Chinese and elderly women's health care

Author: / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-01-01
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XI. The Ideal Bed for Middle-Aged and Elderly People
One-third of a person's life is spent in bed, but most people do not realize the importance of a bed for their health, just as breathing air is a habit that is taken for granted every day. Some people's requirements for a bed often focus on luxury and grandeur, thinking that steel-frame beds or memory foam beds are soft and elastic, making sleep comfortable. In reality, such soft beds are not suitable for human sleeping posture and the physiological curve of the spine, especially for middle-aged and elderly people. Generally speaking, as people age, the muscles around the spine may atrophy to varying degrees, and the lumbar spine may have osteoporosis and degenerative changes in the intervertebral joints. If the bed is not suitable, it can not only cause back and leg pain after sleeping but also, over time, promote body distortion.
1. Bed Height
The height of the bed should be slightly higher than the sleeper's knees, as middle-aged and elderly people often have difficulty with leg movement. A bed that is too high makes it inconvenient to get in and out of bed, while a bed that is too low has poor ventilation underneath, making it easy to get damp. An appropriately adjusted bed height also makes it easier to reach objects under the bed, such as urinals or spittoons, while sleeping. It can also prevent the risk of falling when waking up from dizziness or blurred vision.
2. Bed Firmness
Whether to choose a soft or hard bed depends on the physiological curve of the spine. The spine, commonly known as the backbone, is the main support of the human torso. From the back, the spine appears straight, while from the side, it has four curves: the cervical and lumbar vertebrae curve forward, while the thoracic and sacral vertebrae curve backward. Human activities such as running, jumping, carrying weight, and bending all relate to the physiological curve of the spine. If the physiological curve changes, not only will the body shape change, but it will inevitably cause lower back and leg pain. When using steel-frame or memory foam beds, when lying on your back, the upper body accounts for about 33% of the total body weight, while the lower body accounts for 44%, causing the buttocks to sink and the body to curve, pressing the abdomen and making breathing difficult. The muscles around the spine remain in a tense state, leading to back and leg pain upon waking. When lying on your side, the spine curves to one side, and the side muscles do not relax or rest. Since the spine cannot maintain its physiological curve during sleep, over time, the spine may become misaligned, making it easy to develop lower back and leg pain. On the other hand, if the bed surface is too hard, it can cause excessive pressure on local skin, muscles, and bones. Muscles that are compressed for a long time may not relax enough, leading to poor rest and general fatigue and aches. A more ideal bed would be a hard bed with a medium-soft mattress. Research shows that a medium-soft mattress should have a three-layer structure: the surface layer, which comes into contact with the body, should use soft materials. The middle layer should maintain the correct sleeping posture and have a certain firmness. The bottom layer should provide cushioning and have some elasticity. This combination of layers is suitable for the physiological curve of the human torso, promoting better sleep and rest. Generally, placing a 9-centimeter-thick cotton mattress on a hard bed can help maintain the spine in a relatively normal physiological state.
3. Bedding
The ideal bedding is cotton wrapped in cotton stuffing. It is not advisable to use synthetic fiber sheets or blankets, as synthetic fibers can easily irritate the skin, causing itching or allergies. People with athlete's foot should wear clean socks to sleep to avoid polluting the bedding and spreading the infection to the chest and neck. It is not recommended to sleep with your head covered, as the oxygen in the bedding decreases gradually due to breathing, which can affect brain cells and lead to symptoms such as dizziness and blurred vision. Additionally, the release of hydrogen sulfide, a harmful gas from flatulence, can cause poisoning if inhaled in large amounts. When people sleep, sweat releases various chemicals that adhere to the bedding, causing moisture to accumulate and even bacterial contamination that can harm health. Therefore, after waking up, it is best to open doors and windows to allow sweat and harmful substances to naturally dissipate outside. It is also recommended to fold the bedding with the inside facing out. Additionally, bedding should be sunned frequently and washed regularly.
4. Pillow
Everyone sleeps every day, and sleeping a pillow. Everyone has their own habits, and changing the pillow can disrupt sleep. The choice of pillow, its height, and firmness greatly affect the quality of sleep and can even impact the health and longevity of the elderly. Pillows are generally divided into two types: soft and hard. Most people use soft pillows, which are made of cloth and filled with materials such as millet husks, rice bran, rice hulls, duck down, reed down, willow fluff, or even temporary air-inflatable pillows (rubber products). Hard pillows include porcelain pillows, stone pillows, bamboo pillows, wooden pillows, and rattan pillows (woven from rattan, with a painted surface, and filled with grass for elasticity). When choosing a pillow, the firmness should be moderate. If the pillow is too hard, it can press on the head, causing pressure on the scalp, localized pain, and numbness, forcing the person to toss and turn and change their head position, thus disrupting sleep. Conversely, if the pillow is too soft, the head may sink into it, making breathing difficult when sleeping on your side, which is also sleep. Generally, soft pillows are warmer, while hard pillows are cooler. In northern regions, hard pillows are not commonly used except during hot summers, whereas in southern regions, due to prolonged periods of humidity, sleeping on soft pillows can cause the head to feel hot and uncomfortable. If a hard pillow is used for sleep, better heat dissipation makes the head feel cooler, which is beneficial for sleep. It is reported that foreign countries pay great attention to pillow research. In Japan, traditional wheat husk and cotton-core pillows are gradually being phased out, and various pillows suitable for sleep are being developed in recent years. For example, pillows that generate weak currents to help people fall asleep, pillows filled with aromatic essences to emit fragrances, pillows that keep the head cool, and pillows filled with elastic tubes to allow air circulation and provide comfortable support. It can be seen that the improvement of pillows can have a positive impact on rest and sleep. The height of a pillow is very important. The ancients had the saying, "Three inches for longevity, four inches for no worries." Generally, the height of a pillow should not exceed the distance from the shoulder to the neck on the same side, approximately 12 to 15 centimeters. Therefore, the pillow should be adjusted to fit the neck in a neutral position when sleeping on your side. When lying on your back, the head should be slightly forward to maintain the curve of the cervical spine, allowing the neck muscles to relax. If the pillow is too low, too much blood flows to the head, causing blood vessels to congest, and upon waking the next morning, the person may experience dizziness, blurred vision, and swollen eyelids. Additionally, when lying on your back, if the head is excessively tilted backward, the muscles and skin in the front of the neck may press on the trachea, affecting breathing and making it easier to have nightmares or snore. Middle-aged and elderly people should avoid using pillows that are too high, as a high pillow can lead to an unsuitable neck posture, causing one side of the neck muscles to stretch too tightly, which can easily lead to a stiff neck, neck pain, and difficulty turning the head.