How to improve your health during pandemic?

7 ways improve your health during pandemic

In November, the medical community around the world celebrates several significant days, which we want to remind you of.
November 12 - day against pneumonia (pneumonia)
November 14 - Diabetes Day
November 18, 2021 - international day of smoking cessation

Tobacco smoking, diabetes mellitus and pneumonia - it would seem that everyone has known about these diseases for a long time, and are already tired of listening to doctors who remind them of their danger . It seems that there is no person who does not come across them in his inner circle (relatives and friends). But oddly enough, statistics and polls show that:
50% of patients with diabetes mellitus are not aware of their diagnosis;
50% of smokers consider smoking to be just a bad habit;
more than 20% of smokers know nothing about the harmful effects of tobacco

Attention to these conditions and diseases now, during the coronavirus pandemic, is very important.

Why?
Globally (even before the COVID-19 pandemic), pneumonia has been and continues to be the leading cause of death in minors. The current change in the course of a new coronavirus infection in children exacerbates the need for active measures to prevent community-acquired pneumonia
In people with diabetes during epidemics of infectious diseases (influenza, coronavirus), the risk of hospitalization is 3-5 times higher, the risk of death from complications is 6 times higher, the risk of death during hospitalization is 30-90 times higher.
COVID-19 strikes the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. Smoking increases the risk of respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, weakens the immune system, makes patients more vulnerable to COVID-19, exacerbates the severity of the disease and worsens the prognosis. And the statistics confirm this: a history of smoking increases the likelihood of disease progression 14 times in those infected with COVID-19.
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW

1. Quit smoking. It's trite, but yes ...

If you smoke, consider the benefits of quitting smoking:

decreases the risk of lung cancer, the risk of cerebral stroke, the risk of coronary heart disease;
after the first day after quitting smoking, you will feel that it has become easier to breathe. This is due to the fact that harmful carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, which inhibit lung function, no longer enter the body and are excreted;
2-3 days after refusal, you will begin to better distinguish between tastes and smells;
in a week, a healthy complexion will return, bad breath will disappear, as well as an unpleasant odor from hair and skin;
a couple of weeks and endurance increases, more energy appears, there is a desire to go in for sports and experience physical activity;
memory improves and it becomes easier to concentrate on any business;
financial benefit: savings can be 36,000 rubles or more. The arithmetic is simple: 100 rubles. on average for 1 pack X 30 days X 12 months)

2. "Listen" to your body

Perhaps you will recognize the symptoms of diabetes mellitus:

dry skin;
constant feeling of hunger, unexplained decrease (increase) in body weight;
increased thirst and increased urination at night;
cramps of the calf muscles, tingling and numbness in the limbs;
visual impairment;
weakness, fatigue, chronic fatigue;
poor wound healing, gingivitis;
problems in the sexual sphere

Experts estimate that in half of the cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus, the disease could be prevented with timely preventive measures.

3. Assess your weight:

It is necessary to maintain it in optimal numbers, adhere to a healthy diet and reduce the consumption of easily digestible carbohydrates (sugar, etc.) and saturated (animal) fats.

It turns out that the quality of food assimilation depends on the level of certain hormones in the blood, and the change in the amount of hormones has its own cyclicity, a biological rhythm, which in turn does not depend on the time of our wakefulness and sleep.

In this regard, there are some tips: read more here.

4. Be physically active:

30 minutes of exercise five times a week plus a healthy diet can reduce your risk of diabetes by 58%
Research confirms that this regimen can reduce the likelihood of catching a cold by 43-46%.
Researchers accept that normal, moderate actual work animates the invulnerable framework, provoking it to build the development of macrophages. These cells assault infections and microscopic organisms that have entered the body. I

It is also recommended to practice breathing exercises, it will help to cope with stress.

5. Get vaccinated (flu, pneumococcus, COVID-19):

Vaccination is especially needed for any chronic diseases that can suppress the immune system: diabetes mellitus, blood diseases, liver diseases and HIV-infected.

More information about ways to strengthen the immune system can be found here.

6. Do not tolerate the feeling of thirst, watch your water balance.

The pancreas is responsible for maintaining water balance and, when dehydrated, limits the resources for insulin production. That is, a lack of fluid can cause an increase in blood sugar levels even in a healthy person. In addition, the complete breakdown of glucose is only possible if there is sufficient water in the body.

It is important to use just plain water.

7. Develop resistance to stress:

Anxiety doubles the risk of contracting respiratory infections, scientists say. Stress affects our immunity and triggers changes in metabolic processes in the body due to changes in hormonal levels, which can also lead to an exacerbation of diabetes mellitus and even trigger this disease.
Needless to say, eating up stress with sweet treats, smoking more often, or drinking alcohol will not only worsen your immune system, but will also not help you get rid of stress completely.
Try to learn how to deal correctly with life's failures and losses. Assuming that an individual is especially delicate and defenseless , it merits restricting contacts with contrary or forceful individuals.