Before reading this article, I sincerely invite you to click "Follow", which is not only convenient for you to discuss and share, but also to share more professional health knowledge with you, so as to escort your health, thank you for your support.
As we all know, the fast pace of life now leads to the fact that many people's physical condition is not ideal, especially the middle-aged and elderly, and various minor problems occur frequently.
In this context, a good napping habit seems to be a good way to replenish energy and improve health. But in fact, napping is not suitable for everyone, especially for older friends, the time and way of napping need to be paid special attention.
First of all, the nap itself does not have a direct effect on lifespan, but there are many indirect effects. The right napping can help the body recover, improve memory and concentration, but if not handled properly, it can increase the burden on the heart and affect the quality of sleep at night, which can have a negative impact on health.
Dear readers, it is not easy for the author to write an article, and his income is meager, so he has to add a short 5-second advertisement to the article, and you can read the full text for free by watching. I know this may be a little intrusive, but your understanding and support is my biggest motivation! I'll try to bring more quality content!
Many studies have shown that a suitable nap time of about 20 to 30 minutes is ideal, which is long enough to fall into light sleep, but not deep sleep, so as to avoid waking up confused and more difficult to fall asleep at night.
We can look at middle-aged and elderly people who often nap for more than an hour, and they may feel anxious, dreamy, and even insomnia at night, all because too long naps disrupt their biological clock.
The environment plays a crucial role in the quality of napping, and the ideal nap environment should be quiet, dark, and well-ventilated. For example, in a quiet room, the curtains are closed to ensure that the room is softly lit, which will help you fall asleep quickly and will lead to a better quality of sleep.
Surveys have shown that people who nap in noisy environments have a heart rate that rises instead of dropping, which not only affects sleep quality, but also may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Lying down immediately after a meal and taking a nap in the afternoon is a habit for many middle-aged and elderly people, but this is actually very unhealthy because the stomach is full of food after a meal, and lying down immediately will increase the possibility of acid reflux, which may induce or aggravate gastroesophageal reflux disease for a long time.
Let's illustrate this with a fictional example: suppose there is a middle-aged and elderly person who has always felt tired and has a long and disorganized nap.
After the doctor recommended that he adjust his napping habits, he began to control the nap time to about half an hour, choose a quiet environment, and avoid going to bed immediately after meals. After a few weeks, he felt a noticeable improvement in his overall mental state and improved sleep quality at night.
Through the above three emphasis, we can see that the correct napping habit is of great help to improve the quality of life and prolong life. However, these require us to adjust and adapt in our daily lives.
Okay, let's talk about a few simple actions that middle-aged and elderly people can do after a nap, which can not only help them relieve the physical discomfort caused by staying still for a long time, but also improve their physical function and quality of life.
We can start with some very simple stretching movements. For example, holding your knees together and gently pulling them towards your chest can help relax the muscles in your lower back and hips and relieve stress caused by sitting or lying down for long periods of time.
Especially for those middle-aged and elderly people with chronic low back pain, this action can relieve pain to a certain extent and improve the flexibility of the lower back.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, then slowly rotate your upper body, one to the left and one on the left, this movement can help increase blood circulation in the abdomen and back, as well as strengthen the muscles in the lower back and abdomen.
In addition, it has a certain positive effect on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular function, can help regulate heart rate, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases caused by long-term bed rest or unchanged sitting posture.
Stand next to your seat, lift your steps slightly, and make a walking motion. This action does not require a lot of space and special equipment, but it can effectively promote blood circulation in the lower limbs and prevent the occurrence of edema and varicose veins in the lower limbs.
Especially for middle-aged and elderly people who can't do strenuous exercise due to joint pain or weight problems, simple stepping is a very suitable form of activity.
These movements, while simple, actually have many benefits for the body. For example, with easy stretching and slow stepping, joint stiffness and muscle atrophy caused by sitting for long periods of time can be significantly reduced.
When we talk about napping habits and subsequent activities in middle-aged and older adults, we can't ignore the impact on health of the choice of drinks after waking up. In particular, soaking certain Chinese herbal medicines in water can not only help the body recover better from napping, but also help some chronic diseases.
Astragalus, a widely used herb in traditional Chinese medicine, has the main function of replenishing qi and nourishing blood and enhancing immunity. For middle-aged and elderly people, soaking in water can effectively improve the body's defense ability and reduce the infestation of diseases.
This simple drink is a very good daily health option for the elderly who often feel tired or have weakened immunity.
Studies have shown that mulberry leaves are rich in natural active compounds that can help relieve discomfort caused by internal heat, such as sore throats or canker sores.
Mulberry leaves soaked in water as a drink, especially suitable for those who have chronic bronchitis or often feel dry mouth. You only need to take an appropriate amount of dried mulberry leaves and brew them with boiling water to enjoy this refreshing natural drink every day.
Licorice is known as the "long of a hundred medicines" in traditional Chinese medicine, because of its sweet taste, flat nature, and ability to reconcile various medicinal properties. Not only can it promote the effects of other herbs, but drinking it alone in water also has good health benefits, such as relieving stomach pain, anti-inflammatory, and protecting the liver.
For middle-aged and elderly people who often feel upset in their stomach or have chronic liver problems, licorice water can be said to be a gentle but effective choice. Similarly, soaking licorice tablets with other herbs such as astragalus or mulberry leaves can also provide a more holistic health effect.
Through the above introduction, we can see that although the way of soaking these Chinese herbal medicines in water is simple, it is very helpful to improve the health of middle-aged and elderly people.
To sum up, choosing appropriate Chinese herbal medicines to soak in water after a nap can not only help middle-aged and elderly people recover faster from napping, but also improve some of their health problems.
What do you think about the impact of napping on lifespan? Welcome to discuss in the comment area!
Resources
[1] Zhang Hongyue, Yu Tong, Xia Zhong, Study on nap time and risk factors for depression in the elderly in China, Journal of Mudanjiang Medical College, 2023-08-15