Health / centenarians Want to Be 100? Sleep and Eat Right Spirituality and socializing also help By Dustin Lushing, Newser Staff Posted Jun 24, 2012 1:56 PM CDT Copied There were 72,000 centenarians in the US in 2010. By 2050, there could be more than 600,000. (Shutterstock) What can you do to live for more than a century? Researchers from UnitedHealthCare surveyed a group of centenarians and collected advice on achieving longevity. Here are their tips, courtesy of SmartMoney: Get ample sleep: 71% of centenarians snooze for 8 hours or more per night. Eat balanced meals: More than 80% of centenarians regularly consume a well-rounded meal. Stay Social: 89% of centenarians communicate with a relative or friend daily. Keep your spirits high: Two thirds of centenarians engage in spiritual activity, such as praying or meditating. Check out more survey results here. (More centenarians stories.) Report an error