How the increase in sedentary lifestyle has become a major health concern

How the increase in sedentary lifestyle has become a major health concern

The couch potato lifestyle has gained popularity as individuals choose not to indulge in any form of physical activities without knowing the implications of this on their health. This , also known as the sedentary life style,  has been brought about by a number of factors like; the decline of routine manual jobs due to technological advancements that has seen innovation of machines to carry out  heavy tasks, the increase in  TV and computer culture evident in most young adults  as they sit and watch all day and  some ethnic groups and  the  long  working hours in the office  especially in  developed countries. The health implications of sedentary lifestyle on health clearly shows how one condition can lead to another critical condition eventually resulting to early deaths. This paper will discuss severe long-term effects on health causing conditions like obesity, cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure.

Obesity is a serious condition caused by sedentary lifestyle. Individuals accumulate fats and calories above normal standards as a result of not partaking physical activities. Body mass index is used to measure the level of height for weight that is used to classify individuals as underweight, normal and overweight. To classify one as obese the BMI has to be greater than or equal to 30, and overweight equal or greater than 25. According to the WHO, by the year 2016, out of the total adults aged 18 years and above 39% of them were overweight while 13% proved too obese. Children of ages 5 and below with obesity were reported to be 40 million in total in the world. These statistics concluded that since the year 1975 obesity levels have tripled in number and continue to rapidly increase. Inyang and Stella (2015), in their research, indicated that there was a correlation between the number of hour’s young children and young adult spend watching TV while in adults the long working hours and automation at work lead to obesity. They also found that obesity levels were higher in developed countries especially in the European nations and developing countries like Nigeria in Africa due advancements in technology. Obesity has been identified as one of the early markers to individuals prone to contracting cardiovascular diseases.

The second critical condition caused by sedentary lifestyle is cardiovascular diseases. This is a condition that affects the heart and is caused by fats building up and being deposited in the atherosclerosis (artery) thus increasing blood clots. If person is affected the heart is unable to pump blood making the body to be oxygen deprived as oxygen does not reach the blood vessels and carbon dioxide and other waste products are not removed. The total sedentary time spent collectively affect the heart and blood vessels favoring the likelihood of contracting ischemic heart diseases, coronary arteries and strokes (Gonzales, Fuentes & Marquez 2017).  Kim (2018) found that the people in Korea spent 6 hours in sedentary a day which translated 42.7 hours per week more than both the United States and United Kingdom did in 2009 with 38 and 42 hours spent in sedentary respectively. Their data showed that Korea people were in more danger as they spent more time in sedentary than any other country. In most cases, cardiovascular diseases are life threatening and can affect the pressure of the blood.

Hyper tension is associated with sedentary living as cholesterol levels and cardiovascular diseases accelerate it. According to Judith et al. (2009) with the increase in fluctuation of health, one is prone to becoming even sicker as the body lacks the capacity to function at maximum level. Something as minor as seating in a proper posture can help improve one’s overall body posture and relive back and joint pain. If one consistently ignores how they seat, stand or even sleep, this ends up showing in terms their productivity at work, school or even their social life. A disorder such as hyper cholesterolemia is associated with high levels of fats (cholesterol). There are good fats but to some extent extreme levels in the blood stream can be fatal to a person’s health if caution is thrown to the wind. Good fats help keep the heart safe as it acts as a cushion to the heart but bad fat blocks the arteries and veins that transport blood to various parts of the body. The older you get the more your body begins to experience changes in terms of food digestion and therefore, you need to detoxify in order to revitalize major organs such as kidneys and the liver. Atherosclerosis for instance, is as a result of high cholesterol levels intake. This ends up causing the hardening of arteries, narrowing blood vessels and eventually death as the body is deprived of oxygen. For example, type 2 diabetes is mostly influenced by bad choices in one’s lifestyle. Physical dormancy is a primarily a major factor when it comes to diabetes mellitus ( Gaddad et al.2018). It can be preventable but increase in the disease shows that there is much negligence when it comes to taking care of one’s health.

In Conclusion, sedentary lifestyle has adverse effect on health as shown above. Sitting down and watching television or carrying out task in the office leads to obesity as people do not loose off any fats from the food they eat. These fats, if excess, can result to improper functioning of the heart making people indulging in this lifestyle contract cardio vascular disease. With the heart not functioning the way it is supposed to, one is exposed to the risk of high blood pressure that can be a dreadful condition to manage and control. These conditions combine can lead to early death. All this can be avoided by partaking in moderate to vigorous physical activities that make one live a productive life. Waking up, taking a run or walking around can play a part in avoiding all the above conditions. Eating healthy and doing something physical can assist in preventing obesity. It is important do physical exercises.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Gonzales, K., Fuentes, J., &  Marquez, J.L. (2017). Physical inactivity, sedentary behavior and chronic diseases. Korean Journal of Family Medicine, 38(3), 111-115. doi:10.4082/kjfm.2017.38.3.111

Inyang, M.P.; Stella, O-O. (2018). Modern Sedentary Lifestyle: Health Implications. IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science, 4(2) 20-25. doi: 10.9790/1959-04212025

 Kim, Soo Young. 2018 “Sedentary Lifestyle and Cardiovascular Health”. Korean Journal Of Family Medicine, vol 39, no. 1, p. 1. The Korean Academy of Family Medicine, doi:10.4082/kjfm.2018.39.1.1.

World health organisation.Int, 2020, “Obesity and Overweight”. Retrieved 24 April 2020, from

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight.

Gadaad and Sathya, (2018). Journal of family medicine and primary care Vol.7 (4), pp.775-779. Retrieved 24 April 2020, from

https://primoa.library.unsw.edu.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=TN_medline30234052&context=PC&vid=UNSWS&lang=en_US&search_scope=SearchFirst&adaptor=primo_central_multiple_fe&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,sedentary%20lifestyle&offset=0

Regensteiner, and Totowa, (2009). Diabetes and Exercise. (2009). Retrieved from

https://primoa.library.unsw.edu.au/primo-explore/fulldisplay?docid=UNSW_ALMA51207170500001731&context=L&vid=UNSWS&lang=en_US&tab=default_tab&query=any,contains,sedentary%20lifestyle&offset=0