Doctors explained the dangers of lying on the couch during the holidays

Lifehacks for the New Year

How to properly restore strength over the coming weekend? Are there any secrets to a perfect holiday? How to avoid injuries during the coming holidays? Doctors told Muscovites about the risks they may face during the long New Year holidays and reminded them how to behave in order to avoid health problems.

The main recommendation of the capital’s chief specialist in primary health care for adults, Andrei Tyazhelnikov, is to combine passive types of recreation with active ones. Do not try to “stuff” the holidays with events and activities so that there is no time left for recovery. But, at the same time, do not lie sideways on the sofa. Spending a long time lying down is fraught with disturbances in blood circulation, as a result of which the supply of oxygen and nutrients suffers.

The specialist notes that at the end of the year, many people feel tired and overworked. In connection with this, people are waiting for the New Year holidays to sleep off or at least rest. “Still, I categorically do not recommend lying on the couch all the time. This will lead to the fact that the body will lose its usual loads, and incoming calories will not be burned, but will be deposited in the body’s fat depots. Well, against the background of stagnation of blood in a supine position, a person develops drowsiness, apathy, and worsens mood. So, as a result of such a rest, it is quite difficult to feel rested,” said Dr. Tyazhelnikov.

However, the other extreme – if a person plans maximum activities for the holidays – will also, at best, not bring benefit and relaxation. Any active activities, no matter how interesting they may be, become a physical and emotional burden for the body. Therefore, after a busy rest, recovery may be necessary.

So in everything you need to follow the golden mean – after active events, come to your senses passively. And this doesn’t mean lying on the couch. The doctor considers going to the bathhouse, spa treatments, massage, and communicating with loved ones to be passive types of recreation.

But the chief psychiatrist of Moscow, Georgy Kostyuk, advises to give rest not only to the body, but also to the brain during the holidays. The expert reminds that the brain rests by changing types of activities. Watching light films and reading books are suitable for this, especially if your work was stressful. And yet, this type of rest for a long time will lead… to brain fatigue. Therefore, Georgy Kostyuk advises combining various types of activities during the holidays: going to exhibitions and museums, meeting with friends and family, walking, skiing, skating, etc.

The psychiatrist calls analyzing a period of one’s life and making plans for the future a useful psychotherapeutic exercise. According to Kostyuk, it is not at all necessary that this process gives you exclusively pleasant emotions: after all, it is not always something to brag about or it is not always possible to understand what you want from the future. “The more unpleasant things a person can analyze, the more useful this exercise can be. Of course, although such an analysis is very useful, it is not a mandatory activity and it is not necessary to perform it specifically for the New Year,” said the capital’s chief psychiatrist.

Well, the deputy chief physician of the State Budgetary Institution “Ambulance and Emergency Medical Care Station named after A. S. Puchkov” Artem Khisamov recalled that every year in early January the number of Muscovites seeking medical help due to injuries and hypothermia, as well as abdominal pain. At the same time, hypothermia or frostbite are frequent accompaniments of drinking strong drinks, which he does not advise overdoing.

To prevent burns and injuries on these “hot” days, the doctor recommends choosing pyrotechnics very carefully: buying only certified products and carefully following the instructions. “If you don’t know how to skate, ski, or snowboard, don’t try to immediately start with complex exercises and repeat the complex tricks of professionals. Don’t slide down and don’t roll your friends, children, acquaintances down from dangerous, untested, or, conversely, crowded slides,” Khisamov said.

Clothes and shoes appropriate for the weather (and size) will save you from frostbite. In addition, he advises moving more outside in the cold.

The reasons for complaints about stomach problems are most often overeating and excessive drinking of alcohol (especially if it was purchased from an untrusted place and of poor quality). You should also pay attention to the expiration dates of foods and dress salads just before you sit down at the table. In case of acute pain, the specialist advises to immediately call an ambulance.

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