People Who Follow These 8 Heart Health Metrics May Live Years Longer

Move it. Charge your device as far away from your bed as possible. Added bonus? The distance may help you feel less overwhelmed in general.
Dim it. Dim your screen or use a red filter app at night. The bright blue light of most devices can mess with your circadian rhythm and melatonin production.
Set it. Alarms aren’t just for waking up – set a bedtime alarm to remind you that it’s time to wrap it up for the night.
Lock it. if you’ve got a scrolling habit you need to kick, try an app-blocking app that makes it impossible to get lost in after-hours emails, social media or gaming.
Block it. Tell notifications to buzz off if they’re waking you up at night. Put your phone on “do not disturb” mode to block it all out when you’re trying to sleep.

5. Managing your weight

Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight has many benefits, according to AHA.

Here’s how to keep your weight under control:

Control Portions: Learn about portion sizes and how much you might really be eating.
Get Active: it less, move more and add intensity to burn more calories and improve your overall health.
Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins like fish and seafood. Limit sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
Get Help: If you aren’t able to lose weight successfully on your own, talk with your health care professional.

6. Controlling your cholesterol levels

A healthcare professional can measure blood cholesterol and help you understand what the levels mean, however, there are several measures you can take at home to keep your levels low:

Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins like fish and seafood. Limit sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
Move More: Physical activity helps improve cholesterol levels.
Know Your Fats: The fats you eat can affect your cholesterol levels. Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats.
No Nicotine: Smoking lowers good HDL cholesterol. It also raises your risk of heart disease.
Take Medication as Directed: Your doctor may prescribe statins or other medications to control your cholesterol levels.

7. Controlling your blood glucose

There are two things that can make your blood sugar rise, the AHA notes:

Glucose: The carbohydrates and sugars in what you eat and drink turn into glucose (sugar) in the stomach and digestive system. Glucose can then enter the bloodstream.
Insulin: Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that helps the body’s cells take up glucose from the blood and lower blood sugar levels.

Healthcare professionals can take blood glucose readings and provide recommendations. Those with type 2 diabetes will need to monitor their blood sugar levels regularly.

According to the study, those who scored higher for maintaining control of blood glucose lived 4.9 years longer than those with poor blood glucose control.

You can monitor your levels in the following ways:

Eat Smart: Eat a healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins like fish and seafood. Limit sugary foods and drinks, red or processed meats, salty foods, refined carbohydrates and highly processed foods.
Move More: Being physically active can lower your risk of developing diabetes and help you manage the disease if you already have it.
Manage Weight: Stay at a healthy weight to help prevent, delay or manage diabetes.
No Nicotine: Smoking, vaping, exposure to secondhand smoke or using tobacco can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, many cancers and other chronic diseases. It may also make prediabetes and diabetes harder to manage.