Keeping the Christmas holidays healthy

With Christmas just around the corner, the festive fun can often be overshadowed by stress. But experts warn that it is also a period that individuals face some negative consequences that can damage their health and well being, reports SADE OGUNTOLA.

 

Christmas is a time for family, fun and happiness. Why Christmas can be good for your health, it can be a minefield of health woes ranging from stress, party hangovers, injuries, temptation to overindulge in food and drinks.

Although the perception of Christmas is that of a holiday, and  perhaps to visit places like the zoo or watch the latest film at the cinema, many actually spend more time on their feet in parties, shopping and slaving away in the kitchen.

But, this festive fun is often overshadowed by stress. The pressures of Christmas shopping, time, money, planning get-togethers, managing finances and over-excited children can often lead to anxiety, sleep disturbances, headaches, loss of appetite and even poor concentration, all of which are symptoms of stress.

On the stress scale, experts have listed such things as shopping and social demands of Christmas, as well as finances concerns as common stressors experienced around festive periods like Christmas.

Spending weeks worrying about Christmas can also lead to immune system breakdowns, leaving people susceptible to colds. Coming into contact with more people at this time also exposes them to more infections.

“It could be stressful because the woman is trying to please everybody and buying one thing or the other for everybody. Where there is no money, that even gives a bigger headache during this season,” said Dr Victor Makanjuola, a consultant psychiatrist, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.

According to him, individuals that are divorced, whose children are not around or living alone tend to feel the impact of isolation and loneliness more during festive periods as Christmas. The friends and people that they normally hang out with are either with their families or travelled for the season.

Psychologists from Coventry University also argue that Christmas can be a sad and nostalgic time, when the loss of a family member may become especially painful.

As money is a major concern over Christmas, it can also make the season lose its shine and cause additional worries on how best to plan the celebration, presents to buy, places to visit and the possibility of travelling to be with their families.

Family issues can add to the stress of Christmas. Not only are there many domestic tasks but also spending concentrated period of time with family members can increase the risk of conflict.

Unfortunately, people with mental conditions are particularly at risk of being isolated. “If the mental illness is one that is obvious, there is the tendency for the family to want to hide such a person. For instance, they instigate hospital admission even when the person does not require one to ensure people coming to visit will not see such individuals,” said Dr Makanjuola.

In fact, some persons with mental problems which are not necessarily an illness such as mental retardation, he added are excluded from activities to mark the season.

Home accidents are often a part of many holiday seasons. Dr Jerome Elusiyan, consultant paediatrician, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Complex, Ile-Ife, Osun State stated that cases of children sustaining injuries from falling, swallowing small parts of toys and diarrhoea from badly prepared or stored foods tend to occur more during festive periods.

He added: “Nylon wraps for toys and dresses must be kept away from children. They can get suffocated if they put it on their head while playing.

“Buying toys appropriate for each age group is also important. Babies and toddlers can choke on small parts or swallow harmful parts of the toy. Toys that are not meant for young children are clearly marked.

“Of course, when playing children are better monitored and not left alone to ensure they do not injure themselves. There are instances of children falling off the balcony and sustaining injury while playing. Fireworks can cause burns on children when they explode and some can cause inhalation injury.”

Dr Elusiyan suggested regular washing of hands and surfaces to avoid cross-contamination, cook foods to proper temperatures and refrigerate foods promptly to keep the holiday healthy.

With numerous activities to enjoy and festive occasions to attend, it’s not always easy to get enough sleep over the holidays. Still, experts say that getting a proper amount of rest and a full night’s sleep can go a long way in maintaining one’s health and in a better frame of mind.

A good night’s sleep can help to strengthen the immune system, as well as relieve the stress and anxiety associated with the holidays.  It ensures more alertness and prevents being grumpy.

While the short-term and long-term health risks of alcohol intake are well documented, nothing could be worse than having something terrible go wrong due to the overconsumption of alcohol, whether it’s a family argument, saying something inappropriate or worse, have an alcohol-related auto accident.  Perhaps, setting a limit on alcohol use in advance may be helpful.

Clutter, alcohol and tiredness make the stairs an accident hot spot during Christmas. It is common to fall down steps or stairs after drinking. So, keeping the stairs well lit and free from obstacles is important, especially when guests who could be going up to the bathroom during the night.

So, how best can Christmas be made healthy?

According to Dr Makanjuola, individuals spending Christmas alone must make time for enjoyable activities such as visitation and planning outings with others who also need companionship.

Starting to plan early for Christmas shopping and get-togethers, he declared helpful in coping with the stress. Also, having realistic goals is imperative. Expecting too much of oneself can increase stress levels.

“Even if there is not much money, women can still buy their children small gifts rather than those expensive ones, it only require planning ahead,” said Dr Makanjuola.