Dr. Akhilesh Singh

It is not uncommon for us to feel sleepy at work every once in a while. You need to get an important assignment done, but all that you want to do is curl up and take a nap. We all have our days of drowsiness. But when it becomes a daily habit and begins to interfere with productivity, it is a cause for concern. Chronic fatigue and drowsiness can almost always be traced back to underlying medical conditions, such as low blood sugar levels or depression. There are many simple remedies for this issue that you can resort to, if you wish to kick off your work days with a bang.

Here are a few tips for those days when you just can’t seem to make it through work:

1. Meditate: A few minutes of meditation before work in the morning can effectively make you more alert and engaged for the rest of the day. The point of meditation is not only to bring calmness and relaxation into your life but also to make you more mindful and active. Be sure to be sitting upright and breathing properly while you meditate.
2. Eat right: Having poor eating habits could be making you drowsy at work. It is important that you eat just the right quantity of food for every meal because overeating will surely make you sleepy and lethargic. Avoid oily and rich foods and eat just as much as you need.
3. Sleep well: Your night time sleeping habits are probably at the root of your day time drowsiness. Staying up late or not getting undisturbed sleep can leave you feeling agonizingly exhausted at work. It is of utmost importance that you get enough sleep every night.
4. Peppermint it: Peppermint is a natural stimulant and will surely leave you feeling fresh in the morning. Brush your teeth with peppermint toothpaste and sip on a cup of peppermint tea in the morning to knock the drowsiness right out of yourself.
5. Move around: When you feel sleepy, your first impulse is to take a nap. But often the solution to that problem is to engage in physical activity. Pace around and do some stretching exercises in the morning to get your blood circulating and you will be amazed at how refreshed you feel.

Follow these simple methods and in no time, your productivity levels at work will shoot right up.

Back pain is a common source of pain and can be acute, sub-acute or chronic in nature. Back pain is classified along the segments of the spine and can be divided into neck pain, middle back pain, lower back pain and coccydynia or tail bone pain. Back pain can be quite troublesome as it disables a person to move about freely due to constant ache.

Here are some procedures for the treatment of back pain :

1. Give your back some rest: Most people who get back pain become obsessed with it and end up getting MRI scans and x-rays done. Some even take injections and other such measures without recognizing the intensity of the pain. It is advised not to rush into the matter immediately and the simplest way to cure the pain is by resting. 90% of pains in the back resolve by themselves in 6 weeks and so you must give your back a break instead of taking medical actions and let time do the healing.
2. Pills: While you let time treat your back pain, sometimes the pain increases and gives you a bad time. In this case, you can take anti-inflammatory medicinal pills such as ibuprofen or naproxen. These pills will help you ease the pain. However, using such pills for a continued period of time causes side effects such as gastrointestinal disorders. Hence, you should not take them for more than ten days at a stretch.
3. Hot and cold compress: Apply a bag of frozen peas or an ice pack to the affected area for 48 hours after the pain appears. Every session should be about 20 minutes, and you should take more than two sessions each day. After two days, repeat the same procedure using a heat pad instead of ice. The cooling procedure shuts down your blood capillaries and reduces the flow of blood to that area. The swelling is eased as a result. The heating, on the other hand, loosens tight muscles and increases the blood circulation, providing extra oxygen.
4. Change your mattress: People who sleep on firm mattresses and cushions on their beds are at a higher risk of having a back pain. According to studies, it has been observed that people sleeping on medium-firm mattresses have healthier backs. In case your mattress in sagging or is over 8 years old, you should replace it.
5. Acupuncture: When your back pain is very severe, you can resort to acupuncture, which provides efficient pain relief. The procedure changes the way your nerves react and reduces inflammation.

Back pain arises from various reasons and should always be taken care of. Unattended back pain worsens and makes the affected person suffer.

It has been observed that roughly 3 out of 4 antibacterial bars and soaps contain triclosan which is a certain type of drug previously used in hospital premises. The usage of triclosan in other products like hand wash and gels is yet to be verified and proven safe. Due to lack of proper evaluation there have been a number of instances where antibacterial soap has done more harm than good.

Here are a few reasons why you must reconsider using antibacterial soap:

1.  It creates bacterial resistance
Triclosan is closely associated with a number of health issues, bacterial resistance being the chief among them. Repeated usage of antibacterial soap can promote the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria. It might effectively terminate regular bacteria but it is basically useless against the resistant bacteria. The bacteria resistant formula present in these hand washes might cause complications in the long run.

2.  It can potentially disrupt endocrine functions
Triclosan has a close resemblance to the thyroid hormone and hence can tip off its receptor sites. This occurrence can lead to major complications like artificially induced early puberty, fertility issues, obesity and sometimes even cancer. Hence it can be said that antibacterial soaps should be avoided in order to prevent such far reaching side effects.

3.   It can cause serious health problems in children
Triclosan present in certain hand wash can adversely affect the development of the immune system in children. At a growing age, children develop natural resistance to certain diseases. Prolonged use of antibacterial hand wash and soap can diminish their exposure to bacteria and obstruct the proper development of their immune system. Therefore it is safer to use normal soaps instead which are as effective and do not contain triclosan.

4.  It is extremely harmful for the environment
Prolonged and regular usage of hand wash containing triclosan would in turn increase the amount of this drug that gets flushed through the drainage. Triclosan is generally left untreated in the sewage treatment plants which later enters the water bodies and disrupts the food chain since it primarily affects the growth of algae.
 

When it comes to being fit, soldiers set the best examples. Here are 15 habits that you could imbibe to stay fit like a soldier.

1. Start the day early: A soldier’s day begins at dawn. Starting your day early will give you more time to get things done and takes away the excuse of not having enough time to exercise.
2. Maintain a daily schedule: Set a time to wake up, eat, work, exercise, sleep and follow it diligently. This helps you stay physically and mentally fit.
3. Don’t skip breakfast: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eat a proper breakfast that will give you enough energy to get through the day.
4. Eat on time: Don’t delay a meal and maintain regular intervals between each meal. This helps stabilise your metabolism and keeps you from unnecessary weight gain.
5. Eat a balanced diet: Skipping out on carbs may help you lose a little weight temporarily but will not keep you healthy. Eat a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and milk.
6. Spend time outdoors: If you can’t exercise outdoors, walk to and from office or while grocery shopping to give yourself a chance to breathe in the open.
7. Avoid junk food: Avoid all kinds of processed foods. These foods that very low nutritional value but high fat content. Instead snack on fruits or nuts between meals.
8. Limit alcohol intake: Alcohol not only harms your body but can interfere with your schedule as well. Excessive drinking can keep you from waking up early the next day and throw your entire day off schedule.
9. Get adequate sleep: You should ideally get 8 hours of sleep so if you’re going to wake up early, go to bed early as well. Drinking a warm glass or milk or chamomile tea can help you get a restful sleep.
10. Make exercise a part of your daily schedule: Along with work, exercise needs to be made a priority as well. The best time to exercise is early in the morning before starting with the day’s work.
11. Mix it up: Make exercise fun by mixing up your exercise routines. If you go for a run on one day, go swimming the next or hit the gym.
12. Drink plenty of water: Stay hydrated to ensure that your body can absorb nutrients well and to optimise your circulatory system.
13. Play a sport: Playing a sport is not only a way to exercise but also boosts your mental health.
14. Surround yourself with people who support you: Avoid negative people and keep company with those who live a healthy lifestyle themselves to keep yourself motivated.
15. Never give up: Just because you don’t have the stamina to run 10km on the first day, doesn’t mean you should give up on it. Persevere and have patience with yourself and you will be able to overcome all the obstacles before you.