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How to Support Older Adults During the Coronavirus Pandemic

older adultsCurrently, elderly people are vulnerable and at the highest risk of experiencing significant health complications due to the second wave of COVID-19. Being socially isolated also creates a panic, affects mental and physical health of the elderly. Due to the pandemic, most older adults are not able to take walks, exercise and have limited access to their daily healthcare needs. Though social distancing and self quarantine is necessary, it is essential for older adults to feel connected in order to avoid depression or helplessness. Loneliness, anxiety and uncertainty give rise to chronic stress, depression and insomnia in older people.

How Can You Help Older Adults In Your Neighborhood? 

During this time, it becomes important to help older adults in our neighbourhood, especially the ones living alone. Here, I’ll be sharing some tips which families and caregivers can use to keep older adults disease-free, happy and mentally fit! 

  1. If you have parents or grandparents you’re not living with, give them a call to provide regular emotional support. 
  2. Ensure that an older adult’s daily needs and essential requirements like medicines, fruits, food, etc. are taken care of.
  3. Take additional efforts to check and confirm that they are maintaining proper hand and respiratory hygiene. 
  4. Older Adults are more sensitive in the current situation. To safeguard them, it’s better that they should avoid stepping out for any reason as much as possible.
  5. If routine check-ups can be done via phone consultation, please do so. Go to the hospital only when necessary. 
  6. Guide and educate the older adults in your area with the latest updates, precautionary measures, etc. Keep them informed! 
  7. Provide extra care if needed as some of them are on multiple medications due to chronic illnesses and sensory problems such as loss or difficulty in vision, hearing, etc. 
  8. Before self-medication with any drug, please consult a doctor.
  9. Family members need to be super sensitive to the early symptoms of COVID-19 and testing if needed should be promptly done. This, however, should not give rise to panic, self-isolation and stigma.
  10. Psycho-social issues are vital and families need to be sensitive to them. It is natural to be stressed, but signs of excessive panic, depression, sleep problems need urgent attention from a qualified mental health professional.
  11. The elderly need to be involved in decision making even in times of crisis. Their rights, self-respect and dignity must be preserved and protected.

 We hope this article helps. For more information or sessions on helping older adults, tune in to experts on GOQii Play. 

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce  

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Fatigue Fighting Hacks To Supercharge Your Mornings At Home

fatigue fighting hacksTrrriiing! There goes your 6 a.m. alarm! 

Boing! There goes the snooze button hit! Just another ten minutes you plead with your fatigued mind even though you know you’ll be late for that zoom call!  

How often have you caught yourself doing that in a week? The day whizzes by in a blur as you struggle to stay awake through that all-important morning call, exercise restraint from unnecessarily blowing your top at your colleague, force yourself to be patient as your junior takes longer than expected to understand a concept, and stop short of actually dozing and snoring at your comfy workspace at home as the day slowly comes to a close…

Morning fatigue can be pinned down to many reasons: a super-late night, hypothyroidism, too much progesterone, midnight visits to the washroom, sleep apnea, an overworked mind, and more. Chronic fatigue can take a toll on human health, and is best nipped in the bud. Once hormonal imbalances and sleep apnea have been ruled out as the cause of your daily fatigue, try out these fatigue fighting hacks to keep you alert through the day.

Fatigue Fighting Hacks To Supercharge Your Mornings

  1. Set a Double Alarm: A full sleep cycle is approximately 90 minutes. So, if you need to step out of bed at 7 a.m., set an alarm for 5:30 a.m. and another one for 7 a.m. Turn off the 5:30 alarm once it begins to shrill – go back to getting another complete sleep cycle – and bounce out of bed happily when the second alarm goes off! You won’t need the snooze button at all! 
  2. Exercise: If home workout isn’t your style – fret not! Begin your day with a few simple stretches or a 10-minute yoga session. The release of endorphins that this brings on will keep you feeling energized through the day. 
  3. Be a Sunflower: Just like a sunflower thrives on the energizing rays of the sun, so does your body. Throw open your windows, draw back the curtains and revel in the joy that comes along with the morning rays hitting your face. You’ll get a good dose of vitamin D too whilst you are at it.
  4. Power-up with Protein: Skipping breakfast is never an option if you want to feel fresh throughout the day. But choosing the right breakfast foods is important. Begin and end your day with protein-rich foods. Research indicates that protein induces serotonin and subsequent melatonin release that brings on better quality sleep while also leading to a build-up of enzymes that signal the brain to wake-up in the mornings. Plate up the eggs, fish, yoghurt, pulses, peanut butter, and nuts and roll away the sugar-laden carbohydrates.
  5. Tank up on Water: Dehydration can often be the reason for fatigue in the morning and all through the day. A glass of plain water or fruit-infused water is a sure shot way to get your body into “run” mode. Placing this by your bedside and reaching out for it as soon as your alarm goes off will get you moving faster than the Duracell rabbit!  
  6. Alexa to the Rescue: Programme Alexa to play out your favourite music at the exact hour you need to be out of bed. What better way to begin your day than with a blast of pop, hip hop, golden oldies, jazz or Hindi chartbusters? 
  7. Tease your Brain: Alarm clocks and mobiles that need you to perform a mental task before they can be “snoozed” or shut off are now available in the market! Not only will they supercharge your morning, but you’ll have increased your IQ by 5 points at least by the end of the month.

List Of Don’ts Before Bed 

I don’t need to dwell on the much-touted DON’Ts that keep you away from enjoying your mornings, but a quick reminder will reinforce your learning:

  • Limit water intake to just one glass a couple of hours before you hit the sack; then you won’t need to blame your midnight loo visits for your morning fatigue.
  • Cut down the fat at dinner to help you drift away to dreamland sooner.
  • Make sure your bedroom has just the right amount of light and is at the right temperature to allow for some uninterrupted sleep. 
  • Choose the right sleep accessories – pillow, mattress, blanket, and even a cuddly toy, if that’s what will keep your peepers tightly shut for 8 hours straight.
  • Stay away from electronic devices at least an hour before bedtime. Reading a book may be a better bit to bring on deeper sleep.
  • Maintain a sleep schedule so that the natural release of melatonin takes charge at the right time. 
  • Stay away from alcohol and caffeine closer to bedtime; they are diuretics that will cause you to wake up to piddle in the middle of the night! 

Sleep has no replacement. Fatigue is easily prevented. Do your health a huge favour – beat the morning blues! 

We hope these fatigue fighting hacks help you make your work from home more productive! Do let us know your thoughts in the comments below. For more tips, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

To directly interact with your GOQii Coach, subscribe to GOQii now: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce 

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Panicked Due To The Pandemic? You Need To Know This!

panicked due to the pandemicThere must be few people you know who have been affected by COVID-19 during this global pandemic. Maybe you have gone through this too. Maybe you are experiencing few symptoms. You might have witnessed a few unfortunate deaths around you. This is like one of those sci-fi movies gone real. Everyone is talking about it and it’s terrible! 

How You Can Avoid Panic During The Pandemic 

As humans, we crave for stability and we are facing this uncertainty for more than a year now. Are you wondering when it will all end? Do we even see an end in sight? How do we deal with it?  covid-19 anxiety

Change Your Mindset!

The stress can cause frustration, worry, fear, helplessness, lack of hunger, overeating, tiredness, sleeping too much, headache, nightmares or the inability to focus on work. If you are overwhelmed due to this pandemic situation, let me tell you that you need to overcome this. When you panic, your body responds in the same way. If this is the battle, then half the battle is lost when you panic. When your mind gives up, then slowly your body gives up. 

Everyone has suffered a cold and blocked nose at some point or the other in their life. And you experience breathlessness in such times. People with Asthma deal with breathlessness many times. Before the pandemic, you used to get cold, cough and fever, but you didn’t think that you would die. Then there’s no need to think that way now. I am not suggesting that you ignore the symptoms or your health. By now everyone knows what they need to do for their safety. I Am not repeating here. I am talking about the mindset. How you deal with this mentally and emotionally is important. 

You can get the information you need but stop binge watching news channels and be conscious of what you read, watch and listen. You can make a habit to get the update at a specific time from a trusted source only. Other times, keep yourself involved in something meaningful.

If you get a cough, start a treatment or medicine for the cough. You can talk to your coach for a nice home remedy. If things get worse and you need to get admitted in the hospital, let me repeat, the first thing you need to do is stay strong emotionally.

What Can You Do Now?

Let’s start working for the things which are in our hands. Your immunity is so much more important right now than ever before. Cut down sugar slowly from your diet. Sugar has inflammation enhancing properties. It supports more mucus production in the body, which increases the chances of you getting infected easily. When I say sugar, I mean sugar from tea, coffee, biscuits, desserts, ketchup and all kinds of packaged food. It’s difficult but start making changes one by one. Taking action for better health is much better than taking stress. 

Regular exercise will help to beat the anxiety. Work to improve your lung capacity. If you have a habit of smoking, please stop it. Breathing exercises are a great way to improve your lung function. You can breathe better. Spend a good time for meditation regularly. It will reduce your anxiety. If you are not fond of it, then indulge in any of your hobbies, which you can pursue at home.

You will help a lot as an individual by NOT spreading fear. Stop discussing the topic with ten people. Don’t forward random whatsapp messages. Stay calm and keep calm. If possible, provide emotional support to those who are going through it. If you can help them in any means it would be great. We are physically apart, but you can stay connected with your loved ones like friends and family through calls or video calls. Provide the emotional support. Having a conversation with friends and family will help to reduce your stress.

Remember that we’re all in this together. So remain calm, observe your body and stay strong. More so, you can also self monitor using the GOQii Smart Vital which checks body temperature, SpO2, heart rate and blood pressure – basically all the vital parameters that could alert you if something is wrong. Till then, there’s no need to panic! 

For more COVID-related articles, you can check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. Furthermore, you can subscribe to GOQii and get the right guidance from a certified expert: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce 

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Sleep Series: Sleep Tips and Summary

sleep tips and summaryThe internet is full of various sleep tips and advice but which one is the best one to follow? Don’t worry, I have shared some sleep tips which I’ve personally experimented with and benefitted from over the last couple of years. Hope they help you too! 

Sleep Tips For A Good Night’s Rest 

1. Day Time:

  • The sleep preparation process starts from the time you wake up
  • What you do during the day, impacts how you sleep. Sleep is not just a standalone event that happens in the evening.  Sleep is designed to unwind, scavenge, reorganize and rebuild from the activities of the day. So, be cognizant of what you do in the daytime
  • Get some Sunlight, especially first thing in the morning. This sends a clear signal to “Body Clock” that it is Daytime – it will automatically set up the night time. 
  • Try walking without any footwear on natural ground while taking morning walks. It helps immensely!
  • No Coffee/Cola after 13:00 hours – I found the impact of tea is milder on sleep. At 4pm, masala tea with ginger, etc. is ok. 

2. Evening

  • Get used to dim lights post dinner. Light is the number 1 inhibitor to the onset of sleep
  • I have two sets of lights in my house – one for “illumination and celebration” and one with dim lights conducive to induce melatonin secretion.

3. Dinner

  • 30 minutes before dinner, take 1-2 spoons of Apple Cider Vinegar with 1 spoon of honey in 1 glass of water. Works wonders for sleep, digestion, acidity, GERD, etc.
  • Early dinners are the best! Between 6-7pm max. You do not want your digestion process working during sleep
  • Stop the intake of water 90 minutes before sleep if you are above 45.

4. Preparing to Sleep

  • 30 minutes before your scheduled sleep time, start unwinding. Phone can be kept outside the bedroom or better, switch it off. Reading a hardcover book is a great way to induce sleep. I used to read a book on macroeconomics
  • Pranayama is a great way of preparing the body for sleeping. I found the following useful
    • 4-8 method: Inhale through nose for a count of 4 and exhale through the mouth for count of 8 – ask me if you do not yawn and feel sleepy at the end of 3 minutes
    • Shitali Pranayama: 3-4 rounds – cools the body
    • Ujjayi: 3-4 rounds – strengthens the throat muscles – works against collapsing during snoring
  • Lavender Essential Oil: Apply 1 drop of good quality lavender essential oil on your pillow. You will sleep like a baby. Do not use more than one drop, I do not want to get a call from your boss! 
  • If you can get your Ayurveda or Siddha doctor to prescribe “Ven Thamarai (white Lotus) Churna”, mix it with a half-cup of warm milk and honey 60 minutes before going to sleep. Non habit forming and sleep inducing medicine. Not just helps in onset of sleep, but helps in overall quality through all stages of sleep.

5. Bedroom

  • Darkness is a friend of sleep. Pitch dark room with no night light. Use a sleep mask for your eyes if needed. Go for movement sensing light in case you get up at night
  • Air conditioned room is the best – cool temperature is essential for good sleep. Set what is comfortable fo you – 24 degrees is generally ok for Indians (web prescribes 20 degrees which is American Standard)
  • On bedroom accessories, I have covered in previous blogs
  • Bed is reserved for unwinding and sleeping – so avoid working or eating from bed

Sleeping well is essential to a good career for knowledge workers. Sleep builds memory, creativity, innovation and problem solving skills which are crucial and cannot be replaced by “Artificial Intelligence”.

If this Sleep Series by Srini got you excited about sleep, try reading Why we sleep – a book by Matthew Walker, the Sleep Guru. To read more about sleep, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

To get more guidance to help you sleep better, subscribe to GOQii and let our experts help you: https://goqiiapp.page.link/wssu

#BeTheForce 

From Terminal Illness To Complete Wellness! Ananda Mukherjee Health Story

As we observe World Cancer Day under the powerful theme ‘United by Unique’ (2025-2027)**, we are reminded that every individual’s journey with cancer is distinct, yet united by shared resilience, hope, and the collective fight against this disease. This theme places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the […]