10 Surprising Habits That are Killing You Slowly

Most people know that notorious bad habits like smoking and drinking will shave time off your life. But several perfectly normal, innocent things we do on a daily basis can also have adverse affects on your health.
 here are some surprising routines that will cut your life expectancy by days, months and even years.

Being a macho man

The study: Men who subscribed to rigid, traditional gender beliefs, like men having to work while women become homemakers, were 46 percent less likely than other men to get life-prolonging health care.
The reasoning: "Men die earlier because of poor lifestyle choices, most of which are rooted in the destructive rules of traditional masculinity," Hugo Schwyzer at Alternet wrote.

Consuming microwave popcorn

The study: Microwave popcorn can lead to a lung condition that can shorten your life.
The reasoning: A chemical called diacetyl that helps give microwave popcorn its buttery flavor can lead to a severe lung condition if it's consumed too much.

Having large breasts

The study: A woman with very large breasts can lose five years off her expected lifespan
The reasoning: The extra weight these women have to carry around leads to joint pain, headaches, reconstructive surgery, obesity and diabetes, the study showed.

An early retirement

The study: People who retired at age 55 were 89 percent more likely to die within 10 years than people who retired at age 65.
The reasoning: Researchers at the Shell corporation attributed it to the possible poor health of early retirees, but inactivity and lack of purpose could also play important roles.

Neglecting to floss

The study: Not flossing on a regular basis won't just put you at risk for gum disease; it also puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease, which could take as many as six years from your life.
The reasoning: "The chronic, low level of inflammation [in gum disease] may be enough to bother the blood vessels and help trigger vascular disease,” said Neal Weintraub, the lead author in the study.

Taking sleeping pills

The study: Patients who were regularly prescribed sleeping pills were 4.6 times more likely to die earlier than people who did not take sleeping pills. Even users who took as few as four pills a year were 3.6 times more likely to encounter an earlier death.
The reasoning: The dangerous ingredients in these pills, which include benzodiazepines, barbiturates and sedatives.

Watching too much T.V.

The study: Watching two hours of T.V. per day could take 1.4 years off your life.
The reasoning: A BMJ Open study on "sedentary behavior" showed that too much time just lounging around will ultimately lead to an earlier death

Oversleeping

The study: A six-year sleep study conducted by the University of California involving 1.1 million patients showed that people who slept eight hours a day died younger than people who slept six or seven hours per day.
The reasoning: Oversleeping has been associated with diabetes, headaches, depression and heart disease.

Sitting through bad traffic

The study: A longer daily commute leads to a long list of diseases and health issues, shortening your life.
The reasoning: All the stress and inactivity partially caused higher waist circumferences, higher blood pressure and larger body mass indices.

Eating too much red meat

The study: People who had at least four ounces of red or processed meat per day were 30 percent more likely to die earlier.
The reasoning: Red and processed meat intakes were associated with modest increases in total mortality, cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease mortality," the study said.