Obesity, Depression and Technology
Keywords:- Obesity, Depression, Technology, Lifestyle
Author – Nikhat Parveen
Introduction
Frequent use of the internet is associated with a sedentary lifestyle, one of the leading causes of obesity worldwide. Most young people, addicted to excessive internet use, are prone to depression. Managing an online lifestyle can be demanding and challenging for most people who cannot do things without using the internet. In modern times, various social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and so on take up a lot of the time. Other online streaming media like YouTube attract most of the people to consume and use them. Depression leads to bad lifestyle habits, such as bad eating habits. These maybe characterized by excessive sugar intake due to sweet tooth and binge eating. Therefore, excessive internet use due to a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity. It also leads to depression due to unhealthy eating habits and sleep disorders in most users .
Causes of Obesity
One of the main causes of obesity is a sedentary lifestyle. Over the past decade, the number of social media users has increased tenfold. Unlike before, the majority of the population uses many of these social media platforms on the go. Engaging in this social media platform increases individual sedentary lifestyle. Additionally lack of physical activity on regular occasions deteriorates overall personal health over time. Accessible internet use has established a lack of physical activity and has a serious impact on the population. Most people who use social media live a sedentary lifestyle by sitting most of the time.
When a person uses their energy to boost metabolism, the body begins to store it for later use. This lifestyle is associated with increased metabolic dysfunctions, which contribute to excessive fat in the body leading to obesity. Any individual with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2 is considered overweight by World Health Organisation (WHO). A BMI above that, in that case, is greater or equal to 30 kg/m2 is obese (WHO). Excessive use of the internet causes high immobility, such as reclining, lying down, or sitting. Some of the common sedentary lifestyles that do not increase individual heart rate are prone to increasing weight, consequently developing obesity.
As soon as people gain weight, they begin to prefer less physical activity. Instead, they prefer spending their time and energy mainly on the internet. At this stage, the lack of an active life leads to the fact that a person gains weight. Studies show that four out of ten teenagers spend more than two hours a day online. For example, they cited research showing that compulsive internet use has an adverse effect on nutritional behaviour patterns such as snacking (particularly breakfast) and occasional meal skipping.
Impact of Netflix and YouTube
Also, when innovation wasn’t so cutting edge, the regular exercises for young people were sports, energy investment on the pitch, and real partnerships with others. Young people see fun as the basic element to complete what they should be doing while relaxing. Before, people invested their energies in the play with their teammates. However, they are currently becoming increasingly internet-attached, investing time with peers who play on the internet. They are also using their time by visiting social media and other web pages, which can often lead to the so-called “chasm” of online media.
The stages, such as Netflix and YouTube, are based on video content. Here, a video could produce the next intriguing video for YouTube and Netflix after the film series. Showing “enchantment” causes less rest because they invest more of their recreational energy and extend it into their rest time. A more modest window of rest could induce a rushed day. It forces people to depend on fast food varieties to supplant an adequate solid breakfast, the most important meal. It can produce weight as there is an expansion in the use of high calorie food varieties. This is observed as the best choices are supplanted by quick and easy food sources.
Internet and Depression
Excessive internet use may become the cause of depression, which is closely related to poor eating habits. Some therapists concluded that there is a significant association between heavy social media use and depression. What can be safely concluded is that social networking sites that attempt to create interpersonal interactions using simulated interaction. They are somehow resulting in increased psychological dysfunction. A surrogate observation showed that young people who do not have mental health problems but who use the internet excessively are more likely to develop depression over time.
Depression and Obesity
Depression and stress from excessive use of the net contribute to poor ingestion habits that lead to obesity. Most people who use social media compare their lives with others, tributary to depression. Once a person is depressed, they consume unhealthy food, exacerbating their depression. The implications of a high-fat meal coincide with the impact of chronic stress, which is mostly attributed to depressive episodes . It highlights why compulsive ingestion, particularly the higher fat, junk meals that people are probably to consume, will contribute to depression.
It shows that overweight individuals with unhealthy eating issues are additionally likely to suffer mental pain, corresponding to depression or anxiety. All conditions are capable of inflicting the other. Binge eating can contribute to avoirdupois and a lack of capability to manage unhealthy ingestion, that will result in depression. Depression also triggers binge eating, as a way of coping. This arises from excessive web use that further worsens with poor dieting.
Sleep Disturbances & Obesity
The internet, on the other hand, can contribute to sleep disturbances. Young people who spend hours on the internet have a higher risk of insomnia, which contributes to obesity. Researchers found that teens whose parents regulate their time online by using the internet had a 40% lower risk of obesity as compared to families which did not restrict their internet use . Additionally, a vital area is the content that some people devour on online networks. Energy consumption is also another important factor contributing to the progression of metabolic disorders related to sleep restriction. People who spend more time using the internet before bed end up falling asleep late and may feel tired and sleepy during the day. This can prevent them from leading an active life during the day and promote obesity .
Conclusion
Moreover, the studies suggest that smartphones’ blue light mildly influences the circadian rhythm, inhibiting individuals from sleeping well. The impact of the devices used for accessing the net is associated with poor dieting, sedentary way of life and despair. These are some of the common reasons that contribute to weight problems. The range of younger humans prone to internet dependency and use is leading to the problem of despair. Learning to deal with a web way of life may be hard for maximum people who can’t stay without the net. Nowadays, social networking websites and online streaming media entice the bulk of the humans into binge intake. This leads them to spend their maximum of the time staying inactive. It leads to despair, consequently, poor way of life decisions, like unhealthy eating habits associated with the intake of junk ingredients that result in weight problems.
1 in 50 of India’s teenagers are obese . Obesity might not seem like a very Indian problem , but to think that would be wrong. India stands to become a home to one of the largest overweight populations in the world in the coming years .
It is Time for a Change!
Edited by: Sompikta Banerjee
