How to Live Long

I was online the other day and happened upon an intriguing website. It predicts how old a person may live.

Of course, no one can predict this with absolute accuracy. But they purport to give you a rough estimate.

I decided to check it out so I answered the 20 questions or so. Most of them were predictable. For instance, they asked whether you are overweight; whether you ingest a lot of alcohol or marijuana; how well you sleep; and whether you have any significant medical problems.

However, one question took me by surprise. They asked how many hours a day you use your Smart Phone.

Apparently, according to the actuary tables, cell phone use is tied to life expectancy. Scroll and text too often and it may rob you of years of life.

I started wondering why. Is it the chemicals emitted from the phones, such as ionizing radiation? Is it an increased risk of accidents on the road or while walking?

I googled why people may live shorter lives with a lot of cell phone usage, and there wasn't much out there. This is from Front Psychiatry, in 2021 about the risks of excessive phone use: . "Medical problems include sleep problems, reduced physical fitness, unhealthy eating habits, pain and migraines, reduced cognitive control and changes in the brain's gray matter volume."

And Inc reported that, while we think cell phones relax us, they actually increase cortisol levels. And sustained, high cortisol levels are linked to heart attacks and strokes.

I'm not writing this to increase the reader's cortisol levels. Obviously, they are all too high already on those of us (self included) who look too much at our phones!!

But it can't be a bad idea to think of those lifestyle habits that may interfere with good health and a long life. Some of them may be impossible to eliminate completely, such as our genes.

However, there are things we can do to increase our chances of being healthy, older people with longevity. Eating wholesome foods, moderate exercise, limiting sweets and alcohol, reducing stress, etc. could all offset our genetic predispositions.

And if the website I looked at is correct, reducing our cell phone usage may be key.