By Al-kawthar
Lifestyle refers to the set of attitudes, beliefs, habits, values that people exhibit as a result of their social affiliations. Lifestyles are behaviors common to a group of people in a specific geographic, social, cultural, economic and political context. Lifestyle is also conceived as features, habits, attitudes that are peculiar to people living in a particular area at a specific time. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Health can be defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Every human deserves to be healthy. It is emphasized in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that there is a need to maintain the overall well-being of individuals. The impact of lifestyle on the health of people cannot be overlooked as it serves as an important factor that contributes to health positively or negatively. The various lifestyle habits, behaviors, actions exhibited by an individual, community or nations influences their health significantly whether in a good or bad way.
According to the World Health Organization, 60% of factors that impact the health of individuals and quality life are associated with their lifestyle. There is a high correlation between lifestyle and factors that impact health and quality life of an individual. While taking note of the impact of the development in information and communication technology technology which has greatly influenced individual lifestyles.
According to various studies on health, many diseases and health problems have been associated with the lifestyle of people. Examples are, stroke, cardiovascular heart disease, joint and skeleton disease, sexually transmitted infections, cancer, brain injury, malnutrition, Anaemia, typhoid, insomnia, diabetics, obesity, etc.
The following are examples of lifestyle and how they affect our health.
Unhealthy Eating Habits
The choice of food we consume influences our health. The body requires essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients in the right proportion at the right time for adequate functioning. These vitamins and minerals are obtained from our diet or daily consumption. Lack of these vitamins leads to diseases like osteoporosis, Ricket, fractures, Anaemia, Goitre etc.
Also, In the modernized or civilized world there is high consumption of frozen foods, high preservative foods, processed food, fast food, junks, high cholesterol or saturated fat foods which increases an Individual risk of many diseases.
Low Intake of Water
As a result of lifestyle many people give more preference to Soda drinks, juice rather than water. People do not take enough water needed by their body for proper functioning leading to dehydration. The cells, tissues, organs in our body need water to work Effectively. It is recommended that an individual takes at least 6/8 glasses of water daily. Lack of enough water leads to consistent headache, dry mouth, bad breath, urinary tract infections, fatigue, kidney diseases , etc.
Lack of Enough Sleep
Arising from the lifestyle of people, tight work schedules, having to catch the early morning bus, traffic congestion. People wake up as early as possible to set out for work and at the same time return home late, some even work for twenty four hours at a stretch, they have limited time for a good sleep. It is medically recommended that people take 7/8 hours of rest per night. Getting enough Sleep is essential to the proper functioning of the body and an important requirement for good health.. Lack of enough sleep influences the proper functioning of the brain, reduces the body’s ability to boost the immune system and release cytokines to fight illnesses, and the body is prone to diseases such as Stroke, diabetics, heart disease, kidney disease, short term memory loss etc.
Lack of Adequate Exercise
An important necessity for healthy living is exercise. It improves brain health, manages weight, lowers the risk of some diseases, strengthens bones and muscles. People’s lifestyle of not engaging in exercise, especially the working class people who are stuck to the chairs in their offices everyday are detrimental to their overall physical mental and social wellbeing. It is advisable to engage in physical anaerobic exercises like walking, dancing, singing yoga etc. Lack of Exercise increases the tendency of disease such as obesity, stroke, hormonal imbalance etc.
Harmful or Improper Consumption
These are lifestyle habits like Drug Abuse (both medications and hard drugs), drug overdose, drug underdose, using drugs without prescription, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol, smoking, intake of hard drugs, tramadol, cocaine and other psychoactive substances. These lifestyle or practices are detrimental to people health and can lead to prolonged diseases or health condition.
Not seeking attention of health officials during sickness: not seeking proper and medical attention, failures to get regular checkups, self medication are lifestyle practices that affect the health. Some people who are located In the rural area mostly fall victim because of proximity to medical facilities. These can result to aggravation and spread of diseases and can lead to death.
There is an adage that says health is wealth. It is imperative that we pay more importance and attention to our lifestyle and not allow it to negatively affect our health. It is not too late to change lifestyles that are unfavorable and detrimental to our health.

































