Around 15 million people in England suffer from chronic illness. This is a staggering number of individuals who are suffering daily and managing their pain through medication and treatment. Although this is not good news, there are positives in the fact that simple lifestyle changes can help prevent the onset of these illnesses and can even reduce its effects on those who already suffer.
Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important processes our body goes through and is essential for our bodies to recover and repair. Multiple studies have shown that a poor night’s sleep is associated with higher rates of depression, obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure. Click here to find out more about how important a good night’s sleep is for your mental and physical wellbeing.
Relationships
Having strong relationships, whether that be with partners, family or friends has been shown to reduce the levels of stress in the body. High levels of stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline can cause the body to be in a constant ‘fight or flight mode’ which can obstruct other processes your body needs.
Nutrition
Some chronic illnesses such as obesity and diabetes are significantly more likely if you are overweight and have a diet high in fat. Consuming more energy than you expend will lead to weight gain and this extra pressure on your joints and organs has an abundance of negative effects which can dramatically affect your quality of life.
Habits such as emotional eating make it easy to put on weight. Understanding your relationship with food and learning how to deal with these triggers can be beneficial if the diet is something you struggle with.
Exercise
Hand in hand with diet, exercise is an important factor for keeping healthy. As well as the physical benefits exercise can provide, it can also act as a great form of stress-relief and boost your body confidence.
To find out more about how health psychology can help you to make positive lifestyle changes, please contact me today.
