Obesity is the second leading cause of
preventable death in the United States, surpassed only by tobacco use. An
estimated 300,000 deaths per year are due to the obesity epidemic. It is a
condition that is associated with having an excess of body fat. It can be
influenced by genetic and environmental factors, both of which are difficult to
control when dieting. Obesity is a major risk factor for a plethora of
diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. A person’s
weight and height calculates a Body Mass Index--also known as BMI--that can
identify obesity. Usually, if an adult has a BMI of 30 or higher then they are
considered obese.
Obesity used to be more prominent in high-income countries but is now rapidly spreading
to middle and low-income countries. Over the past 35 years, obesity rates have
more than doubled. The average American is more than 24 pounds heavier today
than their counterparts in 1960. As obesity increases, so do chronic health
problems like diabetes and high blood pressure. New data has shown that rates
of both have risen dramatically over the last two decades.
Obesity is caused by many different factors like an inactive lifestyle, the
environment, genes, health conditions, medicines, emotional factors, age, and
even lack of sleep. Obesity is a serious problem in many states, cities, and
neighborhoods. It is important for change to come in order for the high rates
of obesity can diminish. Sleep is one of the factors to help stop obesity but
is often times underrated.
People seem to forget that sleep is what recharges the body in order to have energy
for both physical and mental activity. When we are young, our particular others
tend to instill a bedtime in order to ensure that we get an adequate amount of
sleep. As we get older, however, our sleep paradigms begin to change as we
reevaluate what is worth our time. Our chronemics systematically shift in
accordance with our priorities as we allocate more time for things such as
homework and leisure in place of sleep. This decline in sleep is accompanied by
decrease in the efficiency of systems responsible for immunity and metabolism,
putting us at increased risk for health challenges, especially obesity.
In our youth, we sleep better because our enforced bedtimes allowed for us to enter
slow-wave deep sleep, which is the most restorative level of sleeping (Shaw).
As we age and the implementation of a bedtime is lost to the past, we fail to
reach this deep level of sleep because of shifts in our lifestyle. The solution
is for particular others to instill an appreciation for the value of quality
sleep. If this chronemic esteem for sleep is emphasized early and often, we
will be more equipped to allot more sleep for ourselves, in turn giving us more
energy and efficiency in metabolism and immunity. Managing sleep can lead to a
manageable weight that will avoid the level of obesity.
I find this article extremely informative. It makes me want to go to the doctor right now and make sure I'm in good health. Eating all this junk food in college is a sure factor to lead to being overweight.
ReplyDeleteI believe the factors that contribute to obesity mostly apply to college students. College students suffer from at least 6 of the factors listed making them highly at risk for obesity. Unfortunately, at most colleges, there are not many healthy options that appeal to students. For students that are willing to go the extra mile and pay the extra cost for a healthy lifestyle, they reap the benefits. For those who don't have the money to do so, they may suffer. Exercising may lower the risk of obesity but dieting is 70% of the work.
ReplyDeleteThis article has many truths. I am saddened by the amount of obesity in society and the fact that most of the time it is caused by one's self and their choices. I as a college student must say that it is very hard to exercise and eat healthy all of the time. However, seeing the possible affects of bad habits causes me to think twice before I drive to Summit to get fast food or go to the cafe and try a salad.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very true a lot of people are more obese than back in the day, and it is a growing issue. It is important for parents to teach their kids the importance of eating healthy and exercising to reduce the numbers of Obesity in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteThis read was very important and informative simply because we are at the age where we are forming habits that could be lasting us a lifetime. In one of my Heath classes, we measured ourselves to see if our height, weight, and age were all in order for our Heath. Your health is all you have at the end of the day because without good health you can't do much of anything.
ReplyDelete