Stress, sleep and screen time: The lifestyle triangle behind weight gain – The Times of India
Many people don’t realize that lifestyle choices have a bigger impact on weight than they think. Stress, sleep, and time spent on screens all work together to affect your appetite, activity level, and metabolism. Cortisol levels go up when you are under a lot of stress, which makes you hungry and makes you store fat, especially around your waist. Not getting enough sleep changes the hormones that control hunger, which can make you eat too much. Spending too much time in front of a screen can also make you less active and mess up your sleep schedule. These habits together make it easier for both children and adults to gain weight.
Stress and Obesity in the Middle of the Body
Stress has many effects on the body. People tend to eat more processed, calorie-dense foods when they are stressed out. Visceral or abdominal fat is the most dangerous for your health because it can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and high cholesterol. The Indian Council of Medical Research says that one in three adults over 20 has abdominal obesity, one in four has general obesity, and one in five has high blood cholesterol.
Children are at the same kinds of risk. Stress from school, too much time on social media, and not moving around enough all make people eat when they’re sad and not move around as much. India has the second highest number of obese children in the world, after China, with more than 14 million children being classified as obese, as per GBD Obesity Collaborators, 2017. Being overweight as a child makes it more likely that you will have long-term health problems, both physical and mental. These problems can include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and low self-esteem.
Controlling Sleep and Weight
Getting enough sleep is very important for keeping a healthy weight. Less sleep makes ghrelin, the hormone that makes you hungry, go up and leptin, the hormone that tells you you’re full, go down. These changes in hormones make people want to eat more calories and foods that are high in fat and sugar. Adults and children who don’t get enough sleep (less than seven hours) are more likely to gain weight and become insulin resistant. Lockdowns during COVID-19 made these problems worse by messing up routines and limiting how much people could move around.
Screen Time and Sedentary Lifestyles
Too much time spent in front of a screen makes you less active and keeps you from sleeping. When you spend a lot of time on your phone, tablet, or computer, you don’t have as many chances to move around. A lot of children eat snacks while using screens, which adds even more calories to their diet. Adults who work on screens or spend their free time online are at the same risks. Notifications and interactions on social media all the time also add to stress, which makes people gain weight.
Breaking the Triangle
Stress, not getting enough sleep, and spending too much time in front of screens are all connected. Stress makes you want to eat more, not getting enough sleep makes you want to eat more, and not being active on screens makes you burn less energy. Just changing one thing isn’t enough; to lower central obesity and the risk of related health problems, changes need to be made in a coordinated way.Finding it early is important. Using BMI and waist measurements to check for obesity makes it possible to target interventions. If lifestyle changes don’t work, adults with a BMI over 29 and other health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, or joint pain, or those with a BMI over 35, may need medical treatment or surgery.
Medical and Lifestyle Change
Small changes can make a big difference. Limiting screen time, following a structured diet, getting seven hours of sleep every night, and getting some exercise every day can all help you control your weight. Mindfulness exercises, meditation, or other ways to deal with stress can help you stick to your healthy habits even more.For people who are very overweight, bariatric surgery is a structured medical option. Sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass are two types of surgery that make the stomach smaller and change how hormones work. This makes people feel full faster and eat less. Robotic-assisted surgery makes surgery more precise, cuts down on blood loss, and speeds up recovery.Long-term studies show that it works. The ARMMS-T2D study followed patients for 12 years. It revealed that they had lost an average of 20% of their body weight, had better blood sugar control, and needed fewer medications. Even people who were moderately obese witnessed significant health benefits.
Awareness and Prevention
To break the lifestyle triangle, you need to be aware of it and act quickly. Communities can help people stay healthy by encouraging them to be active, making it easier to get healthy foods, and limiting screen time. Both children and adults can avoid becoming overweight by following a set schedule for sleep, food, and exercise.Monitoring trends in communities can reveal health risks early. Stress, lack of sleep, and too much screen time all contribute to weight gain and raise the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and joint problems. With obesity rising among adults and children in India, addressing these habits is urgent. Regular screening, practical lifestyle changes, and timely medical care give the best chance to prevent serious long-term health issues.(Dr. Ashish Gautam, Principal Director, Robotic and Laparoscopic Surgery, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, New Delhi)