Lifestyle is defined as the collection of behaviors and interests that an individual adopts. A lifestyle reflects a person’s personality and attitudes in his daily life. In Pakistan, millions of people are suffering from chronic illnesses due to their poor lifestyle called lifestyle diseases. Lifestyle diseases are ailments that are caused due to a person’s day to day habits.
Some diseases contracted due to poor lifestyle adaptations include cardiac diseases, postural diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, depression, and musculoskeletal diseases.
The factors that are involved in the occurrence of these diseases are malpractices of eating an unhealthy diet, not having a proper physical activity, low levels of sunlight exposure and smoking and alcohol abuse.
These factors are interlinked to each other in a way that when you eat unhealthy food and do not exercise to burn the calories the results will be devastating because the stored food in your stomach will take a lot of time to digest which will cause accumulation of toxins in the colon and high levels of lipids and cholesterol in the blood.
These lipids and cholesterol will get stuck to the lining of the blood vessels causing high pressure of blood inside them resulting in cardiovascular diseases. The cardiac diseases often lead to clot formation in the blood that might prove fatal if the clot gets dislodged from its origin to the brain that leads to a stroke which further leads to physical disabilities.
Diabetes also occurs as a result of high levels of glucose in the blood. Cancer is caused due to uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. It can be caused due to viruses, ultra-violet radiation, chemicals, or smoke. Asbestos, a mineral used for fireproofing is known to cause cancer when it is airborne.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease affects the lungs and causes difficulty in breathing. Smoking is the most common cause of this disease. Moreover, dust and chemical fumes at workplaces when inhaled also result in COPD.
Obesity is also linked to this disease as the people who are overweight find it difficult to breathe and face shortness of breath after doing some work.
Depression is a state of dullness, sadness, and hopelessness that makes a person averse to do any work. Depressed people tend to feel sad, worthless, and empty and avoid social contacts. Depression basically affects a person’s way of thinking, actions, and behavior toward others. It can have numerous reasons however some of the most common include financial issues, work problems, troubles in a relationship, health issues or even jealousy.
Musculoskeletal diseases are linked to weak bones and muscles. It can be due to being overweight, having a bad sitting posture, lack of exercise, poor diet or lack of natural Vitamin D through sunlight.
All these diseases can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle which should include regular exercise, work-life balance, healthy relationships, and keeping oneself busy. A wholesome diet is the most important factor in leading a healthy lifestyle. Daily dietary intake should include fibers, proteins, and carbohydrates in equal amounts to ensure that the body gets the proper supply to stay active.
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