A recent study suggests that small adjustments in lifestyle, such as improving sleep, diet, and exercise, can significantly enhance longevity. Conducted by experts from the University of Sydney, the research analyzed data from over 50,000 participants in the UK Biobank study, monitoring their health over an eight-year span.

The findings indicate that a “combined dose” approach—adding just five minutes of sleep daily, engaging in two extra minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity, and consuming an additional half portion of vegetables—could potentially extend the lifespan by one year for individuals with the poorest sleep, least physical activity, and unhealthiest diets.

Throughout the study, there were 2,400 recorded deaths, alongside nearly 10,000 cases of heart disease, 3,000 type 2 diabetes diagnoses, 7,600 cancer cases, 1,500 instances of lung disease, and 500 dementia cases.

Participants who maintained optimal sleep patterns, exercised regularly, and adhered to healthy diets lived an average of 9.35 years longer compared to those with poor sleep, low activity levels, and unhealthy eating habits.

Additionally, these individuals enjoyed a larger portion of their lives in good health, according to the research findings.

The study underscores that the combined impact of sleep, exercise, and diet is more powerful than the effects of each behavior on its own.

For example, for people with the unhealthiest sleep, physical activity and dietary habits to achieve one additional year of lifespan through sleep alone would require five times the amount of additional sleep per day (25 minutes) than if physical activity and diet also improved a small amount.

Moderate to vigorous physical activities include brisk walking or taking the stairs rather than using a lift.

Research lead Dr Nicholas Koemel, from the University of Sydney, said: “Sleep, physical activity and nutrition are all factors known to be linked to healthier lives, but they are usually studied in isolation.

“By investigating these factors in combination, we can see that even small tweaks have a significant cumulative impact over the long-term.”

The findings were published in eClinicalMedicine.