Longevity as a topic has continued to gain traction in recent years due to the effects of COVID and longevity influencers who have started to appear on social media.
However, with this growing interest has come a growing number of people who are very apprehensive about the idea of increasing lifespan.
In my experience, the apprehension comes from the same question: Why increase lifespan when that just means more years of being miserable and sick, or delaying it at the very least?
These people have often witnessed their own parents and grandparents suffer with debilitating health challenges in the later years of life. They sit in pain, depend heavily on others, and start to lose their memory and personality. This is certainly a painful thing to witness in someone you love.
But what most people don't understand, is that there is a crucial difference between lifespan and healthspan, and the goal is to increase both together.
Let's dive in.
What is Lifespan?
First, it's important to note that lifespan is not the same as life expectancy.
Lifespan is the highest conceivable age someone could potentially live to, with the oldest human to have ever lived setting the bar. For humans, this is estimated to be 122 years as this age was achieved by Jeane Louise Calment of France.
Life expectancy, on the other hand, is what the average person could expect to live to. In the United States, this number hovers close to 80 years (though it has slightly decreased in recent years).
Those working in the world of longevity science hope to help humans increase the highest possible age humans could live to (lifespan) as well as what the average human can expect to live to (life expectancy).
Both of these measures are simply a matter of time spent alive, so for the purpose of this article I will use the terms somewhat interchangeably.
What is Healthspan?
Healthspan is the number of healthy and disease-free years you live.
Though this definition is fairly subjective, you can think of it as the number of years you live being able to take care of yourself without major pain or medical interventions.
It is also interesting to note that the word "healthspan" was only added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018. It is a relatively new concept that is still gaining traction and recognition.
What's the Difference Between Lifespan and Healthspan?
Lifespan is simply a matter of time spent alive while healthspan is a matter of time spent healthy.
The difference might seem trivial to some, but understanding the differences and talking about them in the right context are crucial to aligning the goals of longevity researchers.
But why does it matter? Because almost everyone can agree that living longer for the sake of living longer isn't worth it if you're going to spend those years feeble, sick, and miserable.
Living to a ripe old age being able to play with grandkids, take care of yourself, and enjoy life with a quick decline at the end should be everyone's goal.
That's why the topic of longevity has increasingly started to encompass both lifespan and healthspan as people realize the critical and interwoven nature of both.
How to Increase Healthspan
Because almost everything that increases healthspan also increases life expectancy (and visa versa), there are very few ways to increase only one but not the other.
However, here are a few ways that are particularly effective for increasing your healthspan.
Gain muscle mass
Muscle mass is one of the biggest factors in determining whether you end up in a care home for the last years of your life. More muscle mass means more strength, and more strength means greater independence.
Your focus should be on gaining muscle mass before the age of 50 and trying to maintain it thereafter, as muscle mass declines with time.
Read our full article on muscle mass to learn more and find proven methods of gaining more muscle.
Habitualize good sleep
Some of the most painful diseases to get later in life are Alzheimer's and dementia more broadly.
Recent studies are finding more and more that Alzheimer's not only disrupts sleep, but that disrupted sleep can also lead to Alzheimer's later in life.
An article from Comprehensive Sleep Care says: "Some recent studies suggest that poor sleep contributes to abnormal levels of beta-amyloid protein in the brain, which in turn leads to the amyloid plaques found in the Alzheimer’s brain. These plaques might then affect sleep-related brain regions, further disrupting sleep."
This means that if you are chronically sleep deprived even early in your life, you are starting to lay the groundwork for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's later in life.
And because so many aspects of your health are dependent on your sleep, you should really work to improve your sleep quality today.
Engage in new activities and find social connection
Because so much of ill-health later in life occurs in the brain, taking care of it while young is of vital importance.
It has been shown that engaging in new activities that are mentally stimulating can prevent Alzheimer's up to five years and decrease severity. The brain really is a muscle of sorts that needs to be exercised to maintain function and happiness.
Additionally, finding social connection is crucial to preventing depression and spotting ill-health before it develops. In fact, social connection is one of the main factors that contribute to the longevity of people in blue zones.
Conclusion
Life is meant to lived, not simply exist. By understanding and focusing on healthspan along with lifespan, you can live a life worth living.
But you need to start taking action. Problems tend to compound with time and there are simple things you can start doing today to live a better life tomorrow.
If you are interested in increasing your healthspan, I would definitely start listening to Peter Attia and his podcast. Also, sign-up for our newsletter down below to get weekly tips on how to live a healthier life!