Submit Manuscript | http://medcraveonline.com Introduction Health contributes to general well-being and overall lifestyle. In order to enjoy a quality of life, a person should have good habits, because basic health determines what a person can do. Several studies have shown that the following of healthy lifestyles strongly associated with reductions in the incidence of certain chronic diseases. The concept of a healthy lifestyle is usually defined with reference to combinations of factors such as diet, water, rest and sleep, exercise, recreation and diversion, mental challenges, healthy family relation, and free from bad habits. Basic diet and nutrition aids a person in many different ways. Eating the correct amount of nutrients is essential for the body’s proper functioning. Poor diet and its consequences like obesity is the common healthy problem in urban societies. Urban lifestyle such consuming fast foods increases problems like obesity and cardiovascular problem. 1 Water is essential for health because it makes up a majority of body weight and is involved in many important functions. Inadequate water intake causes serious health problem like dehydration. A man should consume minimum 50ml/kg /weight per day. 2 Sleep is another major aspect in a person’s health and sleep has a clear influence on mental and physical health. A man needs minimum 6 to 8 hours sleep to prevent health issues. 3 Numerous studies have found that insufficient sleep increases a person’s risk of developing serious medical conditions, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. 4 Exercise is important to a person’s health. The exercise is essential for enhancing physical activity and extending healthy life. Being active and practicing regular exercises can prevent major health such as cardiac problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, back pain, osteoporosis, joint pains, obesity, and other diseases. 5 Recreational activity and diversion activity are very important to keep us calm and peace. Effective utilization of leisure time is vital in the managing the mental health of the person. Neglecting leisure can bring negative consequences. 6 Scientists have found that challenging the brain with new activities helps to build new brain cells and strengthen connections between them. Higher levels of mental activity throughout life are consistently associated with better brain function and reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia. 7 Man is a social animal; he needs to spend time with family members and friends and relatives. Spending time with family together, a very special relationship of trust and intimacy develops that helps build a healthy family. Research has shown that family time has profound benefits. Spending quality time with family does help in coping with challenges, instill a feeling of security, inculcate family values, builds self-esteem, creates bonding, nurtures positive behaviour, creates memories, and relieves stress. 8 Work and life balance are another important healthy lifestyle. A new study shows that a poor work-life balance in midlife may have negative consequences decades later. Individuals who work 55 hours or more per week has a 1.3 times higher risk of stroke than those working standard hours. Long working hours have also been associated with a higher risk of anxiety and depression. 9 Social media gained importance over the last decades and is now part of people’s everyday life. Misuse of technology and social media may result in Nurse Care Open Acces J. 2020;7(4):99‒103. 99 ©2020 Mohanasundari et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and build upon your work non-commercially. A study to assess the healthy lifestyle practices among south indian population Volume 7 Issue 4 - 2020 Mohanasundari SK, 1 Padmaja A, 2 Rimple Jeet, 3 Joyce Joseph, 3 Raghu VA 3 1 PhD scholar in INC, Faculty, College of Nursing, AIIMS Jodhpur, India 2 Vice-Principal/Professor, College of Nursing, SVIMS, India 3 Department of Pharmacology, SNMC, India Correspondence: Padmaja A,Vice-Principal/Professor, College of Nursing, SVIMS, Tirupati. India, Tel 9396805831, Email Received: October 19, 2020 | Published: December 28, 2020 Abstract Introduction: Unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol, drug abuse, poor sleep, abuse of technology, stress and so on, are the presentations of unhealthy lifestyle that they are used as dominant form of lifestyle. Lifestyle has a significant influence on physical and mental health of human being. Hence the relationship of lifestyle and health should be highly considered. Methodology: Under quantitative approach a descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 668 south Indian population to assess the level of healthy lifestyle practices. They were accessed through direct contact or electronic mode (mobile survey app). The tool has two section; demographic variables and practice check list to measure healthy lifestyle practices. Data collection method was self-report technique, a structured questioner was distributed to samples through direct contact and through mobile app (what app, email, twitter, and Facebook).The obtained sample was coded and analysed in SPSS version. Result: The samples had average healthy lifestyle practices as indicated by mean score and standard deviation (6.95±1.879). The demographic variables such sex, age, education and religion had significant association with level of lifestyle practices, whereas geographic region, place of living, and occupation had no significant association at P <0.05. Conclusion: From the above findings it was concluded that the south Indian population had average lifestyle practices and they should improve it from current level to healthy lifestyle practice. Keywords: healthy lifestyle, practice Nursing & Care Open Access Journal Research Article Open Access