Hello my people
and welcome wherever you are. Now, in our segment today we will talk about sun!
Yes, sun! It’s been extremely hot over the last few months and therefore we all
dread getting caught outside especially between 10:00am and 04:00pm because it
is hottest then but we have no choice because we must go about our daily
hustles. However, there are few things we can do to protect ourselves from the effects
of exposure to too much sun that we will look at here. UV radiation is emitted by the sun.Skin cancers are caused by ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B
rays,also known asUVA and UVB rays. UVA rays account for the majority of solar radiation. UV rays cause wrinkles and sun spots on the skin, as well as skin cancers such as melanoma and non-melanoma cancers. Sunburn is caused by UVB rays damaging the top layer of your skin. Skin cancer can also be caused by UVB rays. Severe sunburn, defined as skin that blisters, peels, or swell,increases your risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Even minor sunburns as a child can lead to melanoma later in life.When you are out in the sun, you are exposing yourself to UVA and UVB rays, which can harm your skin.There is no such thing as a safe tan, and this includes tanning bed tans.Tanning beds can provide a tan with little or no burning, but they also expose your skin to UV radiation,which causes skin aging and cancer.Even a single session of tanning increases your risk of developing melanoma by threefold.You can enjoy outdoor activities safely if you protect your skin from UV rays.It is best to avoid being directly in the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when the sun is at its strongest. If you must be out in the sun, protect yourself by wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunscreen.To keep your skin
and eyes safe You can even wear clothing designed to keep the sun off your
skin.This type of clothing has an ultraviolet
protection factor (upf), which means it is made of material that can shield
your skin from uv rays. Also, wear light coloured and long sleeved clothes to
protect your skin.Make skin protection a part of your routine by
wearing sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days, and by covering all of your
skin with sunscreen, not just your face. When selecting a sunscreen, look for
the spf, which stands for sun protection factor.The spf of a sunscreen indicates how well it
protects you from uvb and some uva rays.Choose a sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher,
as well as one labeled as broad spectrum sunscreen.
It is a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.Sunscreens are classified into two types.Mineral sunscreens, also known as physical and chemical sunscreens. Mineral sunscreens act as a shield, preventing UV rays from entering your skin. Chemical sunscreens work by absorbing UV rays.Apply sunscreen 30 minutes before going out in the sun so your skin has time to absorb it, and reapply it every two hours, especially after swimming or sweating. If you have a dark skin tone, you still need sunscreen; all skin tones are at risk
of sunburn and skin cancer.
In addition, drink lots of water/fluids whether
you are thirsty or not to keep your body hydrated. With all this said, it doesn’t
mean that the sun has no benefits at all. There are actually about ten benefits
we get from the sun that we may not know about apart from the vitamin D that we
get from early morning and evening exposure to the sun. In our next segment we
will look at these ten benefits of the sun and until then, it’s goodbye for
now. Keep engaging in the comment section and let us know what we should add in
our segments for our overall health. Also remember to keep your health in check,
always.
Today we look at a very good
topic of caring for our eyesight and the foods to eat that will protect our
vision. Welcome family and let’s continue engaging.
What foods can you eat to keep
your eyes healthy? None of these foods are going to miraculously make you not
need glasses or even prevent you from needing glasses but they can maintain a
baseline level of eye health and even prevent some eye disorders like cataracts
and macular degeneration. a diet that's low in fat, high in fruits and vegetables
and grains is always going to be the best option for you for your whole body as
well as your eyes .they're heart healthy, brain healthy and eye healthy
basically because all of those will keep your arteries nice and open and help
deliver oxygen either to your heart, your brain or your eyes. Your eyes
actually have tiny arteries called arterioles and they feed the blood supply
and oxygen circulation to your retinas and your eyes so it is really important
to make sure you're starting with just a baseline level of good nutrition. Here
are some of the healthy foods that can protect our eyes
.Green-leafy
vegetables. These might
be more important than those orange carrots we've all been hearing about. Green
leafy vegetables like spinach and kale are high in lutein and zeaxanthin. These
are nutrients which lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration, a
condition which happens in your retina in the center-most aspect of your retina called immaculate that's responsible
for your detailed central vision. If you get macular degeneration oftentimes
you'll see a big blind spot in the middle of your vision suffice. it's really
important to protect that area and these nutrient-rich types of vegetables like
broccoli, peas, romaine, lettuce and even eggs are high in lutein and zeaxanthin.There’s dry macular
degeneration and wet macular degeneration. The wet form is when the blood
vessels underneath the macula start to bleed and start to leak. There are
injections that you can get basically once a month inside your eyes.
Citrus. This is high in vitamin c. oranges, lemons and grapefruits
are fantastic for your eyes. Vitamin c is a
great antioxidant and it helps prevent damage that might be occurring to your
eyes from free radicals. Citrus help repair and grow new tissue and vitamin c might
actually be helpful at preventing cataracts and macular degeneration.
Carrots. Carrots have vitamin A which is what's really
important from carrots. They have beta-carotene and that's a precursor to
vitamin a and your retina metabolizes a lot of this in its retinal cells. It’s
also really good for the cornea and the mucous membranes of the eyes. the pink
part of your eyes are called the conjunctiva so the beta carotene gets
converted into pro vitamin a which then gets converted into retinol which is really important for maintaining the
structural integrity of the retina. It also helps form the photosensitive
pigments of the retina that initiate your night vision.
Sweet potatoes. A sweet potato the recommended daily amount of vitamin
e which is another antioxidant that keeps your eyes healthy and maintains the
structural integrity. Other foods that are high in vitamin e include almonds,
avocados and sunflower seeds.
Zinc. Zinc is
a really great mineral for your eyes and also important at maintaining the
integrity of the macula and making sure that you don't progress or worsen your
macular degeneration. A lot of cereals like black eyed peas are fortified with
zinc.
Cold
water fish. Obviously
if you are vegan or vegetarian this is not going to apply to you. Omega-3
vitamins and the source of nutrition from cold water fish is really essential
in your health in general and specifically your eyes. They are also great for
regulating the tear film for combating dry eye syndrome and it might also help
reduce the risk of eye disease later in life. Salmon, tuna and sardines also fall
into this category. Generally, eating fruits and vegetables and lean meats not
just the orange carrots is very beneficial for the different parts of your eyes
can keep your eyes healthy. Let’s all keep our eyes/vision healthy by incorporating
these foods and fruits in our daily diet. I hope this was helpful and like I say,
you can give your feedback so I can know that my topics are helpful. Until next
time, stay blessed.
Hello family and I know we are all looking forward to yet another
enticing and educating article. Feel appreciated as you keep active in the
comment section. Today we will look at the things we do that damage our brain
and hopefully, we avoid the habits henceforth. Let’s see this.When it comes to our health, we
don't always think about taking care of our brains the way we take
care of our bodies. We tend to focus on other parts of the body and
overlook the brain which is responsible for all bodily functions. Take
a look at some of these daily habits that are doing serious
damage to your brain.
Consuming too much sugar. Include brain damage to the
things we already associate with a high sugar intake like type 2
diabetes, dental cavities and obesity. Taking sugar in excessive amounts for a
long period of time messes with the body’s ability to absorb proteins
and nutrients. This might consequently lead to malnutrition which
deters brain development. This happens because the body lacks enough
nutrients in the bloodstream and therefore is unable to deliver sufficient
nutrients to the brain, which then deters its growth and development.
Eating too many sweets can damage your memory and ability to think, so
sticking to alternatives like anti-oxidant-rich sweets like dark
chocolate and raspberries would be a much better choice for both your
brain and your waistline.
Not getting enough sleep. Insufficient sleep is a huge problem
for many busy professionals. Depriving oneself of sleep can result in
several issues such as extreme daytime drowsiness, depression and
impaired memory. Recent studies reveal that not getting enough sleep can
actually decrease the size of your brain. The hippocampus is the part
of the brain that suffers when you don’t get enough sleep. Even a single
night of inadequate sleep can interfere with the brain’s ability to
recall new information. A number of studies have shown that the brain cleanses
itself of toxics only during the sleep cycle. Lack of sleep can also cause
the death of brain cells which slows down your thinking, impairs your
memory, concentration, judgment and decision making and hinders learning.
Playing loud music with earphones or headphones. If you constantly listen to
music at a very high volume with your earphones or headphones you
should stop doing it because it can damage your hearing. But it’s not just your ears that
are affected. Hearing loss in older people is connected to brain problems
such as loss of brain tissue and Alzheimer’s. When your brain has to
make an extra effort to understand what someone’s saying it can’t store what
you’ve heard into memory, so protect your hearing by adjusting the volume
of your earphones. You should also aim to take regular breaks throughout the
day to give your ears enough time to relax.
Skipping breakfast. Many people choose to
skip breakfast probably because they’re on a diet or to save time. What
many people don’t know is that missing breakfast could damage your brain. The
body needs enough nutrients after a good night’s sleep and so
skipping breakfast denies the brain of these essential nutrients. Skipping
breakfast lowers blood glucose levels which adversely affects the brain’s
functioning.
Eating too much food. Overindulging in food makes us
gain weight, feel bloated and increases our chances of having life
threatening diseases. But one fact that you might not be aware of is that
it can also do serious damage to your brain. It hardens the brain arteries
hence harming our mental capabilities. Studies have shown that a
prolonged high-calorie diet can in fact increase a person’s risk of
developing memory loss or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) later in life. A
study published in the journal Neurology in 2012 examined 6,000 people who were
50 years old on average. The same participants were examined a decade later,
and the ones who were overweight had a 22% higher deterioration of their
cognitive functions as compared to their slimmer counterparts.
Sleeping with your head under the cover. Oxygen is very essential for
normal brain functioning. The less air you inhale, the poorer your
brain functions. A situation you create where you breathe in less
than 20.95% of oxygen is when you sleep with a blanket or comforter over
your head. Covering your head while sleeping will result in an elevated intake
of carbon dioxide which means you’re increasing the risk of damaging your
brain cells.
Multitasking. You’ve probably heard that multitasking has
a negative effect on your productivity. It turns out that doing this also scrambles
your brain and makes you less effective. A neurologist at MIT and one the world’s
experts when it comes to divided attention, Earl Miller said that our
brains are not wired to multitask well. When people think they’re
multitasking they’re actually switching from one activity to the
other real quick. And every time they do there’s a cognitive cost. The
habit of multitasking also increases the stress hormone cortisol as
well as the fight or flight hormone adrenaline which can over stimulate
your brain and can cause mental fog or scrambled thinking. Researchers
at Stanford University have discovered that people who are bombarded with
multiple streams of digital information regularly have more pronounced
problems recalling information and paying attention when compared to
people who complete one activity at a time.
Inadequate water intake. The body is made up of
approximately 70% of water, so it’s vital to every bodily function including
brain function. When your brain is functioning on a full reserve of water,
you will be able to think faster, be more focused, and experience
greater clarity and creativity. Water is also essential for delivering
nutrients to the brain and for eliminating toxins. When the brain is
fully hydrated, the exchange of nutrients and toxins will be more
efficient—thus ensuring better concentration and mental alertness.
The
effect dehydration has on the brain is almost immediate with researchers
saying that even two hours of intense exercise without water
can cause a cognitive decline. Studies also show that dehydration had the
most impact on functions like complex problem-solving, coordination
and attention. The brain needs sufficient water to think faster and focus
better. So it’s very important that you stay hydrated all the time. Drinking
water benefits both your body and brain enabling them to function better.
Smoking. This is most likely the most harmful habit
that indulging in it has on your brain. Smoking not only causes lung diseases
or even heart disease, but it also has a lot of negative effects on your
brain. Smoking damages cell membranes and neural viability in certain
areas of the brain that manage balance, coordination and both fine and
gross motor skills. Not only that, but it also thins the cortex where processes
such as language, memory and perception occur. It can also lead to
problems like dementia, Alzheimer’s and maybe even death. Smoking excessively
causes neuroinflammation indirectly, which can cause an autoimmune
disorder known as Multiple Sclerosis or MS.
Consuming alcohol. Alcohol begins affecting a
person’s brain the moment it enters the bloodstream. For someone who
is healthy, the liver quickly filters the alcohol, helping the body get
rid of it. However, when someone drinks excessively, the liver cannot
filter the alcohol fast enough, and this triggers immediate changes in the
brain; often known as getting drunk. Alcohol causes chemical imbalances
when consumed for longer periods of time and in larger
quantities. Brain volume also decreases due to chronic alcohol
intake. There are some subtle differences in how brain damage
occurs in men and women, but regardless of gender, loss of brain matter increases
with age and amount of alcohol consumed. More than two units a day
for men and one unit a day for ladies is considered excess alcohol.
Working when sick.We often fall sick when we’re
overworked. If you continue working during an illness, it’s
bound to take a toll on the brain’s efficiency and this only adds to the
stress. A certain study showed that participants who had developed a cold
reported less alertness, more negative moods and sluggish thinking. A second
round of tests also revealed that they reacted slowly and were slower at
learning new information and completing tasks, dealing with verbal
reasoning and semantic processing. When we’re sick the body and the brain
are already working overtime to cope with the infection. Working
while sick only adds to the burden so take a break, relax and get better.
Not exercising Exercise affects the brain immensely. It increases your
heart rate, which pumps more oxygen to the brain. It also helps in the
bodily release of a number of hormones, all of which participate in
aiding and providing a conducive environment for the growth of brain
cells. Exercising is also known to decrease stress levels in the body and
also increases mobility and makes you more flexible. If you don’t exercise
enough, your mobility and motor skills begin to decline in one way or
another. Studies also show that exercise helps to keep us younger by
releasing endorphins which are happy
hormones. All in all, exercise strengthens your heart and your lungs, not
just the brain.
If you’re
concerned with the well-being of your brain and the quality of your thinking
either now or in the future you need to learn to take care of your
brain. A few changes to the way you’re living your life could go a
long way in boosting your memory, learning, mental resilience and the
health of your brain overall. I hope we
now know the things we should do and things we should stop doing in order to
keep or brain healthy. If you loved this, kindly show it by commenting on what
you have learnt. Until next time, its bye bye.
