Tiny improvements in sleep, diet and exercise could add up to 9 extra years

A large UK study published in January 2026 found that combining small improvements across sleep, diet and exercise habits produces bigger gains in life expectancy than improving any single one in isolation. People who slept just five extra minutes daily, added two extra minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity, and ate half a serving more of vegetables tended to live significantly longer than those in the bottom 5% of the study’s overall cohort.

At the more ambitious end, participants with the most optimal combination of behaviors, at least 40 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, seven to eight hours of sleep, and an overall healthy diet, were predicted to live an extra nine years compared with the poorest-performing 3% of the group, and to spend those additional years in good health rather than simply extending life with chronic illness. Researchers described the findings as evidence that lifestyle behaviors work better addressed together as a package than pursued as separate, isolated goals.