Afternoon Nap

New Delhi, April 19 (IANS) Imposing a second round of lockdown in Delhi was the need of the hour as an exponential surge in Covid-19 cases has brought the health system close to collapse, Delhi Chef Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, before announcing a week-long lockdown in the national Capital.The Chief Minister said the state government will be relentlessly using its all efforts to improve the health system of the national capital at this critical stage since the Covid-19 pandemic started early last year in the country. "However, at present, there is no other option left before the government except to impose a lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus in Delhi," Kejriwal said while addressing a press conference.The decision to impose a week-long lockdown came after the Chief Minister met Delhi Lt Governor Anil Baijal, who is also the chairman of Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA)."In a meeting with L-G today, we discussed a lot about Delhi's health management system, Covid-19 situation and government's preparation to fight against the spread of coronavirus in the city. And, we found Delhi's health system over-burdened, but not completely collapsed. We have reached a stage where we (Delhi Govt) have no other option but to impose an immediate lockdown," Kejriwal said.The Chief Minister, however, announced that marriage functions will be allowed with only gathering of 50 people. Also, pregnant women and patients getting for medical treatment along with attendant will be allowed with doctors' prescriptions and production of valid -ID card. The fresh DDMA order issued noted that public transport - metro, DTC and public buses etc will continue in services with their 50 per cent capacity. Auto rickshaws, taxi cabs would be allowed to carry only two passengers. However, the people travelling on any mode of transportation in Delhi will have to carry mandatory ID card."All private offices/ establishments, shop, malls, markets, manufacturing units, educational institutions, Cinemas and theatres shall remained close during curfew. All social, political, religious, cultural, festival related gathering will be prohibited. There shall be no restrictions on entre-state or intra-state movement/ transportations of essential goods. No separate permission or e-passes will be required for such movements," the DDMA order read."Curfew on movement of individuals (except for exemption given) in the territory of NCT of Delhi with effect from 10 pm on April 19 (Monday) to 5 am on April 26 (Monday). In case of any person found violating DDMA instructions, the defaulting person shall be proceeded against as per the provisions of section 51 to 60 of Disaster Management Act- 2005," a fresh order issued by DDMA read.The DDMA order stated that government and private offices will remain close except those involve in essential services. "All judicial officers/officials staff members of all Courts of Delhi (Supreme Court Of India, High Court of Delhi, District Courts/ Tribunals will allowed with production of valid Identity Card, Service ID card/ Photo entry passes/ permission letter issued by the Court administration," DDMA said.--IANSpd/ash

Beijing- Taking a regular afternoon nap can keep your brain sharp as a new study suggests that afternoon napping is linked to better mental agility. The researchers, including Wei Li from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China, suggests that afternoon nap seems to be associated with better locational awareness, verbal fluency and working memory. For the study, published in the journal General Psychiatry, the researchers involved 2,214 ostensibly healthy people aged at least 60 and residents of several large cities around China. In all, 1,534 took a regular afternoon nap, while 680 did not. All participants underwent a series of health checks and cognitive assessments, including the Mini Mental State Exam (MMSE) to check for dementia. The average length of night time sleep was around 6.5 hours in both groups. Afternoon naps were defined as periods of at least five consecutive minutes of sleep, but no more than 2 hours, and taken after lunch. Participants were asked how often they napped during the week -- this ranged from once a week to every day. The dementia screening tests included 30 items that measured several aspects of cognitive ability, and higher function, including visuospatial skills, working memory, attention span, problem-solving, locational awareness and verbal fluency. The MMSE cognitive performance scores were significantly higher among the nappers than they were among those who did not nap. And there were significant differences in locational awareness, verbal fluency, and memory. This is an observational study, and so can't establish the cause. And there was no information on the duration or timing of the naps taken, which may be important, the researchers said. But there are some possible explanations for the observations found, say the researchers. One theory is that inflammation is a mediator between mid-day naps and poor health outcomes; inflammatory chemicals have an important role in sleep disorders, note the researchers. Sleep regulates the body's immune response and napping is thought to be an evolved response to inflammation; people with higher levels of inflammation also nap more often, explain the researchers. (IANS)

Beijing - Many believe that lying down for a snooze is a harmless activity but now, a new study shows that napping for longer than an hour is linked to higher risk of heart disease and death. Previous research on the link between daytime naps and death or cardiovascular disease has produced conflicting results. In addition, it did not account for the duration of night-time sleep. This study, presented at 'ESC Congress 2020 The Digital Experience', summarised the available evidence to assess the relationship between napping and the risks of all-cause death and cardiovascular disease. A total of 3,13,651 participants from more than 20 studies were included in the analysis. Some 39 per cent of participants took naps. "Daytime napping is common all over the world and is generally considered a healthy habit," said study author Dr. Zhe Pan of Guangzhou Medical University, China. "A common view is that napping improves performance and counteracts the negative consequences of 'sleep debt'. Our study challenges these widely held opinions," Pan added. The analysis found that long naps (more than 60 minutes) were associated with a 30 per cent greater risk of all-cause death and 34 per cent higher likelihood of cardiovascular disease compared to no napping. When night-time sleep was taken into account, long naps were linked with an elevated risk of death only in those who slept more than six hours per night. Overall, naps of any length were linked with a 19 per cent elevated risk of death. The connection was more pronounced in women, who had a 22 per cent greater likelihood of death with napping compared to no napping, and older participants, whose risk rose by 17 per cent with naps. Short naps (less than 60 minutes) were not risky for developing cardiovascular disease. "The results suggest that shorter naps (especially those less than 30 to 45 minutes) might improve heart health in people who sleep insufficiently at night," Dr. Pan said The reasons why napping affects the body are still uncertain, some studies have suggested that long snoozes are linked with higher levels of inflammation, which is risky for heart health and longevity. "Other research has connected napping with high blood pressure, diabetes, and poor overall physical health," the study authors wrote.(IANS)