There’s a new buzzword in the world of health and well-being that you might have heard of: “healthspan.”
What is healthspan?
Healthspan refers to the length of time that a person lives in good health and free from chronic diseases, rather than simply living as long as possible.
So instead of valuing the total number of years lived, people are now beginning to recognise and place greater emphasis on healthspan over lifespan when it comes to longevity and ageing.
We’re going to explore the relationship between healthspan, lifespan and ageing in this article and find out what you can do to achieve a healthier, longer life.
Healthspan - adding life to years, not just years to life
The concept of healthspan focuses on improving your lifestyle to optimise your well-being. This includes eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep and managing stress levels.
By integrating these habits into our daily lives, we can increase our chances of enjoying good health for longer.
Good health is not only important for longevity but also for living a life full of purpose. The better we take care of our physical and mental health, the more likely it will be that we can remain independent and fully functional until later in life.
Ultimately, improving healthspan is about making small changes to our lifestyles that have a positive impact on our overall well-being. By doing so, we can increase our chances of living longer with better quality of life.
This means focusing on adding life to years, not just years to life. By taking responsibility for our health and well-being today, we can ensure that our future is healthier and happier.
Can you estimate healthspan?
The World Health Organization (WHO) uses the term “healthy life expectancy,” or HALE, to measure the average age at which serious disease is likely to occur.
It’s another term to describe healthspan and is a useful tool to know more about the risk factors that can affect individual healthspans.
For example, the latest figures (1) show that in Australia, the healthy life expectancy at birth for males is 70.2 years, while for females it’s 71.7 years.
But there’s always room for improvement, so making a conscious effort to live a healthy lifestyle could mean you put years on your healthspan and, as a result, your lifespan.
What affects healthspan?
There is also lots of data out there that can tell us what affects healthspan.
We know that the leading causes of ill health in Australia are injury and chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, conditions resulting from mental health issues and substance use and musculoskeletal conditions (2).
It figures that if you can take steps to avoid these issues or seek help if you suffer from them, your healthspan stands a better chance.
For Australians, where you live can also affect your healthspan (3). People living in the Northern Territory and in remote or very remote areas have shorter healthspans, as do those in lower socioeconomic groups.
What can I do to extend my healthspan?
The good news is that there are steps you can take to increase your healthspan. Let’s take a closer look at five (5) positive lifestyle habits for a longer healthspan:
1. Eat a healthy diet
A healthy diet consists of eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats.
Eating breakfast every day can also help maintain a healthy weight and provide energy throughout the day. Remember, too, that it's important to limit intake of added sugars, saturated fats and processed foods.
2. Get regular exercise
Regular exercise can have numerous health benefits, including improved cardiovascular health, increased energy levels and improved mood.
It is recommended to get at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week, as well as strength-training exercises twice a week.
If you haven’t exercised for a long time, then consult your doctor before embarking on a training program and make sure you build up your activity levels slowly.
3. Get proper, restorative sleep
Good sleep is essential for both physical and mental health. It helps to restore the body, improve alertness and reduce stress. Good quality sleep, and the right amount of it, can also protect your body from developing disease.
Know that adults should aim to get between seven and nine hours of sleep a night.
4. Manage stress levels
Managing stress levels can help reduce the risk of health problems and improve overall well-being. It can be helpful to practise relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga and also engage in activities that you enjoy.
Make sure you schedule in time to relax — it should be a regular part of your routine, just like brushing your teeth and eating well.
5. Cultivate meaningful connections with people
We’re social beings. Regardless of whether you’re the ‘life of the party’ extrovert, or an introvert, we get great joy out of connecting with people.
The secret is finding a way to connect that works for you. Outgoing types love catching up in person whenever they can.
Quieter types can maintain connection and conserve energy by interacting in online settings that align with their interests. That said, it is still vital for introverts to make an effort and get out and about occasionally.
Live your best and healthiest life
Living a long life but in poor health isn’t appealing to anyone. Living your best and healthiest life possible for as long as you can has become the new well-being goal to aim for.
It’s reassuring to know that just by making a few small changes to your everyday life, you can extend your healthspan and live a better life for longer.
So instead of focusing on how long you may live, make sure that as many of your years as possible are spent in good health. Your healthspan will make a world of difference to how you experience everyday life — both now and in years to come.
References
1. World Health Organization website. Healthy life expectancy (HALE) data by country. https://apps.who.int/gho/data/view.main.HALEXv
2. Moon, L., Garcia, J., Laws, P., Dunford, M., On, M., Bishop, K., Prescott, V., & Gourley, M. (2019). Measuring health loss in Australia: The Australian burden of disease study. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 34(Suppl 1): e61. Published online 2019 Feb 14. DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e61
3. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017,). Health-adjusted life expectancy in Australia: Expected years lived in full health 2011. https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/burden-of-disease/health-adjusted-life-expectancy-australia/summary
