Health Articles
Find out what you need to do to improve your quality of life and live longer in good health.
It’s probably no surprise to you that regular physical activity, good sleep, and maintaining a healthy weight can significantly improve your health. For example, 30 minutes of walking a day reduce the risk of heart attack by 20%, 7 or more hours of sleep a night decreases the risk of getting sick by a third, and maintaining a healthy weight reduces the chance of developing common chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
But did you know that eating, sleeping, activity, and even monitoring your health are all entirely dependent on each other?
Sleep well
One example of interdependency in health is sleep’s effect on eating. A good night’s sleep can help balance insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar, ghrelin, the appetite hormone, and leptin, the satiety hormone. When you sleep well, you avoid cravings and snacking, and this allows your body to better assimilate what you eat.
Sleeping well also affects your activity potential. Having more energy, plus being more attentive, responsive, and cheerful can help you engage in exercise and a more active lifestyle. Deep sleep can even help you conserve energy, allowing the metabolism to slow down, and assisting the recovery of the immune system, memory building and the regeneration of nerve cells.
Set a healthy weight goal
Weight can also greatly affect your quality of sleep. Many of our users, like Frédéric Tossou, have told us that by watching their weight, they have seen their sleep improve. In addition, a healthy weight limits the risk of developing disorders such as sleep apnea. By taking care of your weight, you take care of your sleep!
People who are overweight may sometimes suffer from complications related to their excess weight, such as joint pain, and this pain can sometimes prevent them from participating in certain physical activities or sports. Fortunately, weight loss can improve or even solve these problems, allowing the person to practice them again.
Exercise regularly
Another act of interdependence between these pillars of health is the effect exercise has on food cravings. Physical activity naturally releases endorphins and makes you happier, so you are less likely to “take refuge in food”. Exercise also has the added benefit of r educing food cravings in general.
Finally, the hormonal balance provided by physical exercise plus energy expenditure ensures a good night’s sleep (provided you don’t do it in the 3 hours before bedtime , as the adrenaline rush and body warm-up caused by physical activity can interfere with falling asleep).
Monitor your health
According to a Harvard study, a healthy lifestyle can delay the onset of health problems by 8 years for men and 10 years for women. But to stay motivated, there is nothing like a good medical follow-up. It is important to visit your doctor regularly (at least once a year for a complete check-up) and to consult with him or her when you experience symptoms or concerns. A healthy lifestyle is not a substitute for medical care.
A follow-up with the help of connected objects can be precious for you, as well as for your doctor. It will allow you to detect any unusual changes and to share them quickly with your doctor thanks to the Health Report. In addition, you can directly visualize the impact of your efforts on your overall health.
Taking care of your health is therefore a holistic approach where sleep, weight and physical activity respond to each other and guide you towards better health today, and for a long time to come.
