Healthy Lifestyle: 4 keys to a longer life

By Manvi Pandey

Lifestyle, shaped by geographical, economic, political, cultural, and religious contexts, encompasses the day-to-day behaviours and functions of individuals within their specific time and place. In recent decades, researchers have increasingly recognised lifestyle as a crucial factor in health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 60% of factors influencing individual health and quality of life are linked to lifestyle.

Millions of people adopt unhealthy lifestyles, leading to illness, disability, and even death. Metabolic diseases, joint and skeletal problems, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, overweight, and violence can result from an unhealthy lifestyle. Today, significant changes have occurred in the lives of people, with malnutrition, unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, drug abuse, and stress becoming dominant forms of lifestyle. Additionally, citizens face new challenges in their lives.

Variables influencing health within lifestyle can be categorized into several items:

Diet and Body Mass Index (BMI): Diet is a paramount factor in lifestyle, directly influencing health. Poor diet and its consequences, such as obesity, are common health problems in urban societies. Urban lifestyles often lead to nutritional issues, including the consumption of fast foods and poor-quality foods, contributing to cardiovascular problems. Exercise, when integrated into lifestyle, helps address general health problems.

Sleep: One of the cornerstones of a healthy life is adequate sleep. Sleep disorders have various social, psychological, economic, and health-related consequences. Lifestyle can impact sleep, and in turn, sleep has a significant influence on mental and physical health.

Application of Modern Technologies: Misuse of technology can lead to adverse consequences. For instance, late-night use of computers and other devices may disrupt sleep patterns. Mobile phone addiction has been linked to symptoms of depression.

Low Water Intake: Dehydration occurs when the body lacks sufficient water. About 80% of an adult human’s composition is water, vital for the normal functioning of organs, cells, and tissues. Consuming six to eight eight-ounce glasses of water each day is advised.

In conclusion, existing studies highlight the significant influence of lifestyle on the physical and mental health of human beings. However, only a small percentage of adults lead a healthy lifestyle, and these numbers are decreasing despite widely acknowledged benefits.

Unfortunately, the relationship between health and lifestyle is not widely known, as lifestyles are expressions of individual, social group, and economic identities through social behaviors and modes of living.