funded by the
Swedish government compared nurses
at a retirement home who worked
six-hour days on eight-hour salaries
to a control group that worked the
more traditional eight-hour workday.
Nurses in the experimental group
reported having more energy in their
spare time and at work, which allowed
them to do 64 percent more activities
with facility residents. Nurses in the
experimental group also took half as
much sick time as those in the control
group. As a result, the study’s authors
ultimately concluded that productivity
can increase with fewer hours worked.
Committing to healthy New Year’s
resolutions can have profound and
unexpected consequences that can
greatly improve one’s quality of life.
TIMESLEDGER,16 JAN. 11-17, 2019 TIMESLEDGER.COM
/TIMESLEDGER.COM
