The average British lives up to 74.4 years old; here are 5 tips to live longer!

IN the UK, the average life expectancy is 74.4 years. Factors such as low physical activity and smoking can elevate the risk of death by:- 30% to 45%. Additionally, stress, binge drinking, poor diet, and inadequate sleep can increase the risk by around 20%. So, how can we live a longer and healthier life?

The team at Now Patient have analysed population data across the UK for the last decade to reveal the English areas with the shortest average life expectancy, the UK areas with the greatest changes in population levels, the English areas with the greatest number of households, as well as sharing tips on how to live a longer life.

You can view the complete findings here:- NowPatient.Com.

Navin Khosla, Pharmacist at Now Patient has shared 5 lifestyle changes we should all implement to live a longer and healthier life:-

1. Move your body: It sounds obvious, but Daily exercise can lower your risk of:- obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and even cancer. Government guidelines recommend that older adults do 150 minutes of exercise per week. Surprisingly, even as little as a 15-minute walk can yield remarkable benefits, potentially adding 3 more years to your life expectancy. In fact, a recent research observed a 22% lower risk of early death in individuals who exercised. Those who hit the 150 minute mark were 28% less likely to die early, while the risk lowered to 35% for those who exercised beyond this guidance.

2. Avoid binge drinking and smoking: In case you're not already aware, drinking alcohol and smoking takes a severe toll on both your body and mind. It's associated with an array of health issues, ranging from heart disease and lung cancer to bronchitis. The silver lining is that once you quit smoking, your circulation, lung capacity, and energy levels will improve, regardless of your age. While some individuals believe that lighting up a cigarette and drinking a beer offers stress relief, there are healthier alternatives to managing stress. In fact, official guidelines recommend limiting alcohol consumption to a maximum of 14 units per week, for men and women, and to spread that over at least 3 days.

3. Sort out your sleep: By ensuring a good night's rest, you will improve your general well being. Making sure you have a good sleep routine in place can be helpful, and can be as easy as having no T.V. laptop, or mobile phone screens in the bedroom, and having a bath or shower beforehand. Regular sleep patterns promote longevity, and both, too little (less than:- 5 to 7 hours) and too much (over:- 8 to 9 hours) sleep can be harmful. Inadequate sleep can lead to inflammation and increase risks like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

4. Get checked by a health professional: It's a good idea to get some routine tests done to check your blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Elevated readings heighten the risk of stroke and heart disease, but these issues are reversible with medication. While you're there, consider discussing the seasonal flu jab with your Doctor. If you're 65 or over, or have a health condition that increases flu related risks, you're eligible for a free vaccination.

5. Social relationships: Building a supportive circle of friends, colleagues, and family can enhance mental, and emotional well being, ultimately leading to a longer and more fulfilling life. Research highlights that maintaining your social network can potentially extend your lifespan by up to 50%. Having just 3 social connections can reduce the risk of premature death by over 200%. It is also associated with favourable changes in:- heart, brain, hormonal, stress, and immune function, thereby lowering the risk of chronic diseases.

School spends per pupil revealed, but how does your local area rank against the rest?

RESEARCH by finance specialists, RIFT, has shown that no less than 14 areas of England have seen a reduction in School budgets when it comes to the Individual Schools Budget (after academy recoupment) and expenditure per pupil, as well as revealing which areas rank top for prospective parents when it comes to funding.

RIFT analysed Government data on local authority net expenditure on Schools to find where is home to the highest cost of Schooling across the nation.

The research shows that across England, a total of £28.7bn was spent on Schooling in the last year (2021 to 2022 latest available); a 5% increase versus the previous year and 8% more when compared to pre-pandemic spend (2019 to 2020).

School spend per pupil nationally... When considering the Individual Schools Budget, after academy recoupment, this equates to an average expenditure of £5,454 per pupil, 6% more than the previous year.

Highest spend by local authority... The local authority to have invested the most per pupil over the last year is Thurrock. Expenditure per pupil sits at a huge £21,999, with the area also having seen the largest increase in a single year, almost doubling at 97%.

Kingston upon Hull (£15,640), Bromley (£10,644), Darlington (£8,348) and the City of London (£8,219) also rank as some of the local authorities with the highest level of expenditure per pupil for:- 2021 to 2022.

Largest increase in spend by local authority... Alongside Thurrock, Redcar and Cleveland (+58%), Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (43%), Bath and North East Somerset (+32%) and Bury (+19%) have enjoyed some of the largest increases in net expenditure per pupil.

Lowest spend by local authority... At £3,853, Solihull in the West Midlands is home to the lowest spend per pupil of any local authority, followed by Hartlepool (£4,339), Wokingham (£4,614), Gateshead (£4,813) and North Tyneside (£4,890).

14 local authorities to have reduced spend... Solihull (-14%) and Hartlepool (-11%) are also 2 of 14 local authorities to have seen the level of expenditure per pupil reduce on an annual basis along with Dorset (-11%), Plymouth (-10%), North Somerset (-6%), Bromley (-4%), Rutland (-4%), Kingston upon Hull (-3%), Knowsley (-2%), Kingston upon Thames (-2%), North East Lincolnshire (-1%), Sutton (-1%), Gateshead (-0.5%) and Slough (-0.3%).

Bradley Post, MD of RIFT, commented:- "Schooling is an incredibly important consideration for parents and for many, it can even dictate where we live as we look to secure a home within that all important catchment area. The good news is that, for the large part, the level of expenditure being invested into students is on the up and in some local authorities this increase has been substantial. Unfortunately, this isn't the case across the board and expenditure has been cut in some locations, although thankfully they are few and far between."