Bad Times, Better Health

It makes sense if you think about it but it's not intuitive. When times are tough economically, people tend to take care better care of themselves.

In an article on CNN, it was reported that research conducted by Christopher J. Ruhm, an economist at the University of North Carolina, showed a one-percentage-point rise in the unemployment rate reduces the death rate by 0.5%

During a recession people who have bad health habits change. Smokers cut back and obese people head over over to the gym. And it's not necessarily the lack of money. Instead it's the availability of time. When someone is unemployed,or underemployed, they have time to go the gym. What's amazing to me is that people do in fact use this time to exercise.

And of course we know that exercise leads to weight loss.

Another cause of improved health is sleep. When you have time, most people sleep more. And studies have shown that getting more sleep improves your health.

The article points out that it's these unhealthy life choices -- smoking, inactivity and obesity that are the real root of our healthcare problems. My hometown doctor explained it best. "Those three things drive chronic conditions," says Cleveland Clinic CEO Dr. Delos Cosgrove, "and chronic conditions account for 75% of the cost of health care in the United States."

What I find so heartening about this news is that people do make the smarter lifestyle choices when they have the time to do it. So the big question is how can we spread the word that using our time more wisely does in fact make us healthier.