Smoking habits among medical and nursing students

If we are asked to name one stubborn evil of the society that has plagued it for centuries now, it will have to be the habit of smoking. When you visit a physician with your troubles, amongst the series of questions presented before you, one or two of them is inevitably concerned with your relationship with smoking. But interestingly, studies that were previously conducted to assess the credibility of medical and nursing students as the origin of future treatments that stems from smoking and tobacco consumption, it was discovered that they too indulge in this habit. However, the primary aim of the study was to compare the smoking habits of these medical and nursing students and outline whether or not their course of education has inculcated any change in this pattern.

Smoking habits

This research was conducted over 1000 students pursuing a career in medicine and nursing from a single university and was studied using a questionnaire containing the Fagerstrom test meant to measure nicotine dependence. Out of the entire capacity, only 397 medical and 126 nursing students took and completed the survey. However, the results established the fact that the number of medical students smoking amounted to only 3.3% while the number of nursing students was around 13.5%, which is much lesser when compared to the former group. Furthermore, more nursing students (17.8%) were smokers in the past than medical students (9.8%). Additionally, the severity as proclaimed by the Nicotine dependence test which in turn depends on five or six other factors in the FTND was found to be higher in the case of nursing students that their medical counterparts.

After comparing the departmental credentials, this same survey was utilized to check the difference in numbers within the classes; the smoking or quit rates did not deviate by large numbers across class years in both the medical and nursing batches. While the number of students who quit smoking in the group of nursing students was moreover constant, the medical students, however, had a different picture to present. The distinction in the latter classification was in the time since quitting which significantly varied across the class years and thereby produced an uneven graph. Even though the smoking habits of the medical and nursing students negligibly altered during their academics, a considerable population of the medical students quit smoking just before entering college while the nursing students nourished the habit even when in college and gave up on it later.

After having gone through all the above-mentioned facts and numbers, we can safely conclude that the smoking habits that prevailed amongst the medical and nursing students have reduced considerably over the last few years and the most glaring reason that can be assigned to this decline is the awareness that they are brought in touch with by their academic courses. Nonetheless, the universities and government must still make efforts to promote the consequences of a prolonged smoking habit amidst students and try to convince them to switch to e-liquids to eradicate the use of tobacco. Both these groups of students are potential advisors and rescuers of patients and the overall public health in accordance with smoking.

Top 10 Tips to Stay Awake While Studying

Sleep is the enemy when it comes to studying for long hours late at night to cram for an important exam or test. Sleep gets in the way of you reaching your goals. If you study early on in the morning and you’ve got a fresh mind then things come easily enough, but if you try to study in the afternoon or late at night, the urge to sleep rises as you try to study for longer. There comes a point where you just get restless and you’re left with two choices; you can put the books down and try to get some rest, or you can fight the urge to sleep and continue studying. The problem is that it’s all too easy to fall asleep when studying. What you want to do is stay awake and fight off the need for sleep.

sleep

Here we have ten effective tips to help you fight away sleep while studying late into the night. Take note of how making small changes to your study schedule could make it easy to cast off the drowsiness and continue studying long into the night.

  • Keep the Study Room Well Lit

The first – and biggest – mistake many students make is that they study with just the light of a table lamp to keep them company. This leaves much of their room left unlit, which creates a cosy and comfortable environment that is going to tempt you into going to bed and falling asleep. Keep the room well lit to avoid this and make it easier to stay awake.

  • Sit On your Chair, not your Bed

Where you sit can go a long way when studying for a long time. Try to sit at a chair with good back support and a table in front of you. This helps you to stay alert and active when studying. If you were to lie down when studying it makes it all too easy to feel lazy and sleepy. Make sure that you regularly move your body parts while sat at the chair too to prevent them from going dormant.

  • Avoid Eating Heavy Meals

We’ve all had a heavy meal that leaves us feeling drowsy. If you go into studying in that kind of mood then you won’t be able to help falling asleep. Eating a heavy meal leaves you relaxed and full and can make it difficult to keep your eyes open. The lethargy that comes with eating a heavy meal also makes it harder to retain information, on top of making you more likely to go to bed. Don’t think that you’ll have to starve yourself to study though. Just eat a little earlier and choose a lighter meal option.

  • Get Plenty of Water

Water is recommended to students not only to keep them hydrated but also because it keeps you alert. This is one of the best studying hacks around. If you drink a lot then you need to get up regularly to pee. Having to pee like that keeps you alert and ensures you move around enough to stay awake. Getting a lot of water also hydrates your brain and makes it better able to read, process, and retain information.

  • Stick to “Early to Bed, Early to Rise”

They say that being early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. There’s some truth to that saying as getting to bed early will mean that you sleep enough to wake up feeling refreshed and energized. You can take that fresh mind and better concentrate on your studies. Fresh and ready minds are better able to concentrate and retain information.

  • Take an Afternoon Nap

If you’ve been stuck studying since morning, then you should be sure to take an afternoon nap. Getting a nice nap will stop your brain from getting too exhausted. It can also help you to avoid sleeping when studying late at night. Just a short nap is all you need to keep the drowsiness at bay.

  • Keep Your Body Awake and Alert

If you study in the same position for too long then you’re more likely to be hit by drowsiness and sleepiness. When you start to feel sleepy you should get up out of your chair and stretch your arms and legs. Take a few steps around your room and consider studying while walking. Studying while walking has been shown to improve concentration and stave off sleep.

  • Read Out Loud When Studying

This trick is a simple but effective way to stave off lethargy. Reading out loud minimizes the risk of sleeping while studying. This has something to do with listening to your own voice. You should teach yourself similar to how a teacher would explain topics in the classroom. Read out loud as if you were a teacher teaching yourself. This improves your learning power while making it easier to stay wake while studying.

  • Learn by Writing

Doing nothing but reading text on a page is just monotonous and it makes it more likely to feel bored. Boredom is the first step towards sleepiness. Keep the lethargy at bay by being more active in your studying. Learn by writing by taking down notes and other such things. This keeps your brain active because it focuses on using the pen and paper and it makes it easier to recall what you learn.

  • Avoid Hitting Heavy Subjects at Night

You’ll feel more sluggish at night if you try to solve complex problems or learn more difficult subjects. It’s recommended that you stick to easy and light sections of the syllabus at night. Leave those tough subjects for the day time when you are more fresh and alert. Late night studying should be for easy and interesting topics that you enjoy.

If you’re a student who is ready to sacrifice their sleep for grades, then these tips will certainly help you to reach those all-important academic goals.

Things to Consider with Open Enrollment

If you are planning to be enrolled in Medicare plans 2020, then you should already be familiar with open enrollment. Open enrollment is a time each which gives you the opportunity to adjust your employee benefits. It allows you to sign up for health insurance, add a child or make changes to other benefits. Many employers will slightly change their plans, and you may have to adjust accordingly to the plans that are being offered to you.

Some employers will also require action on your part or you may be unrolled from plans. It is important to carefully read the documents that are given to you so you can adjust it with you and your family’s needs.

Below are the things that you should keep in mind during the open enrollment:

  1. Your needs

First you need to determine if your needs have changed over the last year or if they will change in the course of next year. For example, if you are turning 26, then you have to get your own coverage. It is easier to sign up during open enrollment. There is no other way to sign up to a health insurance plan, unless if you have life-changing events.

open enrollment

  1. Changes

When you receive your open enrollment materials, you will need to look for changes in the plan that were being offered. You may see differences in more than just premiums for the plans, but also detailed differences in the co-insurance and co-payment amounts. You should also check to see if there is different deductible amount. Depending on the size of your employer, you may have several different plans to choose from.

It is important for you to consider all of our out of pocket costs for each year, and the likelihood that you will meet those maximums. This might change from year to year.

You need to also consider if there are changes in the providers of your benefits. Your employer may switch insurance companies depending on the overall cost for them for coverage. It there is a change in the insurance provider, your dentist or doctor may no longer be covered under your new provider. Therefore you need to check with your new provider’s list of hospitals and care networks that they are using.

Check about the procedures that are being used as well, because there are some companies that will require you to file for pre-approval.

  1. Insurance that you require

You need to consider the insurance that you need for coverage. If you do not have any family history of a certain disease, then you can skip that particular insurance. If you do not wear glasses, then you might not need any vision insurance.

You can also consider purchasing term life insurance in case if you are changing jobs so that you do not need to worry about not having any coverage during this time.

This work similarly if you are in your twenties or thirties, you may not need long term disability insurance.

exercises

This is why you should purpose to exercise daily

Well, we all know it is important to exercise but some people don’t really know how important it is. Exercise improves the wellbeing of a person, increase your energy, makes you feel better and even improve your sex life. Exercises are for everyone whether old or young and anyone can enjoy the many benefits of regular exercises regardless of the gender. If you want to understand all about the benefits of regular physical activities, this article is for you. Check them out:

  • Controls weight

Well, if you want to lose, add or maintain weight, exercise is the route to go. There are some specific exercises for those who want to add some muscles and add weight. And if you want to lower your weight, you just need to follow a certain diet that is low on in carbs and incorporate some exercises daily and from there be patient about it. If you are consistent and eat the right foods, you are going to experience weight loss within a very short time.

exercises

There are a lot of exercises that you can engage in from home like pushups, press ups, running, jogging, swimming, dancing and anything you that can keep your heart pumping. Just make sure you don’t skip even a single day without a valid reason because consistency is the key here. If you are a Medicare beneficiary, you can learn more about Medicare supplement plans 2020 from our earlier blogposts.

  • Exercise combats diseases

Well, people who are overweight are at a higher risk of serious health conditions like high blood pressure, heart diseases, and diabetes among other chronic diseases. If you are of the right weight you are going to lower the risk of such diseases drastically.

Exercises lowers the levels of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and it can also help increase the levels of the HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol). Exercise will improve the flow of blood in your body and when that is improved the cardiovascular diseases will not be a big risk to you.

  • Exercise improves moods

Well, we all have those rough days and if you just had one today, exercise might just be your best friend. It is a perfect emotional lift that has been proven and it is going to blow off some steam to your stressful day. You don’t have to go to the gym to lower stress through exercise, you can walk around especially to the greenly and watery places and connect with nature, you can jog around for like 30 minutes or you can go swimming your partner.

Just do something that will keep your heart pumping and your body is going to release the endorphins which will leave you feeling happier and relaxed. Also when you exercise, you get to cut down some pounds and get the perfect body that everybody wants this will leave you feeling more confident about your body and your self-esteem will be improved.

Sound Therapy And Its Benefits

Sound therapy is a healing technique that uses the aspect of music to improve the emotional as well as physical health and also improve the well- being of a person. The person being treated partakes in sound healing frequencies with the help of a well-trained practitioner who understands how the frequencies works.

The sound healing involves things like listening to music, mediating, playing instruments, and moving up to the beat of the music. There are different types of this kind of therapy which includes vibrational sounds that provides vibration and it is believed that vibrational energy improves the waves of the brain. This type of therapy is believed to have its origin in Greece when music was used to help to treat mental disorders.

And throughout the centuries, music has been playing a great role in helping boost morale, help people work faster and raise the spirits when necessary. Having said that am sure you can agree with me when I say that sound therapy benefits are many and the following are some of them.

sound therapy

Source: Healthline

  • Relief from stress

One of the greatest benefit of sound therapy is the fact that it is an effective stress relieve. The soothing sound of music has been used for centuries for this purpose and science backs it up that music retune the brain and helps it to cope with stress better. This happens because music replenishes the brain through high frequency sounds.

  • Reduces headaches

Headaches are very common especially to the adults and I don’t think there is any adult out there who can go for a week without experiencing a headache. Painkillers might help but the perfect way of dealing with it is by trying out sound therapy. Sound therapy helps many get a relief to chronic headaches as well as migraines. It is also believed that it can address the root cause of the headache like high blood pressure and the common one, stress. A study that was conducted found that adults with symptoms of migraines got relief after 14 days of sound therapy.

  • Boosts confidence

Sound therapy creates new and positive pattern in the brain which can help bring about a boost in confidence. When you enjoy a sound therapy regularly, you will be able to take up the challenges that life brings to you with more confidence and believing that you can do it. This is something that we all need to help us keep pushing and if a sound therapy can help, then it is definitely worth a try.

  • Sound therapy gives you more focus

A session with a professional for sound therapy can help you regain the lost focus in your life. Sound therapy lowers the brain wave frequency and this is believed to help a person focus more. This will help you cope with day to day activities and it can also help athletes improve their performance.

  • More energy after a sound therapy

The truth is most things that you feel in your body is normally connected to your brain and it sends signals throughout the body. If your body is under stress, it normally feel tired and fatigued. A sound therapy is going to help relieve the stress and it can also help the brain to release latent energy.

  • Better relationships

One of the major causes of breakups in many relationship is too much stress. Stress can even lead to a divorce in a marriage that have been intact for many years. It is also a major contributor to poor work done which can lead to one being fired. Those are just but a few problems that stress can lead to. If you undergo a sound therapy, the stress levels will be lowered and you will be able to focus on building and strengthening your relationships.

  • It is a great relief to common ailments

There are a lot of ailments that we face in our day to day lives that are actually stress related. The old and the young all undergo stress in this modern age and the ailments related to it have increased drastically. Some of these ailments that sound therapy is going to help is depression, joint pains, and stomach pains and other stress related diseases. The sounds from the therapy creates a healing environment in the body and the body just starts healing itself.

Energy healing

If you are looking for an alternative way to improve your mental health, maybe you can try out energy healing. Energy medicine involves working with the energy within our bodies. It can be any type of therapy that uses the energy within the body of a person. Research shows that 10 minutes of energy healing has the same effect as the physical therapy.

Energy healing is being recognized by many health professionals as a good alternatives because of how it concentrates more on healing the whole body instead of just a part of the body. If you learn how to, it is something that you can do yourself from the comfort of your home.

There are many types of energy healing methods including shiatsu, polarity therapy and Qigong. Crystal healing, acupressure and acupuncture can also be included as methods of energy healing. But the common energy healing techniques which are, reiki healing and pranic healing.

Pranic healing uses prana the life force in the body to heal the processes of your body’s energy. The method utilizes the moon and sun among other natural resources and Master Choa Kok Sui (developer) claims that the body can heal itself if you work with your emotional energy.

Reiki healing on the other hand is believed to help many ailments like stomach ache, flu, common colds, and serious conditions like heart diseases. It is also very effective when it comes to dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental disorders. The technique works with the principle of bringing the body back to balance.