Unhealthy Lifestyle Among University Students

Introductory paragraph:

Studying, doing extracurricular activities, and participating in social groups are the
activities managed by university students that require them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
However, there are still many students who are less concerned about their physical health. As
a result, they are likely to have health problems. University students are vulnerable to have
health problems due to three factors.

Body

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The first factor that seriously affects university students’ health is sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation can result the significant decline of students’ physical and cognitive
performance. It is caused by irregular sleep schedule and the overuse of gadgets. Irregular
sleep schedule is a risk determinant for further physical health problems, such as constant
tiredness, significant increase of heart rate, high blood pressure and eye disease. Irregular
sleep schedule also plays a role in impacting students’ cognitive performance. It impairs focus,
concentration, and memory. Another case that can also lead to sleep deprivation is the overuse
of gadget. According to Motohiko Sato (2015), a Professor of Medical Physiology at Aichi
Medical University, “Students who spend several hours each day staring into mobile phones or
smartphones tend to change their sleeping habits and stay up late to use the devices.” The
shortened time for sleeping caused by overusing gadgets is often regarded as deterioration of
students’ health.

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Secondly, eating habits is another predicting factor for students’ lifestyle. In the busy and
hectic schedule of university students, meals are often one of the first things skipped to save
time and money. Eventually, if they feel hungry, a dozen fast food restaurants with a cheap
price near their campus becomes their destination. What most students may not realize is
skipping meals and unhealthy daily consumption can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Skipping
meals is something university students often do. However, it is not good for them to skip a meal
for any reason. Doing so can cause problems on their health. The most possible health issues
gained from skipping meals are overweight and slower metabolism. According to the research
at National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, being overweight
increases chances of developing other problems linked to strokes, including high cholesterol,
high blood sugar, and heart disease (“Health Risks of Being Overweight,” n.d.). Moreover,
health risks related to skin and hair, like cracked skin and hair loss are the signs of a slowed
metabolism caused by skipping meals. Another eating behavior that contributes to health
problems is unhealthy daily consumption. The large portion sizes and caloric intake in fast food
restaurants coupled with high amounts of fat, sugar, sodium, and low nutrient content that
university students often consume can result obesity and diabetes. Additionally, fast food
contains less fiber, vitamins and minerals. Consequently, students who often eat fast food do
not get the recommended levels of important nutrients to their bodies.

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The last aspect that triggers unhealthy lifestyle among university students is lack of
exercise. During university years, students rather spend their free time sitting or laying on the
couch and playing gadgets than doing physical activity. Students tend to underestimate the
importance of exercising. They ignore the fact that exercising regularly will not only make body
healthier, but it will also improve concentration and energy level. Since university students' prior
activity is not on exercise, they likely to have physical problems. Physical problems they face
by not doing exercise include lack of endurance and flexibility loss. Being tired and having
decreased stamina and energy after busy studying can be linked to endurance deficiency.
Endurance will gradually decrease as body does not supply enough oxygen to muscles. Another
impact of lack of exercise on body is flexibility loss. Poor flexibility loss can lead to other health
problems, such as muscle tightness, lower back pain, and joint stiffness. Health problems
caused by lack of exercise among university students will certainly disrupt their study. In fact,
those issues can be prevented and overcome by having a healthy lifestyle, which is doing
exercise.

Conclusion
In conclusion, sleep depriviation, eating habits, and lack of exercise are the main factors
that make university students live an unhealthy lifestyle. To measure this problem, they should
recognize the importance of having enough sleep, eating healthily, and doing exercise regularly
to their future well being, thus they can replace their habits into positive ones.