Akhil Sasidharan

50 Health Facts, 1 Playbook for Living Longer and Better

• Sleep predicts wins and losses:

  • Sleep data alone predicted NBA losing streak risk with about 86% accuracy.

  • Restricted sleep in animals quickly led to type 2 diabetes.

  • Even short-term poor sleep derails metabolism and performance.

  • Sleep quality (depth, regularity, environment) matters as much as duration.

• Eat fewer, better calories:

  • Caloric restriction consistently extends lifespan in animal models.

  • Cutting ~500 calories below guideline (e.g., 2,000 vs 2,500) is a typical target.

  • It only works if you avoid junk and maintain solid macro- and micronutrients.

  • Diets rich in whole foods outperform “eat less” with ultra-processed options.

• Omega-3s rival (and beat) smoking risk:

  • A low omega-3 index is linked to shorter life expectancy than smoking.

  • High omega-3 levels added ~5 years of life compared with low levels.

  • Smokers with high omega-3s lived as long as non-smokers with low omega-3s.

  • Best sources: wild-caught fish, grass-fed animal products, and carefully chosen oils.

• VO2 max is a mortality scoreboard:

  • High VO2 max is one of the strongest predictors of lower all-cause mortality.

  • Protocol: about 4 hours of Zone 2 cardio weekly plus one higher-intensity session.

  • Combining long, easy efforts with targeted intervals builds durable capacity.

  • VO2 max improvements correlate directly with lower disease and death risk.

• Sleep hygiene is non-negotiable:

  • Chronic sleep restriction in rats led to disease within two weeks.

  • Go to bed and wake up at the same time daily for stable rhythms.

  • Aim for ~8 hours in bed in a dark, cool, quiet room.

  • Avoid food, alcohol, and stimulating content in the 2–3 hours before bed.

• Stress is about response, not just load:

  • High stress suppresses the immune system and increases inflammation.

  • The key risk is your physiological reaction, not just the external stressor.

  • Breathwork, meditation, and therapy reduce harmful stress responses.

  • Better stress management directly lowers risk of cardiac and metabolic events.

• Posture is a silent health risk:

  • Forward head and rounded shoulders restrict blood flow to the brain.

  • Correcting posture averted stroke risk in a documented case.

  • Simple daily drills (shoulder retraction, head alignment) can fix it in minutes.

  • Better posture improves breathing, oxygen intake, and nervous-system function.

• Nasal breathing is a performance enhancer:

  • Nasal breathing boosts oxygen efficiency and lung capacity.

  • Mouth-taping at night helped eliminate snoring and likely sleep apnea symptoms.

  • Better nighttime breathing supports deeper, more restorative sleep.

  • Daytime nasal breathing improves endurance and attention.

• Social ties are metabolic medicine:

  • Positive social connections improve mood and mental health.

  • Chronic negative interactions elevate stress and autonomic arousal.

  • The goal is fewer draining interactions and more energizing ones.

  • “Become the person you want to be around” to attract better relationships.

• Mental health drives physical outcomes:

  • Chronic stress, anxiety, and depression weaken immunity and raise inflammation.

  • This increases risk of heart attack and other major diseases.

  • Weekly therapy plus journaling is framed as standard hygiene, not crisis care.

  • Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is highlighted as especially effective.

• Morning sunlight is a daily reset:

  • Bright light in the morning anchors circadian rhythms and improves sleep.

  • Target: as much safe bright light as possible early in the day.

  • Avoid bright light between ~10 p.m. and 4 a.m. to protect melatonin.

  • Even “UV-avoiders” still need morning light for clock alignment.

• Sun is a double-edged sword:

  • UV radiation ages skin and raises skin cancer risk.

  • Yet sunlight improves mood and circadian timing when used judiciously.

  • The play: avoid peak UV, use protection, but don’t eliminate sun entirely.

  • Balance skin health with systemic benefits, not all-or-nothing extremes.

Why it Matters

For leaders, this stack of “boring but universal” health facts is a strategic operating system. Sleep regularity, VO2 max, omega-3s, stress response, posture, and sunlight are all levers that directly influence cognition, resilience, and decision quality. Treating them as non-negotiable infrastructure—not wellness add-ons—builds teams that think clearer, recover faster, and stay in the game longer, turning personal health practices into a durable performance advantage for the entire organization.