Occupational Lifestyle Diseases: A glaring Issue
Occupational Lifestyle Diseases: A Glaring Issue
We are living in an era where most of the world’s population is in the working-age group and their lives are dominated by screens, convenience food and inadequate physical activity. Instead of kickstarting the day with exercises, we are hooked on to our smartphones right from the moment we wake up – slouched, with a neck bent down, fingers and thumb continuously tapping, clicking & scrolling to absorb all the latest happenings around!
Pollution, impure food, allergies, heat, sound, dust, cold make the situation even grimmer. Consequently, a huge chunk of the Indian population is at the risk of suffering from several daily health issues like minor pains and aches to deadly lifelong occupational lifestyle diseases like Alzheimer’s, cancer, COPD, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, obesity, depression, chronic backache and others. Our lifestyle, especially dietary choices and inactivity, makes us predisposed to develop these health issues that may take years to manifest but are difficult to control and cure.
To counter the possibility of developing occupational lifestyle diseases, we must make necessary modifications in our lifestyle and get rid of unhealthy habits. To get started, follow the below mentioned prevention methods of occupational lifestyle diseases: –
Watch your diet
Home-made food is a blessing! Ditch junk and processed foods, and take whole grains instead of refined cereals for breakfast. Your lunch must consist of healthy fats, proteins, poultry, fish or lean meat. Going for leafy green vegetables also boosts your health. You should avoid having excessive salt, sugar and high flavor enhancers in your diet. Eat at regular intervals, never indulge in binge-eating and never skip your breakfast.
Watch your posture
People who use computer for prolonged hours can experience musculoskeletal issues such as back pain, neck pain, muscle soreness and numbness in arms & shoulders. So, make sure your sitting posture is correct- the computer screen should stay at your eye level, legs should be perpendicular to the floor and feet should rest flat. Take minibreaks at work for stretching, or walking to shed stress from various parts of your body.
De-Stress it out!
Stress is a major factor that can cause occupational lifestyle diseases such as hypertension, heart disease & sexual issues. To cope with stress, you should learn time management skills and de-stressing techniques such as deep breathing. You should also find some family member or friend to vent out your emotions.
Take care of your biological clock
Ideally, one must work in tandem with nature- wake up with the sun and sleep with the stars. Your biological clock may get disturbed if you have a night shift job or sleep late and are not be able to get the desired amount and quality of sleep. This can cause sleep deprivation, sleep apnea, stress, obesity and heart disease
Protect your body
Having a field job and commuting to work every day exposes you to pollution, heat and cold outside. So, wear a face mask to protect yourself from air pollution. Covering your head while working for long period in the sun can guard you from heat. Wear glasses to avoid dust getting in your eyes. Using computers for long hours can cause eye strain, dry eyes or computer vision syndrome. Take breaks, adjust brightness, use screen guards, blink from time to time to prevent damage to eyes.
Our bodies respond to how we live. A thoughtful living, wiser choices & healthier lifestyle certainly cut down the risk of developing minor and hazardous occupational lifestyle diseases. However,
if you still feel at the risk of a lifestyle disease, then see your doctor.
