Rise and shine, it’s morning! The alarm goes off while you sleepily struggle to switch it off. Even before you are completely awake, your mind reminds you to drop your child earlier to school, because of his PT session. Groggily stepping out of the bed, you brush your teeth. After a cup of tea and a quick shower, your head clears up. You catch a quick breakfast and a few minutes later you are on your bike, navigating through a mass of auto-rickshaws, cars, buses, bikes, bullock-carts and pedestrians, cutting through a din created by honks, screams, shouts and screeches. A journey that ideally should have lasted twenty minutes takes forty five. You enter your office dusty, greasy and already slightly tired.
Through the day you stare at your computer screen or attend meetings. Work never ceases, deadlines just get tighter and you end up working after office hours. Once again fighting through the din and pollution on the roads, you reach home. Tired and sleepy, you cannot do anything more than have dinner and flick through TV channels till sleep takes over. Yes, that’s urban life. With some variations here and there, city life is all about hurry, worry and the ominous f-word - fatigue.
Dr RS Raju, a private practitioner in Vijaynagar, Bangalore, says, “Urban life to a large extent means preoccupation with work. Expectations are high in all spheres. People always have to hurry, no matter what they are doing. All this can result in mental, physical and emotional fatigue.” In fact, a poll conducted in the UK by Legal and General in 2006 found that modern life is the biggest health worry. The public cited that fatigue, lack of exercise, lack of sleep and stress formed their top health concerns. In India, it is likely that the situation may not be too different. The western work culture has caught on, and so it is possible that it has also brought with it the bane of stress and fatigue.
Ironically, though today we have all kinds of machines to simplify our lives – such as washing machines, dish-washers, vacuum cleaners and air conditioners - we have ended up getting entangled in a highly complex web of social obligations and expectations at work and home. Fatigue follows close on with symptoms such as sleepiness, irritability, lack of concentration, memory lapses, muscle ache or soreness, appetite loss and low motivation.
Dr Raju elaborates, “Today an individual is exposed to a variety of activities, be it at an individual level or group level. His happiness depends upon a number of factors such as monetary benefits, job satisfaction, acceptance in society and perhaps, the ability to make a difference in somebody’s life.”
Dr Raju adds that it may not be necessary that the income increases at the same rate as the cost of living. But having become trapped in the allure of social status, the person may go on spending money, just to maintain his/her standing. This can lead to lot of stress and undue mental fatigue, he says.
The migration from a physically demanding, but a simpler way of life to a high stakes game of mental challenges has played havoc with the human body.
Dr Srinath Herur, a family physician at Anjana Clinic, Kanakapura Road Bangalore, says, “Severe day to day fatigue can have serious repercussions on an individual’s life, be it social, behavioral, psychological or financial. It can negatively affect the enthusiasm for all activities, reduce efficiency at work and affect the ability to connect with family members and friends.”
Incidentally, this can be managed. Going back to nature, getting enough sunlight, drinking lots of water, eating well and sleeping on time can help cut down fatigue greatly. In fact, a healthy and balanced diet goes a long way in helping one to manage fatigue. Sadly, in this age of unit families and working couples, there may not be enough time to cook a wholesome healthy meal. People are increasingly opting for fast food or ready-to-cook food.
It is important to watch one’s diet. A healthy diet should include carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fibre and proteins. Post thirty, it is advisable to moderate your salt, sugar and fat intakes. One can also choose to adda nutritional supplement to your daily routine to help meet your body’s nutritional requirements. Proper nourishment would also help the body to build its defenses and hence protect against future illnesses.
You can also consider including a health food drink in your daily routine. Fortified with all the essential vitamins and minerals as per nutritional requirements for your age, a health food drink can help your maintain/ build your stamina in the long run as well. You can choose something that is designed for the health-conscious adult with zero added sugar and zero cholesterol, and is fortified with essential micronutrients, is high in fibre and protein.
Modern life has its share of negatives. But then, there are ways that can help counteract these by being more aware and more judicious in our choices. As Dr Herur says, “In the rush of modern life it makes sense to add a health food drink to your regular diet. At least it can help get you the necessary nutrition!”
So the next time you visit the supermarket, don’t dally in the fast food section. Move on and make a healthy choice. After all, as the old saying goes, health is wealth!
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