Suffering from computer eye strain? Know how to relieve it

Gone are the days when only people above a certain age wore spectacles. These days it is easy to spot even young children wearing glasses. Long hours on computer can lead to eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and other visual symptoms.

Many of these problems can be reduced by correcting posture, anti-glare screens, eye exercises and nutritional supplementation. These tips will help you enhance your eye sight and get rid of those spectacles. 

- Don’t look at the computer screen for a long time continuously. Give a break and close your eyes after every 10 minutes.  

- Perform near far focus exercise: Hold your thumb six inches from your nose and focus on your thumb. Take one deep breath and exhale slowly. Then focus on an object about 10 feet away and take another deep breath and slowly exhale. 

- Splash cold water on your eyes atleast 5-10 times a day.

- Do eye exercises and meditation every morning.

- Include lot of green vegetables everyday.  

- Walk barefooted on green grass everyday.

- The screen should not be kept to close to the eye. Make sure you maintain atleast 2ft distance between the monitor and your eyes.  

Diseases dragging you down? Fight them the Vaastu way

In today's fast paced and competitive life, people don't have time for themselves. Unhealthy eating habits and lifestyle leads to many diseases. Nowadays, the people are so weak that they don’t even recover fast if they fall ill.    

Here is a vaastu solution that will provide relief to the patient and help him/her recover quickly.

Take a bowl of water and mix saffron in it. Keep this bowl in the patient’s room. This simple solution will help you recover quickly.

This will also help ward off the negative energy and increase positive in the patient’s room. This positive energy will help the patient fight the disease.

People in jobs sleep better than jobless

The employed and self-employed enjoy much better sleep than those out of work, according to one of the world's largest studies.


The jobless are over 40% more likely to report difficulty staying asleep than those in jobs.


However, job satisfaction affects the quality of sleep, with 33% of the most dissatisfied employees reporting poor sleep quality compared to only 18% of the most satisfied.


Analysis of the early data from Understanding Society based on 14,000 households in Britain found that overall the best sleep was reported by people with higher levels of education and by married people, according to a Surrey University statement.


The type of work a person does also impacts on sleep, with those in routine occupations reporting worse sleep than those in professional occupations.


Sara Arber, professor of sociology at the University of Surrey, who analysed the findings said: "The increased incidence of sleep problems among the disadvantaged in society may be one factor leading to their poorer health."

Sleep well to perform well

Sleep consists of a series of stages that restore and refresh your body and mind, but is the age-old myth of eight hours of sleep daily, really affordable and practical in today’s hectic modern life?

A person’s ‘basal sleep need’ — the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance — is different for each individual. Incidentally, the loss of minimal sleep can take a toll on a person’s mood, efficiency, energy and ability to handle stress.

However, actors, models, chefs, and even students cannot afford to sleep for seven or eight hours every day. Different and inconvenient work shifts, competitive exams, tight work schedules are factors that can contribute to inadequate sleep. Manu Chandra, one of Bangalore’s busiest chefs, says, “It is difficult for me to get enough sleep considering I work two shifts a day, but I do take afternoon naps, without which I think the sleep deprivation would hinder my work.”

A day has 24 hours and sleeping for one third of those hours might seem like a waste. But research shows that adequate sleep enhances health as well as productivity. Designer Ramesh Dembla agrees by saying, “Life can get hectic with all the work and socialising. But I try and make sure that my night ends early and I get at least six to six and a half hours of sleep every day. I don’t think eight hours is practical in today’s world.”

Actor Sanjjanaa concurs, “I think sleep is very important; with the kind of pressure my work puts on me, I make sure I get at least seven or eight hours of sleep every night and about 10 to 11 hours of beauty sleep at least once a week. I feel exercise plays an important role because going to the gym is what helps me sleep really well.”

Food and exercise play very important roles in a person’s sleep patterns. Wanitha Ashok, who’s helped many women find their fitness regime in the city, says, “Exercise is the best way to ensure you sleep well. Work-outs, yoga, and breathing exercises help to induce sleep. Diet plays the most important role. Overeating, under-eating, and consumption of food that has too much caffeine can disturb a person’s sleep and have severe effects on their health and productivity.”

Caffeine and theophylline (found in black tea), present in foods can artificially wake us up but will have side effects in the long run. Although beauty sleep — any extra sleep or sleeping before midnight — may not be attainable in today’s world, power naps during the day or a few hours at night can enhance a person’s productivity greatly.

Wrong bed could cost you good health

A regular sleep pattern has always been a mandatory requisition to good health. And for most of us, hitting the bed is probably the best part of the day.

However, for those who toss and turn in their beds, instead of getting a good night’s snooze, here’s one reason that could be going wrong. The right bed!

Sleep experts over the years have pointed out that finding the right bed is a prerequisite for a solid snooze.

Says Vivek Radhakrishnan, furniture designer and creative director of Kynkyny Home, a design studio and manufacturing unit, “The most common mistake people make when buying a bed, is buying a cheap one! A bed is a very important part of a home, where one spends the most hours. So, when buying one invest in something, which is really nice!”

For most parts, says Vivek beds are made of either wood, steel or both. But more than the material, what matters is how well a bed is made and how structurally sound it is.

As a bed is a fairly a long-term investment, the longevity of the product is important, he points out. “A bed should be well designed so it can be assembled and disassembled easily without any weakening of the joints and structure. I prefer wooden beds, as wood has warmth, and feels cozier to sleep and relax in,” he adds.

Product designer Neil Foley adds, “In terms of design, practicality is an important factor when buying a bed. If a family needs to shift from one place to another, then they should definitely look at modularity (the mechanism where a system’s components may be separated and re-combined) of the piece.”

Mattresses also are an integral part of the bed and must be chosen with utmost care. “Choosing a mattress is a very personal thing and one should make sure to try the various types of mattresses available on the market before choosing one. Different body types require different firmness and foam densities,” points out Vivek.

The base supporting the mattress is also plays an important role. “In India, most people prefer a plywood base board, however, slats (a long, thin, flat piece of lumber or plastic) allow mattresses to breathe better, and reduce chances of any fungus forming on the bottom side,” he adds.

The sturdiness of the bed is another important factor. “Hold the top of the headboard and shake it to find out about the strength of the piece,” says Vivek.

For wooden beds, one must pay attention to a quality wood finishing that will last a long time. For those that come with an upholstered head board, it is imperative that the headboards are removable and washable, he adds. Among things to keep in mind, when buying a bed, are durability, practicality and the overall synergy with the décor of the home, points out Neil.

Adds Ather Raza, executive housekeeper, Sheraton Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway, which launched their Sweet Sleeper Bed to help the hotel’s guests and patrons with a good night’s sleep, “Never buy from unknown brands or without reading reviews first. Find out from people who own different brands, as this will help to avoid making a bad choice. Also mattress should come with a warranty and not involve high maintenance. So it’s important to understand the material or fabric used in it.”

Pankaj Mathur, general manager of Four Points, Sheraton, which launched the Four Comport Bed for their guests, adds, “Quality of the foam or filling, the strength of the innerspring, the frame and fire retardant levels should be checked for beds. For innersprings of a mattress, insist on coils that are twice-tempered as these help the coils retain strength and prevent mattress sag.”