A chronic disease doesn’t spread from person to person the way that a cold or flu does. But even though they are not contagious, chronic diseases take a massive toll on the health of hundreds of millions of people around the world.
As grim as that sounds, there is good news: Prevention is possible.
It’s not true in every case, but, in many instances, you can do things to reduce the risk factors that lead to serious illnesses — actions that improve your overall health and protect your quality of life.
Before getting into them, let’s start by defining “chronic diseases.” Then, we’ll jump into three crucial preventative measures you can take.
What is a Chronic Disease?
Chronic diseases are also called noncommunicable diseases, or NCDs, because you can’t “catch” them from other people. They and require long-term medical treatment.
The most common forms include:
Taken together, these NCDs account for many of the leading causes of premature death worldwide. In the U.S., heart disease and stroke claim nearly 1 million lives per year.
It’s also important to point out that people with chronic diseases don’t always outwardly “appear” to have them.
“Many individuals have a chronic disease that, unfortunately, they may not know about,” says John Stutts, Medical Director in Pediatric Nutrition at «Ƶ. “When we think about preventing chronic illness, it’s really about taking an active role in your health: Making sure that you’re going to screenings so you can take care of any problems at an early stage in the process.”
How to Prevent Chronic Diseases
Chronic diseases represent a huge challenge for public health — and yet many are considered preventable.
To the extent that it’s possible, you can stave them off with healthy habits. That said, is not only to try to live healthier but to make the following behaviors a cornerstone of your life:
While these four bullet points don’t guarantee you anything — certainly not freedom from serious illness for life — you can think of them as building blocks for your health that you can stack up over time.
The challenge lies in accomplishing all four items day after day, week after week and year after year.
If you do find yourself struggling to be physically active, a healthy eater or a good sleeper, start by thinking about the things you can control. Maybe it means taking the stairs instead of an escalator. Maybe you host a friend at home instead of meeting at a restaurant.
Another great first step is to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician who can guide you through a check-up. The more you know about your health, the more likely you are to make the right decisions to improve it.
Finally, never underestimate the importance of sleep.
“Sleep is really critical for all of us to restore our energy and to help prevent us from getting sick,” Stutts says.
“We’re learning more and more about how good sleep hygiene is really important, and that sleep time is recovery time and restorative time.”
Meanwhile, in addition to those three key focus areas, you can consider two more actions linked to improvements in overall health (if they apply):
Above all, know that you can find support for whichever steps you choose to take to prevent a chronic disease — support not only from medical professionals but also medical technology. Beyond examining you, a doctor can determine whether you’re a good candidate for life-changing devices and therapies. These, in turn, might help you on your health journey.
What is the Most Important Factor in Preventing NCDs?
If we could choose only one factor as the most important in preventing a chronic disease, we’d pick time.
Simply put, the sooner you make healthy habits a part of your life, the more you stand to gain. You can think of it in the same way you might think of saving money: The earlier you start, the more you grow.
“It’s just a true statement that if we start investing in our health at an early age and we are consistent with that, better health is what typically results,” Stutts says.
“I often say: Even if you develop something health-related in your life, what would that have been like if you weren’t taking care of yourself up to that point? It would probably be amplified.
“So, investing early and diligently can go a long way.”
Besides adopting them for yourself, the best thing you can do with healthy habits is pass them on to the next generation. They’ll have a great head start when it comes to adding quality years to their lives.
Everyone can play a role in building a healthier future — and that’s an idea worth spreading.
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