What are Lifestyle Diseases?
Lifestyle diseases result from our daily poor lifestyle practices, whereas infectious diseases are due to germs (bacteria or viruses). How we live (exercise), how we eat (nutrition), how we handle stress (or lack thereof), etc., has a major impact on whether we develop any of these diseases.
With an active lifestyle, less sedentary living, healthy eating habits, enough rest/sleep, and lower levels of stress in general, we have seen an increase in the number of lifestyle-based disabilities in our communities. A plus is that most of these diseases can easily be avoided by making minor adjustments to your daily routine!
What are the Common Types of Lifestyle Diseases?
Some may recognize certain diseases as being lifestyle-related; however, they often link back to one another as well as have many of the same causes. Three often observed diseases in people who practice similar lifestyle habits are described as below:
- Type II Diabetes is caused by a lack of exercise and making unhealthy food choices, such as eating fast food.
- Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is difficult for people to diagnose. Many individuals suffer from high blood pressure without knowing that they have the disease.
- The term heart disease describes a number of medical conditions related to the heart. Examples include myocardial infarction (a heart attack) and coronary artery disease.
- Obesity is the most significant risk factor for developing other chronic or possibly chronic health problems.
- A cerebrovascular accident (stroke) can occur in someone with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Cigarette smokers develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from using tobacco products.
- Poor food choices, poor lifestyle choices, or poor decision making regarding food choices may cause one to develop cancer.
- These conditions are primarily managed under the Internal Medicine department in a multi-speciality hospital.
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Why Do Lifestyle Diseases Happen?
Understanding the causes of lifestyle diseases is crucial in order to prevent them.
Here are six contributing factors:
1. Sedentary Lifestyle & Disease Risk – Spending too much time sitting will slow down the body’s metabolism and create fat deposits. Physical inactivity is one of the largest contributors to lifestyle diseases.
2. Poor Diet – Regularly eating processed foods, sugary beverages, and meals high in fat can contribute to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
3. Chronic Stress – Prolonged stress can alter your hormones, sleeping patterns, and heart health. Over an extended period of time, chronic stress increases your body’s risk of hypertension and other diseases.
4. Lack of Sleep – Less than 6-7 hours of sleep per night disrupts metabolism and impairs immune function.
5. Smoking and Drinking Alcohol – Both activities greatly increase your chance of developing heart disease, cancer, and diseases of the lungs.
6. Digital Overexposure – Spending excessive hours on electronic media will lead to eye strain, poor body alignment, and lower physical activity level.
What Symptoms Should You Not Ignore?
You may not know that you are developing a lifestyle disease until it is too late but there are many physical indications that will alert you to potentially developing a lifestyle disease.
Things to watch for include:
- Fatigue or lack of energy on an ongoing basis
- Having headaches or feeling dizzy frequently
- Weight fluctuating (either gaining or losing) unexpectedly
- Increased thirst or urinating frequently
- Pressure or discomfort in your chest in addition to difficulty breathing
- Trouble sleeping
- Joint pain or stiff joints
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Who is more likely to develop a lifestyle disease?
There are many reasons why someone may have a higher probability of developing a lifestyle disease:
- Age – Increased risk for anyone over age 30 to 40
- Family History – Those individuals that have a family history of either diabetes or cardiac conditions are at a higher risk
- Obesity – Especially abdominal obesity
- Poor Nutrition – Eating foods that are very high in fat, sugar and salt
- Sedentary – Lack of physical activity
- Work related stress – Individuals that work in high stress occupations typically have higher risks of developing lifestyle diseases
- Urban/metro living – Limitations for physical movement plus extensive exposure to pollution
How Can You Prevent Lifestyle Diseases Easily?
There are many small, consistent habits that can be developed to help prevent lifestyle-related disease, rather than making large-scale changes to one’s life.
- Exercise your body regularly for 30-minutes a day (walking, yoga, cycling or doing housework)
- Eat balanced meals containing all types of fruits and vegetables including whole grains; avoid junk food and processed foods; eliminate added sugar and salt; develop drinking water; keep body hydrated.
- Manage your stress by practicing meditation/deep-breathing, going outdoors, spending time with family & friends; find out what works best for decreasing stress.
- Establish a sleeping schedule and get 7–8 hours’ sleep every night.
- Quit smoking and limit your consumptions of alcohol as these two behaviours contribute greatly to developing chronic illness.
- Regularly see your doctor for health screenings to detect health problems before they become serious.
- Stay within a healthy body mass index (BMI); keeping your BMI in a healthy range will reduce your risk of developing multiple chronic conditions.
What is the Best Daily Routine for a Healthy Lifestyle?
Wondering how to get healthier naturally? Follow this easy routine:
- Drink water & do some light stretching first thing in the morning.
- Enjoy a healthy breakfast.
- Stay active during the day.
- Take frequent short breaks from using any type of screen.
- Eat a light early dinner.
- Relax before going to bed.
Why Prevention Matters More Than Cure?
Prevention is more important than cure, because most lifestyle-related diseases require long-term medication and treatment. By preventing illnesses and health problems you can reduce overall healthcare expenses while also improving your quality of life.
Having a healthy lifestyle will enable you to do the following:
- Have more energy and be more productive
- Improve your mental health
- Reduce the amount of money you spend on healthcare
- Live longer and have a healthy body and mind.
Conclusion
At Shekhawati Hospital Jaipur, we provide information on how to prevent lifestyle diseases, and we have seen a large increase in these types of diseases. There is an increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases, but there is still an opportunity for prevention through education and act.
By implementing small changes into your daily routine, such as eating well, being physically active, and learning to manage stress, you can greatly reduce your chance of developing a lifestyle disease. We promote regular medical check-ups and early detection to improve the health of families. What you do today affects your health in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: What does the term “lifestyle diseases” mean in layman’s words?
Ans: Lifestyle diseases are conditions associated with an unhealthy way of living. Unhealthy ways of living typically are associated with the consumption of unhealthy food, lack of physical activity, and/or a high amount of stress.
Q2: Is it possible to reverse or cure a lifestyle disease?
Ans: With proper lifestyle changes, most early-stage diseases can be cured or reversed. For example, conditions like prediabetes or hypertension can be prevented if the patient starts eating a better diet or exercising more regularly.
Q3: How soon after making lifestyle changes will I see the results?
Ans: Depending on the person, they will usually start to notice increased energy and improvements in their overall physical health in as little as a couple of weeks after making the initial lifestyle habit changes.
