TIPS, WISE ADVICE AND HELPFUL UPDATES
PROTECTING YOURSELF AND OTHERS FROM THE SPREAD COVID-19
You can reduce your chances of being infected or spreading COVID-19 by taking some simple precautions:
- Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
- Maintain at least two metres (six feet) distance between yourself and others.
- Avoid going to crowded places.
- Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth.
- Stay home and self-isolate even with minor symptoms such as cough, headache, mild fever, until you recover.
- Have someone bring you supplies. If you need to leave your house, wear a mask to avoid infecting others. Why? Avoiding contact with others will protect them from possible COVID-19 and other viruses.
Check out our Back to Work series for more articles and helpful tips.
HOW TO SILENCE SNORING
Looking for sweeter dreams and less sleep interruptions? Here are some suggested lifestyle changes that you can try on your own for quieter nights:
- Avoid alcohol within three hours of bedtime.
- Don’t take muscle relaxants during the evening.
- Try to drop a few pounds if you are overweight.
- Quit smoking as soon as possible.
- Sleep on your side or elevate your head.
EXERCISING AS A SENIOR
Maintaining an active lifestyle can help you retain muscle mass and delay or improve common conditions. Try low-impact activities such as swimming, yoga or tai chi that also have cardio and flexibility benefits. Doctors recommend exercising for 150 minutes a week. Exercise is important but remember to ease into it gradually if you’ve been inactive for a while.
PREVENTING PRESSURE ULCERS
Keep your loved one’s skin clean and dry and prevent friction when moving and repositioning. Follow these suggestions as well. Check for changes in skin colour under breasts, skin folds and on bony prominences daily. Gently massage the skin around pressure areas (shoulders, heels, tailbone) with circular motion to encourage circulation. Help your loved one reposition themselves every 2 hours.
KITCHEN SAFETY 101
- Wipe up spills immediately, following infection control procedures when necessary. Store all medicines and cleaning materials in locked cabinets and closets.
- Check the temperature of water coming out of faucets. The temperature of hot tap water should be at or below 120°F. Make sure it is not too hot or steaming.
GUT-WRENCHING
Your brain has a direct effect on your stomach and intestines and whether you believe it or not, your gastrointestinal tract is also sensitive to emotions like happiness, anger, anxiety, fear or elation.
BENEFITS OF CINNAMON
Cinnamon has long been used in homeopathic healthcare, but now science is getting in on the action. Though studies are still in their early stages, here are some health benefits this popular spice may have:
- Speeds up metabolism.
- Lowers blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol.
- Fights memory loss.
- Reduces inflammation.
- New animal-based studies suggest cinnamon could have cancer-fighting properties.
THE STRUGGLE OF INSOMNIA
About 20 per cent of people wake up in the middle of the night, then struggle to get back to sleep. Keep reading for tips to help you quickly doze off and stay asleep.
- Forget about the time. Each time you look at the clock, you’ll worry how much sleep you’ve lost and only add to your stress.
- Stay away from screens. The blue light from any screen, whether a tablet, phone, or laptop, signals to your brain that it’s time to wake up.
- Ease your muscles. Start at your feet and flex all the muscles in your toes for five seconds, then relax.
- Take a slow, deep breath. Repeat these steps with your legs, backside, belly, chest, arms, and face.
- Keep cool. Lower temperatures help your body sleep. Try to keep your sleeping space between 15 –19O celsius.
- Talk to your doctor. Chronic pain, mental health conditions like depression, and sleep issues like sleep apnea may be to blame. If so, your doctor can suggest a treatment or refer you to a specialist who can help.
E-CIGARETTE WARNING
Compared to smoking, vaping does not stain or yellow your teeth. But after just 24 hours, a vaper’s mouth shows a troubling slime coat of 700 plus oral bacteria…enough to illicit a huge response from the immune system triggering a similar dangerous effect as periodontitis.
