Talk about sleep and health in July

This is the 4998th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

The sun in July is as red as fire, and the temperature rises by three degrees in a day during the Lesser Heat. This is when the most unbearable "steaming up and boiling down" mode of summer begins. In summer health preservation, people generally pay more attention to health preservation during the summer solstice. In fact, it is not considered summer heat until the dog days. The real hottest heat is in the dog days.

In summer, the body's metabolism is relatively vigorous, the body sweats a lot, and the body's gastric acid secretion decreases. Many people will experience general fatigue, poor appetite, dizziness, and drowsiness, but they cannot sleep well. Especially in the afternoon, people are more prone to fatigue. Paying attention to summer sleep can help us restore a better physical condition.

In summer, people often go to bed late and get up early, which means they don’t get enough sleep. Because of the hot weather, their sleep quality is poor, and they are easily tired during daytime work. Especially at noon, the microvessels on the surface of the human body expand, and the blood supply to the brain is relatively less, which makes it easier to feel listless and drowsy. Therefore, a proper nap can not only compensate for the lack of sleep at night, but also meet the physiological needs of the human body. The best time for a nap is about half an hour after lunch, and the sleep time is preferably 30 minutes. The best sleeping position is lying on the right side with legs slightly bent. But more people cannot lie flat because of work, so they have to take a nap casually.

After the end of the plum rain season, most parts of my country are under subtropical high pressure in July and August. The weather is clear and cloudless, the sun shines directly, and the ground radiates and warms up, so the weather will be even hotter. In the hot summer, you do need to turn on the air conditioner to cool down. The author recommends not to turn on the air conditioner for a long time, especially at night. You can't sleep with the air conditioner on all night. The air conditioner temperature is set at around 27℃. Generally, you must open the windows for ventilation after the air conditioner is turned on for four or five hours. Otherwise, the air in the room will not circulate, and the cleanliness will not meet the standards, which will cause illness. Ventilation is an important condition for the bedroom. Regardless of the outdoor temperature, you should open the windows for ventilation before going to bed. Another thing to note is that you should not blow through the hallway. In a room with north-south ventilation, don't sleep on the vent.

Taoism follows nature, and nourishes Yang in spring and summer. There are many ways to nourish Yang during the dog days, such as dog days plaster, moxibustion, sunbathing, foot bathing, etc., which can help warm the meridians, dispel cold and dampness, improve immunity, and reduce illness. The best time to treat winter diseases in summer is the "dog days", and be careful about "heat nourishment" during the dog days. Summer has heat and dampness, which is suitable for clearing and nourishing. Summer is the season with the most Yang in the year, and it is also the time when the Yang in the human body is the most prosperous. At this time, it is easiest to expel the cold in the body and adjust the balance of Yin and Yang in the human body through appropriate internal or external use of some medicines, so as to achieve the purpose of preventing and treating diseases. And knowing how to sleep and nourish in the dog days is better than medicine, food and chicken soup.

Lesser Heat marks the beginning of midsummer, and we should move forward calmly and wait for the breeze to blow. We should not be afraid of the long summer and live better in the sun.

Author: Xu Liang, Chief Physician, Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine