GRADE 4 - EPPWEEK 2 and WEEK 3

Good Health Habits / Proper care for clothes

Good Health Habits

REST AND SLEEP

Sleeping is the most effective form of rest. The body needs help and rest to recover the lost energy. It cannot work continuously for hours sleep and rest help make a person strong and healthy.

Growing girls and boys need enough rest and sleep. One should have eight hours of sleep everyday. Lack or not having enough sleep and rest makes one tired, irritable, nervous and weak.

The following are some of the many benefits health professionals associate with getting a good night’s rest.1. Better Productivity and Concentration

There were several studies that scientists did in the early 2000s that looked at the effects of sleep deprivation.

What the researchers concluded is that sleep has links to several brain functions, including:

● concentration● productivity● cognition

A more recent 2015 study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry showed that children’s sleep patterns can have a direct impact on their behavior and academic performance.

2. Lower Weight Gain Risk

The link between weight gain and obesity and short sleep patterns is not completely clear.

There have been several studies throughout the years that have linked obesity and poor sleep patterns.

This research argues that many previous studies fail to account adequately for other factors, such as:

● drinking alcohol● living with type 2 diabetes● level of physical activity● education levels● long working hours● long sedentary time

A lack of sleep may affect a person’s desire or ability to maintain a healthful lifestyle, but it may or may not be a direct contributor to weight gain.

3. Better Calorie Regulation

Similarly to gaining weight, there is evidence to suggest that getting a good night’s sleep can help a person consume fewer calories during the day.

For example, one study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Trusted Source says that sleep patterns affect the hormones responsible for appetite.

When a person does not sleep long enough, it can interfere with their body’s ability to regulate food intake correctly.

4. Greater Athletic Performance

According to the National Sleep Foundation, adequate sleep for adults is between 7 and 9 hours a night, and athletes may benefit from as many as 10 hours. Accordingly, sleep is as important to athletes as consuming enough calories and nutrients.

One of the reasons for this requirement is that the body heals during sleep. Other benefits include:

● better performance intensity● more energy● better coordination● faster speed● better mental functioning

5. Lower risk of heart disease

One risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)Trusted Source, getting adequate rest each night allows the body’s blood pressure to regulate itself.

Doing so can reduce the chances of sleep-related conditions such as apnea and promote better overall heart health.

6. More social and emotional intelligence

Sleep has links to people’s emotional and social intelligence. Someone who does not get adequate sleep is more likely to have issues with recognizing other people’s emotions and expressions.

For example, one study in the Journal of Sleep ResearchTrusted Source looked at people’s responses to emotional stimuli. The researchers concluded, similarly to many earlier studies, that a person’s emotional empathy is less when they do not get adequate sleep.

7. Preventing depression

The association between sleep and mental health has been the subject of research for a long time. One conclusion is that there is a link between lack of sleep and depression.

A study appearing in JAMA PsychiatryTrusted Source examines patterns of death by suicide over 10 years. It concludes that lack of sleep is a contributing factor to many of these deaths.

8. Lower inflammation

There is a link between getting adequate sleep and reducing inflammation in the body.

For example, a study in theWorld Journal of GastroenterologyTrusted Source suggests a link between sleep deprivation and inflammatory bowel diseases that affect people’s gastrointestinal tract.

The study showed that sleep deprivation can contribute to these diseases — and that these diseases, in turn, can contribute to sleep deprivation.

9. Stronger immune system

Sleep helps the body repair, regenerate, and recover. The immune system is no exception to this relationship. Some research shows how better sleep quality can help the body fight off infection.

However, scientists still need to do further research into the exact mechanisms of sleep in regards to its impact on the body’s immune system.

EXERCISE AND PROPER POSTURE

Exercise is necessary to help stimulate blood circulation. It also helps the body to digest food, eliminate body waste and improve respiration.

People need exercise suited to their age and health. Young and healthy boys and girls can do exercises that may be different from what older people do.

Playing, walking, running, bending and stretching are some examples of exercises that you can do.Exercise also helps tone the muscles and attain good posture.

Posture is the position of the body in walking, sitting and lying down. To maintain good posture, proper setting, standing and walking should be observed. Straighten your body and avoid slouching when walking, standing and sitting.

Proper Posture:● Keep your neck in line with your spine

● Keep your chin aligned with your neck, ears over shoulders

● Keep your back straight

● Keep your shoulders back, relaxed and down

● Keep your knees relaxed do not lock them

● Keep your pelvis slightly tucked under, belly button pulled back towards your spine

REGULAR BOWEL MOVEMENT

It is very important to eliminate waste or have regular bowel movement. This will help you maintain good health as you are getting rid of body waste.

Develop the habit of having a regular body movement. Drinking at least eight glasses of water a day aids body waste because it helps in easier digestion of food and prevents constipation. Eating fruits and vegetables that are rich in fiber is another good practice to help you have a regular bowel movement.

They allow you to empty waste from your diet via your intestines. While all people make bowel

movements, the frequency varies greatly.

Some researchers indicate that anywhere from three bowel movements a day to three a week

can be normal. Sometimes the consistency of a person’s stool can be a more significant indicator

of bowel health than frequency. However, if a person doesn’t poop often enough or too

frequently, both can cause severe health problems.

How many times a day should you poop?

There is no generally accepted number of times a person should poop. As a broad

rule, pooping anywhere from three times a day to three times a week is normal. Most

people have a regular bowel pattern: They’ll poop about the same number of times a

day and at a similar time of day.

What can affect how frequently you poop?

Several factors can influence how much and how often you poop. These can include:

Diet

Both soluble and insoluble fiber in the forms of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits can add bulk to your stool, promoting bowel movements. If you don’t have a significant amount of these foods in your diet, you may not poop as regularly.

Fluids also make stool softer and easier to pass. This is why many doctors recommend increasing fluid intake if you’re often constipated.

Age

The older you get, the more likely you are to be constipated. This is due to a number of factors, including reduced gastric movement that encourages digestion, reduced mobility, and taking more medications that may slow bowel health.

Activity level

Peristalsis is the internal intestinal movement that propels digested food material forward to be eliminated as stool. You can help this movement along through physical activity, such as walking or engaging in other forms of exercise.

Chronic or acute illness

Some chronic illnesses, such as inflammatory bowel disease (which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis), can cause increased episodes of bowel movements, followed by periods of constipation.

Acute illnesses, such as viral gastroenteritis (stomach flu) or an injury that requires you to take pain medicines that slow down bowel activity can cause changes to bowel movement patterns

Eating the Right Kinds of Food

Eating the right kinds of food promotes good health, strength and energy and helps build a strong body. Nutritious foods help your body to function well as they contain vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Boys and girls grow faster and are brighter when given nutritious foods. Eating a variety of the right kinds of food everyday will give you the nutrients your growing body needs.

● Eating a wide variety of healthy foods helps to keep you in good health and to protect against chronic disease.

● Eating a well-balanced diet means eating a variety of foods from each of the five food groups daily, in the recommended amounts.

● It is also important to choose a variety of foods from within each food group. ● Takeaway foods, cakes, biscuits and soft drinks are examples of foods usually high in

saturated fat, added salt or added sugars. They should be considered as extras to your usual diet and only eaten occasionally and in small amounts.

● Daily food served are different for children, teenagers, women and men.

The Food Pyramid

Proper Care for the Clothes

Clothes look better and last longer when properly cared for. Taking care of one’s clothes is necessary for a person to look better while wearing them. Boys and girls who wear clean clothes look and smell good are well liked by others.

How to take care of your clothes properly?

1. Clothes should be kept properly. Outer clothing such as blouse, dress, skirts and pants should be in a hanger in the cabinet. Underwear should be folded and kept in shelves with other folded items such as handkerchiefs, sleepwear and socks.

2. Keep your clothes well pressed.3. Keep your clothes in good condition. Mend holes and tears before washing the clothes to prevent

the damage from worsening. Sew on missing buttons and fasteners.4. Wear appropriate clothes. Ensure that what you wear is suited for a particular time, weather and

occasion.5. When your clothes are wet with perspiration, air dry them. This is to avoid having perspiration odor

clings to your clothes that will cause them to have unpleasant smell.6. Boys and girls should change underwear everyday to avoid unpleasant smell. Learn to wash your

own underwear.7. Keep clean clothes in clothing cabinet. Keep and classify them properly based on their use. 8. Put dirty clothes in proper container or hamper. Do not mix these with your clean clothes.9. Put on clothes correctly. Open buttons and fasteners before putting on clothes and close them. Do

the same when removing clothes.

Laundering, ironing and removing stains from clothes properly are skills that you should learn so you can take care of your clothes.

Laundering (Laundry)

Is the process of washing clothes with water. These include a washing machine, dryer, detergent and fabric conditioners.

Two ways of laundering:

- Washing by hand or hand washing- Machine wash or laundering with the

use of a washing machine.

Both ways need to follow the steps of sorting, soaking, soaping, rinsing and drying.