Making big lifestyle changes can feel overwhelming. New research suggests some tiny tweaks to a daily routine may still lead to better health and a longer life.
The study, published in eClinicalMedicine, found that making small changes across three areas of health—activity, sleep and diet—could extend life by up to four years. These are not drastic shifts. The focus is on adding a few more vegetables to the day and getting in a few extra minutes of movement and sleep.
For the study, researchers analysed data from nearly 60,000 people who took part in the UK Biobank, a long-running database that tracks health and lifestyle habits. Participants wore devices on their wrists for a week to monitor sleep and movement. Moderate to vigorous activity counted as exercise. They also completed questionnaires about their diet.
Researchers gave each participant a diet quality score from zero to 100, with higher scores reflecting healthier eating patterns. People scored more highly when they reported habits such as eating at least three serves of vegetables a day, three serves of whole grains or skipping sugary drinks.
After crunching the numbers, the team found that participants with the least healthy habits slept about 5.5 hours a night, exercised just 7.3 minutes a day and had a diet quality score just under 37. This group served as the baseline. The analysis showed that people in this lowest group could add around a year to their lives by making small combined tweaks, such as getting an extra five minutes of sleep a night, doing an additional 1.9 minutes of exercise a day and adding half a serve of vegetables (or 1.5 serves of whole grains) to their plate each day.
Participants who did not change all three areas could still gain about a year of life by improving just one. The modelling suggested that an extra 25 minutes of sleep a night, 2.3 additional minutes of daily exercise or a 35.5-point lift in diet quality could each have a similar effect.
Larger adjustments were linked with even greater gains—up to a decade of extra life for people who made substantial changes across movement, sleep and diet. Health professionals say the findings highlight how modest, sustainable habits can add up to meaningful benefits over time.
What impact did bigger changes have on lifespan?
While the researchers found that tiny lifestyle tweaks could add a year to a person’s life, they also saw that larger (but still manageable) shifts could deliver bigger gains. People who made the following combined changes may increase their healthspan by about four years:
- 24 extra minutes of sleep a night
- 3.7 extra minutes of exercise a day
- A 23-point increase in diet quality score, which might include habits such as eating fish twice a week or adding another serve of vegetables
Those ready for more substantial changes across the board could extend their life by up to 10 years by making these combined moves:
- Adding 180 more minutes of sleep a night
- Increasing exercise by nearly 25 minutes a day
- Lifting their diet quality score by 35 points
Why might small lifestyle tweaks have such a big impact?
Even modest lifestyle changes can influence a range of biological processes in the body, ultimately lowering the risk of serious health conditions, says study co-author Mark Hamer. These include:
- Reducing cholesterol
- Reducing excess body fat
- Lowering blood sugar
- Lowering inflammation
- Reducing blood pressure
These shifts “are linked to longevity and preventing disease,” Hamer explains.
The power comes from stacking habits. Small improvements in sleep, movement and diet work together to have a stronger effect on health than changing just one area, notes family nurse practitioner Joyce Knestrick. “I talk to patients about this a lot,” she says. “I don’t think people realise how much these things impact your longevity.”
Knestrick says the findings highlight how approachable changes can still deliver meaningful results. “When you tell people that they need to lose 50 pounds and exercise for 30 minutes a day, they’ll say, ‘Yeah, I’m not going to do any of that,’” she points out. “But if you use these as a starting point and work your way up, it can feel more realistic.”
How to make these changes
It is best to start small, according to cardiologist Dr Kevin Shah. “Patients are far more likely to adopt and sustain changes that feel doable,” he says.
On the exercise front, Hamer, recommends avoiding long periods of sitting and building in short two to three minute “movement breaks” across the day. For sleep, “try to be consistent and disciplined with bedtime and lights out—that will lead to better sleeping patterns,” he says.
When it comes to eating well, it can help to add fruit or vegetables to foods already on the menu, says registered dietitian Jessica Cording. “Put a little more greens or an extra slice of tomato on your sandwich. If you’re making rice, use cauliflower rice instead,” she says. “Use flavours and textures that make sense for you and don’t be afraid to start with small changes.”
Hamer recommends sticking with these healthy changes once they are in place. “Small changes to lifestyle that are maintained can have a measurable impact on health and well-being,” he says. “However, consistency is the key.”
Ultimately, the study suggests that small changes add up. “This is a really great example of how little shifts can end up making a big difference in the long run,” Cording says.
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