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Managing Nocturnal Itch and Discomfort in Atopic Dermatitis: Strategies for Better Sleep

Atopic Dermatitis is a chronically itchy condition that can be both discomforting and distressing. The persistent itchiness, which often worsens at night, can prevent individuals from getting a peaceful and restful sleep after a tiring day. Imagine constantly feeling the urge to scratch throughout the night, leading to increased redness, bruises, cuts, and bleeds. This burdensome itch, coupled with incomplete sleep, can be exhausting for those suffering from atopic dermatitis.

Maintaining the skin’s moisture levels throughout the night is crucial, as disturbed sleep can negatively affect day-to-day activities, social life, and work life, leading to a lack of enthusiasm. The relentless itch not only exacerbates atopic dermatitis but also impacts an individual’s mental health.

Preparing and following a bedtime ritual can be extremely beneficial in such cases. Simple habits can drastically improve sleep patterns and reduce itching. These habits can include taking a nightly dose of prescribed medication, regular and repeated moisturization, and using prescription-strength cream on inflamed areas. Wearing covered cotton clothing or nightwear helps retain the skin’s moisture levels and makes the itchy areas less accessible at night. Keeping nails short and trimmed helps prevent damage from scratching and reduces the risk of secondary infections on scratch marks. Light yoga asanas before sleep can help alleviate mental stress and calm the mind.

Small changes can make a significant difference in managing atopic dermatitis and improving the quality of life for those affected.

We hope this article helps you. For further information or guidance, reach out to your GOQii Skin Coach.

#BeTheForce

References –

Legat FJ. Itch in Atopic Dermatitis – What Is New? Front Med (Lausanne). 2021 May 7;8:644760. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2021.644760. PMID: 34026782; PMCID: PMC8137993.

Lipman ZM, Labib A, Yosipovitch G. Current Clinical Options for the Management of Itch in Atopic Dermatitis. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol. 2021 Aug 3;14:959-969. doi: 10.2147/CCID.S289716. PMID: 34377004; PMCID: PMC8349193.

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Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?

Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?Should women workout during their menstrual cycle? It’s a question asked by most women who have either started working out, have been in sports or trekking, etc. How can a woman or girl stop working out for a span of 4-6 days, especially the ones who are active? There could be varied opinions on the same.

How Does Working Out During A Menstrual Cycle Help? 

If we put in a little logic, it does show us that a workout during their menstrual cycle would help women feel better. How is that? In general, when anyone works out, the body tends to release endorphins, the feel-good hormone and makes one feel good and happy. In the case of women, this is especially true, when the other hormones are already making her feel irritated, low on energy and weak during her periods.

Another positive is better circulation and higher metabolism – both of which will make sure that all the processes in the body are working well, thereby also making the woman’s uterine muscles relax, which otherwise are constricted during periods and can be a major cause for cramps. Better circulation can even help in relieving headaches and other small aches, which otherwise happen with iron deficiency during this phase.

Should Women Workout During Their Menstrual Cycle?Having said this, the intensity of workouts should not be very high, it should be low to moderate. Before starting off, you may not feel like doing so but, as you start with a light warm-up such as a slow walk, followed by some stretching, it will make you feel better and thus, take the workout forward slowly and steadily. In fact, light stretching will even help you get rid of congestion in the pelvic area.

When You Should Avoid Working Out

Women, who suffer severe pain and more bleeding should avoid it, as exercise can make them feel weaker and can make it very painful. Again the question pops up, why and how?

During periods, the woman’s Uterus and the veins inside are a little sensitive. Any pressure on it, be it in the form of exercise or any other activity, can cause more pain. Women who already encounter a lot of pain should avoid taking the risk of working out and should rest for 2-3 days and then get back to their routine. Failing to do so can cause more weakness with loss of blood due to excessive bleeding.

Albeit, you can do some light walks, stretching, or yoga. You can try swimming too as it equally helps in feeling fresh, light and helps easing off the pain. As a precautionary step, always remember to eat something before the workouts to get the dash of energy you need to workout.

We hope this article helps you! For more articles on Women’s Health, check out Healthy Reads. You can also download the GOQii App to keep a track of your menstrual cycle or speak to an expert by subscribing for GOQii’s Personalised Health Coaching here.

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Why Chocolate Is So Good For You | World Chocolate Day

world chocolate day

Whatever be the season, whatever be the reason, the very thought of chocolate can make us lick our lips in eagerness. The sweetest day of the year, World Chocolate Day, sometimes called International Chocolate Day, is celebrated annually on July 7.

This day gives us the excuse to indulge in our favorite chocolate, be it milk, hot, a candy bar, a cake, brownies or something layered in chocolate. The world loves chocolate for there’s nothing a chocolate can’t do. It can lift your senses, turn your frown around, fix a heartache and can possibly turn a sad day into a good one!

Whether you’re happy, sad, celebrating, want to gift something- chocolates are what most of us prefer!

Sweet History of Chocolate 

Chocolate may be the “food of the gods,” but for most of its 4,000 year history, it was actually consumed as a bitter beverage rather than the sweet edible treat it is known as today. The creation of the first modern chocolate bar is credited to Joseph Fry, who in 1847 discovered that he could make a moldable chocolate paste by adding melted Cocoa butter back into Dutch Cocoa. By 1868, a little company called Cadbury was marketing boxes of chocolate candies in England.

Science Behind Chocolates 

We all remember the epic line from Forrest Gump – “Life is like a box of chocolates! You never know what you’re gonna get.” However, for chocolatiers, this statement may suggest more than chocolate variety. At the microscopic level, there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to the chocolate we consume.

Chocolate has its own temper, considered a polymorph, which means it can take on different shapes when it solidifies from a liquid form. It gives you the meltdown, to get into the desired shape and flavor. There are various types of chocolate – dark, milk, white and ruby being the most recent.

world chocolate day 2These are made with varying proportions of chocolate liquor, cocoa solids, cocoa butter, milk and sugar. Cocoa is a source of flavonoids and alkaloids such as theobromine, phenethylamine and caffeine. These acts as stimulants to the central nervous system.

The Hormonal Connect 

We crave chocolate because it is good! It tastes good, it smells good and it feels good when it melts in your mouth! And all of these ‘feelings’ arise because our brain releases chemicals in response to each chocolaty experience. The experience of eating chocolate results in feel-good neurotransmitters Dopamine.

Chocolate triggers the brain to release endorphins – hormones that cause your pulse to speed up and give you a pleasant high feeling, rather like being in love. Theobromine and Phenylethylamine in cocoa are also thought to affect levels of serotonin. This can boost your mood and ease depression.

We have to be grateful to the Mayans and the Aztecs for discovering the delight that the cocoa trees have to offer!

Feel like eating one? Go ahead! Today is World Chocolate Day and you must reap the benefits of this awesome treat to the senses. You can learn more about the benefits chocolate offers you here.

Do leave your thoughts or your best chocolate moments in the comment section below!

#BeTheForce 

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Pre & Post Workout Shots You Can Try At Home

pre & post workout shotsWhether you’re working out indoors or outdoors, hydration is imperative throughout a workout and especially before and after! Here’s how you can improve your hydration game to the optimum benefits on your performance and outcomes of exercising with these pre & post workout shots! 

Pre & Post Workout Shots For Home! 

1. Shot of Beetroot Juice for Pre Workout
Beetroot Juice is a supplement with a high nitrate content, that is said to improve physical performance secondary to nitric oxide, which is a component of human blood that helps dilate your blood vessels and aid faster blood circulation, as to provide greater oxygen supply. Supplementation or dietary ingestion of nitrates is known to reduce oxygen requirements during exercise and reduce VO2 max (which indicates better stamina). In measures of time taken to reach exhaustion, beetroot juice showed an association with a fatigue delay effect and exercise performance enhancement.

A short term supplementation with beetroot juice may reduce VO2, giving an ergogenic effect, at less than or equal to VO2 max intensity that makes it possible to enable increased time-to-exhaustion. In addition to improving efficiency and performance, chronic supplementation with beetroot juice may improve cardiorespiratory performance as well. Consumption of Beetroot juice should be initiated in a period of 90 minutes before athletic effort, since the peak value of nitrates occurs within 2-3 hour after ingestion. At least 6-8 mmol of nitrate i.e. juice of 5 medium sized beetroots intake is required to observe an improvement in athletic performance.

2. Shot of Amla (Indian Gooseberry) Juice for Post Workout
Amla Juice is a reservoir of Vitamin C and essential electrolytes that are of utmost importance for post workout recovery. Post workout is an immunocompromised state where the body is concentrating more on muscle recovery and storage. This makes it imperative to supplement with immune boosting nutrients and electrolytes that may be lost due to sweating, right after a workout session.

Supplementing with amla juice has shown to reduce infection rate in athletes and heavy working out individuals. It also lowers down duration of muscle soreness significantly, which aids early mitigation of muscle cramps. Vitamin C being an antioxidant, reduces inflammation in the body, which is a common after effect of exercising. Chronic supplementation with amla juice is shown to build stronger immunity and improve gut health as well as strengthening the respiratory system.

Intake of amla juice should be initiated within 20 minutes of finishing physical activity as that is when the recovery and restorative activities of the body begin. Juice of 4 medium sized amlas ensures the supply of adequate amounts of Vitamin C and electrolytes.

We hope these pre & post workout shots help you get the most out of your exercises! Do let us know your experience in the comments below. For more on workout out and fitness, check out Healthy Reads or get these tips directly from your GOQii Coach, subscribe for Personalised Health Coaching here.

#BeTheForce 

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