Table of contents:
- Having children makes you live longer
- Why does having children increase one's life expectancy?
- How to extend life expectancy other than having children
Having children is not just to carry on the lineage in a family. Couples who have children, even if only one, have a longer life expectancy than those who do not have children. How can just having children extend one's life expectancy? Here's the explanation.
Having children makes you live longer
Maybe you are confused, how can having children make your life expectancy increase. But believe it or not, this has been proven by a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. The study, which collected data from at least 14,000 people living in Sweden, states that people who have at least one child will have a slightly longer life than people who don't have any children.
In this study, the researchers attempted to obtain data in the form of each person's marital status, the number of children they had, and the sex of the child. Then the researchers also calculated how much increase in life expectancy will occur in the group of people who have children.
Researchers found that parents of women who had children experienced an increase in life expectancy of about 1.5 years, while for male parents it was 2 years.
Why does having children increase one's life expectancy?
The group of people who have children is considered to have a longer life expectancy compared to individuals who do not. Researchers believe that this concerns the quality of life that each person has when they enter old age.
For example, people who are elderly and have adult children will depend more on the child for their life. The child's support for their elderly parents will make their parents feel comfortable, safe, happy and calm. Of course this makes parents avoid depression and stress that they are susceptible to experiencing.
It is not uncommon for people who have entered old age to feel stress due to feeling alone and feelings of guilt that always arise due to their inability to do various jobs. Meanwhile, stress and depression that occur in the elderly will lead to various complications and certain medical conditions. And it is not uncommon for elderly people who are stressed to experience more severe degenerative diseases.
Therefore, they need the support of the people around them to go through it all and make them comfortable, so that their quality of life is better then increases life expectancy.
How to extend life expectancy other than having children
Of course, to keep you healthy until you reach old age, you can start now. Your life will be reflected in the lifestyle that you apply today. If you hope to have a long life, then do a healthy lifestyle from now on, such as getting used to exercising 30 minutes a day, choosing healthy and low-fat foods, and avoiding foods that contain high sugar and salt.
