"Crispy-skinned college student" is on the hot search. Stretching and twisting the neck? The doctor was shocked...

Recently, the term “crispy college student” has emerged and quickly dominated the charts on all major platforms!

“I fainted because I didn’t eat the pork knuckle rice,” “I twisted my neck while stretching,” “I was sent to the hospital due to lack of oxygen while playing games,” “I twisted my knee while going to the toilet,” “I burst my nasal artery while trying to hold back my laughter while watching short videos.” Many netizens ridiculed themselves: “I’m in my twenties, but I have a body of a fifty-year-old.”

01

"Fragile College Students" suffer from a variety of accidents and illnesses

"Crispy college students" refers to the contemporary college students who, although young, have many minor health problems, the "crispy skin phenomenon" occurs, and they have all kinds of bizarre injury stories. Crispy college students also earn the title of "Crispy Sharks" because of their fragile bodies.

It may seem like a joke, but various health problems actually happen to young people. Liu Ying (pseudonym), a senior at a university in Beijing, said that she felt that her body was getting weaker and weaker. In mid-October, Liu Ying was diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. She felt uncomfortable after eating raw, cold and irritating food. In a recent physical examination, she was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia and high cholesterol. "Although they are all minor problems, I am a little scared," said Liu Ying.

Waiting room at the hospital. Photo provided by the interviewee. College students are so "fragile" that counselors have also ushered in the "darkest moment". "Because I have a large base of students, more than 300 people, there are basically a dozen students who ask for leave due to illness every week." A counselor at a certain university said that among the sick students, the most common conditions are colds, fevers, stomach pains, etc. There are also some emergencies, such as "hurrying downstairs to collect clothes and being scratched by the garbage truck", "vomiting in the middle of the night and going to the hospital", "fainting in class due to hypoglycemia", etc. Similar situations are not uncommon. On a short video platform, the number of views of topics related to "fragile college students" has reached 1.22 billion. According to media reports, in September this year alone, the emergency department of a hospital in Zhengzhou received more than 1,700 young people aged 18 to 25, with trauma, abdominal pain, chest tightness, hyperventilation syndrome, etc.

02

Why are college students becoming more and more fragile?

In 2021, the results of the eighth national student physical fitness and health survey released by the Ministry of Education showed that the rate of excellent physical health standards among Chinese students has gradually increased, but the problem of declining physical fitness among college students is serious, with obesity, lack of endurance, and lack of energy being prominent.

The reasons behind this include bad habits caused by college students' own lack of self-discipline, such as lack of exercise, irregular work and rest, unreasonable diet, etc., as well as unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, drinking, sitting for long periods of time, and spending too much time in front of the screen.

From another perspective, the self-deprecating label of "fragile college students" is also a reflection of the college students' dissatisfaction with their health conditions. They generally believe that their bodies are increasingly unable to withstand the pressure and damage brought by daily life and study, and it is urgent to improve the physical fitness of college students.

Where are college students’ vulnerabilities?

As early as 2020, China Youth Daily and other organizations jointly released the "2020 China College Student Health Survey Report", covering more than 10,000 college students from more than 40 universities.

86% of the students said they had experienced health problems in the past year, with the top three being poor skin condition (45%), lack of sleep (42%) and emotional problems (38%). Another 23% of the students said they had visited a hospital for treatment, with the top three diseases being oral diseases, acute gastroenteritis and skin diseases. Gou Bo, a professor at the Sports Medicine Teaching and Research Department of Xi'an Sports University, believes that the physique of Chinese teenagers can be summarized as "hard, soft, stupid and weak", meaning that the joints are hard and have poor flexibility, the muscles are soft and have poor strength, the movements are clumsy and uncoordinated, and the cardiopulmonary endurance is weak.

03

How to get rid of the "crispy skin"?

1. Exercise regularly

Try to discover sports that interest you, such as skipping rope, playing badminton and other gentle sports.

If your exercise foundation is too poor, then "brisk walking" is also a good choice.

You can also find a "workout partner" to supervise and encourage each other.

On the premise of gradual and scientific exercise, achieve moderate-intensity exercise at least three times a week, 30 to 50 minutes each time, and a total of 150 minutes a week.

2. Eat a balanced diet and slowly adjust your eating habits, such as reminding yourself:

Eat more fruits and vegetables, less processed foods, and less sugar intake;

Eat less saturated fat foods, such as cream, butter, chicken skin, etc.;

Ensure that three meals are eaten on time and in regular amounts, eat more light, easily digestible foods that are beneficial to the spleen and stomach, and eat less high-fat, high-salt, and high-calorie foods.

3. Stabilize emotions. If stress is not released for a long time, it will not only cause psychological problems, but also lead to a decrease in the body's immunity, making it more prone to physical health problems.

We should learn to pay more attention to our inner selves, recognize emotions, accept emotions, deal with emotions, and change our attitudes;

Participate in more activities that are beneficial to self-growth and stress release; communicate more effectively with your parents and friends.

4. Reduce sitting

It is recommended to leave your seat once every 30 minutes, even if it is just to get up and pour a glass of water, walk around, stand up for a while and then sit down again, or stretch, shrug your shoulders, move your legs, etc.

If conditions permit, you can do some stretching exercises, such as lower back release, shoulder opening exercises, neck and shoulder stretching exercises, etc.

5. Improve sleep quality

Fixed work and rest schedule;

Avoid excessive caffeine intake before bed;

Avoid taking naps after 15:00;

Create a quiet sleeping environment.

Good sleep can reduce anxiety, remove toxins from the body, and promote brain recovery to a certain extent. 6. Reduce screen time. Excessive screen time can reduce sleep quality and cause potential emotional problems.

Editor: Zhu Ni Reviewers: Yang Minting, Cai Zhihan Source: Guangdong Disease Control, China News Network, CCTV News