There’s never a good reason to smoke – there are only downsides to that habit. Even if in school or college one does it to fit in or to look cool, it has been clear for decades now, that smoking has only negative impacts. However, there are other seemingly innocuous lifestyle habits that we may have which may have as harmful an impact on life and health and wellness, say experts.
Yes, all smoking is bad, but the more you do it, the worse it is for not just your lungs but all of your internal organs. Starting smoking early in life has a cumulative negative impact that is worse because the damage starts earlier. What starts out as a casual habit could become dependency or addiction.
They say sitting is the new smoking. Researchers have found that the impact of a sedentary lifestyle that involves many hours of sitting has many terrible impacts on health because humans didn’t evolve to sit in one place all day. Spine damage, musculoskeletal disease, chronic disease, organ damage and muscle degeneration could all be the result of this. Hours of sitting every day increase the risk of certain cancers and diabetes, shortens the life span and even impacts the mood negatively.
We may be too busy to go out, may be avoiding the sun for various reasons or may be trying to avoid the pollution. Whatever the reason for not going out, overall it is a bad idea. One fallout is that it prevents sun exposure; the only natural source of Vitamin D, the deficiency of which causes weak bones. Being indoors for long implies that one has an inactive, sedentary lifestyle, poor fitness and a weakened immune system. Remaining indoors also negatively impacts the mood. And remember, indoor pollution levels may not be much lower than outdoor pollution levels.
Now during the COVID pandemic, the resultant lockdown and the need for physical distancing, the issues relating to social isolation have really become evident. It may seem as though we are ‘connected’ because we are in touch with others digitally. However, we miss out on the warmth of personal communication and beneficial hormones produced as a result of physical affection. Research shows how people in long-term intimate relationships and older people with an active social life live longer, healthier lives. Right now, younger people are experiencing many of the harmful effects of this isolation and reporting far higher rates of depression, anxiety and mood disorders.
While small amounts of stress could improve focus and enhance productivity, sustained stress over a longer period has negative impacts. It increases the risk of obesity and several types of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and so on. Stress lowers immunity and could make the body more vulnerable to disease.
Most adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each day. Sleeping less is not some great talent or any sign of strength. It also doesn’t indicate that one is accomplishing more or being more productive during their working hours. Less sleep actually decreases mental acuity and efficiency and increases error rates and fatigue. Being sleep deprived has many of the same impacts as having high blood alcohol levels. If you smoke of course you should try to quit. But maybe you should also give a thought to these other toxic lifestyle habits and behaviours to improve health as well.
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