Sunny Health

Early to bed, early to rise is one of the keys to a healthy lifestyle, and an irregular or abnormal sleep schedule will certainly wreck havoc on your biological clock and in turn, your health. Of course, in the World Cup season, such advice will fall on deaf ears of football fans, who are going to stay up till or wake up at unearthly hours to catch the matches anyway. After all, it’s just once every four years. So instead of being a kill joy, here are some healthcare tips to compensate for the damage as much as possible.

Don’t snack or drink alcohol

Yes, drinking a beer with some snacks is common accompaniment to watching the beautiful game on the telly, but eating at night leads to greater weight gain and higher lipid levels. You are also bullying your digestive system into working over time when it should be resting at night.

Alcohol contains a lot of liquid calories. The larger one is, the longer it takes for one to feel the effects of alcohol, and the more he would be likely to consume. More alcohol in the blood stream means that the liver has to work harder to process the alcohol and get it out of the blood stream. Alcohol also stimulates insulin production which leads to increased fat storage, has a dehydrating effect on the body, and interferes with hormone regulation. Alcohol also impairs your body and mind’s ability to make sound judgments. The impact of alcohol increases as the night goes on, coinciding with the ability of the human body to decrease as exhaustion sets in. From giving in to cravings for unhealthy snacks to falling down some stairs while seeing your pals to the lift landing, drinking can be a greater danger to your health than you give it credit for.

Don’t try to compensate by sleeping in

You can never make up for sleep loss by sleeping more another time, that would only disrupt your biological clock further and lead to possible insomnia and interrupted sleep in future. If the match is at 12 am, go right to bed when it ends, resist the urge to discuss an adrenaline-pumping match, and wake up at your usual time. If the match is at 3 am, sleep early the night before the match, and after the match, get a cool shower and prepare for work instead of sleeping in.

Exercise

Keep to your regular exercise routine, even if you have to wake up early for it. Less sleep means a weaker immune system, and all the more you’d have to keep fit to stay healthy. Exercise also keeps you more awake. It can be a saviour in the morning when all you want to do is jump into bed after a disappointing match.

Drink lots of water and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Give your immune system a boost through having a healthy diet. Keep your meals light, as heavy meals can make you feel more tired, and wear out your digestive system.

Stay awake without resorting to caffeine and energy drinks

Too much caffeine is bad for health, and for some people, coffee gives them a headache. Energy drinks give you a quick fix, but makes you more tired in the long run.

If you’re unable to focus in the day, here are some healthier alternatives to help you boost alertness levels:

- Start your day off with breakfast. That gives you fuel for the day.
-  Indulge in power naps during your breaks, each time lasting between 15 – 20 minutes.
- Consume green tea; it has less caffeine than coffee, and has antioxidant properties.
- Rub medicated oil on your temples and keep a small bottle at hand to sniff it.
- Suck on a sugarless mint
- Stand up often or when you feel like nodding off and do some simple stretching exercise.

Enjoy the World Cup, but do exercise moderation. The World Cup happens every four years, but you have just one body, so don’t abuse it!

The first thing most people do, when headed for a long distance ride on the train or bus, is to dive for a seat. You may think sitting relieves pressure from your legs, but you’re in fact doing a disservice to your back.

Sitting may feel comfortable, but unbeknownst to many, it is an unnatural position for the human body. Over time, it disrupts or cuts the blood flow to our legs and feet, while causing our spine to contort over time. Like insufficient sleep and smoking, the effects are irreversible. You can’t compensate sitting too much by exercising a lot.

As more studies reveal the harmful effects of sitting too long (apart from spinal abnormality, it also increases the risk of cardiovascular problems and diabetes), more offices, specifically in the US, are making efforts to incorporate standing in desk jobs. This concept is already in frequent practice by the Japanese, who not only stand for their jobs, but also when eating at stand-up eateries.

Perhaps you may balk at the thought of standing while working. We're so accustomed to associating sitting with comfort that if we were to stand for a long time, we might feel the aches and pains coming. But the key is not to stand in the same position all day long – that is just as bad as sitting and can cause joint pains and varicose veins and a myriad of other problems due to putting too much pressure on your legs. To benefit from standing, you must keep up a flow of small but continuous movements, and changing positions every now and then. Take care to adopt the right posture; don't slouch or hunch your back, and even out your weight on both feet rather than put more support on the stronger leg. Wearing comfortable shoes with no or low heels goes without saying.

Those who have tried standing at work indicate that initial aches and pains are part of the adapting process. Don't be afraid to plop down into a chair if it's too much for you in the initial stage. In fact, you should slowly ease yourself into it, by starting with a short amount of standing time, and then slowly increase the amount of time you spend standing without rest, Cushioning is also another key to comfortable standing - wear well cushioned shoes, and you might want to consider getting an anti-fatigue cushion mat if the floor at your workplace is hard.

Once you get used to standing while working, which may take days for some to weeks for most who are already used to a sedentary lifestyle, the discomfort would be absent, or take longer to show up. Ask any home maker and they'd tell you that they too stand for a long time to do their household chores. Standing itself isn't much of a chore if you do it right.

It is not by any means easy to adopt a culture of standing; there are standing desks for the office, but all office paraphernalia would have to be accordingly adjusted to ensure a comfortable position working while standing. Resting facilities would also have to be provided as it is quite impossible to stand all day at work without feeling fatigued. On the bright side, you'd burn more calories than if you were sitting. Notably, exceptions must be made for the elderly, pregnant, the obese and those with disabilities and health problems that makes standing strenuous or impossible for them.

Even as standing offices are being discussed on the radio programme a few mornings ago, it may take a long time for the concept to be embraced in Singapore. In the meantime, don’t let that confine you to your office chair. Stand up every half an hour, jiggle your feet and stretch to ensure healthy blood circulation. Share the news and encourage your colleagues to do the same if they give you the side eye. Remember, only you, not your office, nor your colleagues, have the right to change and dictate your lifestyle.

Sources: http://lifehacker.com/5881393/one-year-at-my-standing-desk
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/standing-up-at-your-desk-may-energize-you-but-it-also-may-be-tough-on-your-legs/2013/11/22/4d166d9a-0f46-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2012/07/16/what-are-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-standing-desks/