Health Awareness blog

No matter how busy you are, make sure that you spend some time to sleep!

A lot of people ignore about their sleep hygiene. Well, I have no intention to blame anyone about sleep hygiene; I don’t think I am good at that as well. Maybe that is the scarification I need to do as a doctor and a parent. But, no matter what, I am here to emphasize that all of us need a good sleep. Just like other electrical machine, we need to recharge ourselves. And like everything else, too much or too little is not good. Make sure you are not oversleeping. Don’t forget that if you want your dream to come true, you cannot oversleep. This is some tips about sleep hygiene.

• Don’t go to bed until you feel sleepy and don’t stay in bed if you’re not asleep. You will only end up wasting your time.
• Avoid daytime naps. Well, if you can discipline yourself, it might be helpful if you have a little nap about 15-30 minutes just before “Zohor” prayer in the afternoon. It may help you to regain some energy. But remember that you cannot oversleep.
• If possible establish a regular bedtime routine. Unless you have a work shift and your bedtime highly depending on your bizarre schedule.
• Unless you live in a studio (where your bed is the same place to eat and watch television), reserve your room for sleep only. Please do not eat, read, work or watch television in your room. I am not quite sure about reading though, frankly speaking, if I want to sleep, I always find a book to read, preferable a text book, because it always makes me feel sleepy. Hmm…  I think a lot of my colleagues agree with me.
• Avoid extreme noise, lightning, temperature, etc, in your room. Make your room is the most comfortable place for you. It is a place to recharge your battery.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol and nicotine before going to bed. Well, if you do smoke, please quit; it does more harm than good.
• Warm bath and milky drink before bedtime might help some people.
•  Take regular exercise, but avoid late night hard exercise. If you are married, sex is okay. If you are not… please avoid.
• If you are suffering for insomnia, a sleep diary is a useful tool to monitor your sleep. Record both the times you sleep and the quality of the sleep.
• Wake up at the same time every morning regardless how long you have slept.

Sleeps don’t always come easy to everyone. Sometimes, it needs training, the same as other skill you need to achieve in life. Remember, money is important. Good sleep is even more important. Have a good sleep. Invest in your dream. And look at the result. Good luck!

Reference:

1. Chantal Simon et al. Oxford handbook of General Practice. Second edition. 2005.

Massaging neck and shoulder will release the stiff muscle and increase the blood flow. By doing this, you will feel more relax and calm. You have to learn how to massage the correct way. Not everything we can do by ourselves. Sometimes we need help from others. Ask your partner to massage your shoulder and neck. I am sure you will feel a lot better after that. Please follow the technique correctly. The steps are for the one who will be the massager.

1. Firstly, find yourself a partner.

2. Kindly ask your partner to sit comfortably, close the eyes and think about something happy. Remove the glasses if he/she is wearing it.

3. Stand behind your partner and put both of your hands on his/her or her shoulder.

4. Put your thumbs on the neck and start to massage slowly from above down to the shoulder then going up to the neck again. Do it 3 times.

5. Use both of your hands and start to massage from the shoulder down to the arms. Repeat the cycles for 3 times.

6. Next, use both of your thumbs to massage lower part of the neck downwards to the backbone. Do it for 3 times.

7. Massage the lower part of the neck by the ‘circulation’ technique by using your thumbs.

8. Next, put one hand on the forehead and another one at the neck. Slowly, turn his/her head to the right, and then turn to the left.

9. Use your fingers to massage the middle part of the forehead. Subsequently, bring your fingers to the right and left of the forehead by massaging. Using the ‘circulation’ technique. Repeat the cycles for 3 times.

10. Bring your hands to his/her shoulder and ask him/her to open the eyes slowly.

11. Finally, exchange place with your partner. Well, you have done a very good job isn’t it? You deserve a reward!

Source: Malaysian Ministry of Health