How can I estimate and extend my lifespan?

It depends on which factors matter most for you. Sleep, exercise, diet, smoking, alcohol, and blood pressure each shift life expectancy differently. A free quiz can estimate your lifespan and biological age in about 5 minutes, then show which habit would add the most years. YapSpan uses published study figures so you can see exactly where each estimate comes from.

What is biological age?

Biological age is an estimate of how old your body acts based on health markers and lifestyle habits, as opposed to your chronological age (years since birth). Someone with healthy habits may have a biological age younger than their birthday age.

YapSpan

Cited facts. One check.

The years we cite

The extra years that published studies link to everyday habits, all on one page with their sources. If your nights already worry you, start with the sleep check.

YapSpan estimates are for reflection and entertainment only. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prediction of any individual outcome. Figures below are copied from studies already cited in YapSpan articles. They describe groups in those studies, not you.

How to read this

These are existing quizzes. Next to each, a cited year or the word unknown. Order is not “largest years first.” Extra years (gains) are grouped together. Associated years from the same papers sit below, as facts, not a leaderboard of loss. Unknown means we refused to invent one.

Cited extra years

Sleep first because it is the door, not because it is the biggest number

Marker	Cited years	Source
Sleep	about +4.7 years men and +2.4 years women, projected for young adults with five healthy sleep traits	[1]
Heart health	about 9 extra years, high cardiovascular health compared with low	[2]
Exercise	about +3 years from 15 minutes of daily activity versus none	[3] (416,000 adults)

One check is enough.

Sleep is the door. If nights are the thing you already worry about, start there.

Start with sleep

Cited associated years

Study facts, not a loss leaderboard

Marker	Cited years	Source
Smoking	about a decade, lifelong smokers compared with never-smokers	[4]
Body weight	about 10 years (severe obesity) and about 3 years (moderate), in a 900,000-adult cohort	[5]
Metabolic health	about 6 years, diabetes at age 50, in an 820,000-person analysis	[6]
Alcohol	about 1 to 2 years shorter around 18 drinks a week, 4 to 5 years shorter above 25	[7] (about 600,000 drinkers)

Cited effect, not years

Real findings, but the papers give a percent or a count, not a year figure

Marker	Years	Effect cited	Source
Mental wellbeing	unknown	about 10 years, people with mental disorders compared with people without	[8]
Social life	unknown	+50% higher odds of survival with strong relationships	[9] (148 studies)
Diet	unknown	diet linked to about 11 million deaths a year globally (about 1 in 5)	[10]
Gut and colon	unknown	-53% colorectal-cancer deaths after polyp removal at colonoscopy	[11]
Family history	unknown	under 10% of how long you live is explained by genes	[12] (400 million family-tree records)
Safety habits	unknown	motorcyclists about 24x the death rate per mile versus car occupants	[13]
Stress	unknown	no year-effect cited for this quiz	social and sleep articles mention stress as a related marker only
Preventive care	unknown	no year-effect cited for this quiz	colon screening figures sit on gut, not here

No cited year or effect

Listing them is honesty, not a prompt to take them

Marker	Cited years
Drugs and substances	unknown
Environment	unknown
Background	unknown

Footnote: The sports article cites+9.7 years for tennis versus a sedentary life [14], Copenhagen City Heart Study. Observational: who picks each sport explains part of the gap. There is no tennis quiz.

Sources

[1]American College of Cardiology. Getting Good Sleep Could Add Years to Your Life. American College of Cardiology, 2023. Evidence: Not graded (news release)
[2]H. Ma et al. Cardiovascular Health and Life Expectancy Among Adults in the United States. Circulation, 147(15):1137-1146, 2023. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.062457 Evidence: Low
[3]C. P. Wen et al. Minimum amount of physical activity for reduced mortality and extended life expectancy: a prospective cohort study. Lancet, 378(9798):1244-53, 2011. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60749-6 Evidence: Low
[4]P. Jha et al. 21st-century hazards of smoking and benefits of cessation in the United States. N Engl J Med, 368(4):341-50, 2013. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1211128 Evidence: Low
[5]Prospective Studies Collaboration et al. Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults: collaborative analyses of 57 prospective studies. Lancet, 373(9669):1083-96, 2009. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(09)60318-4 Evidence: High
[6]S. Rao Kondapally Seshasai et al. Diabetes mellitus, fasting glucose, and risk of cause-specific death. N Engl J Med, 364(9):829-841, 2011. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1008862 Evidence: High
[7]A. M. Wood et al. Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599 912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies. Lancet, 391(10129):1513-1523, 2018. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30134-X Evidence: High
[8]E. R. Walker, R. E. McGee, and B. G. Druss. Mortality in mental disorders and global disease burden implications: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Psychiatry, 72(4):334-41, 2015. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2014.2502 Evidence: High
[9]J. Holt-Lunstad, T. B. Smith, and J. B. Layton. Social relationships and mortality risk: a meta-analytic review. PLoS Med, 7(7):e1000316, 2010. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316 Evidence: High
[10]GBD 2017 Diet Collaborators. Health effects of dietary risks in 195 countries, 1990-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Lancet, 393(10184):1958-1972, 2019. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30041-8 Evidence: Moderate
[11]A. G. Zauber et al. Colonoscopic polypectomy and long-term prevention of colorectal-cancer deaths. N Engl J Med, 366(8):687-96, 2012. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1100370 Evidence: Low
[12]J. G. Ruby et al. Estimates of the Heritability of Human Longevity Are Substantially Inflated due to Assortative Mating. Genetics, 210(3):1109-1124, 2018. doi:10.1534/genetics.118.301613 Evidence: Low
[13]National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Motorcycle Safety. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Evidence: Not graded (statistics)
[14]P. Schnohr et al. Various Leisure-Time Physical Activities Associated With Widely Divergent Life Expectancies: The Copenhagen City Heart Study. Mayo Clin Proc, 93(12):1775-1785, 2018. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2018.06.025 Evidence: Low

Awareness is half of it.

One honest check, then one small change. Retake later.

This page is a ranking to read. It is not 18 pieces of homework.

Longevity posts, plain English

Occasional notes when we publish: what the studies say, without hype. Unsubscribe anytime.

YapSpan estimates are for reflection and entertainment only. They are not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prediction of any individual outcome. Check with a doctor before making any medical decision.