Dear readers,
I am back after a small break. Today we are going to see a few habits that are very common in society today and are responsible for many health problems. Many times we follow wrong habits unknowingly. Considering a healthy person I am writing this article. If you have any health problems please check with your physician before following these guidelines.
▪ Late-night working (Jagarana)
We have adopted a very fast pace of life nowadays. Working till late nights, night outs, lying down in bed with mobile in hands and sleeping too late are few common habits we see in society today. There is no age group for these habits. Even homemakers, students, teenagers, elderly people all kinds of people in society are adopting such a lifestyle. Actually, after the whole day’s activity, our brain gets tired and needs good rest and relaxation. So we must sleep early. Our brain and body are fresh early morning around 4 AM usually. It is called bramhamuhurta. Ayurveda also recommends getting up at bramhamuhurta in its dinacharya i.e daily routine. Getting up early has few benefits like brain after rest, works more efficiently. As there is a quiet atmosphere, we can focus on our work. We have very few distractions. We can get enough time for our other daily activities.
Staying awake late at night will vitiate vata and pitta. It disturbs the agni (fire element) not only in the digestive system but with prolonged habit it damages digestion at cellular level i.e. metabolism.
Vitiated vata changes its normal course and causes disturbances resulting in baddhkoshtha (constipation or incomplete evacuation of stools). Troubles like aadhmana (flatulence) are also seen after the prolonged habit of jagarana. One common complaint is amlapitta (hyperacidity) is also seen as a result of chronic constipation. Not to mention a headache, which is obvious due to improper sleep.
So instead of taking only medicines, always take a while and think what routine of lifestyle is the real cause.
▪ Water intake (ambupana)
Water is our life. There are a few things we must know about drinking water. Quantity, temperature, frequency and timing of consumption are important facts to consider.
अजीर्णे भेषजं वारि जीर्णे वारि बलप्रदम्।
भोजने अमृतं वारि भोजनान्ते च विषप्रदम्।।
Ref. – Vaidyakiya subhashita sangraha
Ajeerna means indigestion (na jeerna). When there is indigestion, we must drink hot water which itself acts as a medicine (bheshaj).
Jeerna means once the food is well digested (approx. 2 hours after meals) drinking water will give strength (bala).
Bhojan i.e. while having meals, if we drink sip by sip water in between, it will provide benefits as good as Amrut (divine nectar).
Bhojan ante (at the end of meals or immediately after meals) if we drink lots of water, it acts as a poison for the body. Here we must understand that excessive water intake immediately after meals weaken pachaka agni (digestive fire element). This habit leads to improper digestion and forms weak dhatus due to a lack of nourishment (avar saar bhaga). In short, it can damage basic digestion as an early effect and in case of prolonged habit, it also damages cellular level digestion leading to metabolic problems.
Apart from this, we must remember that drinking extremely hot or extremely cold water is also contraindicated by Ayurveda.
Drinking chilled water immediately after prolonged or heavy sun exposure can cause damage to the eyes.
Water processed with particular seasonal herbs (siddha jala) like dhanyaka, parpat, usheera, etc is also beneficial.
Carbonated drinks (cold drinks) or preserved fruit juices contain excessive sugar and preservatives. So the use of such drinks when you are thirsty is not advised.
▪ Exercise (vyayama)
We all know exercise is very important to stay fit. Type of exercise, duration of exercise and timing (day/night) of exercise are the things that matter.
Do not start any exercise just because some other person is getting benefited. Every person differs in physical & mental strength. Yes, mental strength is required for maintaining consistency. Take proper guidance and then start. Basically, we need a combination of yoga and cardio exercises. Yoga works on different systems and regularizes the enzymes and hormones quantity and quality whereas cardio exercises like aerobics give strength to the heart and lungs. Please remember always to take advice in this regard if you have any health problems especially that of the heart/lungs/joints.
Ayurveda always gives importance to how much exercise should be done. It is advised that a person should exercise to half of his or her strength. The excessive duration can put a burden on the cardiovascular and respiratory system. If you have joint pain remember that excessive or underuse of joint is hazardous. You must keep your joint mobile with correct techniques and avoid further damage.
Do not exercise at night especially after having dinner. Early morning is the best and right time to exercise. You must be on an empty stomach minimum for 2 hours before exercise.
Do practice meditation compulsorily as it helps the mind and body to heal. You need to learn and then practice it. If you have no guidance then do one thing, sit quietly, breathe slowly and simply count your breath. This will surely relax you.
▪ Use of gadgets
Anything in excess is considered poison. It is applicable to every field of life be it food/water intake, exercise, work, rest, worry, medication or anything.
Today we are facing the biggest challenge ever to stop the overuse of gadgets like mobiles, laptops, desktops.
Even listening songs continuously on a high volume using headphones/earphones is hazardous for the brain and sleep pattern.
Radiation caused by these gadgets can cause headaches and also brain tumors in a few cases.
Do follow these tips if you need to use a mobile/laptop continuously.
a. After every hour, take a break, get up & stretch your body and wash your eyes with normal water.
b. Make all your preparations in advance before starting the session.
c. Check the battery status in between and if the battery is drained a lot then use that gadget after proper charging.
d. Do not keep mobiles under the pillow at night.
e. Work in divided sessions to avoid sitting in front of the screen continuously.
Let us stay healthy and reduce medication by taking a break and finding out mistakes in our lifestyles that are done knowingly or unknowingly.
