Do you remember the fairy tale of the Prince who needed to be convinced that his future wife was really a princess? When she could not sleep due to the hard pea - even through twenty mattresses AND twenty feather beds, he was finally convinced.
This story is undoubtedly grossly exaggerated and - until recently - I shrugged it off with a snort of disbelief and more than a little disgust. That is, until I discovered that pressure points in bed can be very detrimental to one’s health!
Taken to the extreme, pressure points lead to pressure sores (also known as bedsores) in people who spend a lot or all of their time in bed. People who are not able to move or turn themselves are the most vulnerable. According to the Mayo Clinic, Pressure points in a bed (or wheelchair) ‘…cut off the circulation to vulnerable parts … Without adequate blood flow the affected tissue dies”.
Even if you are not bedridden though, pressure points in your mattress can cause severe discomfort, sleep disturbances and pain. The most affected areas are your shoulders, hips and lower back but you may also experience pain or discomfort in your knees, heels and ankles. Pressure points can cause you to toss and turn during the night, preventing you from getting a good night’s rest. They can also cause you to wake up with aches and pains in your muscles, stiff joints and back pain.
It is clear that one of the most important investments you make is selecting a good bed. A good quality bed is not cheap and the wrong decision can cause years of discomfort and disturbed sleep.
If you share your bed with a partner, the mattress you select must meet the requirements of both. The way you sleep will also affect the best support for you.
If you sleep on your stomach, you should select a very firm core mattress to prevent your back from sagging through. However, you need to make provision for a thick enough comfort layer (the soft layer on top) to make provision for any body parts protruding to the front (bigger tummies and breasts need thicker comfort layers).
If you sleep on your back, most mattresses will meet your support and comfort requirements. Test your potential bed by lying on it the way you would at home – it should offer firm enough support while feeling comfortable and relaxing.
People who sleep on their sides, should be extra careful when selecting a mattress. A mattress that is too firm will cause pressure points on all the vulnerable spots. Too soft, and there will not be enough support along the length of your body. Be particularly careful of mattresses with specially reinforced sections. While these are often designed to help distribute weight and support evenly, they are invariably designed to meet the requirements of the average person. Now, if you are longer or shorter, heavier or slighter, or deviate from the norm in any other way, it stands to reason that the reinforced section may not meet your requirements at all. This can be disastrous where two partners differ significantly in their build or sleeping patterns.
Maybe the Princess had a point after all? Let’s hope they were as discerning in their selection of beds as he was in selecting his mate. Then they have no doubt slept happily ever after!
Saturday 25 September 2010
Tuesday 17 August 2010
Meat Free Day
Cape Town has launched a Meat Free Day campaign . The idea is to encourage everyone to choose one day a week on which to eat no meat. The initiative has come from an environmental group calling themselves 'Compassion in World Farming' but there is no denying the health benefits of a meat-free day for most of us following the average modern diet.
Animal proteins from a reliable, clean source are very beneficial as a rich source of protein and iron. However, eating meat has been linked to an increased risk in heart disease, cancer of the stomach and colon, diverticulitis and other digestive diseases. A survey conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey* has found that meat eaters are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital or require a visit to a doctor than vegetarians or vegans. Even worse, meat eaters are likely to begin suffering from degenerative disease (age-related diseases) 10 YEARS EARLIER than people who do not eat meat!
Eating too much protein can contribute to many different health-problems. This is largely due to the fact that the process of digesting proteins results in excess acids which the body has to neutralise in order to prevent damage. High acidity causes calcium to be withdrawn from the brones, with a significant increase in osteoporosis and risk of fractures.
The high acidity resulting from protein digestion also increases the risk of kidney stone formation. At the same time, some of the other protein metabolites (digestion by-products) make high demands on the kidneys to excrete.
Animal proteins invariably also come with a built-in fat load. While fats are not a problem in themselves, too much (hard, saturated) animal fat has a multitude of harmful effects - all of which have been documented ad nauseum in the past few decades.
Beans, lentils and soya are excellent sources of vegetable protein. Well spiced with herbs and enlivened with lighter vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots or leeks, they make a delicious meal. The internet is a good source of great recipes for anyone wanting to experiment. I found the best lentil and bean recipes on web sites catering for vegetarians.
The Cape Town city fathers have decided to leave it up to each person or family to decide on their own best 'Meat-Free' day. Whichever day you choose, be daring and HAVE FUN!
*Dickerson, J.W.T. et al., 'Disease patterns in individuals with different eating patterns', Journal of the Royal Society of Health, vol 105, pp. 191-4(1985)
Animal proteins from a reliable, clean source are very beneficial as a rich source of protein and iron. However, eating meat has been linked to an increased risk in heart disease, cancer of the stomach and colon, diverticulitis and other digestive diseases. A survey conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey* has found that meat eaters are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital or require a visit to a doctor than vegetarians or vegans. Even worse, meat eaters are likely to begin suffering from degenerative disease (age-related diseases) 10 YEARS EARLIER than people who do not eat meat!
Eating too much protein can contribute to many different health-problems. This is largely due to the fact that the process of digesting proteins results in excess acids which the body has to neutralise in order to prevent damage. High acidity causes calcium to be withdrawn from the brones, with a significant increase in osteoporosis and risk of fractures.
The high acidity resulting from protein digestion also increases the risk of kidney stone formation. At the same time, some of the other protein metabolites (digestion by-products) make high demands on the kidneys to excrete.
Animal proteins invariably also come with a built-in fat load. While fats are not a problem in themselves, too much (hard, saturated) animal fat has a multitude of harmful effects - all of which have been documented ad nauseum in the past few decades.
Beans, lentils and soya are excellent sources of vegetable protein. Well spiced with herbs and enlivened with lighter vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots or leeks, they make a delicious meal. The internet is a good source of great recipes for anyone wanting to experiment. I found the best lentil and bean recipes on web sites catering for vegetarians.
The Cape Town city fathers have decided to leave it up to each person or family to decide on their own best 'Meat-Free' day. Whichever day you choose, be daring and HAVE FUN!
*Dickerson, J.W.T. et al., 'Disease patterns in individuals with different eating patterns', Journal of the Royal Society of Health, vol 105, pp. 191-4(1985)
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