The roles of fathers have progressively evolved, from the traditional authoritative and disciplinarian figure to a friendly companion who is domestically independent and who indulges in some of the nurturing responsibilities that were traditionally done by women.Present day fathers care about success both in their careers and at home.
In this process, they ignore giving importance to themselves, which has a substantial influence on their physical and mental health among them.
Fathers too experience emotions, feelings, and changes initiated by the transition into parenthood where they have inbuilt stress about the child’s future and security.
Nowadays cardiovascular events have increased due to this stressful lifestyle, where most fathers are experiencing the same at a very young age.
Cardiovascular risk factors could be conventional risk factors are such as hypertension, diabetes smoking, alcohol, family history of heart disease and unconventional “new age risk factors” like
– Work Stress and Burnout where high cortisol levels increase blood triglycerides, cholesterol, blood sugars, and hypertension.
– Late Night Over – eating, which is consumption of food after 7 pm and eating > 40% of daily total energy intake after 7 pm.
– Lack of family support – Nuclear families miss out on the help from grandparents in watching over and guiding the kids while parents are busy at work.This increases the burden of parenting.
– Sleep Deprivation – less than 6 hours of adequate and refreshing sleep due to night shifts, long work hours.
– Overweight and Obesity – frequent outings with kids and colleagues and late-night work – fast foods and frozen foods which has high sodium content leads to hypertension and diabetes.
– Lack of physical activity/exercise
– Obstructive Sleep Apnea, a condition where the breathing stops for short spells when you are asleep due to obstruction to the airflow occurring in the throat at the top of the airway.This happens due to collapse of the soft tissues in the back of the throat (upper airway) and tongue during sleep and fat accumulation at the neck among other factors.
These are the contributing factor that can increase cardiovascular disease among young fathers.
Heart attack cases have increased by 30 per cent in different prevalence age groups among young fathers.It is high time as a family that we help our fathers nurture their hearts this Father’s Day.
Tips to manage stress
Understand the work-life conflict: The first step is to discuss personal and professional goals with family members and chart out a schedule, create and separate work time and family time and stick to it.Don’t let your work at home or office be invisible.Talk about it.Explore flexible and remote work and look for father friendly employers.
Plan your role of nurturing at home in a creative and interesting manner.Build your own army with your kids.
Prepare a “Chore Chart” which assigns daily simple tasks to kids, which makes your life easier at home.Giving children ownership and responsibility, will boost their confidence and independence that will pay off in the long run.
Recognize that time to spend with family and time for exercise isn’t a waste of time.“Sitting is the new smoking” – Time spent on the couch without workout is as good as smoking on that day.Spare an hour or two for a sport you enjoy the most and include your kids in it.It simultaneously helps you spend quality time with you family whiles its also healthy for your heart.Invite your colleagues or friends or relatives for an outdoor game rather than dinner at restaurants.
Finally, make time for yourself and taking a day off from the routine stress life is crucial to let you relax a bit and psychologically prepare for the next day of family life – professional work.
Message to the father
New age young dads have outgrown the concept of fixed gender roles and are enjoying the process of nurturing their kids.Understanding the “work life balance” and making realistic plans to allocate time for your career goals, family life and for yourself is the best way to protect your heart.
Constantly watch out for the stress related unhealthy lifestyle choices like binge eating, skipping workouts, late night work shifts and pampering yourself and the kids with fast foods and frozen foods as a reward for the work stress.
