Lifestyle health maintenance

Author: Yang Guo'ai, Gu Ping, Shen Quanhong
Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-02-01
Features: Sleep is a vital means of maintaining life. Many sleep researchers have conducted experiments using dogs, goats, rabbits, and rats, keeping them awake for long periods. These animals become extremely fatigued and have a strong need for sleep. They discovered the presence of a "sleep factor" in their blood. Experiments have also shown that there is a sleep center in the animal brain. Low-frequency electrical stimulation of certain brain areas can induce sleep, while stimulation of other areas keeps the animals awake for extended periods. Some scientists once conducted an experiment on puppies, feeding them only a small amount of water and no food each day, which allowed them to live for only 25 days. However, if they were denied sleep for five consecutive days, their body temperature would drop by 4–5°C, and they would die after 92–143 hours. Autopsy revealed significant morphological changes in their central nervous system. All of this indicates that sleep is a physiological need for animals and a vital means of maintaining life.
Sleep as a natural remedy
As the saying goes, "A thousand days of medicine are not as good as one night of sleep." Ancients believed that taking too many medicines was not as beneficial as sleeping quietly alone. Since life cannot exist without sleep, moderate sleep is beneficial for health and longevity. Medical research has also proven that sleep can:
Eliminate fatigue. During sleep, the brain stops receiving external stimuli, stabilizing the balance of the nervous system. It inhibits the destruction of cell functions and allows fatigued cells to gradually recover.
Regulate internal organ functions. When a person sleeps, the body's blood demand decreases, and a large amount of blood flows to the liver and other organs. During sleep, most muscles relax, the heartbeat and breathing slow down, and gastrointestinal secretion decreases. All organs are in a state of low metabolism and reduced activity. The "oxygen debt" accumulated during wakefulness is fully compensated, and the physiological functions of the organs are restored and regulated.
Store energy substances. During sleep, the synthesis of metabolism and energy metabolism greatly exceeds decomposition metabolism. In addition to replenishing the energy consumed by various tissues, it is more important to store a large amount of new energy, providing a good material guarantee for the body's life activities.
Choosing the right firmness for your bed
There are many types of beds, such as wooden beds, rattan beds, and steel spring beds. With the improvement of living standards, memory foam beds have gradually entered households. What kind of bed is best? The basic principle is that the natural hanging posture of the body should align with the bed surface. Currently, wooden beds are commonly used, with 6–9 cm thick padding placed on the bed. This thickness of cotton padding can adapt to the surface curves of the sleeper, maintain the straightness of the spine and normal physiological curve, and benefit both sleep and health.
Is the memory foam bed the ideal and most comfortable bedding? With the improvement of people's living standards, memory foam beds have become popular items, especially for newlyweds. Indeed, memory foam beds are favored for their softness, comfort, and aesthetic design. However, from the perspective of sleep hygiene, memory foam beds have certain shortcomings. Regardless of the sleeping position, the middle part of the body sinks into the bed, forming an arc, which overloads the ligaments and intervertebral joints around the spine, increases the physiological curvature of the lumbar spine, and can lead to lower back pain in the long run. This is especially true for patients with lumbar disc herniation, degenerative spinal arthritis, and other bone and joint diseases, as sleeping on a soft bed can worsen their symptoms. Additionally, sleeping on a soft bed often prevents muscles from relaxing and can compress the abdominal and thoracic organs, depriving them of adequate rest. Infants, whose bones are still developing and highly malleable, may develop skeletal deformities in the chest and waist if they sleep on a soft bed for an extended period.
Health-promoting beds for disease prevention and longevity
Using bedding to achieve the goals of health preservation, disease prevention, and longevity is a current trend. Various new medical and health beds are increasingly entering households, mainly including:
Water sofa beds. These beds resemble ordinary spring beds but use water instead of springs in the mattress and are equipped with an automatic temperature regulator. They not only avoid the of uneven pressure on spring beds, leading to indentations, but also provide warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
Air mattresses. Developed in recent years by British hospitals specifically for burn patients, these beds generate filtered and sterilized high-pressure airflow underneath, preventing the body from coming into contact with any objects and reducing the risk of bacterial infection, allowing burn wounds to heal faster.
UV beds. Developed in some Nordic countries, these beds are equipped with special devices to receive UV radiation. Long-term use by individuals with insufficient UV exposure can improve physiological functions and promote health.
Massage beds. Resembling recliners, these beds are equipped with massage devices. When you lie down on the bed, turn on the switch, and connect the power, the massage device will perform rhythmic massages on your back and waist, helping you fall asleep peacefully. Once you fall asleep, it automatically stops working.
Sea water baths for fitness and health. Taking a sea bath increases the heart burden, improving cardiovascular function and preventing arteriosclerosis and heart disease. It enhances lung capacity, strengthens respiratory function, increases the excitability of the cerebral cortex, and promotes symmetrical development of bones and muscles. Especially after swimming, fatigue disappears, the body feels relaxed, and the mood is uplifted and spirits revitalized. The fresh air at the beach is rich in oxygen radicals, and the seawater exposed to sunlight contains sterilizing UV rays and a high salt content, making it beneficial for preventing and treating hypertension, anemia, simple goiter, bronchial asthma, and skin diseases. However, individuals with infectious hepatitis, tuberculosis, high fever, diarrhea, severe cardiovascular diseases, and physical weakness should avoid sea baths.
Travel health and accident prevention
Walking to enjoy the scenery during travel mainly involves walking, so it's important to take care of your feet. In the evening, soak your feet in hot water and wear lightweight, comfortable cloth shoes or slippers. This promotes blood circulation in the feet and reduces the accumulation of acidic byproducts, helping to alleviate fatigue from the day. To prevent blisters on the soles, it's best to soak your feet in alum water in the morning. If blisters form, small ones can be left alone as they will heal on their own if no further friction occurs. For larger blisters that affect walking, you can sterilize a needle with fire, prick the blister, drain the fluid, apply some purple medicine, and bandage it.
Preventing fatigue and illness during travel
During travel, the living environment changes frequently, the climate varies, and diet is often irregular. Combined with the fatigue and jolting of the journey, the body is prone to illness. Common conditions include motion sickness, diarrhea, and constipation. Careless movements can lead to falls and sprains. Consuming unclean food may cause gastroenteritis and intestinal infections. Mosquitoes, insects, and fleas can cause skin irritation. In summer, heatstroke is common, while in winter, frostbite can occur.
During travel, it's important to minimize anxiety about traveling by car or boat, breathe fresh air frequently, avoid sitting or lying for long periods, pay attention to food hygiene to prevent illness from entering through the mouth, and avoid overeating. It's also essential to bathe and change clothes frequently. Women should pay special attention to menstrual hygiene. Carry some medicine as a precaution.
Maintaining oral hygiene: The basic methods are rinsing and brushing teeth
Modern research has found that most long-living individuals retain a certain number of natural teeth, which is related to their active efforts in preventing and treating dental problems, maintaining oral hygiene, and developing good hygiene habits from a young age. Numerous facts also show that if you brush your teeth in the morning and evening, rinse your mouth after meals, chew correctly, massage your lips, tap your teeth, and even practice medicinal oral care, you can reduce the number of bacteria in the mouth, which is highly beneficial for health and longevity. Below are some specific measures for oral hygiene and health care.
Rinsing
Rinsing is a fundamental measure for oral health. The specific method is to hold warm water, tea water, salt water, vinegar, or Sanhuang water (9 grams of Huanglian, 10 grams of Huangqin, 10 grams of Huangbai, boiled with 500 ml of water and cooled) or Maidong water (15 grams of Maidong and 5 grams of Xuandong, boiled with 500 ml of water and cooled) in your mouth. Use the movements of your mouth to repeatedly flush the debris in the gaps between your teeth, allowing it to come out.
Brushing teeth in the morning and evening
As early as the Song Dynasty, toothbrushes already existed. Brushing teeth can remove dirt from the mouth and massage the gums, promoting blood circulation and enhancing their disease resistance. Additionally, after sleeping, saliva secretion decreases, and the mouth's self-cleaning ability is poor, making it easier for microorganisms to multiply. Therefore, brushing teeth in the morning and evening is even more important.
The correct method of brushing teeth is to brush vertically along the gaps between the teeth, ensuring that both the inner and outer surfaces are cleaned. The force of brushing should be moderate. Excessive friction can lead to gum recession and exposed teeth.
Tapping teeth
Bite the front and back teeth together 50 times to enhance the self-cleaning function of the mouth and utilize the physiological stimulation caused by chewing movements, strengthening the resistance of the teeth themselves.
Massage the lips
Close your mouth and use the large fish areas of your clean hands to massage the gums of the upper and lower jaws externally. Follow a 4-8 beat rhythm, gradually increasing the force from light to heavy, to enhance the keratinization of the gum epithelium, accelerate blood circulation within the gums, and provide better protection against local stimuli.
Chewing correctly
Chew food using both sides of your teeth or alternating between sides. Otherwise, the side that is not used for chewing may undergo atrophic tissue degeneration, while the other side may develop dentin hypersensitivity or pulpitis due to excessive burden. Over time, this can lead to asymmetry in facial appearance, affecting your looks.
Medicinal oral care
30 grams each of Sheng Huangliang, Shu Huangliang, Sheng Gao, Gusuibu, Du Zhong, Qingyan, and Yan salt, along with 15 grams each of Minguan,, and Danggui, are ground into a fine powder. In the morning, use this powder to brush your teeth and tooth roots, which can strengthen the teeth and prevent them from falling out even in old age, without the worry of toothache or bad breath.
Flossing
This is a gradually spreading oral hygiene method in recent years. The method is to first choose a thin line (nylon or silk) about 50 cm long, wrapping both ends around the middle fingers of both hands, about 15 cm apart. When cleaning upper teeth, use the thumb and index finger to guide the line. When cleaning lower teeth, use both hands' index fingers to guide. One finger is inserted into the mouth to lift the line with the fingertip, pressing it into the tooth gap, with the distance between the fingers about 3 cm. Pull the floss and move it vertically along the adjacent surfaces of the teeth 4–6 times. Clean each tooth in turn, rinse the mouth after cleaning in the evening, and it takes about 5 minutes each time. Experts believe this method can effectively prevent cavities and periodontitis, but it also has drawbacks such as being time-consuming and potentially causing gum bleeding if used incorrectly.
Of course, in addition to strengthening oral hygiene measures, reasonable nutrition and correcting bad habits are also important. Research has shown that vitamins A, D, C, B, and nutrients like calcium, phosphorus, and protein are essential for tooth development and health. Therefore, children, pregnant and lactating women, as well as the elderly and those with weak constitutions, should eat more fresh vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, as well as animal liver, kidneys, egg yolks, and milk rich in vitamins A and D.
Maintaining oral hygiene also requires eliminating some bad habits, such as neglecting or incorrectly brushing teeth. Long-term incorrect brushing can lead to wedge-shaped defects in the teeth. Using toothpicks or matches to pick teeth after meals can damage gum tissue, even causing bleeding, bacterial infection, and ulcers. Additionally, children should develop the habit of not sucking their fingers or biting pencils from a young age.