Sunny Health

The end of the year is just round the corner. There is so much to do and so many appointments to tend to! If you have a poor memory or poor organisational skills, this will be a trying time as you try to remember all your appointments, meetings, names of new people you meet, to-do lists for the year end holidays and Christmas shopping lists!

Having a good memory is not just crucial for Christmas. The ability to store, retain and recall information is one of the most important aspects of success. If you can’t even remember to do something or how to do something, you may unintentionally miss many opportunities, which would be a great pity.

Poor memory isn't something that can be quickly treated by medicines, but you can improve your memory and focus by making some dietary and lifestyle alterations.
Having sufficient sleep are crucial to allow your brain cells to rest and repair. Regular exercise increases oxygen to your brain and reduces the risk for disorders that lead to memory loss, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Whether you’re studying, working or trying to juggle life’s many demands, sleep deprivation is a recipe for disaster. Make sure you get at least seven hours of sleep daily to promote learning and memory consolidation.

Six types of food that can boost your brain power:

• Salmon: A great source of healthy fats that is rich in omega-3 fatty acids. It is expensive, but for good reason. Not only is it good for your brain, it also improves your mood, fights depression and gives you glowing radiant skin!
• Olive oil: This healthy oil is rich in vitamins A, D, E and K. It has a compound called oleocanthal, which helps your synapses function smoothly, preventing nerve cell damage often associated with Alzheimer’s.
• Berries: Both blueberries and blackberries are rich in antioxidant polyphenols that help boost brain cell function and prevent memory loss. They increase brain energy production and keeps your brain youthful!
• Greens: Vegetables such as celery contain luteolin, an antioxidant that helps tame brain inflammation. Broccoli is rich in folic acid, which contributes to better memory and faster information processing.
• Whole grains: They’re full of fiber and antioxidants, especially Vitamins B to E. Whole grain cereal are also rich in folic acid.
• Chocolate: This sweet treat comes with antioxidants known as polyphenols, which increases blood flow to your brain, hence triggering growth of new blood vessels and brain cells.

Increased risk in developing type 2 diabetes.
According to a research in Canada, the probability is more than twice as high, compared to those who sleep regular hours (7 to 8 hours)

Greater risk of obesity
It has been indicated in a published journal that people who get more than eight hours of sleep increase their risk of obesity by 21 percent.

Back pain
It is difficult to maintain the same, recommended position when you’re sleeping. The longer you lie in bed, the more likely you may subject your spinal cord to some unhealthy positions. Additionally, you need to maintain a certain level of activity to keep aches and pains at bay, and sleeping doesn't help with that, especially if you’re pressing down on your spinal cord for long hours.

Headaches
This could be due to disturbances to neurotransmitters in the brain like serotonin. Serotonin has been known to play a role in causing migraines. It is also known to worsen depression, which brings us to the next point.

Worsening of depression
According to a study in Germany, about 15 percent of people suffering from depression tend to oversleep. Oversleeping may or may not have a causal relationship with depression, but escaping problems via sleeping certainly does no favours but only prolongs the problem.

Greater risk of heart disease
According to a research done at the Chicago Medical School, people who sleep more than the required eight hours have a greater tendency to contract heart disease. They are also twice as likely to develop chest pain.

Earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease
Why does one oversleep?
For many of us in Singapore, clocking in 7 to 8 hours sleep is probably a luxury. But there are still instances when some people do sleep longer than the recommended hours. Alcohol, certain medications and depression can cause oversleeping. During stress and sickness, one also has a greater tendency to feel lethargic and want to hit the bed for comfort. It is not too troubling if the tendency to oversleep is confined during the period of medication, or the few nights when one goes drinking. However, if it is becoming an enduring habit, the doctor’s advice will have to be sought.

It is also a common conception that old people need more sleep. It may seem that they need more sleep because it is more difficult for them to fall asleep or sleep restfully throughout the night, and because they have less strength and may feel a need to rest more. But like everyone regular teenager and adult, they should only need 7 to 8 hours of sleep each day.

Some people may have legitimate reasons for having to sleep long hours each day. There is a medical disorder known as hypersomnia, in which the sufferer experiences extreme sleepiness through the day, and napping doesn’t help. Those who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea may also need more sleep because the disorder, whereby they stop breathing momentarily during sleep, disturbs their normal sleep cycle.
If you’re sleeping longer than 7 – 8 hours and have no reason for it, or have a medical condition that makes your sleep pattern unusual, do be sure to get yourself checked by the doctor! Just as it is important to ensure that you get sufficient sleep, it is also important that you don’t get too much sleep!

Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.com/heath-hazards-of-oversleeping-2012-10?IR=T
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/17/sleep-alzheimers-brain-memory_n_1677754.html
http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/physical-side-effects-oversleeping
http://menshealth.intoday.in/story/What-happens-when-I-oversleep/0/2941.html

Ah no, don't take it the wrong way. This article about the type of sleep where you go 'zzz', and yes, it is a key to success! How so?



Many people think that by working a lot, they can achieve success. This is of course, true. But it also depends on the manner you work. As you know, too much of a good thing can backfire. In Singapore, many people are finding it so difficult to get sufficient sleep that some wellness companies have set up spaces in the CBD where customers canget a power nap of thirty minutes during lunch hour. Unfortunately, Singaporeans are such workaholics that some people skip lunch, let alone sleep!


But far from raising productivity, staying up to get more work done actually does the opposite, by affect your learning and memory power negatively. Sleep helps the brain grasp new information and direct it to memory. The process is called “memory consolidation”. Lack of sleep interrupts this process, thus weakening the memory.  Sleep deprivation contributes to falling asleep during the daytime, because it makes you tired and unable to focus.

Insufficient amount of sleep may result in mood swings characterised by impatience, irritability, inability to concentrate and moodiness. Hypertension and increased levels of stress are a fall out of chronic sleep loss. If you lose your temper at your boss or a client due to lack of sleep, no amount of extra work you put in could possible remedy that mistake!

Far more serious, long term sleep deprivation can result in weakening of the immune system, reducing the body’s ability to fight diseases. Falling ill means poorer work performance and the need to leave your work post for sometime while you recover!

Therefore, to improve your work productivity, good health and ample rest is really important!

And here’s a bit of good news to those who really have no choice but to turn in late. Eight hours of sleep is the ideal amount of time you need, but if you cannot achieve that, at least make sure that the amount of time you spend sleeping is quality time!

Simple ways to improve your quality of sleep:

Maintain a consistent sleep schedule, going to bed at night and waking up in the morning. Even if you slept really late the night before, you should still wake up in the morning as usual. Sleeping until noon will not give you sufficient sleep. (In fact, late nights are basically irreversible and you can’t just make up for it by sleeping in on weekends)

Sleep with an excellent supportive and comfortable pillow so that you will have an easier time falling asleep, and will not wake up with aches and pains.

Avoid meals and any liquids, especially alcohol and soft drinks, for at least two to three hours before your bedtime. Absolutely no snacking!

Wind down at least two hours before bedtime. Television, computers and other stimulation can alter your time clock, making it difficult to fall asleep. If you must do work, try the primitive method of writing and reading off paper instead, and transfer your work to the computer when you get up early in the morning!

Building new habits takes time. What is important is your desire and mindset to change the way you are sleeping. Sleep is essential for the body to remain healthy. Think of how an improved health and work productivity may cinch you a promotion, just by having ample rest! Remember the popular Chinese adage: 休息是为了走更长远的路 Rest is the first step to a long journey ahead!

Our bedroom is where we recuperate our bodies, so it only makes sense that it should be healthy and promote quality sleep. Before worrying about diets and exercise, start off the year with a fundamental and highly achievable goal of making your bedroom hygienic and comfortable!

Keep the rubbish out of your room

Many of us are fond of snacking while watching our favourite Youtube videos in our room, blowing our noses and throwing it into the waste paper basket out of convenience. Junk in the room breeds germs and insects. Make it a regular practice to clear your waste paper basket or rubbish bag on a daily basis, morning and night. Move that waste paper basket to the kitchen and walk out to throw your rubbish. You get more exercise this way too.

Clean your mattress

Many of us change our mattress sheets, but we don’t do anything about the mattress, which is unhygienic as the mattress can absorb perspiration and be a potential home to dust mites and toxins.
If you live in an apartment block, it is quite impossible to give it some strong sunlight, the best way to eradicate germs. However, vacuuming it frequently can get rid of dust, while using a dry cleaning product like Febreze to spray the mattress whenever you change the sheets helps to reduce the toxics and gives your mattress a fresh smell.

Sun your sheets

If it is a sunny day, sun your sheets instead of popping them into the drier. Sunning your sheets not only dries them but also gets rid of bacteria.

Don’t sleep with the air-conditioning

If your air conditioner is not cleaned or maintained regularly, bacteria can build up easily within the aircon units, causing you to fall ill. In addition, the air conditioner is drying on skin. Switch to the fan on a warm day; it is a greener and cheaper way to stay cool.

No lights at night

Sleeping with the light switched on can impair a person's body clock. Our body sleeps more restfully in the dark. If there is light, the body will assume it is day time, a time to be awake and alert. This can affect the quality of sleep. A pitch dark room is most conducive for restful sleep. If your bedroom window faces a well-lit corridor, cover it with curtains. For those who have night blindness or do not feel comfortable without lights, sleeping with some dim night lights is fine.

Trade mothballs for lavender

Put lavender sachets in your storage boxes and cupboard in place of mothballs. Lavender is a natural moth and mite repellent, and smells great too. You can make them yourself by buying dried lavender and sewing them in a little pillow. Place one next to your pillow. Lavender has sedative qualities that help to induce sleep.

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

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!

May is National Stroke Awareness Month in America, during which campaigns and events grow more prolific in raising awareness on stroke and how to prevent it. In Singapore, we may not have such a national campaign as of yet, but it is important that we promote awareness about it, considering that stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and accounts for more than 10 per cent of deaths in Singapore.

There are several risk factors and symptoms for stroke, but one commonly overlooked one is daytime drowsiness. Considering that many Singaporeans complain about a hectic, overworked lifestyle that may require working till late, daytime drowsiness is brushed off as something inevitable. Yet a new study published in PLOS Medicine reveals strong indications that sleep problems, marked by daytime drowsiness, may be an indication of a potential threat, and one of the reasons why many heart attacks and strokes come suddenly without symptoms.

According to a study in the American Heart Association journal, people with insomnia have a 54 percent higher risk of stroke.

Age isn't a defining factor for stroke, and young people aged 18 - 34 with insomnia are eight times more likely to suffer a stroke than those who have sufficient quality sleep.

By the way, children and babies get strokes too.

Here are some reasons why poor quality sleep can be a warning sign of impending stroke:

Increased blood pressure: Blood pressure drops by 10 to 20 percent when asleep. The longer one stays awake, the higher the average blood pressure. High blood pressure is a leading risk factor for stroke.

Resistance to insulin: Previous studies show that sleep deprivation causes dramatic change in insulin levels. Insulin resistance is one of the main causes of heart attacks.

Increase in food and calorie intake: Not sleeping increases the levels of appetite-regulating hormones. That is why you may have a craving for a snack if you're still up at midnight, and this leads to packing on excess calories, which is a risk factor for heart disease, diabetes and consequently, stroke.

Increased inflammation: Inflammation in the arteries can increase the threat if Cardiovascular disease, as well as trigger heart attacks and strokes.

It is important to note that daytime drowsiness does not cause strokes, but insufficient sleep, along with the myriad of chronic diseases associate with it, does. If you feel that you're constantly sleepy, don't panic and assume the worst, but try to solve the problem by exploring possible causes and rectifying them. Avoiding late night usage of electronic gadgets like your computer, phone and ipad, going to bed at a regular schedule preferably by 11pm, and using relaxing rituals like sniffing lavender essence and listening to soothing music may help to improve your sleep.

If you are still experiencing daytime fatigue, or are not sleeping well or sufficiently, get a diagnosis from a doctor.

With that said, here is a short and simple-to-remember list on identifying symptoms of stroke that many American stroke awareness organisations swear by:

In a busy city like Singapore, it can be hard to find time rest and relax. However, when it is finally time for us to rest, we cannot actually do so.

There may be many reasons on why we cannot fall asleep but here are some tips meanwhile to ensure a better night’s rest

 If you've been lying in bed but are beginning to fear you're not going to drop off, try some of these techniques: Count sheep or count backwards from 100 to stop yourself from thinking about the problems of yesterday or tomorrow; breathe deeply for awhile; or visualize some peaceful place.
 If you can't get to sleep after lying in bed for 30 minutes or more, get up for awhile. What to do? Try reading something incredibly boring.
 Develop a bedtime routine.
 Keep regular bedtime hours.
 Before bedtime, avoid tobacco and caffeinated beverages (not just coffee, but other drinks like tea, cola, and Dr. Pepper).
 Avoid alcohol right before bedtime — a nightcap might get your mind fuzzy enough to put you to sleep, but such sleep may be interrupted by periods of awakening. By contrast, the stress-lowering effect of a drink with dinner may help to promote sleep later.
 Avoid naps (or falling asleep in front of boring TV programs).
 Try to get up at the same time every day rather than sleeping in on weekends.
 Exercise every day, but not shortly before bedtime since exercise gets the adrenaline going.
 Exercise early in the morning
 If you use an illuminated clock for a wakeup alarm, place it where you can't keep looking at it to check the time.
 Buy a firm mattress and keep your bedroom well ventilated (a cool temperature works best for me).
 And you might also try some of these: a warm bath, warm milk, light bedtime snack, massage, or quiet music (which turns itself off automatically).
 Use earplugs for extreme quiet.
 If you have a painful joint or a headache, take a pain pill before bedtime (but be sure it doesn't contain caffeine).
 Avoid stimulating reading or television shows late at night.
 Avoid any activity that will excite the mind too much before going to sleep
 Adjust your internal body clock by using light. Switch off the lights before going to sleep.
 Ensure that you have proper ventilation before going to sleep.
 Avoid eating too much before you go to sleep because this can cause your body to work harder and making it less possible for you to fall asleep
