Air Travel stress

Long TV hours could shorten your life span

Air travel stress
Air travel stress

Remote control

Are you one of those people who would like to retire to your television set for hours together after returning home from work every day, may be with the added luxury of comfortably reclining back on your couch and the accompaniment of some tasty snacks or junk food – however you may wish to label it ? If the answer is yes, then you should seriously reconsider this particular habit or life style of yours for it could prove to be a fatal one according to a recent research conducted by Osaka university of Japan. Do you already hear alarm bells ringing? Probably you should. After studying 86,000 people who were in the age group of 40 to 59 for a period of over 18 (that’s right, you read it right) years, researchers found out that there were a total of 59 premature deaths from a lung condition called ‘Pulmonary embolism’.               

It is a condition whereby a blockage develops in the pulmonary artery which is essentially the artery that carries blood from the heart to the lungs.  The research and it findings were recently presented at the European Society of Cardiology conference in London. It was already well known that this condition was more prevalent among those who take long haul flights frequently and is connected to the ‘economy class syndrome’ which is basically the formation of blood clots in veins deep within the legs of flight passengers especially those travelling in the economy class where the leg space for each passenger is very limited resulting in immobility for the duration of the flight.

The findings of this research state that those who watch television for 5 hours or more a day are at a greater risk of suffering a deadly blood clot than those who clock two and a half hours a day in front of the TV. And this risk of suffering from pulmonary embolism is significantly higher in the age group of 40 to 59. They are at six times greater risk (those who watch for 5 hours or more) than those who watch less than 2 and a half hours a day.

Serious cautioning apart, remedies suggested by the researchers include those that are recommended for long distance flyers, viz. taking a break, standing up and walking around a bit during regular watching hours. Drinking water frequently can also be very helpful as it prevents dehydration. Curtailing your tv hours altogether is a still better remedy restricting the same for only those programmes that are deemed necessary and positively influencing. A walk across the neighborhood park or a stroll along a beautiful garden would most certainly benefit most of us on any day of the year, rainy, sunny or otherwise. Cheers !!!

Vijay ram