What Role Do Lifestyle Changes Play in Chronic Disease Management?

It's important to understand how lifestyle factors play into chronic disease management, whether you're a healthcare worker treating patients or just someone looking to care for your own health.

This article will describe the critical role that lifestyle changes play in managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and heart disease. Continue reading to learn more about this topic.

How Widespread Is Chronic Disease?

An estimated 129 million people in the United States have at least one major chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, hypertension, or obesity, as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services. That is over 30 percent of US citizens. Healthcare workers across the country, like those studying a family nurse practitioner program and already practicing professionals like doctors, learn about and treat patients suffering from chronic diseases every day. 

What Causes Chronic Disease?

Several risk factors can contribute to the diagnosis of chronic diseases, such as the ones we've listed above. Some of these risk factors are indeed related to lifestyle choices.

Smoking is a leading cause of death in America, and there are over 16 million citizens living with a disease related to smoking. Smoking directly causes strokes, cancer, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. 

Inadequate diet and sedentary lifestyles are also significant risk factors for chronic diseases such as obesity, stroke, heart disease, and cancers, and mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric disorders.

Excessive alcohol consumption can also lead to serious health issues, including alcohol use disorder, issues with learning, mental health, and memory. Some chronic diseases are caused by excessive alcohol use, including heart disease, stroke, liver disease, and certain types of cancer. In serious cases, it can cause irreversible liver damage and Wernicke's syndrome. 

Drug use can also cause severe illness, such as liver and kidney damage, poor dental health, mental health issues, and overdose risk. 

As you can see, these lifestyle choices of smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, and alcohol and drug use can all be linked to chronic disease.

Other Risk Factors

There are other risk factors associated with developing chronic disease. These are nonmedical factors, which are called social determinants of health. Social determinants include housing, working conditions, and food insecurity.

For example, some people may lack safe spaces to exercise in, such as parks, or some people may not be able to afford a gym membership. Other people may lack access to fresh food and produce. Those in rural or regional areas may find it harder to obtain medical care due to doctor shortages, hospital closures, or having to travel a long distance to access healthcare. 

How Lifestyle Changes Can Prevent Chronic Disease

Now, we're going to explore how lifestyle changes can play a major role in the prevention and management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, hypertension, and mental illness. 

Diet, Hydration, and Exercise

One essential part of staying well and helping to prevent chronic disease is to maintain a consistent and healthy diet. This can be tricky if you work full time, where it may be tempting to eat only quick and easy processed meals and snacks, but as you get older, you need to be more conscious of what you put into your body. If you can, try to avoid overly processed, salty, and sugary snack food unless it is a special treat once in a while. Instead, eat a diet that primarily consists of nuts, grains, fresh fruit, vegetables, and lean meats such as chicken, fish, or game, and only eat red meat once a week or so for some vital iron. Avoid fast food and take out food that may be oily, fatty, and unhealthy. 

In addition to a healthy and balanced diet, you should aim to stay adequately hydrated at all times. Water is the best drink for this, and you should drink enough water so that your urine is clear or a very light yellow color. Dark yellow urine is a key sign of dehydration. Avoid sodas and even sugar-free drinks, although one can or bottle of pop every once in a while is okay in moderation. 

Furthermore, you should aim to get a decent amount of exercise each week. How you choose to stay fit and what type of exercise you spend your time doing will vary depending on your personal preferences. The goal is to maintain an active lifestyle, which will assist in weight loss and general well-being. You could go for a brisk walk, cycle, swim, lift weights, or do other types of strength training. 

Quit Smoking and Drinking

As we've described above, smoking and excessive drinking can be a leading contributor to developing chronic diseases. You can try to quit smoking by using nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum, lozenges, or sprays to help you.

If you drink excessive amounts of alcohol, try to cut back significantly or stop completely. If you or those around you are worried about your alcohol or drug use or you are showing signs of addiction, you should seek help as soon as possible.

This helpful article has discussed the role lifestyle choices play in chronic disease management and prevention. We've learned the risk factors associated with chronic disease and how some simple lifestyle modifications can both prevent and help you manage a chronic health condition. Remember, you don't have to completely cut out the foods you like—moderation is key! On top of that, maintain a healthy relationship with exercise and look after your body in any way you can.