Baby Boomers U. S. (The Blog)

8 Surprising Things That Make You Live Longer

Posted: 23 Dec 2012 03:43 AM PST

This is a Guest Post by Lauren Hooper. If you would like to Guest Post for Baby Boomers US, check out our Guest Post for Us page.

Are you taking the right measures to make sure your living a long and healthy life? If you think all you need to do is drink healthy beverages, exercise regularly and take your vitamins, think again! Here are some surprising things that actually make you live longer:

Floss Twice a Day

Regularly flossing your teeth (yes, you should floss twice a day) will reduce your risk of heart disease, according to the Department of Periodontics at Case Western Reserve Univeristy. Flossing your teeth aids in the prevention of gum disease, another biggie to avoid. Gum disease can lead to infections and inflammations in your mouth that allow bad bacteria to fester and make their way into your bloodstream. Flossing only takes a few minutes from your day so think of it this way: A few minutes of flossing a day will keep the doctor away (and prevent you from dying).

Drink Pu-Erh Tea

The benefits of tea have been known since ancient times, where it has been harvested and drank all around the world. The Japanese have been using tea for centuries during their tea ceremonies. Golden Moon Pu-Erh tea is a specific type of tea harvested from the Camellia sinensis tree but the leaves of this tea are broad, leaving you with a higher oxidation level. Not only does tea help reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, it also prevents cancers, helps lower your cholesterol and aids in weight loss.

Eat More Chocolate

Dark chocolate is full of antioxidants, which help slow down the aging process, thus prolonging your life. Researchers have found there are so many benefits to eating chocolate, including preventing certain types of cancers, heart disease and nerve damage.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

While you are in our REM cycle, you are energizing our body and restoring our minds. It is recommended you get eight hours of sleep a day, so getting fewer than 8 hours a night effects your body and mind exponentially. Many people don’t realize the importance of great sleep and think if they got less sleep one night they can make up for it the next night. This is not the case. Studies have shown sleeping less than six hours a day or more than eight hours increases your risk of premature death.

Having Tons of Money

According to a group of scientists from the University College London, wealthier people have higher levels of DHEAS, which make you live longer. DHEAS is a steroid produced by the adrenal glands and brain linked to a broad range of health benefits. So, making more money not only gets you nice things; it also gets you great health care. It also helps you live longer.

Have A Lot of Girl Friends

This shouldn’t be a difficult task, right guys? According to researchers at Harvard University, men who are surrounded by many females live a longer life than men who are raised with fewer women. The study concludes being surrounded by more women increases a man’s chance of finding a lifelong partner, which has a positive effect on your health and lifespan.

Have More Sex

If you’re not having sex regularly with your partner, you should change that. Having sex regularly adds years to your life, according to researchers at Queens University. According to the study, men who frequently had sex lived twice as long as men who did not have sex frequently. Not only is sex good for your lifespan, it is also great for your health and fitness; you work up quite a sweat and your body also produces a range of hormones that have positive effects on your health and vitality. Feeling depressed? This will help, as well.

Gain a Few Pounds

Yes, you can stand to gain a few extra pounds! I know it sounds shocking, but according to researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Portland, Oregon, being a tad overweight can help you as you age. When you get older, you body gets weaker and your health declines, so having some extra pounds can help you live longer: the study found people who carried extra weight were 17 percent less likely to die than people of normal weight.

About the Author: Lauren loves the quiet life. Give her a cup of tea, a biscuit and a few writing assignments and she’s a happy camper.

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