Archive for the ‘Sleep Disorder’ Category

It is known that poor sleep hygiene can lead to overeating. But can poor diets impair your sleep? Let us take a look.

Big Meals:

Having dinner atleast 2 hour prior to bed time is the ideal practice. This way, most of the food will be digested before sleep, leaving you to enjoy a restful night. It is better to avoid greasy and fatty foods, spicy gravies and side dishes for dinner. It means a lot of hard work for your stomach to digest and may even cause tummy ache and acidity during the night.

Drinking alcohol before bed:

It is a popular misconception that alcohol induces sleep quicker. Or you may also argue that you have only wine or take just one drink. Be that as it may, alcohol disrupts your sleep hygiene and prevents you from going into deep sleep. And it is during deep sleep that body carries out all its repair works so that you can start your day afresh the next day.

Coffee (or any caffeinated foods) at night:

Caffeine being a stimulant is the best friend of late night workers and nocturnal learners. Hence coffee is a sleep-foe. Caffeine can lead to sleep problems even after 10-12 hours of drinking it. Same is the case for caffeinated foods such as chocolate and fizz drinks. Hence try to eliminate your coffee habits post lunch. Think about cutting down gradually; as in if you drink 5 cups of coffee regularly, try to make it 3 this week.

No Smoking:

Add disturbed sleep and associated problems to the long list of reasons to why you should quit smoking. Nicotine being a stimulant disrupts sleep. It causes trouble in breathing while sleeping. As the night progresses, the urge to take a puff (withdrawal symptom) may take over, which will make it difficult to fall and stay asleep.

Feeling hungry at bedtime:

Choose light and healthy snacks like a banana, apple, a bowl of grapes, a cheese sandwich or yoghurt. This won’t strain your digestive system and your hunger pangs too will subside.

Help us spread the word:

Share

It is a universal fact that a good night’s sleep of 7-8 hours is essential for functioning. It is the nature’s salve to every hassle and rejuvenates you like nothing else. Yet too much of a good thing can harm you. Apart from putting your body in a permanent lethargic mode, oversleeping is related to a gamut of health problems and lifestyle issues including diabetes, lack of productivity, lack of time and heart problems.

1. Diabetes

Research says that sleeping too much (i.e. more than 9 hours) increases risks of getting diabetes by 50%, though the reasons for this is not clear.

2. Grogginess

You’re most likely familiar with the feeling of being tired and lazy from too much sleep (especially those who sleep till noon during weekends). This disturbance to the normal sleep pattern can cause ‘sleep drunkenness’ and makes you feel unable to stay active or concentrate.

3. Headache

Some people may get up with a headache when they over sleep. Lack of sleep discipline on weekends or any other days has adverse affects on certain neuro-transmitters (serotonin) in your brain. Since serotonin in brain is responsible for inducing feeling of wellness and happiness in you, any such disturbances in serotonin balance can lead to headache.

4. Mental health issues

Plenty of studies have confirmed that people with depression or anxiety tend to sleep more (perhaps to delay facing the real cause of depression). But sleeping in will only worsen your depression. Same holds true for people with continual back pain and migraine.

5. Obesity

Sleeping in more means leaving your stomach in starvation mode for longer hours. This will slow down your metabolism i.e. fat burning rate. According to research, people who sleep for more than 9 hours are 20% more likely to become overweight in the coming years compared to people who sleep the normal hours.

If you sleep for more than 9 hours on an average basis, it is advisable to get expert help to bring your sleep schedule on track. Your doctor can help you to determine why you oversleep and how to reverse the situation.

Help us spread the word:

Share

Some people’s jobs demand plenty of official travelling- meetings, conferences, marketing etc. And the rest of the world looks on enviously at the high-flying life of such executives from cities to cities. But considering the amount of compromise they have to do on one of their basic needs, that is sleep, this envy is certainly misplaced. Sleeping in bumping trains & buses and travelling across different time zones means disturbed or badly timed sleep, which causes confusion to your body’s sleep-wake cycle.

Of course sleeping away from home never gets easier, but certain tips can definitely help these regular travelers to bring back the sleep hygiene.

• If you’re flying abroad, selecting flights that don’t interfere too much with your sleep schedule is the smart way. Try adapting to the new time schedule for a few days before departure.
• If you arrive at the destination during day time, don’t go to bed immediately. Daylight is a natural stimulant that can retune your bio-clock. If you’re still tired, take a short nap.
• Remember to drink plenty of water and fruit juices. Thirst can make it further difficult for your body to stick to your sleep schedule.
• Starting on alcohol, tobacco, caffeinated drinks such as coffee, fizz drinks, tea etc immediately after arrival ‘so that you can relax and sleep quickly’ is a bad idea. This will prevent you from going to deep sleep mode which is essential for bodily repairs and fat burning.
• At the destination, make sure to reserve a hotel room which is away from elevators or entrance areas. This means lesser disturbances due to late comers.
• If it is practical, take your own pillow or blanket. This is known to induce sleep quickly. Same goes for placing a couple of personal objects such as photographs in your hotel/guest room.
• You never know, you might be required to share room with a colleague or two. In that case, take a sleep mask & a pair of earmuffs with you.
• Keeping the fan on may cut down noises from hotel neighbors or road traffic to a large extent.

Help us spread the word:

Share

Mindless Eating is more common than it appears and one of the major hidden causes of overweight & obesity. Life can get so time-crunched that we feel that devoting exclusive time for eating is a waste. You may feel that why do that when you can read, work, drive, watch TV & get many other things done while eating.

Here’s the hitch. You lose touch with your body. You miss to relish the different tastes & your stomach’s ability to signal you to stop gets weaker. In fact you overeat without knowing you are overeating. Here are some factors that influence your portion sizes and ways to overcome them:

A Classic Eg of Treating Eating as Secondary

Your Plate Size:

According to research, it is almost automatic for people to help themselves to larger portions when using larger platters. Know that your usual portion appears smaller if dished on a larger plate. Whoever thought ‘illusion’ too had a say in your mindless eating!

Chew Well:

Yes, you are in a hurry. Understandable! But that doesn’t mean you should gobble down food at top speed. Your stomach needs time to register the amount of food you need. And by the time your stomach gives the ‘full’ signal, you will have eaten almost double the amount. Also, how much ever busy you are, it is better to take a break for meals rather than grabbing a sandwich while working.

Out of Sight… Out of Mind:

It is better not to store junk foods like fried stuffs, maida snacks etc at home. And if you must (for guests), keep them out of sight. Try keeping them in the bottom drawer of your cupboard or at the back of storeroom. You may not grab them as often as you do, if those foods do not tempt you tantalizingly in your eye level.

Your Environment:

Read beauty tips by any movie actress, 2 advices will be common in their interviews. Drink plenty of water & get a good night’s sleep (6-8 hrs) . They make sense. Compromising on sleep leads to slower metabolism & reduced calorie burning rate. And most importantly, its been linked to increased mindless eating during the day.

Help us spread the word:

Share

Let us beckon 2013 with a fresh pledge to living healthy. The following healthy resolutions, if you adopt, are sure to keep you happily fit and gorgeous, both inside and out.

Rein your portions

Wish to right size your shape? Mindless binge eating is often the villain. Start right sizing your food portions by using smaller dishes. Yes, the smaller your platters are, the more you lose that extra weight. And instead of serving directly from the main bowl, take some into a small dish and put away the main bowl.

Staying Active

Instead of sighing jealously at those naturally thin people, observe their lifestyle. They are most likely to share a great liking for being physically active. Aim for moderate intense activity like brisk walking for atleast 30 minutes per day. This, you can squeeze in your busy schedule easily- like 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes after lunch and and another 10 minutes after office.

Cutting down on salt

Now the recommended limit of salt consumption per day is 1 teaspoon. And you know that’s way less than your daily intake. Besides making your stomach feel all bloated, this habit can shoot up your BP. Processed foods are the most dangerous as they use salt as preservative. Remember to check labels carefully before you give it for billing.

Piling on the antioxidants

Do you know why we need antioxidants? When foods are digested, body releases harmful free radicals that can eventually lead to heart burn, cancer etc. Antioxidant-rich foods like orange, tea, pomegranates etc are important to defend your body from these free radicals.

Flossing Daily

Oral Hygiene is horribly underrated. But bacteria in mouth can cause serious health risks. Flossing daily can ward off bacteria; it is a simple enough practice to ingrain with long term benefits to your dental health.

But all these resolutions will go down the drain if your expectations from yourself are far from healthy. For example, don’t expect a drastic change in your figure soon after you started portion-controlling and exercising. Just as it took your body to build-up fats, it will take time to lose it too. So if your inner-spirit tends to be a bit mean to you, just bash it with healthy acceptance. Let that be your founding stone to all your healthy New Year Resolutions.

Help us spread the word:

Share

You are drained physically, emotionally as well as mentally during your pregnancy and delivery. Now, your health front needs to be in the forefront. Along with your newborn, your health also needs your special attention. It is necessary for you to keep hale and hearty as your newborn care can quickly make you drained and exhausted. So, do not miss your share of self-care.

En Route to Fitness

With the newborn, it is obviously difficult to find time for exercise, but you have to make the effort. It is not about getting back to your original shape soon after childbirth, but it is about staying fit as your body needs it. There is absolutely no need for any organized fitness classes; just a few exercises done at home can do wonders.

• Dance a little! The foot taps can tap your fitness.
• Chalk out some time for a small walk. Take your baby on a pram tram ride too in a park while you move your legs a bit.
• Swim away a little from your baby for a swim. You can leave your baby  with his/ her dad for a while and you go for a swim.
• Postnatal exercises are taught in child health clinics. Certainly, attending a class or two will give you a fair idea as to how to go about it.

Eat Right

As you would be breast-feeding your baby, so it becomes even more important for you to eat right. Never skip on the sips of water. Increase dietary calcium with lots of milk and dairy products. Even the temptations of snacking should be met with some healthy options like sliced and salted raw vegetables, vegetable soup, breadsticks, baked beans or scrambled eggs every now and then.

Come Out of Your Shell and Socialize

The more you meet your loved ones, family members, relatives and friends, the more you will feel reassured. Socializing helps! Try to interact with other new mothers who can be some of your friends or relatives, meet them frequently by visiting their houses, plan for outings together if possible. Getting to see the same pediatrician or exercising at the same dance class will further motivate you to keep fit and to stay healthy without affecting your bond with your newborn.

How has the phase of new motherhood added fun and excitement to your life?

Help us spread the word:

Share

Social Jetlag, despite the fancy term, is an all-too common sleeping practice (read disorder) which nearly all of us can relate to. It is nothing but following a different sleeping practice & schedule during weekdays and a drastically different one in weekends. After all, what is wrong in oversleeping a bit on weekend days & other holidays? You are only washing off your weekly stresses & perhaps catching up on the much-needed sleep you have missed out while chasing deadlines, right?

Social Jetlag is one invisible cause behind numerous health complications including obesity & diabetes. It makes us ignore our body’s pleads for food & sleep when needed. Instead we eat at the time body is not prepared for digesting food properly. This will shake your metabolic balance by affecting the way your body process fat & digest food. The result is of course some extras in the form of not-so-lovely love handles and fat thighs.

Sleep is a natural process. It should come as natural as breathing.

To tackle sleep-debt, you need to relax. Do what works best for you. It might be Yoga, soothing music, a sumptuous dinner, reading, calling friends over, going to chill out in a discotheque- anything that unwinds you and watch you energy levels shoot up. Yes, we know you need steaming coffee to be on the toe. But lets cut down on that coffee, shall we? Caffeine just makes you exceedingly groggy, feeding on your precious beauty sleep.

It is not practical to mold early birds and nocturnal fellows to identical work routine; rather each one needs individual & tailored schedules that must be followed stringently everyday of the week. It is tough but not impossible to counter the social jet lag effects. The trouble is, people wakeup early because they don’t have a choice. When alarms and fear of late-lathif consequences dominate your sleep schedules, social jetlag is to be expected.

Did you know that giving more attention to your circadian clock can actually help you work it all out naturally? Soon you will not need a wakeup alarm anymore.

Help us spread the word:

Share

Women today are leading a multi-tasking life that involves a fine balance between household and hectic job demands. Consequentially, they are more often diagnosed for anxiety disorders as compared to men. And it is more than occasional jitters, self-consciousness or shyness during job interviews or when expected to give a speech.

PHOBIA is basically an irrational & uncontrolled fear towards an object, person or situation. Have you noticed anyone trembling with fear if they so much as see a spider at the other end of the room? Or no matter how you much you reassure, does your kid refuse to go for a giant wheel ride in Melas? Are you one of those who feels giddy at the mere thought of crossing a busy road? These are a few common phobias and if left untreated, then the phobia can affect the person’s day-to-day life and activities also.

Being judged poorly by faceless mass of ‘others’ is a scary prospect. We all encounter mild forms of SOCIAL PHOBIA from time to time. Yes, even practiced public speakers! So its nothing to be ashamed of, and of course there are ways to enhance your social skills. Once you identify where this phobia stems from, which is your deep fear of embarrassing yourself (will they make fun of me?), you can figure out a way to take the bull by its horns.

For many of us, coping with traumatic events can be very stressful. Recovering from an accident, coping with illness/loss of a loved one, major relationship setbacks etc have a way of haunting us in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, and dizziness. If you feel as if you can never get over what has happened and hopeless about moving on, you may be suffering from POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER. If you know someone with a traumatic past, how did you help him/her?

Did you know? An occasional & mild dose of fear, anxiety & doubt help us to make decisions, solve issues and even grow as an individual. But only when they do not occur often or last long. For instance, you must have heard amusing stories about women who check their door lock, gas knobs & light switches multiple times, sometimes even in the middle of the night. This is OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE DISORDER for you.

Do you know people with the anxiety symptoms or phobias mentioned above? Please share the anecdotes of your experiences with those people here…

Help us spread the word:

Share

Aching of the back-bone of the ‘back-bone of society’, the women, is a common phenomenon. But the worst hit arena is that of the working women. Imagining a daily schedule of a work-to-home mum explains how hard it is for a lady to cope with her responsibilities. Switching roles from being a mother taking care of her children, a wife looking after her spouse, a daughter attending to her parents, and being a professional leaves little time and attention for her own personal health.

Women know too well about being a bouncy tennis ball being whacked from home to office and vice versa. And it blurs away the personal front out in the ‘no-attention’ cloud, welcoming the mist of ailments into her body, which can turn chronic if remain unattended on a prolonged basis.

Most working women tend to face problems managing their daily schedules. Some common needs of working women start right from pregnancy, which will become even more demanding with the arrival of a child.

Common problems of a working woman:

However, all this does not mean that women should completely give up their career after childbirth, but this surely calls for a proper time-management.

Flexible Work Arrangements Can Be Helpful

A good way to help women cater to their needs is to make their work arrangements flexible. A flexibility brought into the working schedules can help them manage, both office and home with efficiency. A discussion with the HR about negotiation in terms of salary for reduced work effort. Is shifting your house to nearby office location possible for you?

Flexible working hours help a woman decide upon her daily priorities and to take time out for herself too. Getting a little time-off for doing yoga and meditation will be immensely helpful in rejuvenating the expected compromised health during pregnancy.

Help us spread the word:

Share

There is one luxury that is commonly available to all of us and free of charge- sleep. Nothing rejuvenates your body, mind and inner self like a good sound sleep. Nature’s salve to all hassles, has it ever failed to work its magic on you? No. But lately, the salve appears to have lost its Midas touch as it is becoming quite patchy, thanks to the contemporary lifestyle. The most common complaint to be heard today is lack of sleep; again, thanks to the hurry-burry modern life.

Not everyone gets the sleep they need....

Anxiety, depression, bad days at work/home, unwholesome diet or anything that makes a downbeat impact on your routine and biological clock can invite insomnia. Not only does sleeplessness make you drained and less efficient, but may also bring about more health risks like jeopardizing your metabolic system. Are you a victim of these? Most likely.

So what can you do? Some small changes here & there, a bit of diet-organizing & some smart timing of schedules. It is most fascinating to note that solutions to our worst problems lie in simplest of steps. You just need to take that stride. Timely meals & standard workouts along with your daily routine!

Following a regular sleep schedule is the first and foremost step. Try to wake up & go to bed at the same time in order to set your body clock. Also, let’s keep the bed only for sleeping & NOTHING else. Why let TV, internet, radio, books, iPod, phone & whatnot come between you & your beauty sleep? Try out massage or yoga that enhance the blood circulation and help to relax your body and mind. These are a few small steps that can go miles. If the problem runs deep, don’t take drastic measures like popping sleeping pills; instead see a Doctor.

A good sleep is like a hearty dip in the fountain of youth. Sleep your way to a happier, healthier and younger you.

Help us spread the word:

Share