Ageing and why you can't
enjoy a big meal without getting
heartburn like before
You take a long time to fall asleep, spend a lot of the night awake or worrying, you wake up too early and can’t go back to sleep, and/or you tend to experience disrupted sleep. If you experience some of these symptoms for at least 3 days a week for at least 3 months, you may have chronic insomnia.
Sleep is important as it is your brain’s way to flush out waste associated with Alzheimer’s disease, regulate your emotions as well as consolidate the previous day’s memories.
This is when rapid eye movement (REM) sleep occurs. Your body is paralysed but your eyes move rapidly as you dream.
Stage 4
Deep sleep occurs at this stage, which is crucial for physiological repair, memory and boosting the immune system’s ability to fight infections.
Stage 3
Your brain is now prepping itself for learning and processing the day’s memories.
Stage 2
Your brain waves start to slow down. Your eyes are rolling and your head is nodding if you’re still upright at this point.
Stage 1
Your brain needs time to cycle through these four stages of sleep each night:
Common sleep-depriving factors include stress, anxiety and blue-light emission from devices. Other reasons could be unsuitable sleeping conditions, including a room that is noisy, bright and too warm. Drinking alcohol and caffeine, and eating too close to bedtime can also be sleep disruptors.
WHAT’S CAUSING IT?
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Establish regular times for sleeping and waking up.
Improve your bedroom’s conditions.
Put away devices an hour before bedtime.
Make sure the last meal of the day is 3 hours before bedtime.
Avoid alcohol and caffeine a few hours before bed.
Self-help solutions
In the days leading up to a full moon, people tend to go to bed later and sleep less, although the reasons are unclear.
Did you know?
See a doctor if insomnia persists for more than a month. Treatments tend to be psychological and may include relaxation techniques, reframing your thoughts to reduce emotional stress around sleep, and adjusting your sleeping and waking times. Sleeping pills are prescribed as a last resort.
TREATMENTS
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Did you know?
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There are more than 150 types of headaches that affect both men and women. Headaches can last anywhere from 30 minutes to several days, and can be classified as tension headaches, cluster headaches and migraines.
Headaches aren’t all that unusual. In a 2013 study on over 2,000 respondents in Singapore, nearly 83 per cent of them had an overall lifetime prevalence of headaches. And nearly 40 per cent of them were episodic tension type ones.
Shellfish is the most common trigger in Singapore. Other common food triggers include fish, nuts and, get this – bird’s nest.
feel like muscle tightness in the temple and forehead, pressure around the head, and continuous but not throbbing pain.
Tension headaches
Types of headaches
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The brain itself doesn’t feel pain. It’s the meninges that cover your brain as well as the muscles, skin and nerves in your head that hurt during a headache.
BRAIN
Scalp
Peristeum
Bone
Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater
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MENINGES
Did you know?
It could be a few things: Changes in the brainstem; interactions with the trigeminal nerve, a major pain pathway; imbalances in pain-regulating serotonin; and/or hormonal shifts such as in oestrogen levels.
Lifestyle factors are also implicated, including poor posture, noise, light and reactions to aged cheese, alcohol, aspartame, chocolate, coffee, MSG and cured meats.
WHAT’S CAUSING IT?
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Correct lifestyle factors eg. improve posture, stretch often at work, eliminate triggering foods.
Avoid strong smells and light.
Take a magnesium supplement.
Drink enough water.
Self-help solutions
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About
Did you know?
See a doctor if the headaches occur at least once a week, affect your daily life, or become more intense or frequent. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen can be prescribed for headaches and migraine. Botox and antihypertensives may be used to prevent migraine.
TREATMENTS
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Someone who is about to faint might experience dizziness, light-headedness, paleness, unsteadiness, vision changes, fast or irregular heartbeat, sweating, nausea and/or vomiting. A fainting episode usually lasts a few seconds or minutes, and is likely harmless.
Fainting can occur when the flow of blood to the brain is temporarily reduced. The carotid arteries in the neck supply about 80 per cent of this blood supply, and it’s regulated by the carotid sinus located near your voice box. You may black out when the carotid sinus over-regulates the blood flow and creates a sudden decrease of blood flow to the brain.
Fainting or syncope is a temporary loss of consciousness from a sudden decrease of blood flow to the brain.
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Did you know?
Physical constraints such as a tight collar or tie, or turning or stretching the neck too much can be triggers. Other times, fainting could be due to stress, physical or emotional trauma, prolonged standing, dehydration or overheating, or even skipping meals.
WHAT’S CAUSING IT?
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If you’re prone to anxiety, take deep breaths and count slowly to 10.
Avoid exerting yourself physically in hot weather.
Drink enough water.
Don’t stand too long and lock your knees. If you have to, shake them out or pace around.
Don’t skip meals.
Self-help solutions
If you faint again or do not feel completely back to normal, see a doctor. Checks will be done to assess heart and pulse rates, and blood pressure. A blood test may also be performed to identify anaemia and diabetes.
TREATMENTS
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of people faint at the sight of blood.
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