Over-weight

What is the importance of maintaining a good posture?

Most of us lack good posture. A good posture has a lot of importance as it improves your appearance, makes you look taller, enhances your self confidence and self assurance, prevents aches and pains. Bad posture is one of the main cause for back pain. The three spinal curves i.e. neck, upper back and lower back needs to be kept in balanced alignment.

Sitting affects the back more than standing. Standing demands five times more on the spine and muscles lying down. To keep the spinal curves aligned, the muscles are needed to be strong and flexible.

- Poor posture can narrow the space between vertebrae and hence increasing the risk of compressed nerves.
- Poor posture increases wear on joints and can contribute to osteoarthritis.
- Bad posture can cause your pectorals contract and shorten if you sit bent over a desk all day. The back muscles lengthens and gets weakened making it difficult to lift the chest which is important for good posture.
- Contracted chest muscles contribute to shoulder injury, sore neck, back pain and fatigue.

Poor posture includes rounded shoulders, protruding buttocks and abdomen, arched lower back, head pushed in forward position. To improve poor posture and maintain a good posture,one thing that is most important is to maintain a healthy weight. Keep in mind the following points:

- The footwear that you wear while standing or walking plays an important part for maintaining a good posture.
- You should imagine as if a wire is attached to the top of your head pulling it upwards.
- Avoid standing or walking with an extreme curve in lower back.
- Tighten the abdominal muscles and flattening your stomach and hold for few seconds.
- Stand evenly balanced on both feet.
- While sitting, sit firmly back with shoulders against chair, chest lifted and upper back straight.
- Equal weight should be put on both buttocks.
- Thighs should be horizontal while sitting.
- Feet should be flat on floor while sitting.
- While working at desk, do not loo directly down at your work.
- While driving, seat should be positioned so that the wheel could be reached easily as well as brake, accelerator and clutch.
- Take a break if you are sitting for a long time.
- The mattress should be comfortable, not too hard but it should not sag. Early morning back pain is a sign of a poor posture.
- Lifting or carrying too heavy objects can cause poor posture.

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Characteristics of Sleep Apnea and Snoring and Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS)

Snoring occurs when the breath moves through a passage that is too small. When you are sleeping, the throat muscles relax and the tongue falls backwards. The walls of the throat becomes floppy so they vibrate when you breathe. If something like tongue, enlarged tonsils, deviated septum in nose narrows the passage in throat, snoring occurs.

It is not necessary to take snoring as a health risk. The problem arises when there is not enough air that can get through nose or mouth and your breathing stops for few seconds – a condition that is called sleep apnea. This condition signals the brain to wake you up to get your breathing going again. May be you are not aware of this condition of yours but your body is. As a result, most people with this disorder are sleepy during the day. There is a higher risk of stroke and death to people who suffers sleep apnea. Sleep apnea increases the number of inflammatory mediators in the body that are associated with heart disease and diabetes. Before menopause, the risk of developing sleep apnea in women is 10 to 50 percent less lower than a man’s. It goes up after menopause. The reason behind this is probably estrogen is a stimulant that encourages breathing. When estrogen level decreases after menopause, so does this breathing boost. The hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy increases chances of developing snoring and sleep apnea.

Some things that you can do are:
- Spend a night at sleep center where your sleep pattern is observed.
- Lose weight.
- Be a side sleeper.
- See a dentist.

Restless Legs Syndrome(RLS)

- Restless Legs Syndrome is a neurological disorder.
- RLS causes itchy, crawly, tingly feelings in legs.
- There is a strong genetic component to RLS.

Some things that you can do are:
- See your doctor for an evaluation.
- Get your iron levels checked.
- Consider medication.