Underage drinking: the damage it can cause

Everybody knows that drinking when you are young is not a good idea. The violence that arises from alcohol intoxication can be life threatening - not just fatal to yourself, but to those around you. This is not to mention the health problems that can arise from underage drinking. Firstly, alcohol can impair brain development when consumed by those underage. The drinking age is there for a reason; the human brain is not fully developed until approximately age 22, and even then alcohol can have terrible effects on the brain, so alcohol consumption during a time of fragile and important brain foundation development when new networks are being laid is not a good idea. Additionally, studies have linked early alcohol consumption to a heavy dependence on alcohol later in life. This can cause all sorts of problems for a person; from relationship issues, social problems and not to mention the havoc that alcohol can wreak on the human liver. So, what can young people do to avoid the damaging effects on their bodies that underage alcohol consumption can have? If offered a drink, just say no or ask if there is any soft drink available. Remember, peer pressure isn’t as bad as potential cirrhosis or other liver damage!

Finding time to exercise

Every time you turn on the TV you will most likely see a government advertisement encouraging you to keep healthy by exercising for approximately half an hour per day, every day of the week. Whilst the health benefits of half an hour of exercise each day are very wide ranging and are certainly worth the effort that this daily exercise will require, it is very hard to find the time to fit in this half an hour of exercise due to most of our busy schedules. However, there are some ways in which you can fit in your half an hour, whether it is during work hours or even in the morning on your way there. Firstly, you could try eating on the go during your lunch break, provided you get more than half an hour to eat, of course! In cities, it is common to see businessmen and women walking around at lunch time reading, so it is not too hard to join them… grab a snack and get exercising! Remember, the health benefits of just thirty minutes of solid exercise a day have been proven to be very wide ranging, so remember, it is never too late to ‘find thirty’!

When sleep deprivation is unavoidable

If you ever stayed up past midnight at any time and slept in the next morning you will know where I am coming from when I say that it is very hard to get to sleep the next night! Sure, we get warnings about how unhealthy it is to not get a good night’s sleep, but what if getting to sleep is more difficult than fighting sleep deprivation? So, how do you get to sleep on time the night after a late night and lie-in the next morning? There’s a simple solution to this: do not take the lie-in. Although it may seem like the comfiest option at the time, it will wreak havoc on your sleep cycles and mean that the whole biological clock will be reset, meaning that you won’t get to sleep until later the next night! If you wake up at the normal time, sure, you will feel a little bit tired but it will be a lot easier to get to sleep the next night as you will be tired from the premature wake up the previous morning. Remember, do not take the sleep in option no matter how attractive it might look. Happy sleeping folks!

Avoiding the common cold

Most people get it and most people despise it: the common cold; the scourge of society, a little virus which causes damage to the tune of over a billion dollars to the United States economy every year. The worse part of the situation is that it is so easy to catch. A sneeze from a co worker or some germs on that change you got from the vending machine can infect you with a nasty bug which could bring you out of action for one week or more! So, how is it possible to prevent the spread of this horrible bug? It is simple. Obey good hygiene practices. Before eating that hamburger, you might want to consider where your hands have been before you washed them last… opening the front door of your office block probably gave you a dose of a cocktail of bugs, but thankfully your immune system will take care of some of those. Remember when that cashier returned your change in the supermarket? That’s another load of nasty bugs on your hands. Next time you raise your hands to your mouth to take a bite from your sandwich or rub your eyes, just think about where they have been!