The bad habits and unhealthy lifestyle choices we make add up over a lifetime.

Consider the young adult who is smoking or vaping, drinking excessively, and exercising less than once a week. If they don't clean up their act by the time they reach their 36th birthday, those unhealthy patterns will have already taken a toll on their overall wellbeing and health, and, a new study shows, it will only get worse.

These types of bad habits and lifestyle choices are likely to lead to years of future ill health.

Lack of exercise was particularly linked to poor physical health; smoking was mainly attached to poor mental health, and heavy alcohol consumption was associated with declines in both mental and physical health.

The findings come from a long-running longitudinal study that involved hundreds of children who were born in the Finnish city of Jyvaskyla in 1959. People in the study were followed from childhood until their early 60's. Researchers analyzed information on 326 participants' mental and physical health collected from surveys and medical records when they were 27 years old and again at 36, 42, 50 and 61 years of age. By its end, 206 people remained in the study.

Symptoms of depression and psychological wellbeing were measured on a scale of 1 to 4. The Finnish team recorded blood pressure, waist circumference, blood sugar levels, cholesterol numbers and other blood fats (lipids) to arrive at a metabolic risk score on a scale from 0-5.

Unsurprisingly, if a person engaged in all three unhealthy habits at a given point in time — if they smoked, drank heavily and were sedentary — the team found their mental and physical health were poorer than if they didn't have any of these risky behaviors. Engaging in all three unhealthy behaviors long-term was even more strongly associated with poor health.

“Our findings highlight the importance of tackling risky health behavior, such as smoking, heavy drinking and physical inactivity as early as possible to prevent the damage they do from building up over the years, culminating in poor mental and physical health later in life,” Tiia Kekalainen, a health scientist who worked on the study, said in a press release.

Lack of exercise was particularly linked to poor physical health; smoking was mainly attached to poor mental health and heavy alcohol consumption was associated with declines in both mental and physical health.

By the time a person reaches their 36th birthday, unhealthy patterns will have already taken a toll on their overall wellbeing and health, and it will only get worse.

“Non-communicable diseases such as heart disease and cancer cause almost three-quarters of deaths worldwide,” Kekalainen pointed out. “But by following a healthy lifestyle, an individual can cut their risk of developing these illnesses and reduce their odds of an early death.”

The study was limited by the fact that it was observational. The researchers couldn't establish whether the risky behaviors were fueling ill health, or vice versa. The authors opined that the relationship is likely two-way. For example, someone who is stressed may drink heavily to try to cope. This could then cause problems with family and friends that lead to poorer emotional wellbeing.

The authors acknowledge that the study only considered three types of behavior and hope that other factors such as diet will be included in future studies.

Breaking bad habits isn't easy. These strategies offered by the National Institutes of Health may help:

  • Identify the situations or cues that trigger unhealthy behaviors. Pay attention to time of day, places, emotions, even thoughts.
  • Modify your environment. Remove temptations. Don't keep alcohol or cigarettes in your home or on your person.
  • Set realistic goals and break the habit down into smaller more manageable steps. Don't set a goal for running a mile if you haven't exercised in years.
  • Seek support by enlisting the help of friends, family, a support group or a counselor.
  • Track your progress by keeping a record and also noting any setbacks.
  • Reward your small achievements and milestones.
  • Use positive reinforcement to help you stay motivated and build self-confidence.
  • Be patient. Breaking a bad habit takes time and effort.

The study is published in Annals of Medicine.