How To Break Your Bad Digital Habits

On average, Americans check their phones 144 times every single day, that's a lot!  According to CNBC Make It, there are ways to break these bad digital habits.

Smartphones were first introduced in 1992 and since then they have become a major part of our lives. The problem with this is that they are damaging a lot of our communication skills and taking away the opportunity to connect deeply with others in person.

“If I had my smartphone next to me, it would attract my attention, consciously or unconsciously,” says Anastasia Dedyukhina, a digital wellbeing expert. Dedyukhina ditched her smartphone for a year and a half and she has a few tips on how you can practice digital mindfulness.

“Rather than trying to limit the bad habit, I would very much encourage you to have more good habits,” Dedyukhina states.

She recommends adding a few healthy habits to your routine including: spending more time outdoors, moving often, and scheduling more time with family and friends.

When you put your phone on silent you might subconsciously wonder if you're missing something. “Remember, it’s a high priority, the phone, so subconsciously your mind is thinking, ‘What if I’m missing something? What if there is something interesting?’” Dedyukhina says. This way of thinking leads to a lower work ethic and prevents you from putting 100% effort into the task at hand. 

One of the best practices is to completely remove your phone from the room when you don’t need it. Doing this can increase your productivity by helping you to focus.

A study done in 2017 had over 500 undergraduate students randomly assigned to put their phone on their desk, in their bag, or completely out of the room while they completed a cognitive capacity task. All phones were put on silent for the experiment so there were no interrupting sounds. Those who had their phone on the desk scored the lowest and the participants with phones in a separate room scored the highest.

Another good thing to do is ask yourself why you feel like you need to be reaching for your phone all the time. Thinking this before you grab your phone can help you to recognize what the problem is and replace your screen time with better habits.

There are some special signs you'll live a long life and even possibly make it to 100. When you're in your teens, you might feel like you're going to live forever. But, as the years ago by, you're probably getting more aware of your fallibility and the inevitability that one day, you'll no longer be on this Earth. Not to sound depressing, but the good news is that there are these signs you'll live a long life and things you can do to increase your chances of doing so.

Before we get to some signs you'll live a long life, let's talk about the average lifespan of Americans today. According to the experts at Healthsystemtracker.org, "In 1980, life expectancy at birth in the U.S. and in comparably large and wealthy countries was similar, but over recent decades, life expectancy improved by much more in peer nations than it has in the U.S. The COVID-19 pandemic increased mortality and  premature death rates in the U.S. by more than it did in most peer countries, widening a gap that already existed before the pandemic." So, the lifespan of Americans is trending in the wrong direction. In fact, according to their numbers, life expectancy in the U.S. went down by 1.3 years from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic to 2022. But, in "peer countries," life expectancies dropped by an average of 0.5 years in that same time window. Life expectancy in the U.S. went up by 1.1 years from 2021 to 2022, following the pandemic, but it's still "well below pre-pandemic levels and continues to lag behind life expectancy in comparable countries, on average," they note.

According to the CDC, the life expectancy for both sexes at birth is 76.4 years. For males, it's 73.5 years, and for females, it's 79.3 years. The CDC also notes that, "The infant mortality rate was 543.6 infant deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. The change in infant mortality from 2020 was not statistically significant." They add that, "Nine of the 10 leading causes of death in 2021 remained the same as in 2020. Heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 remained the top 3 leading causes." If you're wondering about infant mortality, the leading causes of infant death in 2021 according to the experts at the CDC were "congenital malformations, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, unintentional injuries, maternal complications, cord and placental complications, bacterial sepsis of newborn, respiratory distress of newborn, diseases of the circulatory system, and intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia)." But, enough about death. Let's get into some things to look out for that are signs you'll live a long life. Hopefully you'll make it to 100 or older.

According to a University of Michigan study (via TheHealthy.com), "Women who consumed the most veggies and fruit had a 46 percent lower chance of dying over a five-year period compared with those who ate them infrequently. The study involved 700 participants in their 70s.

According to NBCNews.com, "Scientists in California found that middle-aged people" who ran "for a total of about 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively as they got older." They state that the "researchers tracked runners and nonrunners for 21 years." Aside from running, CNBC.com states that, "Strength training twice a week and aerobic exercise three times a week, even if for just 10 minutes a day" also helps.

For women, if you were pregnant and had a baby naturally after age 44, "you're about 15 percent less likely to die during any year after age 50 than your friends who had their babies before age 40, reports a recent University of Utah study," via NBCNews.com. Lead researcher Ken R. Smith, PhD, professor of human development at the university, tells NBCNews.com, "If your ovaries are healthy and you are capable of having children at that age, that's a marker that you have genes operating that will help you live longer."

The National Library of Medicine states that people with bigger social networks and who socialize tend to live longer. In the study, Dr. Freeman  states, "People who have more social support tend to have enhanced mental health, cardiovascular health, immunological functioning, cognitive performance, resilience, life satisfaction, stress response and more."

TheHealthy.com states that, "Women with a waist of 37 inches or more had a life expectancy that was five years lower after age 40 than did women with a waist of 27 inches or less, found one study. For men, a waist of 43 inches or more was linked to a three-year decrease in life expectancy compared with those with a waist of 35 inches or less."

Apparently, drinking one or two cups of tea a day is good for your health. "Both green and black tea contain catechins, which relax blood vessels. However, you should be making the tea yourself; in ready-to-drink teas, most of the catechins have probably dissolved already, so they don’t have quite the same heart-healthy power," says TheHealth.com.

"Researchers in St. Louis reported that men and women who limited their daily calories to 1,400 to 2,000 (about 25 percent fewer calories than those who followed a typical 2,000-to 3,000-calorie Western diet) were literally young at heart — their hearts functioned like those of people 15 years younger," says NBCNews.com. So, make every calorie count, and keep calories low.

Getting a good night's sleep is important to overall health. According to CNBC.com, getting good sleep is one of the factors to make it to age 90. So, turn off Netflix and get some shut eye.

Do you wake up each day with a purpose? Do you feel needed in this world? According to a 2014 study in the journal of Psychological Science, having a sense of purpose means you'll have a longer life. In the study, they report that people in the study who passed away, about 10% of the participants, had reported lower scores for purpose in life.

The experts at Media.nmfn.com actually have a lifespan test that you can take online. I took it, and I won't divulge the age is says I'll make it to, but I was happy and pleasantly surprised by the result. It asks you some basic health and family questions. Take the test here, and hopefully you'll be happy with the result.