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Daily Siesta Keeps Me Healthy, Working and Wise

Palm trees and a hammock. (Goodshot)
Palm trees and a hammock. (Goodshot)

I finished my high school in Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania. It was in a boarding school. We had no high school where I was born, Musoma, a port on Lake Victoria. The climate in Musoma is little milder than the scorching, coastal, humid heat of Dar-es-salaam. Our classes would end at 2:00 p.m. and before starting our homework, we had to return to our dorms and take a siesta for an hour.

Few years ago, we were in Spain travelling by train. If we reached our destination after lunch then we could not find any food till the evening. Almost everything shuts down in the afternoon for a siesta. Then evenings are spent drinking wine and eating delicious tapas. That is at the very heart of their lifestyle and culture. They know how to live.

Taking “power naps” during internship, residency and then working as a surgeon became a habit for me. Now it is impossible to go without taking a nap. Depending on the circumstances, the naps can be anywhere from five minutes to 20 minutes long. It is very refreshing.

When it comes to taking naps, I am sure, many of you have had the same kind of experience as I have had, Men are well known for dosing off on the sofa after a meal while the TV is on. I use my naps as part of my meditation time. I start with slow deep breathing exercises and then slide into a snoring session. My alarm wakes me up and then I am ready and fresh to begin work.

Sometime ago, I read an article in the New York Times (NYT) titled “A Look at Who Naps” (July 29, 2009). It says one in three adults admit that on any typical day they take a nap. A survey taken in the U.S. revealed all kinds of individuals take naps.

If you are sleep deprived due to some reason of health, work or travel then, you will take a nap. Even the stoic ones, who feel they can sleep for four to five hours a night and carry on realise that they need to do some sleep catch-up time.

Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep on weeknights, according to the National Sleep Foundation. Ideally, a healthy adult should sleep seven to eight hours a night. If you are sleep deprived then you are not thinking as clearly as you would like to. If your are sleep-deprived for 24 hours straight, then you are cognitive equivalent of being legally drunk. Your performance suffers.

Studies have shown that the sleep-deprived among us are lousy judges of our own sleep needs. We are not nearly as sharp as we think we are, says the NYT article.

There is stigma attached to napping. Your associates, friends or family may think you are lazy or lack ambition. Of course that is not true. If that was the case then I wouldn’t be writing about it.

Confessed nappers include Albert Einstein, Winston Churchill, Thomas Edison and Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton.

According to one sleep expert quoted in the NYT article, napping should have the status of daily exercise. Nobody has defined what constitutes a nap. The National Sleep Foundation points out on its Web site: “While naps do not necessarily make up for inadequate or poor quality night time sleep, a short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness and performance.”

And that is good for your health.

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Alcatraz – More Than Just An Abandoned Island

Alcatraz island as from San Francisco

Alcatraz island as from San Francisco

Prison hallway

Prison hallway

Welcome sign, reminder of brief Indian occupation

Welcome sign, reminder of brief Indian occupation

Famous inmates

Famous inmates

Sabiya and Noorali Bharwani on the island with San Francisco

Sabiya and Noorali Bharwani on the island with San Francisco

I find the island of Alcatraz very fascinating. I have visited the island three times. My last visit was about three months ago when my wife and I were in San Francisco for a conference of the American College of Surgeons. Recently, I noticed that there is a TV series called “Alcatraz”. And many Hollywood movies have been produced based on stories about the island and its famous inmates.

Alcatraz Island is located in the San Francisco Bay, 2.4 km offshore from San Francisco, California. The island is also known as “The Rock”. The size of the small island is 22 acres (89 030.8413 sq.m.) and reaches 121 feet (36.88 m.) above sea level. The island has no source of fresh water.

Most people know Alcatraz as an island for men too tough for any other prison. And these tough guys met their match on the windy, desolate, and inescapable Alcatraz. While the ghosts of the penitentiary continue to haunt the island, Alcatraz is more than just an abandoned prison.

Once upon a time, Alcatraz was home only to seabirds. In 1775,during the Gold Rush, the Spanish explorer Jose Canizares christened it La Isla de los Alcatraces. He was probably referring to the large population of black cormorants (alcatraceo) or the island’s pelicans.

In 1846, the Mexican Governor gave the island’s ownership to Julian Workman to build a lighthouse.

The US government got possession of the island in 1848 and began building a fort. A water tank was built. This was followed by a lighthouse and a foghorn. In foggy weather, it’s 1,000 pound bell was struck with 30 pound mechanical hammer every ten seconds. The garrison was completed in 1859 when 200 soldiers arrived to defend the port.

During the Civil War, Alcatraz held a number of Confederate sympathizers. In 1873, the island had Indian prisoners some of who refused to send their children to English only schools. Then came the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, when civilian prisoners were transferred to the island until the city’s jails could be rebuilt. In 1912, a three-story cell house was completed.

When did it become the the Federal Penitentiary?

In 1934, Al “Scarface” Capone was one of its first prisoners. After that many prisoners came to Alcatraz because they were too much trouble in other prisons. During World War II, inmates made khakis, fatigues and cargo nets for the war effort.

During its 29 years of operation, the penitentiary claimed no prisoner had successfully escaped. A total of 36 prisoners made 14 escape attempts, two men trying twice; 23 were caught, six were shot and killed during their escape, and three escaped and were never found. The most violent escape occurred on May 2, 1946, when a failed escape attempt by six prisoners led to the Battle of Alcatraz. In 1963, Attorney General Robert Kennedy closed Alcatraz.

In 1969, 75 American Indians took over the island. The American Indian Foundation wanted legal control of Alcatraz under the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie. Some historical buildings caught fire and were destroyed so the US marshals forcibly removed the Indians, ending the occupation in 1971.

In 1973, Alcatraz became part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. It has become a big tourist attraction. It now has over 1.4 million visitors a year. There are gardens, and the wild inhabitants in the form of animals have returned. Today, over 100 different bird species visit the island, including the endangered peregrine falcon and brown pelican.

Who were the notable inmates in Alcatraz?

In 1934, Al Capone arrived on Alcatraz. He served just four and a half years of his sentence there before developing symptoms of tertiary syphilis and being transferred to the Federal Correctional Institution at Terminal Island in Los Angeles.

George “Machine Gun” Kelly arrived on September 4, 1934. He was a model prisoner. Alvin “Creepy Karpis” Karpowicz arrived in 1936. He constantly fought with other inmates. He spent the longest time on Alcatraz island, serving nearly 26 years.

Robert Stroud, who was better known to the public as the “Birdman of Alcatraz”, was transferred to Alcatraz in 1942. One myth needs to be clarified. Contrary to the popular film released in 1962, Robert Shroud, was not allowed to keep any birds but he did publish two books on them. And there were many other inmates.

Visitors can reach the island by ferry ride from Pier 33, near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. If you are in San Francisco, you cannot miss a trip to the Island.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Getting Enough Rest Can Promote Weight Loss

A young woman measuring her waist. (Photodisc)
A young woman measuring her waist. (Photodisc)

One month has gone by. How are you doing with your weight loss program? For those who continue to struggle, here is some good news.

A study published in Psychoneuroendocrinology says that getting enough rest promotes weight loss. Without enough deep sleep, fat accumulates.

Two hormones in our body, ghrelin and leptin, control our appetite. Ghrelin increases hunger and leptin promotes feelings of fullness. Researchers found that in chronic insomniacs there is a significant disruption of night time ghrelin levels and this increases their appetite during the day.

In addition, in chronic insomniacs, there is increase in the levels of stress hormone cortisol which increases cravings for high-carb, high-calorie foods. Furthermore, the brain secretes growth hormone during the deep-sleep phase, helping the body convert fat to fuel, says a report in the Scientific American Mind.

It is estimated that 10 to 40 per cent of people suffer from some sort of insomnia. This is only an estimate as nobody has yet defined what constitutes normal sleep.

Most adults sleep seven to eight hours a night. Newborns and children may sleep up to 16 hours a day. Older people may sleep only six hours a night. There is no magic number. If you are tired the next day or are yawning all the time then you need more sleep.

The quality of sleep you get is also important. The quality and quantity of sleep depend on many factors like your health, your lifestyle and your environment.

In a survey done in the United States, it was found that many patients with insomnia have other medical problems. Thirty per cent of the patients have depression, 20 per cent have other mental disorders, and 19 per cent have other illnesses. But 31 per cent of the patients have primary insomnia (i.e. they have no medical condition contributing to insomnia).

“The prevalence of insomnia has also been reported to be higher in women, women in minority groups, people who are unemployed or separated, lower socioeconomic groups and in those with medical or psychiatric (particularly substance abuse) disorders,” says an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Workaholics spend many sleepless nights to accomplish their tasks. They ask, “Why do we need to sleep?” Experts say we need sleep to rest. Sleep allows the brain and the body to recover and restore itself. So we can be fresh for the next task. Now we know we can lose weight as well.

It is very important that you consult your doctor if you have trouble falling asleep or cannot remain asleep for an adequate length of time. The cause of your insomnia could be stress, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, spastic bladder, arthritis, hyperthyroidism, congestive heart failure, obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome or lung disease. You may be overindulging in caffeine or alcohol. Or there may some other cause.

Your physician can help you sort some of these problems by recommending regular daytime exercise, avoiding large meals at night, avoiding caffeine, tobacco and alcohol; reducing evening fluid intake; maintaining a consistent wake-up time; avoiding or limiting daytime napping and avoiding bright lights (including television), noise and temperature extremes. In some circumstances he may recommend medications.

Remember, there are three things required to lose weight: a low calorie healthy diet, regular exercise and enough sleep.

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!

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Sleep Cycle is Driven by Chemicals to Accomplish Many Functions

A woman sleeping. (iStockphoto)
A woman sleeping. (iStockphoto)

We have a 24-hour biological clock (circadian rhythm) that synchronizes a person’s sleep schedule with the changing amounts of light (day/night).

A tiny area of the brain, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), interprets light signals sent from the eyes through the optic nerves. The light triggers SCN to direct the brain’s pineal gland to release the hormone melatonin. There’s a big burst of melatonin into the body just as we go to sleep. Sleep researchers postulate that melatonin probably turns certain areas of the brain off and on as we transition into sleep mode.

Adenosine is another chemical thought to induce sleep. Adenosine levels increase during the day, making us sleepier the longer that we’re awake in an attempt to reach homeostasis (the body’s “steady state”). Once we fall asleep, adenosine levels drop, reducing the need for sleep and eventually prompting us to wake up.

Cortisol, known as a stress hormone, follows a different path. The blood levels of cortisol go down right before bedtime, allowing us to relax, but then increases throughout the night to encourage a fresh energetic start to the day.

While we are asleep, our body is working very hard to repair the internal damage done during the day.

Sleep helps heal tissues and restore them to its original form. Sleep is important for our immune system. Sleep deprivation impairs our ability to combat infection and stay healthy. It has been postulated that sleep effectively combat the accumulation of free radicals in the brain, by increasing the efficiency of our body’s antioxidant mechanisms.

Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Free radicals have a capacity to cause cell damage (DNA), Cell damage can lead to cancer, aging, and a variety of diseases.
Antioxidants help us to prevent cell damage (DNA).

Although there are several enzyme systems within the body that scavenge free radicals, the micronutrient (vitamin) antioxidants are vitamin E, beta-carotene and vitamin C. The body cannot manufacture these micronutrients so they must be supplied in the diet (fruits and vegetables and pills).

Although it has not been proven, sleep helps with body growth by having some influence on the growth hormone. Studies investigating the effects of deprivation of active sleep have shown that deprivation early in life can result in behavioral problems, permanent sleep disruption and decreased brain mass.

Scientists have shown numerous ways in which sleep is related to memory. In one test, the average working memory span of the sleep-deprived group had dropped by 38 per cent in comparison to the control group.

Sleep researchers continue to work on the importance of sleep to keep us healthy and smart. So far the evidence shows that sleep does not harm us. In fact, without enough sleep we can look forward to lots of health problems in life. So, listen to your doctor and to your mother. Sleep well. Have sweet dreams. Wake up in the morning like a million dollar person and say, “Thanks, mom!”

Start reading the preview of my book A Doctor's Journey for free on Amazon. Available on Kindle for $2.99!