Trishala Chopra, Author at GOQii

March 17, 2023 By Trishala Chopra 6 Comments

Tips to Help You Sleep Better!

Sleep! You might have already read so many articles about this especially when you’ve not been getting quality sleep. Before we go deeper into how you can sleep better, let us first understand how we define sleep! As per the world’s sleep research, William Dement (Author of promise of sleep) defines sleep as the ‘Moment when the brain starts producing theta waves’.

Too technical! What exactly are theta waves? I don’t want to get too technical, so I will talk about medical jargon in the most simplest way possible.

The Brain Produces ‘Waves’ All The Time!

While you are awake (concentrating), your brain produces beta waves. When you are daydreaming, relaxing or lying around, your brain produces alpha waves. While your body is in the transition from relaxing to sleeping, that’s when your brain starts producing theta waves. When your body is in deep sleep, your body produces delta waves.

During this period, your body starts producing growth hormones. I always tell this to my patients. Your body undergoes repairs when you enter deep sleep which is very crucial for overall well being. When I was learning more about sleep, the one question that often came to mind was, “How and when do we get dreams?”

After theta waves, there is one interesting thing which happens. It is called as REM Sleep or Rapid Eye Movement Sleep. This is when your eyes are moving with closed eyelids. You might be dreaming but you will not remember your dreams completely the next day. According to me, these are just basic things about sleep which everyone should be aware of (and with good reason).

Do you ever get a feeling of waking up tired after sleeping for almost 9 hours? When I ask this question to my patients, they say, “I am tired all the time!” This is called as Sleep Deprivation.

How Do You Know That You Are Sleep Deprived?

I read a lot! One of the books that I read on sleep is the Promise of Sleep. The book spoke about a very cool way of figuring out if we are sleep deprived or not. Check out the steps below:

Go to bed with a spoon in your hand
Your hand should be in a position where the spoon is over the floor and not over the bed
Note the time when you plan to sleep
As soon as you fall asleep, your hand muscles will relax. Once this happens, the spoon will fall on the floor and the noise will wake you up.
Note the time when you wake up. That’s your own sleep latency.

There are many other sleep tests which are done as well to figure sleep deprivation out.

Now that we understand what happens when we sleep,

Follow These Tips to Sleep Better

As always, we go back to our basics: Sleep Hygiene

Restrict Tea/Coffee/Green Tea and other caffeinated drinks. Caffeine circulates in the system for at least 7.5 hours. Taking caffeinated drinks close to bedtime can mess your sleep schedule.
Make sure you create a sunset kind of environment post sunset with yellow dim lights so your body realizes that it’s the time for you to relax, rest and sleep. Same thing goes for the gadgets! Blue light from your devices block the sleep hormone production. If you have long screen hours, try using blue blocking glasses post sunset.
Make sure that your room temperature is around 19-20. Usually, our body temperature tends to fall when we sleep. This will help you in maintaining an ideal body temperature when you wake up.
Try to avoid exercising, watching exciting/horror movies which will keep your mind active for a long period of time.

Apart from the basics,

Try the Sleep Restriction State Method

If you think you sleep 4 hours per night, then sleep for 4 hours only
Go to bed at 1 AM and set your alarm clock for 6AM. You’re not allowed to go to bed earlier than 1AM, or wake up later than 6AM.
You will be tired the following day. Extremely tired! That’s a good thing. You will be wondering, what is good in being tired but this will drive you to sleep earlier the next day
The next day, you add ½ hour to the sleep time. You go to bed at 12:30AM instead of 1 AM and wake up at 6AM.
Keep increasing your sleep window by ½ hour per day till you feel the sleep debt is paid off.

Why are we doing this? It’s because during this time of the sleep window, you won’t be allowed to use stimulants to keep yourself up. No coffee or any kind of caffeinated beverages. We are doing this so that your body starts building up the fatigue, drowsiness and eventually you will end up sleeping. This will help in recovering your sleep debt.

Sometimes, stiff neck muscles will decrease the blood supply to the brain, which results into fragmented sleep. Getting a physio evaluation for the same will also help in improving sleep quality.

We hope these tips help you sleep better! Do type your thoughts and queries in the comments below!

To read more on sleep, check out Healthy Reads. To get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for personalised health coaching here.

#BeTheForce

December 9, 2021 By Trishala Chopra 1 Comment

Why Does Sweat Smell Bad After Certain Activities?

We all sweat. Sometimes, your sweat has a horrific stench post-workout as compared to your sweat during normal hours. Have you ever experienced this and wondered why? Truth be told, your sweat has no smell. So where does the smell come from? Well, there is a scientific reason behind it!

The horrific stench after a workout comes from bacteria that live on your skin. These bacteria break down the components of sweat resulting in smell.

What is the Smell About?

Your sweat comprises of water in large amounts along with trace minerals, fatty acids and skin cells that your body sheds. Your bacteria break these down further causing odour.

There is an endorphin (This is a hormone which is produced during exercise to ease your pain and make you calm and happy!) rush when you exercise which leads to a lot of perspiration or sweating. When you work out, your body produces cortisol along with endorphins which are hormones that affect the sweat glands on our skin.

There are two types of sweat glands which are eccrine glands and apocrine glands. Sweat glands in the armpits, groin and other smelly areas are called apocrine glands which produces a pheromone-like substance that provides energy for skin bacteria and leads to the horrific stench. Whereas eccrine glands are all over the body and don’t cause extreme sweating as compared to apocrine glands.

Why Does Everybody Sweat Differently?

You might have noticed that sweating levels are different for everybody. Why does this happen?

Factors which affect the rate of sweating:

Environment/Weather/Climate: Our body needs to maintain the normal temperature irrespective of climatic conditions. Body, has its own thermostat and how much you sweat completely depends on how your body is trying to cope with the weather change.
Your Fitness Levels Matter: The more you workout, the more you sweat. Your body tries to cool your body temperature so that you are ready to make the workout more intense!
Genes: Apart from the temperature regulation, some people tend to sweat more than others due to their genetics (somethings cannot be changed).
Could be a Medical Condition: Hyperhidrosis is a medical condition in which a person sweats excessively. Body tends to work hard to maintain the usual thermostat

5 Ways to Deal with Smelly Sweat:

Maintain Hygiene: It is important to wash the smelly areas frequently especially post-exercise. Washing these areas will help you in removing the dead cells from the skin, keep the skin healthy and reduce the smell eventually.
Use deodorants and antiperspirants to keep underarms stench free!
Wear Proper Clothes During Workout: Prefer sweat-absorbing workout clothes. Go for material which lets the body breathe rather than trapping the sweat instead leading to excessive sweat
If the sweating is excessive, see a dermatologist.
Work on your Diet: Certain food items are responsible for smelly sweat. Onions, garlic, cauliflower, alcohol, and coffee can lead to excessive sweating. Cutting back on these can help you with the reduced smell from the sweat

Home Remedies to Manage Smelly Sweat

Wheatgrass Juice: It works as an excellent detoxifier. Try 1 tbsp of wheatgrass juice with water early in the morning on an empty stomach for 2 weeks and then once every alternate day for 3 months.
Baking Soda: It works as a natural water-absorbing agent. Mix 2 tbsp of baking soda with water and apply it on the underarms for 30 minutes. Please do not keep it beyond 30 mins. It might act as an irritant for your skin. Wash it with ice cold water and apply 2 drops of glycerin as a natural toner.
Potato/Potato Juice: It acts as a quick water-absorbing agent which works as an antiperspirant. Cut Potato into thin slices, keep it in the refrigerator for 10 minutes and rub it on armpits. This will work as a quick antiperspirant.
Apple Cider Vinegar: It has astringent properties. If you suffer from excessive sweating, take 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar with mother culture early in the morning on an empty stomach.
Lemon: Citrus fruits work as natural deodorants. You can apply fresh lemon juice on your armpits and wash it after 45 minutes. You can try doing this every day to get best results.
Black Cohosh: Research has shown that supplementing your diet with 80mg of Black Cohosh helps in reducing overall excessive sweating and hot flashes.

Now that you know everything you need to about sweat and body odour, you can take the necessary measures and be odour-free!

Was this article helpful? Would you like to know more? Let us know in the comments below! For more articles like this, check out Healthy Reads or get advice from certified GOQii experts by subscribing for personalized coaching here: https://goqiiapp.page.link/bsr

#BeTheForce

July 17, 2019 By Trishala Chopra 5 Comments

Tips to protect yourself from allergic conjunctivitis this monsoon

I guess I am late! Rains are already here and we can’t just ignore getting drenched in heavy rains. But, getting drenched in the rains might not be a good thing for your body. Monsoon not only brings with it rains but it brings along with it an army of infections. Viral infections are the most common ones. They are at its peak during monsoon season because of the sudden increase in the moisture levels in the climate. Among all infection, eyes are the worst affected part of the human body.

You might have suffered from itchy eyes which turns red the moment you rub it? Do not ignore it as it could be conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis in literal terms means inflammation of conjunctiva (thin protective membrane of the eyes) Conjunctivitis is of two types: – acute allergic conjunctivitis and chronic acute conjunctivitis. Acute allergic conjunctivitis includes the seasonal allergy which turns up during monsoons. Conjunctivitis spreads through direct contact. Hand to eye touch can cause conjunctivitis, as this disease is highly contagious. It can last for minimum 3 days up to 7 days.

Redness always doesn’t mean conjunctivitis, there are various other reasons that can cause redness or itchy eyes. It might be dust or too much strain on the eyes or insomnia which might cause redness of the eyes. Do not confuse yourself between these reasons and conjunctivitis. It is always advisable that if you face redness, itchiness, watery eyes, swelling, difficulty in blinking, dry eyes for more than 2 days then visit your ophthalmologists as soon as possible. It might be allergic conjunctivitis or some other disease, it is always better to get it checked from the expert.

Here are few tips to protect yourself from conjunctivitis this monsoon!

Maintaining personal hygiene is most important precaution which one needs to take.
Avoid touching your eyes without washing your hands properly.
Wash your eyes with cold water whenever you come from outside.
If you feel that there is slightest pain in your eyes or you have been in contact with the person who has conjunctivitis, give your eyes cold compressions immediately after you come home. It is always better if you visit a doctor before the diseases aggravate.
If someone at home is down with conjunctivitis make sure that whenever you are putting drops in their eyes or giving them cold water compressions, you wash your hands thoroughly before and after you get in contact with the person.
Put 2 drops of rose water every time before you go to bed.
If you wear contact lenses, avoid using them during monsoons as the chances of infection is higher with lenses.
Do not share cosmetics. Risk of infection doubles when you share them.
Avoid swimming, visiting water parks during monsoon, not only conjunctivitis, body gets prone to other diseases too!
Avoid touching public taps, handles and if you get in contact with them, always keep a sanitizer and use them frequently.
Wear glasses to keep your eyes protected.
Avoid self-medication. You do not know about the action of drugs.
Never use steroid eye drops. Always consult your doctor.
If in case doctor is not available, choose antibiotic drops over steroid eye drops.

Conjunctivitis is not a one-time disease, chances of getting conjunctivitis is endless. So as it is rightly said, Prevention is better than cure!

October 23, 2018 By Trishala Chopra Leave a Comment

Do you really need a multivitamin?

Multivitamins

The topmost questions on the mind of all my patients are “I am getting so tired these days, doctor do you think that I should take a multivitamin?” and “I am taking these multivitamins which I got from the US, do you think it’s good enough for me to have?”

These are just 2 such questions but trust me, I get loads of such questions on Multivitamins. Based on these questions, I decided I should talk about it in my blog and present the facts on the matter.

Let us first understand

What is multivitamin?

If I just try to understand the word in literal terms, a multivitamin is a supplement that contains more than one vitamin. But is it just vitamins? Certainly not. Multivitamin is a supplement that contains many vitamins and essential minerals which helps you fight against different nutritional deficiencies and their symptoms.

Who actually needs a multivitamin?

You need a multivitamin if you are not able to get adequate nutrition from your diet.
You need a multivitamin if you are severely deficient in different nutrients as detected in your blood reports
You need a multivitamin if you are looking for micronutrients for specific symptoms.

Apart from this, there are other population groups as well which might need a multivitamin in addition to a variety of foods in their diet.

Pregnant women

During pregnancy, consumption of multivitamins reduces the risk of birth defects in the foetus.
There are different kinds of research which are done taking multivitamins into consideration but since multivitamins consist of various vitamins and minerals, we don’t exactly know which nutrient is giving the maximum benefits.
Folic acid perhaps is the most important micronutrient but doctors anyways give it in a completely separate form so talk to your healthcare professional before starting on any multivitamin.

Senior citizens

People over the age of 65 are generally low on B- vitamins, vitamin D, iron and magnesium.
Supplementing senior citizens with a multivitamin can definitely help in reducing their nutritional deficiencies to a great extent.

People who are on different food restrictions

People who are on a gluten-free diet are usually low on calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin D.
Vegan people are usually low in calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin B12.
People who are on low carb diet are usually low in calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium and vitamin E

Multivitamin in these cases will help in overcoming these nutritional deficiencies.

People who have undergone bariatric surgery

During bariatric surgery, size of the stomach is reduced which reduces nutrient absorption which can further lead to nutritional deficiencies.
Even after taking a multivitamin, nutrient absorption is not very high but this will be much better than not taking a supplement and remain extremely nutritionally deficient

The above is related specifically for people with some health issues. Let us now look at the general population! Does the general population need a multivitamin and what can be the possible benefits?

Multivitamins can help in increasing the quality of life
Multivitamins can help in reducing mood swings
Multivitamins can help in reducing complications related to eyes

These are some points which researches have come up with however nothing is claimed so far.

Normally what I have seen is that when people are taking multivitamin they are okay to substitute it for a balanced diet but a multivitamin is a SUPPLEMENT and not a SUBSTITUTE.

Let’s understand about how to select a multivitamin for you.

Your healthcare professional can suggest you one but, you should always know how to pick up one for yourself!

Consider the following points when you buy a multivitamin

Choose a multivitamin that contains close to your recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals. Sometimes a particular multivitamin crosses much more than your RDA per day.

For example:

Excess of potassium at one go on an empty stomach can lead to elevated potassium levels in the body which can affect your heart rhythm that is why your potassium in a multivitamin should always be limited to 99 mg.
Magnesium in your multivitamin should be limited to 350 mg because higher doses of magnesium in the body can lead to diarrhoea and other stomach issues.
Excess of calcium in your multivitamin might increase the risk of kidney stones, and too much total calcium can result in hypercalcemia in the body.

B. If a multivitamin supplement is only having vitamins and minerals then its fine to pick it up but usually this doesn’t happen. A single multivitamin is full of special ingredients which can put a body into negative balance hence avoid taking multivitamins which has too many extra ingredients.

C. I have seen my patients doing this a lot that they get confused between the pill and serving.

For example: A multivitamin pack might mention that it contains 300 mg of vitamin C per serving. When it is said so, please understand that a serving does not necessarily mean that 1 pill equals 1 serving. Serving completely depends upon how the company is depicting it. It could mean a whole pack is 300 mg.

D. I have seen this quite often that many people are usually only deficient in one or 2 nutrients in such cases taking a multivitamin is not a very good option. Pick up those nutritional supplements only which are on the lower side.

Hence, it is always good to take Vitamins after you speak to your doctor. Do not indulge in self- medication.

You might need a multivitamin but, it is not necessary that everyone might need it.