Health Essentials
Merits of sleep
The shorter the duration of your sleep hours the shorter your lifespan! Never obstruct your sleep hours.
It is very dangerous. It causes a long chain of diseases which are very difficult and highly expensive to diagnose, treat and cure.
Sleep is a vital component of good health; it helps both your body and mind to function at their optimal level during the day. Anytime sleep sets in it means your entire body has sensed something dangerous within and must quickly put you to sleep to effect the necessary emergency corrections.
Sleep can improve your physical health by maintaining hormone levels that make you full/hungry, support growth and development and repair your muscles.
Similarly, a good night’s sleep can improve your brain function and allow you to pay attention, make intelligent decisions, learn quickly and awaken your creative spirit.
As we age, the amount of sleep your body needs changes.
For example, a newborn baby will sleep 16-18 hours per day whereas an adult should get 8-9 hours of sleep per day without disturbance. People who do not sleep well easily get angry and become very violent. Some people have difficulties with falling asleep and or staying asleep.
One of the best ways to improve quality of sleep is to have a consistent schedule: going to bed and waking up around the same time each day including weekends.
Having a stable sleeping routine will help your body to relax at the end of each day. Additionally take an hour of emotional surgery before you go to bed (relaxing your nerves and reflecting on the good things that you went through that day).
Avoiding aerobic exercise one hour before you go to bed, watching television/computer screen and eating large meals as well as avoiding the complexities of social media at odd hours remain paramount. Following these simple guidelines will help you to feel more rested in the morning.
Some people often feel “sleepy,” fall asleep while watching the television or while having meals. This could be due to sleep deficiency or a very lethal sleep disorder. Sleeping for even two seconds behind the steering wheel whiles driving can easily end your precious life.
Many individuals deal with sleepiness by taking a nap. However, a nap does not provide all of the benefits of a good night’s sleep. It is recommended that naps are limited, but if necessary a nap should be taken earlier in the afternoon before 3:00 pm and for an adult it should not be less than an hour.
If despite sleeping well at night you still feel tired throughout the day then consider visiting a doctor.
The doctor will likely recommend that you keep a sleep diary to track when you are sleeping and for how long. The doctor may also recommend that you have a sleep study to further assess the situation.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
The most common sleeping disorder is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). It is typically characterised by repetitive episodes of snoring followed by long pauses in breath (called apnea), typically lasting 20-40 seconds. One may experience these symptoms for years before the diagnosis is made.
OSA can be temporarily caused by an upper respiratory infection but can also be a chronic condition.
In adults, individuals with OSA often suffer from obesity. Losing weight can help to resolve the condition.
There are many common symptoms associated with OSA.
They are sleepiness, loud snoring and restless sleep. Once a patient visits their doctor with the common symptoms, a sleep study is conducted before the diagnosis of sleep apnea is made.
If someone is diagnosed with sleep apnea it is treated with a machine called CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure). CPAP helps to prevent episodes of apnea by pushing oxygen into the individuals’ lungs.
The conventional wisdom has always been that we should all strive to keep our blood pressure low. Even though this is true, having really low blood pressure can be dangerous, as it can impair your body’s ability to absorb oxygen, resulting in damage to the heart and brain.
Low blood pressure is when your blood pressure reading is lower than 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) for the top number (systolic) or 60 mm Hg for the bottom number (diastolic).
Low blood pressure (also known as hypotension) can occur in anyone, though it may be more common depending on your age or other risk factors: genetic makeup, taking certain medications, and having certain diseases (diabetes, heart conditions).
The cause of low blood pressure isn’t always clear. However, it may be associated with the following:
- pregnancy
- hormonal problems
- some over-the-counter and prescription medications
- heart failure
- abnormal heart rhythms
- widening or dilation of the blood vessels
- heatstroke
- liver disease
- loss of blood from bleeding
- low or high body temperature
- a severe blood infection
- severe dehydration from vomiting, diarrhea, burns or fever
- a reaction to medication or alcohol
A sudden drop in blood pressure robs the brain of adequate blood supply. This can lead to dizziness or lightheadedness. Other symptoms include fainting, blurred vision, nausea, fatigue, lack of concentration, and in extreme conditions shock.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, seek emergency medical attention as it is important to determine the cause of low blood pressure so appropriate treatment can be given.
Some people are known to take alcohol in an attempt to increase their blood pressure but that is a path I will not recommend. Others opt for caffeinated drinks like coffee and tea. Caffeine can increase blood pressure due to peripheral pooling of blood and may cause complications.
Dr Kojo Essel often recommends that one engages in exercise, which is your best “weapon to normalise blood pressure.”
Quite often when one has low blood pressure, standing still for long periods of time can cause a further drop. In such people, Dr Essel highly recommends taking several steps even if standing in one place to help maintain blood pressure at a safe level.
Other ways of managing low blood pressure are:
- adding a little salt to food (do this with caution to avoid excesses and downsides of increased salt intake)
- increase water (other fluids) intake to increase blood volume
- may need to wear compression stockings in extreme situations
- some may require medication
- pay attention to body positions; do not move quickly from sitting to standing position for instance
- eat small portions of food at a time
- exercise should be a combination of strength training and cardiovascular exercise that increases heart rate
As always: laugh often, ensure hygiene, walk and pray every day, and remember it’s a priceless gift to know your numbers (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI).
Source:
Maureen Masopeh, Content Creator (Health Essentials Ltd)
References:
- Dr Kojo Cobba Essel; Unravelling the Essentials of Health and Wealth
- Mayoclinic; Low Blood Pressure (Hypotension)
- WebMD
By Dr Kojo Cobba Essel
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IF you truly love yourself, you had better read this piece while standing!
The other “inactivity” that rivals sitting for long periods when it comes to poor health and untimely death is LONLINESS! Sitting and Loneliness are the new Smoking.
It is often common to hear a parent tell a child, “Sit quietly and watch television and I will make a quick dash to town.” Well, this harmless and well-meaning statement is now being vilified. That parent could have said “smoke a few sticks of cigarettes while I dash off to town.” Yes “sitting is the “new” smoking.”
Scientists: they keep coming up with many weird findings and unfortunately, we realise after much ado that they may be right. People with sitting jobs have twice the rate of cardiovascular (heart & blood vessel) diseases as those with standing jobs – the bankers are cringing in their seats I bet.
It appears that compared to sitting,
• Sitting continuously brings similar challenges that smoking poses a gossip team. After an hour of sitting, if you walk for a minute or two.
Standing is hard work. Imagine that you need to engage many muscles to stand upright, and this burns energy. Sitting on the other hand is extremely relaxing.
When we sit, the “physiology of inactivity” kicks in and when we think we are relaxing in a chair made from heaven, our body instead rewards us with many bad things; enzymes that break down fat may drop by about 90 per cent calorie burning drops to frightening low levels and soon good cholesterol that protects us also drops. If you sit long enough even your insulin effectiveness drops and you will be courting diabetes in the long run.
I sincerely believe in getting a workout during the day, but you should not think that it gives you a license to sit at your desk for hours on end. We should ensure that we get up from our desk to walk briefly or even stretch. I am not giving you an excuse for loitering around your office or forming ings. When you have a meeting with a handful of people you could lace your boots and start walking while you talk. Who knows being out of a box (office etc) could help you think “out of the box” or even think like “there is no box”. The best aspect of such a meeting is people are more attentive since they are unable to fidget with their smart phones and other gadgets.
All lectures and classes (children are really suffering in school these days) should have a “Heart Preserving” five-minute break after every hour. Spend that time walking and stretching.
All long movies should have commercial breaks that should be used to at least stand
Whenever in doubt, at least stand for a while.
Well some people are trying innovative ways of even having small treadmills at their desk that keeps them moving, others are adopting a new chair design that essentially makes you stand at your desk, a few others sit on exercise balls that forces them to adjust their positions all the time but for the rest of us simply taking breaks and using every opportunity to move is just what the doctor prescribed.
AS ALWAYS LAUGH OFTEN, ENSURE HYGIENE, WALK AND PRAY EVERY DAY AND REMEMBER IT’S A PRICELESS GIFT TO KNOW YOUR NUMBERS (blood sugar, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, BMI)
Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
Health Essentials/Medics Clinic
(www.healthessentialsgh.com)
Dr. Essel is a medical doctor with a keen interest in Lifestyle Medicine, He holds an MBA and is ISSA certified in exercise therapy, fitness nutrition and corrective exercise. He is the author of the award-winning book, ‘Unravelling The Essentials of Health & Wealth.’
Thought for the week – For good heart health; exercise often, eat healthy, do not smoke, minimise alcohol and sit less
By Dr. Kojo Cobba Essel
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