Sunny Health

Chinese New Year is just over, and many of us are still reeling from the hectic days and late nights, and of course, the post-holiday blues. If you feel tired and unfocused, power naps will come into handy.

The concept of power naps grew in popularity recently. Napping at work is no longer the sign of a lazy skiving worker as research shows that it actually promotes productivity. It is a better alternative to caffeine because caffeine affects your memory and work perfomance negatively. But it is important to get just the right amount of sleep, otherwise you may find that isn't effective at all.

Different durations of sleep has different impacts.

10-20 minutes: Ideal at work, or even when you're driving (park the car first and turn off the engine), if you need a boost in energy and alertness.

30 minutes: A tad too long and can cause you to feel groggy and tired when you wake up. It takes about half an hour later for the positive effects of the nap to kick in. Not good if you're looking for a pick-me-up right before a meeting.

60 minutes: This helps to improve your memory for facts and faces. The downsides are inertia and grogginess as with the 30-minute nap, but if you're getting tired from studying, this could be a fruitful way to get some rest.

90 minutes: This is one full cycle of sleep (comprising the light and deep sleep stages) and helps with improving creativity, procedural memory (steps of doing things) and emotional memory. Inertia and grogginess is rarely experienced so it is easier to wake up.

But if you only have 10 - 20 minutes to spare at work, here are tips on how you can make the most out of your power nap:

- Nap in a quiet and dim environment. Invest in earphones and an eye mask to block out noise and light. Put your phone on silent mode. Make sure your colleagues don't try to rouse you. Put up a sign indicating you're having a power nap if you must.

- Have caffeine right before your nap. Caffeine takes about up to 45 minutes to be absorbed into your system and take effect. Hence when you wake up, the caffeine will help you shake off any sleepiness you have from your nap.

- Set your alarm, and get up as soo  as it goes off. Follow it up with washing your face or some physical activity like a walk outside

Can't fall asleep? Try meditating, or listening to soothing music that helps induce sleep. Whatever it is, don't get anxious and disappointed, as it is still a good opportunity to relax your brain and eyes. If you do this on a regular basis, your body will eventually be conditioned into nap time and you'll be able to fall asleep more easily.

Sources:
http://www.wikihow.com/Power-Nap
http://lifehacker.com/how-long-to-nap-for-the-biggest-brain-benefits-1251546669
http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/the-secret-and-surprising-power-of-naps

Doing a little more to shake off the excess weight gain is good, but be careful not to exert yourself. Overworking your body can have serious implications!

A recent report published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology confirms this -
Vigorous running — faster than 11kmh, more than 2.4 hours a week, more than three times a week — could be almost as harmful as sitting around doing nothing.

While no direct causal relations have been established between over-exertion and ill health, the logic is that intense exercise puts immense stress on the cardiovascular system, which is strenuous for the heart. Chriskresser.com elaborates that high-intensity work outs pushes the body's stress response too far, causing biochemical responses that can inflict damage to health in both the long term and short term. Imagine what happens when you're in a frightening, infuriating or any sort of stressful situation. Your heart pumps faster and you suddenly become capable of feats that your body is usually unaccustomed too, such as running for faster and longer distances than usual, or smashing a break with your hands. Imagine the physical effect this has in the long run.

Just think about why many professional athletes stop playing professionally when they hit the forties. Some even stop in their thirties. If regular high-intensity exercise was good for health, one would have thought they should have continued it even into old age.

Nevertheless, it is not quite possible to determine how much exercise is just enough. It differs according to gender, age, body mass, existing conditions, lifestyle... there are so many factors! The safest and best way to go about this is to listen to your body.

Signs that you are over-exercising:
- Frequent injuries, including sprains, muscle strains, bruises and anything that causes pain, swelling and open wounds
- Fatigue (exercise is supposed to make you energetic!)
- Irritability
- Menstruation problems for women

You can even go as far as to be considered unhealthily addicted to exercise if you insist on exercising even when sick or injured, experience excessive weight loss and malnourishment, and isolate yourself from others when you ignore other healthy, usually fun activities for you in favour of more exercise.

Too much of a good thing can turn back, so remember to exercise in moderation as you would eat in moderation!

And here is the last instalment of the Places People Forget to Clean series, continued from this post.


Those hard to reach dust magnets

Under and behind furniture, tops of high furniture, tops and edges of doors and windows... these are places we rarely see and therefore, we don't really think of cleaning. A dust build up can be rather spectacular and unhealthy, especially in the windy seasons when strong winds blow in through your window and scatter the dust all over.

The gasket on your refrigerator door

The gasket refers to the rubbery piece wedged lining one edge of your refrigerator door that rests against the surface that the door comes into contact with when the refrigerator is closed. After a long time of not cleaning it, you would realise that the gasket looks blackish or feels sticky. It attracts dust and grime, and therefore, given its close vicinity to food and possible contact when being involved in food preparations, it is definitely important that you give it a good wipe down from time to time!

Eating and cooking utensils that are not frequently used

We all have some special plates and cooking utensils that we perhaps only use for preparing that occasional special meal (cue Hotpot) or when you are expecting more people in the house than your usual family members. These can attract dust, more so if they are being suspended on pot and plate racks outside. And, not meaning to unleash the 'ick' factor, but there may be creepy crawlies to contend with. You don't want to do a half-baked job when rushing to clean just before you use it, or struggle with stubborn dirt, so it is preferable if you take them out and dunk them in soapy, warm water every now and then. Make sure they are wiped dry before returning to storage.

The clothes that are hung up in your wardrobe

Often times we think that keeping clothes in a cupboard protects them from dust. Yet unbeknownst to many, fibres from the clothing are forms of dust. So imagine if you have clothes in there that are rarely worn and wash, you could have a whole cupboard of dust and that's not good for asthmatic patients or those with dust allergies. Vacuum the interior of your cupboard, as well as your clothes. A good shake for the fragile fabrics should help dislodge most of the free fibres.

The remote controller

We often watch TV and channel surf while having dinner or a snack. Imagine touching the buttons with dirty hands, and then having those hands come into contact with our food again on another occasion. Not at all sanitary.


Happy cleaning for a healthier and more comfortable year ahead!