Different factors affect your health in different ways. While some are beyond your control, most of these factors are intentional lifelong habits that are a part of your daily routine, making them more challenging to manage or get rid of entirely.
As time goes, your body’s immunity will get gradually weaker, and it is upon you to take the necessary measures and lifestyle adjustments to take care of your health, mentally, physically and emotionally.
Below is a list of factors that impact your health and tips to manage their effects.
Excess Alcohol Consumption
If you love to make merry and drink excessive alcohol at everys slightest opportunity, it may be time to cut back on that. As you age, too much alcohol consumption will have severe effects on your overall health.
Excessive drinking is detrimental to everyone, especially for aging individuals, pregnant women, people working in jobs that require sobriety such as drivers, or anyone with underlying medical conditions.
The effects of alcohol on your health and people around you can be categorized into two groups which are either short-term effects or long-term effects. However, the fact that some of these effects are long-term and you will not observe them immediately should not encourage you to drink regularly.
The short term effects of consuming alcohol excessively include:
- Injuries from car crashes, drowning, or falls
- Suicide
- Alcohol poisoning
- Stillbirths and miscarriages
- Drowsiness
- Vomiting
- Migraines and headaches
On the other hand, the long-term effects of too much alcohol are:
- Heart diseases
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Liver diseases
- Cancer: of the throat, mouth, liver, among other vital body parts
- Weak immunity
- Digestion problems
- Mental health issues such as depression and anxiety
Remedy
Some of the long-term effects of excess alcohol are permanent and may not be easy to reverse. However, it is easier to deal with alcohol addiction as early as possible.
You can consider contacting Arizona rehab facilities or recommending it to someone you know is struggling. Remember that prevention is always easier and better than cure.
You can also join support groups and attend relevant events where you will meet people and make meaningful connections. Doing this gives you support and encourages you when other people fight the same battles as you.
While recovering from addiction, ensure you take a balanced diet to improve your general health and boost your immunity.
Poor Dieting Habits
Today, most people prefer junk food over organic and healthy meals. These habits are not limited to the type of food you eat. They also involve your meal patterns, eating while working or doing other things, eating less, and eating more.
For instance, overdoing portions of healthy foods will lead to a calorie overload. Likewise, over-dependence on processed foods adds no nutritional value to your body, and poor meal planning will lead to poor food perspectives and decisions. The risks of poor nutrition to you and your family include:
- Weight issues such as obesity
- High blood pressure
- Eating disorders
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
- Poor mental health
Remedy
To manage your poor diet habits, you can start with small steps such as occasionally planning your meals in a balanced manner, restocking your fridge with fresh grocery supplies weekly, and reducing your junk intake.
Start small, and set your short-term and long term diet goals. Make sure these goals are SMART- Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound. Then, if you are experiencing challenges planning a balanced meal, you can search online or consult with a nutritionist.
Lack Of Exercise
There is a common notion that exercise is only meant for weight issues, which is wrong. It would help if you exercised at least a few times a week, regardless of whether or not you are struggling with weight issues.
The primary goal of regular exercise is to keep you healthy and fit. Long periods of physical inactivity raise your chances of developing heart diseases, high blood pressure, anxiety, and less productivity in the same venues.
Remedy
Starting a workout routine is tricky, but maintaining one after is more leisurely. Also,exercises should not just be done at the gym exclusively. Instead, you can talk to a fitness specialist or research some simple forms of exercise you can do at home.
Another way to ensure you are keeping fit is to join forces with a group of friends and pay a trainer to guide you from home. In addition, technology has made most things accessible from the comfort of your home.
Do not let this opportunity to utilize your electronic gadgets go to waste. For instance, you can download a workout app or use the millions of video tutorials already available on YouTube.
You can also get a fitness tracker to motivate you and make exercising more enjoyable.
Poor Personal Hygiene
Poor personal hygiene is usually linked to bad oral health, body odour, flu, and lice infestation. But examples of the root causes of poor hygiene are:
- Skipping baths
- Wearing dirty, ad smelling clothes
- Repeatedly wearing the same innerwear
- Infrequent thorough cleaning or disinfecting.
- Failing to floss
Remedy
If your hygiene is very poor, consult with a doctor to help deal with some of the side effects you are already experiencing. It is never too late to develop a healthy routine of bathing frequently, brushing your teeth, and ensuring your clothes are cleaned and ironed well.
For better results, shower every day and adopt a weekly self-care routine. In the self-care routine, use products such as perfume, deodorant, and shower gel to help you smell nice and fresh all day.
Noise And Air Pollution
Research shows that direct exposure to loud noise impacts public health. For example, regular exposure to noisy environments can impair your hearing ability and increase stress levels.
Further, increased stress levels will contribute to severe health conditions like high blood pressure and mental health issues. Air pollution levels are also rising rapidly and are putting you at risk of diseases like lung cancer and heart disease. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to escape air pollution. The most you can do is be more cautious, wear masks, and avoid contributing to more of it.
Remedy
If you are already exposed to loud noises, it is crucial to check for any signs and symptoms of hearing loss. You can also go for regular checkups and hearing tests to help you diagnose any damages to your hearing.
To get rid of noise in your immediate environment, use low volumes in your electronic gadgets or repair broken machinery that may be making the loud and unnecessary noise.
You can also strategically add insulation around your home to protect you from noise coming from your neighbours.
Besides, if you live in a very noisy neighbourhood, do not hesitate to report to the local authorities so that they can act on it as soon as possible. Invest in high quality and efficient ear protective gears and have them on all the time.
To manage the health effects of air pollution, wear masks whenever you are leaving the house, try to get to and from work earlier than peak hours when pollution levels are higher.
Poor Quality Water
Contaminated and untreated water exposes you to health issues. Without water, you will not be able to carry out the essential hygiene tasks such as taking a clean bath.
Remedy
Whenever you are unsure of the water source you are about to drink or use for other things, make sure you ask or treat it on your own.
Use clean water sparingly, whether it is for your cleaning or other house uses. Remember that water is precious, and conserving prevents future scarcity cases.
Whenever you are moving to a new place and are sure you will stay long, make sure you have prepared a way to access clean water before your arrival.
Conclusion
Taking care of yourself should be your number one priority if you want to live a long and healthy life. It is a personal responsibility no one will remind you about or push you to do.
How you handle your health will affect many things around you, including the reactions of people you frequently interact with. For example, when you take good care of yourself, the people around you, such as your workmates, friends, and family members, will not be afraid to interact with you.
It will make them respect and value your presence. On the contrary, if you fail to look into the factors that critically affect your health, no one will enjoy being friends or spending time with you. People will also feel at risk in your presence.
Maintaining your health and effectively managing the factors in this list is not something to do twice a week and give up. You will need to be consistent, dedicated, and patient for
some remedies to work and give you the satisfying results you wish. Because times keep changing and new issues emerge every other day, you should keep researching to look out for new things. Researching is meant to provide you with all the information that matters.