Some of the below may sound either redundant or absurd, which is why we have included verifiable reports proving each point. Each of these habits or situations could lead to an early death - all you need to do is tweak your habits
1. Your chair
Yes, get up now because sitting for too long has been proven to increase risk of heart attacks by 54 per cent. This was proven in a 2009 study which looked at over 17,000 people and their daily sedentary habits. In 2010 and 2013 this was proven yet again in larger samples, extending the range of diseases to cancers and diabetes. Sitting more than 3 hours is the culprit here. Get up and stretch your legs every 30 to 40 minutes. Some people also use standing desks to spend more time standing than sitting while at work.
When physical activity was not taken into account, total sitting from 4-8 hours and more than 8 hours per day were both associated with significantly higher risk of dying (2 per cent and 8 per cent per 1-hour increment in sitting time per day, respectively) – 2013 study by School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Australia
2. Sleeping too little
Sleeping too little can lead to weigh gain, headaches, anxiety and many other diseases. Sleeping less than four hours increase risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and thereby reducing your lifespan slowly and steadily. Adults should ideally get seven to nine hours of fitful sleep. People who sleep for less than five to six hours daily have increased risk of coronary heart disease and strokes – study published in the European Heart Journal in 2011.
3. Sleeping too much
A lay-in once in a while will not kill you, but sleeping more than 9 hours can also increase your risk of heart-related conditions. According to the study at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology those who have eight hours or more sleep become 34 per cent more likely to suffer from heart disease, while those who sleep for less than four hours are 35 per cent more likely to be at risk of cardiovascular problems.
4. A broken heart
Don’t let them break it! The broken heart syndrome, officially known as takotsubo cardiomyopathy (as it was first studied by the Japanese), is a temporary condition that affects the left ventricle of the heart. Usually, the effects last for no more than four weeks and leaves no lasting heart damage. The syndrome is triggered by extreme stress (emotional or physical) and has no specific cause. While it can just be a flicker of elevated blood pulsing through a valve or the improper contractions of your left ventricle, it could kill you. The symptoms are not differentiable from a heart attack.
According to a study published in the American Journal of Medicine, 45 patients were treated for the syndrome as they exhibited symptoms for a period longer than a month – nine patients died from this sample, despite receiving treatment. See more details of the condition in an article published in 2010 in Harvard Health Publications.
5. Staring at the computer or TV screen
Screen time (entertainment or work) of more than four hours daily increases risk of cardio vascular diseases and all-cause mortality (death by any cause in a specific population used as an indicator for research) according to a 2011 study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC).
It also increases risk of brain damage, especially at a young age. There is a modern condition coined the Electronic Screen Syndrome, often diagnosed in children, which analyses the risks of too much exposure to TVs, computers, video games and phones.
