Tag Archives: wellbeing

Please get rid of this headache!

Possibly one of the most dreadful feelings: an oncoming headache. Nothing more mundane could be worse than your head feeling like it’s caving in at any moment while you’re trying to get through the day. There are many different types of headaches, with tension headaches being the most common among adults and teens caused by a variety of factors.

Painkillers are a common and quick remedy to relieve headaches. [Source: Vox]

You soon find yourself at the local pharmacy to quickly rid yourself of the pain. So, what should you take? The following are common over-the-counter drugs (OTC) used to treat pain and fever relief.

Tylenol

This is the brand name of the chemical drug acetaminophen (also known as paracetamol). It is the most popular OTC painkiller worldwide. Acetaminophen inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandins, which are chemical messengers produced by the body in response to an injury/illness that helps to signal pain and induce fever. Acetaminophen then blocks this signalling to help reduce the pain. Prostaglandins also induce inflammation of the body tissues but (unlike the other two drugs below) acetaminophen does not have anti-inflammatory action.

Tylenol is the most common OTC painkiller worldwide. [Source: London Drugs]

Acetaminophen is most frequently involved in drug overdose. Overdose or mixing with alcohol may result in severe or fatal liver damage. It was the leading cause of acute liver failure in the US between 1998 and 2003.

However, Tylenol is generally considered safe for pregnant women in all three trimesters. It can also be taken by any age group including young children with fevers at 3-months-old, which is probably one of the main reasons why this brand is so popular.

Advil

This brand’s sole medicinal ingredient is ibuprofen. It belongs to the class called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ibuprofen blocks the production of prostaglandins and helps relieve a broad range of aches, especially hangover-type headaches!

Advil is popular to take when relieving headaches during a hangover. [Source: BisonOffice.com]

Most NSAIDs also have an anti-platelet effect from reversibly altering platelet function, which protects from blood clots by prolonging bleeding time.

Women are not recommended to take Advil during pregnancy. Unlike Tylenol, children need to wait until at least 6-months-old to take Advil.

Aspirin

The chemical name of this brand is acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). Like Advil, they also belong to the class of NSAIDs therefore also providing release with anti-inflammatory action. They also work by decreasing the body’s production of prostaglandins. In addition to providing relief from headaches, Aspirin can be prescribed by a doctor as a blood-thinner to lower the risk of stroke and heart disease, something that Tylenol and Advil cannot do.

Aspirin is another well-known brand of OTC painkillers. [Source: London Drugs]

Unlike other NSAIDs, Aspirin irreversibly and permanently prevents platelet function during their lifespans of 8-10 days, resulting in inclined unstopped bleeding.

Aspirin is considered relatively safe in infrequent doses for women during the first two trimesters of pregnancy, but should be avoided in the third trimester as it can be harmful to both the mother and baby. Aspirin should also be avoided in children less than 18-years-old that have a viral illness (e.g. flu or chicken pox) due to the risk of Reye syndrome.

Comparison and conclusions:

Table comparing the three painkiller brands. Advil has the most adverse effects, but Advil is less toxic than Tylenol in terms of overdosage. Advil and Aspirin are similar in their type class and side effects. Tylenol is safest to use for pregnant women and can be taken the earliest in children. [Source: Created using Microsoft Powerpoint]

It’s common sense that taking too many painkillers is bad for you. Do not take OTC drugs too frequently as it may cause the body to overly rely on the medication, resulting in additional headaches. There are many natural ways to treat headaches that can be just as effective. Below is a video on head massage techniques that can help as well.

Please note this post is a basic guideline for the self-treatment of common, mild-to-moderate headaches. If your headache is excruciating or lasts longer than a couple days, please consult with a pharmacist/doctor if there is an underlying issue and to discuss other treatment options.

– Julie Zhu

Why the Snooze Button is Anything But Your Friend

The weekend’s over, it’s Monday morning, and suddenly it’s time to go back to another busy week of work. Your alarm clock goes off and almost instinctively – like a predator just waiting to pounce on its prey – you hit snooze.

You know that feeling all too well, and you’re not the only one. A 2014 study revealed that more than half of the American population admitted to regularly using the snooze button. It turns out that what we see as only a few extra minutes of “much-needed” sleep is doing us more harm than good.

So, what’s actually going on when we hit snooze?

A person reaching for the alarm clock at 7 a.m.
Source: The Dreaming Show

Most people who rely on alarm clocks experience sleep inertia, which is the state of grogginess and disorientation one immediately feels upon waking. The deeper the sleep stage you are waking up from, the more intensely you feel the effects of sleep inertia (and the more tempting it is to reach for that snooze button!). When we hit the snooze button and doze off again, our bodies are actually preparing to enter the start of another sleep cycle, making it nearly impossible to reach the final stage of the sleep cycle, REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, within a matter of minutes. This ends up leading us to feel even more exhausted throughout the day.

According to research and Human Sleep Science expert Professor Matthew Walker, being abruptly woken by an alarm clock triggers a “burst of activity [within the nervous system that causes] a spike in blood pressure and sudden acceleration in heart rate.” This means that repeatedly bargaining for more sleep is dangerously detrimental to our own hearts.

Is there anything I can do about it?

A woman basking in the sunrise. Source: Pixabay

If you’re only realizing this now, it’s not too late to turn around and reverse this impulsive snoozing habit. Luckily for you, the road to recovery isn’t a difficult one. Perhaps set only one alarm at a later time rather than having multiple alarms to avoid interrupting your sleep or consider sticking to a consistent sleep schedule to train your body’s natural wake mechanisms. There are even sunrise alarm clocks that replace the blaring alarms with gradually brightening light to help us ease out of our slumber more naturally.

While we may have plenty of excuses to get a few additional moments of sleep in the mornings, we should have no excuse when our health and well-being is on the line.

Continue reading