Everyone copes with stress differently. One may turn to their family and loves ones, while others through sports and entertainment. However, it is of utmost importance to unwind oneself in this high-paced society.

"We have deadlines for assignments every other week," said a student of Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Mr Sow. "But it certainly helps to have friends around to cheer you on when the going gets tough."

The two students suicide of NTU have reignited debates surrounding the high level of stress faced by students in Singapore. According to reports from mainstream media, stress has been attributed as a major factor. All the local universities are well equipped with vast networks of student support, and one such services is counselling.

"The school's environment is very competitive. Everywhere I go, I will see students mugging for their exams," said a student of Singapore Management University (SMU), Mr Ho. "Although counselling is available, there is a huge stigma attached to it."

Stress is an inevitable and constant force in society. Although it is unquantifiable in scientific terms, one usually pegs the level of stress to the pace of that particular society. Thus, Singapore being a fast moving society, the demands placed on her citizens have also increased their stress level. Since stress is unavoidable, one must therefore always remember to unwind and relax.

Go for a stroll, take your children to the park, walk your dog, play some sports and release that tension. Loosen up! Do not allow yourself to be at the mercy of stress, if not, you will find that it will deal a fatal blow to your well-being.


How many times have we woken up from a long 'hibernation' as we had a late night, but yet the number of hours of sleep 'invested' does not tally with the alertness we are 'reaping' in the day? In fact, there are days which we are more tired after a 14hr sleep, as compared to an 8hr rest. As if it was not bad enough, we suffer from irritability, memory lapses, headaches and daytime sleepiness. Therefore, lecturers, the times when your students doze off are not indicators of the 'super dry and dead' topic nor your monotonous delivery (but sometimes it is).

Here at Sunny Health, we hope to bring to your awareness of Junk Sleep. According to a local campaign, Good In Bed, Junk Sleep has been defined as the lack of sufficient amounts of quality sleep due to the preoccupation with technology

"After a dreary day of school and assignments, sleep is hardly the first thing on your mind because there are always more interesting things to do. Like Youtube videos to watch, Facebook profiles to stalk, and people to chat with online,” said Good In Bed. “And the chilling thing is that you’re suffering from this health hazard without even knowing it.”

Besides the short term symptoms mentioned above, research done by Good in Bed has also revealed that the long term harms are increased risk of colon cancer, breast cancer, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, accelerated aging.

Therefore, the solution proposed is easy. Simply ‘unplug’ yourself one to two hours before intended bedtime so that your mind begins to register the need to shut down. Thus, here at Sunny Health, we highly urge all of you to be responsible with the use of technology as it does adversely affect your well-being.

For more information about the campaign, Good In Bed, please go to http://goodinbed.sg/.