Slowing Down the Aging Process – Tips for Shift Workers
Life expectancy has been increasing year after year in many countries, including the U.S. However the U.S. ranks 42nd in life expectancy but number one in health care costs per capita. Clearly this has gotten the attention of the Obama administration. Question is whether this significant issue will be solved by focusing more on health care prevention, limiting access to care once chronic health issues are diagnosed, by better managing how diagnoses are determined or by all of these things. Shift workers have unique challenges that need to be managed proactively by workers, employers, insurance companies, and medical practitioners.
Key statistics on Aging
• On average, humans live 32 years in Swaziland, Africa (nearly 39% of tested pregnant women test positive for AIDS there), 78 years in the U.S., and 82 years in Japan (2008 estimate).
• The U.S. is ranked 42nd in the world for life expectancy, despite spending more on alternative health-care per person than any other country.
• But life expectancy in some of the “worst-off” U.S. counties (based on overall health indicators) either stayed the same or declined by 1.3 years for both sexes. Men in these counties die, on average, about 11 years earlier and women die 7.5 years earlier, than people in better-off counties.
• Researchers have found that the diseases most closely associated with the observed declines in life spans appeared to be related to lung-disease, smoking, obesity and high blood pressure.
How Shift Workers Can Slow down the Aging Process
• Shift workers report that they smoke more, eat less healthy foods, and exercise less often than their daytime working friends and family members.
• Shift workers suffer from diabetes, lung disease, and cardiovascular disease more than daytime workers.
• Shift workers should step-up their efforts to reduce tobacco use, control blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, and ensure blood sugar levels are appropriate.
• Additional ideas include:
* Eliminating unnecessary sugars from diets; empty calories lead to excess weight
* Increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables (try 5-7 portions per day)
* Reducing stress and find things to laugh about
* Getting enough sleep; take a nap if you can
* Practicing the art of doing nothing, learn to relax
* Join a gym or take a long walk 3-4 times a week
Aging and Older Adults
• Elderly joggers are half as likely to die prematurely from conditions like cancer, than non-runners and, they also enjoy a healthier life with fewer disabilities.
• Nineteen years into a study of over 500 people, 34% of the non-runners had died compared to only 15% of the runners.
• Running reduced the rate of deaths from heart disease, cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.
• There was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners.
Tags: chronic problems, diabetes, fitness, health care prevention, health costs, heart disease, smoking
