How can we live above diseases

In the Blue Zones, people tend not to go to sleep, wake up or go to work at set hours. They just sleep as much as their body tells them to. However, the length of the nap appears to be very important. Naps of 30 minutes or less may be beneficial, but anything longer than 30 minutes is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and death Aside from diet, exercise and rest, a number of other social and lifestyle factors are common to the Blue Zones, and they may contribute to the longevity of the people living there.

Although their lifestyles differ slightly, they mostly eat a plant-based diet, exercise regularly, drink moderate amounts of alcohol, get enough sleep and have good spiritual, family and social networks. By incorporating them into your lifestyle, it may be possible for you to add a few years to your life.

The Zone Diet is about eating a certain balance of macronutrients to get in a "zone" for specific health benefits. Here is a complete overview of this…. With all of the health messages we're exposed to, it sounds like eating for optimal health doesn't depend just on what you're eating, but when you're…. Experts say even moderate changes in diet can produce significant improvements in heart health. For many people, one of the best parts about traveling is getting to explore the local cuisines.

This article looks at 10 of the healthiest cuisines…. This is a detailed article about sugar alcohols and their health effects.

They have several health benefits but can also cause digestive problems. Phenylalanine is an amino acid that your body uses to make important molecules. This article reviews phenylalanine benefits, side effects, and sources.

Getting your meals delivered can save major time on meal prep. Numerous foods are marketed as healthy but contain hidden ingredients. Here are 14 "health foods" that aren't as nutritious as you thought.

If you're considering adding or removing meat from your diet, you may wonder whether meat is healthy. This article explores the environmental and…. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Chronic diseases are becoming more and more common in old age. What Are Blue Zones? Share on Pinterest. Eating more than five servings of fruits and vegetables a day can significantly reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer and death Many of us are taught in childhood to bottle up our feelings.

We internalize emotions such as fear, grief, and anger or we explode inappropriately, which serves only to fuel rather than expend unpleasant feelings.

You can start by listening to your body. When you experience a strong emotion, you likely also feel it somewhere in your body. Perhaps your stomach tightens up every time you feel anxious or afraid, for example, or your shoulder muscles get tense when you feel a sense of grief or loss. By concentrating on these physical sensations, you can start to explore your emotions rather than trying to ignore or repress them.

Even the most painful and difficult feelings will rapidly subside. As you undergo treatment, you may hear, read, or see something that triggers a strong, unpleasant feeling. Stress can contribute to or exacerbate many different health problems , including cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal disorders, chronic pain, post-operative and wound healing, and some side effects of cancer and cancer treatments.

Practicing stress management techniques, however, can help you manage these health issues. Whatever your specific diagnosis, the following stress management tips can help improve your overall health and wellbeing:.

Talk to someone you trust. Nothing eases stress more effectively than chatting face-to-face with a friend or loved one—another good reason to maintain social ties and activities. Adopt a relaxation practice. Practicing a relaxation technique such as mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, or deep breathing can help you feel calmer, lower your blood pressure, and ease stress.

Get enough sleep. You can break the cycle and ensure you get enough good quality sleep at night by modifying your daytime habits and developing a peaceful bedtime routine. Be as active as possible. Exercise is an effective way to burn-off tension and relieve stress, and it can leave you feeling more relaxed and positive throughout the day.

Even if your medical condition has limited your mobility, there may still be ways for you to get active and reap the benefits. Pick up a long-neglected hobby or try a new hobby. Taking a class or joining a club can help you pursue a hobby and expand your social network at the same time. Learn something new , such as an instrument, a foreign language, a new game, or a new sport. Get involved in your community. Spend time in nature. Work in your yard, take a scenic hike, go fishing, or walk a dog in the park.

Enjoy the arts. Visit a museum, go to a concert or a play, join a book group, or take up painting or photography. But if such feelings persist and start to interfere with your daily life, you may be suffering from depression or anxiety. While mood disorders like anxiety and depression are common among patients dealing with a serious illness, they can create a vicious circle. Your illness triggers anxiety or depression, which then erodes your overall health, which in turn negatively impacts the treatment of your illness.

This then worsens your mood disorder, and so on. As well as counseling and medication, the following can help you cope with anxiety and depression:. Manage debilitating symptoms such as pain. Left untreated, pain can have a detrimental effect on your mood and increase anxious thoughts and feelings of hopelessness. Talk to your medical team about ways to better manage pain and other distressing symptoms.

Ease up on the worrying. Lifestyle and health over time. Improving survival. Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes. Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? Related Coverage. What is obesity, and what causes it? What effects does alcohol have on health?

Medically reviewed by Debra Sullivan, Ph. The reasons why smoking is bad for you. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. What you need to know about prediabetes. Many researchers presumed that the same forces allowing people to live longer, including better health behaviors and medical advances, would also delay the onset of disease and allow people to spend fewer years of their lives with debilitating illness.

While people might be expected to live more years with disease simply as a function of living longer in general, the researchers show that the average number of healthy years has decreased since We spend fewer years of our lives without disease, even though we live longer. A male year-old in could expect to live another 45 years without at least one of the leading causes of death: cardiovascular disease, cancer or diabetes.

That number fell to For young women, expected years of life without serious disease fell from At the same time, the number of people who report lack of mobility has grown, starting with young adults. Functional mobility was defined as the ability to walk up ten steps, walk a quarter mile, stand or sit for 2 hours, and stand, bend or kneel without using special equipment.