Q: I sleep for 10 hours a night and I think it is too much. I still feel drowsy. Is this deleterious to my health?

A: An adult requires only 7-8 hours of sleep a night. Daytime drowsiness despite this many hours of sleep may be due to medical conditions. Common ones are thyroid disorders, liver and kidney disease, anaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, depression, diabetes, alcohol and some medications.

Excessive sleep (more than 10 hours) can aggravate diabetes, heart disease, obesity, headaches, back aches and can result in early death.
 

Pain in the...

Q: I had some pain in the lower part of my abdomen. When nothing showed up on ultrasound, I had an endoscopy. There is a polyp in the sigmoid colon. I was told that it was not the cause of my symptoms. It was not removed. I still have stomach pain.

A: The polyp may have been an incidental finding. Polyps usually bleed and cause anaemia. They are rarely painful. Polyps can turn cancerous. It is better to remove polyps once they are discovered.
 

Don't blend it

Q:I am trying to lose weight with a healthy diet. I was told to have 4-6 helpings of fruit a day. Can I take this as juice?

A: Hundred per cent juice has the vitamins and minerals of whole fruit but the fibre is removed during the juicing process. This means the carbohydrate is left behind. A glass of juice contains 120 calories (the equivalent of two apples or oranges) but will not make you feel as full as the natural fruit. So you may consume more calories without realising it.
 

Just move it

Q: I have no time to exercise. I travel an hour to work each way and work for eight hours a day.

A: At any stage in life it is difficult to find time to exercise. Students have homework and examinations. Working people have full days. Senior citizens are tired and don't have the habit of exercising.

Ideally, you need to exercise an hour a day, with 40 minutes of aerobic activity (walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming) and 20 minutes of weight training, flexion and yoga. This can be split up into 2-3 shorter segments. The other simple way is to do 10 minutes of HIIT (high intensity interval training) or run up the stairs and walk down for 10 minutes. If you are doing shorter or split segments, try to become a "weekend warrior" as well and do two hours of exercise on Saturday and Sunday.
 

Cholesterol pills

Q: Recently, there have been newspaper reports that statins are not really needed and high sugars are a greater health risk. I am on statins. Should I stop?

A: If your cholesterol is dangerously high, and you have a family history of heart disease, statins can be lifesaving. If you are on statins you need to continue them. If your cholesterol is only mildly elevated, then perhaps you could concentrate on diet, lifestyle modifications and exercise. Exercising regularly reduces cholesterol, improves health, reduces cancer risk and increases life span. Statins are found to reduce some of the fitness benefits of exercise.

In small doses

Q: I developed backache and the doctor told me to rest. After a month the pain is worse!

A: Bed rest used to be recommended for back strain until studies showed that extended periods of rest make muscles lose their tone and constipation may develop. The veins in the leg can develop clots. These can become dislodged and cause dangerous pulmonary embolism or stroke. It will not improve the backache. Instead, limit the bed rest to a few hours at a time. Lie on one side with a pillow under the head and another between the knees.

Dr Gita Mathai is a paediatrician and author of Staying Healthy in Modern India. Mail your questions to yourhealthgm@yahoo.co.in