More people are living to the age of 100 than ever before. How do they do it? Often, people who have lived to see their 100th birthday generally eat well, avoid stress, and are pretty lucky. However, there are other factors that you may not have thought of that can help raise your chances of living well into old age.

Be more neurotic

Neuroticism may not seem to help you live to an old age, but a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center found that it just might. People who are neurotic and conscientious have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. That is because these personalities are less likely to indulge in harmful activities, like overeating, smoking, and heavy drinking. The study found that the people who fell into this personality category tended to have lower body mass indexes as well.

Have a fall birthday

Autumn is beautiful time of year - and apparently, it's also a wonderful time to be born. Researchers from the University of Chicago found that people who were born in the fall were more likely to live to 100, while those born in the spring were least likely to see their hundredth birthday. Researchers also found that babies born in the fall were more likely to have higher birth rates and to miss flu season during their first year, which may help boost their chances of living long lives.

Be a woman

According to a recent report by the United States' Census Bureau, the overwhelming majority of centenarians are women. Of the 53,000 people who are over the age of 100 in the United States, a whopping 80 percent of them are women. Researchers do not state why that imbalance is true but, in general, women have longer life expectancies than men. For example, in Japan, the average man is expected to live nearly seven years less than the average woman.

Get more sleep

Of course sleep is good for you, but did you know that it helps lower your blood pressure? A study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School found that people who had pre-hypertension were able to lower their blood pressure if they got just one hour more of sleep a night. Since cardiovascular illnesses are the greatest cause of death for Americans, it may be worth it to tuck in an hour early a night.

Have a positive attitude

A study conducted by researchers from Yale University found that seniors who have positive views about aging are more likely to recover from disability. Researchers theorized that seniors who had better views about aging were more better able to combat stress and cardiovascular problems and were more likely to attend rehabilitation programs. Fortunately, views about aging tend to get better as people age - and people are increasingly more active in their twilight years than ever before.

RELATED STORIES