Life span has been a big topic in health for decades, but over the past few years, it’s been replaced by a focus on health span. While life span is simply about living longer, health span focuses on the part of a person’s life where they’re considered to be in good health.
Unfortunately, data show that Americans have some work to do around health span. A study published in JAMA Network Open in December analyzed data on the gap between health span and life span from 183 World Health Organization member states. Researchers discovered that Americans had the largest gap of 12.4 years. (By comparison, the global mean health span to life span gap globally was 9.6 years.)
While the news isn’t great for people living in the U.S., doctors stress that it’s important for Americans to focus on health span. “We focus so much on life span and trying to live longer, but we sometimes fail to understand that the quality of life we have, even if it is extended, is just as if not more important,” says Dr. Barbara Bawer, a family medicine physician at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Health span is how we can prolong our healthy years, where we avoid illnesses and diseases and can therefore live an active, healthy and happy life.”
Your health span isn’t pre-determined—there are things you can do to increase it. “I really believe in working to improve health span,” says Linda Ercoli, PhD, interim director for the UCLA Longevity Center. “I’ve been doing it since before the term ‘health span’ was coined.”
Health is a broad area, and everyone approaches health span differently. With that in mind, we tapped seven researchers and doctors who work with aging patients to learn more about what they do to improve their own health span. Here’s what they shared.
‘I take all of my vacation days’
Bawer notes the importance of reducing stress when it comes to health span, given that stress is linked to a higher risk of developing several diseases, including heart disease, obesity, and high blood pressure. She has several ways of trying to minimize chronic stress in her life.
One is making sure to take time off from work to relax when it’s available. “I take all of my vacation days,” she says. “We are horrible at this as a country and we need it, deserve it, and are entitled to it.” Even if you just have a staycation, setting aside designated time to get things done or relax is crucial, per Bawer. “I do this yearly,” she adds.
Bawer also tries to practice forgiveness to lower her stress levels. “Holding onto stress and something someone else did to you will only affect you, likely not that person, after that initial episode,” she says. “So let it go.” Thankfulness can also be helpful, she says. “Remind yourself to be thankful for what you have, what you have done, and who you are—and let the rest go,” Bawer says.
‘I’ve incorporated a significant amount of plants into my diet’
Studies have consistently linked plant-based diets to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and other serious health conditions. That’s prompted John Fudyma, MD, clinical associate professor of medicine and interim chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, to focus on adding plenty of plant-based foods to his meals.
“I’ve incorporated a significant amount of plants into my diet,” Fudyma says, noting that he tries to fill ¾ of his plate with plants at every meal. “I try to have as many plants as possible,” he says. Fudyma says he aims to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, nuts, and grains, and has stopped eating red meat, which has been associated with a higher risk of developing heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and premature death. “On occasion, I’ll have poultry for holidays, but I’m more of a pescatarian,” he says.
‘I make recipe tweaks’
Eating a healthy diet is also important to Dr. Kathryn J. Lindley, associate professor of medicine and director of the Women’s Heart Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. For her, that means focusing on having plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean meats like chicken and fish, low-fat dairy, and whole grains. “Avoiding excess sugars, sweetened beverages, and processed foods can go a really long way for long-term health,” she says.
But Lindley also tries to make recipes better by tweaking certain ingredients. “You can often pretty easily make a recipe healthier by making some simple changes, such as substituting ground turkey for ground beef, using an air fryer instead of deep frying, or increasing the amount of beans or vegetables in the recipe,” she says.
‘I try to follow basic health advice’
The steps to try to achieve a good health span are simple for Dr. Alfred Tallia, a professor and chair in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. “You have heard them all before: don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol to excess or even at all, don’t overeat, but eat healthy non-processed foods, and, of course, the biggie—stay active and exercise,” he says.
Tallia also makes a point to see his family physician regularly to stay on top of his health and to be screened for potential health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, so he can treat any problems that pop up early. Following these steps means “doing everything that is in your control to maximize your health span to make it consistent with your life span,” he says.
‘I exercise every morning’
Dr. Bert Mandelbaum, sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles and author of The Win Within: Capturing Your Victorious Spirit, says he tries to be active daily. “Every morning, I hike and run, bike, or lift weights,” he says. “Sometimes I swim. I try to do as many activities as I can.”
Mandelbaum says it’s important for him to enjoy exercise, and he tries to use activity to fuel his lifestyle. “These exercises require strength, balance, and coordination,” he says. “You have to have it all for health span.”
Mandelbaum tries to mix up his workouts to target a range of muscles and to lower the risk of injury. “You can’t have a bad knee or weak muscles and hike up a hill,” Mandelbaum says. “You’re only as strong as your weakest link.” Research has also found that mixing up activities can lower the risk of falls, which are a leading cause of disability and death in older adults.
‘I focus on quality sleep’
Research shows that good, restorative sleep supports your immune system and brain health, among other things—and that’s why Ercoli tries to make sleep a focus. “Sleep is so important,” she says. “It has to be enough sleep and enough good-quality sleep.”
Current guidelines suggest that most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, but Ercoli points out that everyone’s sleep requirements are slightly different. “I try to get around eight hours of sleep a night,” she says. To support good sleep, Ercoli says she tries to “wind down” before bed in an attempt to lower her stress levels—and boost the odds of quality sleep—before slipping between the sheets.
‘I take relationships very seriously’
The U.S. Surgeon General recently emphasized the need for social connection, noting that it’s an “underappreciated” factor in health span. Research also finds that being socially active can help people live longer.
That’s one of the reasons why relationships are such a focus for Dr. Scott Kaiser, a geriatrician and director of geriatric cognitive health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. “When you look at healthy longevity, perhaps the most important factor is the quality of our relationships,” he says. “I really try to prioritize relationships as much as other aspects of my life, like getting a good night’s sleep, healthy eating, and exercise.”
While Kaiser notes that work can be “all-consuming,” he still makes time to connect with friends and loved ones when he’s not seeing patients. “Even the busiest person inevitably has free time at some point,” he says. “Using that free time to make sure you’re fostering that connectivity quotient as well is important.”
