Monthly Archives: July 2019

Do Social Ties Affect Our Health? | NIH News in Health

Source:

Do social ties affect our health

This article caught my attention. In medical school we’re taught about physiology, anatomy, pathology of diseases and treatment of diseases. Yes, we do rotate through a psychiatry rotation in our third year of medical school, and in some specialties (pediatrics, for example) social aspects of health are kept in mind (some specifics probably vary from state to state, but physicians are mandated reporters for such things as child abuse and elder abue) as kids, for example, don’t raise themselves. Abuse of any kind can affect growth, development and health – especially if it involves physical abuse, starvation, etc (sexual abuse as horrific as it is, is a whole other post and not the topic of this blog post).

Some studies have indicated people who attend religious services are healthier than those who don’t. Though it has been a while since I’ve looked at the literature for this, and I think some studies make the effect to be murkier or not as solid as some might make it, these are my thoughts on it:

  1. It’s not some supernatural being, or belief in one, that makes one healthier, but the fact as someone who is involved in a community, and a purpose larger than onself.
    1. 1a) I’d add, however, that this probably includes athiests and agnostics who aren’t church/mosque/temple goers, but are involved promoting athiest ideals and in the community at large.
  2. Being part of a community might mean access to people who can help older (or otherwise impared) community members to doctors appointments, help with food, etc.
  3. Being part of a community can also help alleiviate stress levels.
  4. Married people live longer, presuming the marriage is a healthy one. Though it’s important to be part of a a community larger than 2 as well.

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Sleep, Part 2

I realize it’s been a while since my last post. As promised, I’m putting up this addtional post on sleep.

Getting adequate sleep promotes good health, and is important in functioning well during the day.  This includes driving (if you’re sleep deprived, it’s as though you’re driving with a high blood alcohol level!). Rather than totally repeat what I posted last time, I’ll  talk mostly about how to maintain good sleep hygiene.

  1. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
  2. Avoid sedatives (even alcohol) to go to sleep. Granted there might be occasions where using something like Zolpidem for a night or two is apropriate, but all medications can effect the sleep cycle in untoward ways (some affect how deeply one sleeps, others can affect how much REM sleep one gets).
  3. If you snore (if you live alone you might not know), or are overweight there’s a high chance of you having OSA (obstructive sleep apnea). OSA can predispose one to arrythymias, diabetes, and daytime sleepiness for starters.
  4. Don’t eat within three hours of eating (this is more to prevent reflux than food’s effect on sleeping) and avoid caffeinated beverages too late in the day.
  5. Certain foods such as cherries can affect melatonin levels (whether it is because they contain melatonin or affect it’s degredation by the body is a different story), so having foods which can increase melatonin levels might help sleep. Though my preference would be to have whole, unrefined foods rather than taking suppliments.
  6. Regular exercise can help people sleep better.
  7. As mentioned in the previous post, if you can’t fall asleep in about 10-15 minutes, get out of bed and do something else for a while
  8. Use getting into bed for sleeping (and enjoying one’s spouse/significant other), not for reading, watching TV or other activities.