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How  important  is  sleep  to  health?

How important is sleep to health?

Early to bed and early to rising, makes a man healthy and wealthy and wise. These are the words to a children’s song to encourage them to sleep earlier for better health and a more productive day the next day. Sleep is important. It is important for rejuvenation of the body through rest. The body can repair itself after a long day, and your mind can settle into the unconscious for a while and get ready to conquer another day.

Stress Manager

There are so many advantages to sleeping well within the recommended hours and getting enough rest. The first one is that it reduces stress. When you get a nap and some well-deserved peace, on waking up you feel clearer and ready to manage your stress in a healthy way. For some people, sleep is the way they deal with stress. They take a timeout and wake up ready to handle the pressure in a good way. Whether it’s a work deadline or an unhealthy relationship. It could even be illness, sleep helps you to relax and go about your day more productively.

Better Health

In the same way, sleep helps deal with stress, it can also manage stress-related side effects. One example is high blood pressure. People with this condition are prone to have raised levels of blood pressure when they are stressed. During such times, it is better to close your eyes and rest to avoid any more health problems ensuing. Taking a break is better when things become overwhelming.

Good mood

Waking up angry and tired is not because you had a bad dream necessarily. It is mostly because you did not get enough sleep. When you wake up tired, you tend to be shorter tempered with people for speaking loudly or even demanding things from you in the office. If you have a high-stress job, or active family life sleep could be the one time and place to have solitude and complete rest. Lack of it results in feelings of frustrations and anger towards those who have no fault and no part to play in the fact that you are sleep-deprived.

Creativity

Sleep improves your creativity. Those dreams are proof of an incredible imagination. Sleep gives the physical body a break and mentally the unconscious can soar off and restructure and reorganize itself for creative work. It explains why after sleep, problems seem less complex and ideas flow freely. Researchers at Harvard and Boston College have found that after sleep emotional components are stronger which compliments the creative process.

Physical fitness

Longer hours of sleep have resulted in improved stamina, not just for your daily activities but also for physical activity. This includes exercise and sporting activities. For athletes, this translates into longer playing time with more stamina and less daytime fatigue. The secret to the repeated cramps or feelings of nausea due to overworking your body could just be sleep. Not another round of medication or supplements, instead just adopt an early to bed, early to rise schedule.

Improved academic performance

For children who did not perform well in school, they have problems paying attention and learning in the classroom. Research has shown that children who suffer from insomnia, sleep apnea and other types of interrupted breathing at night suffer in class. Further information indicates that sacrificing sleep to meet deadlines, as adults often do leads to a clear impairment for learning and ultimately performance. Therefore, if the children and adults could both sleep well through the night, they would do better in their respective areas.

Healthy weight

Often times people forget that sleep plays a role in maintaining a healthy weight. This is because sleep and weight are controlled by the same sectors of the brain, and when we feel sleepy the same hormones drive our appetite. Sleeping early means you spend less time thinking about your cravings and binge eating. In addition, dieters in a recent study said they felt more hungry when they got less sleep.

Can  miscarriages  be  prevented  with  lifestyle  changes?

Can miscarriages be prevented with lifestyle changes?

A miscarriage is one of the worst experiences an expectant mother can have. The joy of knowing you will be a mother is the stuff of dreams for many couples. Some couples struggle with infertility and opt for more technology-enhanced ways of getting pregnant or even adopting as a solution to have a family of their own. A miscarriage is an emotionally strenuous experience for any couple. There are feelings of loss and guilt. Sometimes the mother blames herself, thinking she could have done more to carry her pregnancy to full term. Sometimes, it is a biological issue that cannot be addressed head-on but can be managed to help the woman carry the pregnancy to full term. Either way, it is a stressful experience.

The cause of a miscarriage is often the result of a weak cervix. The weakness of the cervix is called an incompetent cervix, which cannot hold the pregnancy hence a miscarriage. A miscarriage that happens due to an incompetent cervix takes place in the second trimester. This is after or during the period of four to six months. In some cases, there are symptoms before a miscarriage happens which is caused by cervical insufficiency.

Some women do not experience any symptoms prior to a miscarriage, but bleeding is a cautionary sign that needs immediate attention. Mild to severe cramps is also a cause for medical attention as well as pain in your back and abdomen. Additionally, excessive vomiting can be linked to a miscarriage.

Unfortunately, miscarriages happen more often than not, with an average of one pregnancy out of five ending in a miscarriage. Miscarriages cannot be prevented. Other than having a weak cervix, it is also caused by a chromosomal abnormality in the development of the fetus which then results in a miscarriage. It is often heartbreaking and mothers need a lot of support, from friends, family and sometimes professionally. This is to prevent mothers or the couple from falling into depression or bearing feelings of guilt and blame.

To avoid a miscarriage altogether, it is best to maintain a healthy lifestyle throughout your pregnancy. Mothers who are breastfeeding should also consider adopting a healthy lifestyle after birth to ensure their children are safe and gain full nutritional value from the mother’s milk. To ensure that you are not in danger of having a miscarriage, pregnant women should visit a gynecologist to check the cervical area and uterus to ensure the pregnancy is going well. At this time, they will also advise on supplements to take and foods to avoid for a healthy pregnancy.

A woman who is planning for a pregnancy should visit the gynecologist to assess the strength of her uterus and cervix to be able to carry the baby to full term. Additionally, a well-balanced diet will go a long way to strengthen both mother and baby. Exercise should also be done in moderation, under the instructions of your doctor to avoid any unnecessary strain that could harm the pregnancy. As the pregnancy progresses, the strenuous movement should be kept to a minimum. This includes work long and late hours or frequent travel that could stress the body.

A stressful environment can also lead to a miscarriage. If a mother is working in an area that causes her to feel stressed frequently, or lives in such an environment; it could be detrimental to her health and that of the baby’s. If you have a regular habit of eating sugary foods and junk, your diet has to change to avoid acquiring diabetes during pregnancy. It is important to have your vitals checked for your blood sugar to make sure it is within the safe levels. Additionally, if you already have diabetes it is important to have it under control.

Poor habits like drinking too much alcohol, smoking and doing drugs can lead to a miscarriage and need to be stopped immediately. Therefore, it is safe to say that a poor lifestyle can be a contributing factor among other things when it comes to a miscarriage.

Should  nurses  have  the  right  to  refuse  to  treat  abusive  patients?

Should nurses have the right to refuse to treat abusive patients?

Introduction

Every man, woman, and child have the right to medical care, as it is contingent on their human rights. On the other hand, it is the right of a nurse to choose whether to attend to a patient or not, personally. Meaning, when they are acting as individuals as members of the public, but not when they are in uniform at a medical institution of their employ. Unless they have special reasons to decline to treat such a patient.

Abusive Patients

Abusive patients have poor moral standards that would disgust anybody, male or female. However, as a nurse is their occupation is vocational work and it would be wrong to deny them treatment or treat such patients ill. Just as it would be unfair for a police officer to show favoritism for one person over the other based on their race or social class.

People who behave in abusive nature often need to be rehabilitated and reprimanded in criminal cases. However, such people always need counseling to find out the root cause of their behavior. They may have been raised in an abusive home and they have no better example. More than that, they need to find healthy ways to channel feelings of anger, fear, and insecurity instead of hurting others. Nurses can help in such a situation, if not the health institution.

For such patients. Counseling can be provided to help them deal with emotional imbalance by first settling their own mental health issues. This is because the way you behave and the way you feel are connected, that is why dealing with the thought process that leads up to that situation, where the patient acts abusively; needs to be treated as well. However, it is good to note that some nurses may have been in abusive relationships and attending to an abusive patient, may trigger negative emotions towards the patients and painful memories.

In that case, it would be better if the nurse did not treat such a patient. In the event the nurse feels negatively affected by the patient’s presence and being in charge of administering their treatment, it is always good as the nurse head or supervisor to have a chat with the affected nurse. Understand their state of mind, and how they feel dealing with such a patient before forcing them to attend to a patient, that could end up traumatizing them emotionally. Nurses should have the right to refuse if it will affect their health in any way.

Abusive patients often need therapy. This means that, if they are not admitted based on injuries from their abusive behavior it is best if they commit to a therapy session regularly to deal with inner challenges. It can be done privately where they can speak openly to their therapist. Treatment for abusive patients means wanting to really change, taking responsibility for their actions, and seeking professional help from someone outside the family. This means, looking beyond your partner to help you change, however starting with admitting you have a problem is the first step.

While a nurse is working with such a patient, it is always to good to maintain mutual respect, a level head because after all, you are dealing with a temperamental character. It means, between the two of you, you as the nurse must maintain order and civility in the event of an outburst, or rage. It is also good to remember that an abusive person often has multiple problems. Including mental disorders such as depression which often leads to suicidal thoughts.

Conclusion

Abusive patients need to be monitored round the clock, with dangerous objects kept out of reach, should they feel the need to behave impulsively. Also, be very aware of how you speak to an abusive patient. They are often insecure, hypersensitive and mistrustful of others. They also tend to be very jealous, hence their controlling behavior. Dealing with an abusive patient is a delicate matter.

Should  nurses  get  additional  degrees  for  the  on-job  training  and  knowledge  that  they  acquire?

Nursing training programs

Introduction

Like any other career, you need tow things. Experience and qualifications. Today, it matters even more because the corporate and public workplaces have become increasingly competitive. This is because, the young people of today are very educated, and thrive on having knowledge. After all, we are in the age of information. Everything you need to know is a click and swipe away. Classes can be taken online to enrich your knowledge and enhance your resume. It is all possible if you choose to invest in education. At some point, it becomes mandatory if you are seeking a certain career path or job role.

Degrees for On Job Training

On the job training should come as part of the package for any respectable workplace. Career development is very important. Implementing career growth through continuous professional development seminars and workshops, allows you to enhance not only your skills but also the overall productivity of the staff. Which means, you provide a better service. In a place like a hospital, it is only prudent to keep up with technology, new medical procedures and read papers and journals on new techniques for treatment. The effects of various medication, and to know what is under research and development in the pharmaceutical industry.

Having knowledge, and staying relevant will keep you at pace with the best practices that will allow you to deliver the best service for the best recovery outcomes. Education in any career is important to keep progressing and doing the best for the people that you serve. Nursing education involves the clinical rotations that they have to get used to while on their shifts. Since they are on their feet most of the day, they need to be ready to walk around attending to patients to monitor their vitals and administer treatment.

The nursing students also practice by simulation thr0ugh out their schooling to develop care plans and clinical reasoning to make the best decisions that reflect care, skills and the best outcome for the patient. Whether they are in crisis or not, they have to practice making life decisions at a moment’s notice, in the event of an emergency. This is not easy to do, especially after practicing it for years to doing it in a real-life situation, the impact can be enormous.

This is why even emotional counseling seminars and training is essential for the nurses themselves. Dealing with patients can lead to familiarity and an affection for those whom you are dealing with. In some cases, their treatment ends in death and learning how to deal with those emotions appropriately is important for medical practitioners. At the end of their studies, both American and Canadian students must sit for the NCLEX-RN examination, and pass it to qualify as a nurse. NCLEX stands for National Council of Licensure Examination to practice.

Nurses also undergo a bachelor’s degree program in sciences for four years at college. However, it is also possible to go from an RN to BSN (bachelors of science in nursing) program, which is especially directed towards RNs who have an associate degree or nursing diploma. This allows you to move from practicing to an education and then applying it to your place of work. After completion, it will most likely put you at an advantage to earn more, and even move up in the ranks.

Conclusion

However, for an entry into the nursing profession an associate’s degree, diploma or bachelor’s degree can set you up as you learn the ropes. Further education also boosts the reputation, and as a result, the profits of the medical institution because they have better-qualified staff. Therefore, it becomes a win-win situation for all the parties involved, including the patients who will have access to better health care. Without a doubt, on the job training and additional education is important, and it should not be overlooked for such a significant role.

Should  medical  professionals  be  given  a  global  visa  so  that  they  can  work  wherever  they  are  needed  easily?

International-medical-graduates

The idea of having a global visa is very tempting. Not only does it allow you to travel like a world citizen, but it also means that you can get access into any country without the long procedures of applying for a visa to each country that you seek to visit. It is convenient and in case of emergency, it solves the problem of going overseas in at a moment’s notice.

This would be especially convenient for doctors who work overseas, military personnel, global volunteers, diplomats and the likes. Being a globetrotter means that you are busy, and it can get both equally expensive and cumbersome to continuously apply for visas to different parts of the world. For the case of medical practitioners such as doctors and nurses, being declined a visa, or not having your passport ready on time means that you are likely to lose a patient due to your absence due to delayed treatment or medication.

Organizations like the doctors without borders go to great length to travel the world over to offer medical care and quality health care to low-class citizens, and those caught in natural disaster crises. These medical practitioners are the ones in need of the global visas so that they can respond to the emergencies wherever they are needed. To practice overseas as a nurse, the nurse will at least need an Associate of Science in Nursing, also ASN, or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The hopeful nurse will also need to pass the national council licensing exam (NCLEX-RN), as well as experience in the US to qualify to practice abroad.

Therefore, it is no easy feat and it requires dedication on the part of the nurse. He or she will need to be focused on the opportunity to practice abroad and study hard and smart while getting the required experience to do so. Nurses may seek overseas jobs for many reasons. Among them, they may be offered better wages abroad, and also, they get to travel while doing what they love. On the other hand, working for non-profit organizations comes with good pay and benefits that can set up a foundation for young nurses.

More than that, they receive great exposure while working in remote areas and third world countries. During such times, their work truly feels vocational, and it is easy to feel fulfilled if you took the job for the right reasons. At times, nurses are invited to other countries to fill a shortage and hence, they may go in droves and willingly to help others. For these kinds of reasons precisely; filling a shortage, in response to disaster relief, nurses should be awarded a global visa along with the doctors who qualify to do so.

There should definitely be strict criteria and guideline to follow that will finally enable them to be awarded the privilege of having a global visa, which is essentially a global work permit. This opens up their careers to a wealth of opportunities exclusively to them alone due to the nature of their work. For nurses coming into the united states, they go through a Visa Screen. This is a visa credential assessment service for a comprehensive screening done on health care professionals who are seeking an occupational visa to work in the united states.

The applicants who complete the visa screening successfully then receive an official ICHP certificate for the Visa Screen credentials assessment service. The visa screen cost can be a bit pricey for the initial application at $540 dollars. However, for renewal, it cost significantly lower at $275 dollars. The Visa screen certificate is valid for a period of five years from the time it is issued to the successful nurse (candidate). After considering the necessities of a global visa, I believe that qualified nurses should be awarded such a visa on an honest application.

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