10 REASONS THAT WILL CONVINCE YOU TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE

-
Image
  Learning a new language is fun but it can be challenging too. It is not just great for your confidence, creativity and career prospects but also for your brain. Here are 10 benefits of learning a new language:   1.            Ward off Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease Learning a second or a new language makes changes in your brain structure which are linked with resilience against Alzheimer’s disease. It really can delay the development process of these two diseases. To maintain a healthy brain, we need to challenge and expand it consistently. Learning languages is a good option in this case.   2.          You become more smarter Your brain is a muscle and it also needs some exercise. When you learn new vocabulary and new grammar, your brain gets a nice workout which helps in improving the overall functionality of your brain. “You live a new life for every language you speak. If you know only one langu...

Why Should Sunscreens Be Your Best Friend?

-


 

It’s Summer Season and sunburn and sun tan is no new term. Sunburn is the skin condition caused due to excess exposure of the skin in the sun. It can cause redness, itchiness, pain and blisters. And when the skin gets damaged, it gets tanned. It can also cause stubborn dark spots, premature aging of the skin (wrinkles) and also skin cancer. The harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun are no joke. UVA rays can cause tanning and premature aging and UVB rays can cause sunburn.

In India, around 10 million people get sunburnt every year. Sunburn can cause serious damage to the skin cells by damaging the DNA on its upper layer or epidermis. And when our DNA is damaged, it will try to get immune cells to our skin which can cause skin blood vessels to break. This is the reason behind the redness that we see on our skin due to sunburn. Melanin, the pigment which gives colour to our skin and hair, will be produced in excess as a result of the DNA damage. And this is how we will see our skin get tanned after the redness goes away. This DNA damage can cause mutation in our skin cells which can cause skin cancer. Each year there are around 2 million cases of skin cancer in the world. For every 3 cancer cases diagnosed, one is of skin cancer.

 

What is a sunscreen?

A sunscreen consists of active ingredients which blocks the harmful ultraviolet rays of the sun from reaching your skin. It should be worn every day religiously, no matter if it is summer or winter, even if you plan to stay indoors. It needs to be reapplied every couple of hours. It is the best tool to protect our skin from sun damage.

There are two types of sunscreens: physical (mineral-based) and chemical. Dermatologists recommend mineral-based sunscreens because they are made up of natural ingredients and they don’t irritate the skin. They block the UV rays. Chemical sunscreens absorb UV rays and are more likely to cause irritation than physical sunscreens. But both types of sunscreens are safe to use and work effectively.

SPF stands for Sun Protection Factor. This tells us how long and how well a sunscreen will protect you from the UVB rays of the sun. SPF 15 blocks 93% of the UVB rays, SPF 30 blocks 97% and SPF 50 blocks 98%. It is recommended to use a sunscreen which offers broad spectrum protection (protection against both UVA and UVB) and is SPF 30 or higher.

 

Who, how and why?



Everyone (except babies under the age of 6 months) should apply sunscreens.

It should be applied to face, ears and all exposed parts of the body at least 30 minutes before going outside and it needs to be reapplied every two hours. If going for water sports like swimming, look for water resistant sunscreens. Apply at least one ounce of it to get full protection.

Sunscreens are used to prevent all kinds of sun damage and to lower your risk of skin cancer, sun tan, sun burn and premature aging. It also reduces your exposure to the UV rays of the sun. Your skin will thank you later if you use sunscreen every day.

 

 

Just sunscreen is not enough, we need to combine it with other protective measures. Avoid being in the sun during 10 am to 4 pm because at that time, the sun’s rays are at their strongest. Seek shade when the sun is harsh, carry a hat or a scarf, wear protective clothing like long sleeved shirts. Sun damage can lead to various serious complications so make sure that you are following all the prevention measures. Stay sun-safe. Happy Summer!

 


Popular posts from this blog

Toxic Relationships: 5 signs that you have a toxic best friend

-
Image
  Friends are those people who care for you, supports you no matter what and love you for the way you are. The great thing about friends is that they energize your soul. Do you notice that you are feeling disturbed or stressed by your friend’s behavior? Do you feel like you are not that close with your friend like how you used to be? And now you are probably wondering that how you two became friends in the first place. Then maybe you are stuck in a toxic friendship. Read on to see what toxic friendship actually is and what are the signs to look for to check whether your friend is being toxic. You are probably in a toxic friendship when you feel like you are being emotionally disturbed by your friend. You feel hurt, not understood and like you are being treated badly. Instead of feeling happy and energized, you feel drained when talking to them. It is hard to let go of a dear one but sometimes it is better to let them go if they are not willing to change. The main pillar of ...
Read more

Why Buddhism Isn’t Just A Religion but A Way of Living?

-
Image
Buddham Sharanam Gachhami (I go to the Buddha for refuge) Dhammam Sharanam Gachhami (I go to the Dhamma for refuge) Sangham Sharanam Gachhami (I go to the Sangha for refuge)                    Let us dive into the meaning of the above mantra. Buddha represents wisdom, which takes our mind towards mindfulness. It means that the person is now surrendered to Buddha, the enlightened one. Dhamma is the ultimate truth and reality. Truth can be found only in reality and not in illusions. Sangha is the community of Buddhist monks and nuns, who have willingly accepted the noble eightfold path for attaining wisdom.   Buddha and His Early Life   Buddhism is one of the major religions in the world and was founded by Buddha. Buddha was born as Siddhartha Gautama, a Hindu in Lumbini in Nepal. He was born into a royal family and had access to all the luxuries to himself. It was predicted that he...
Read more

Some Misconceptions about Mental Health: Getting rid of the mental health stigma

-
Image
The stigma around mental health is still there in today’s society. And because of the stigmas associated with it, so many misconceptions have arisen due to which people hesitate to reach out for help and decide to be silent about it. Read on to get all those common myths debunked because a little knowledge is often a dangerous thing.   1.    MYTH - People who are mentally ill are violent and dangerous FACT – Most of the mentally ill people are not violent and are like other normal beings. Only 4% violence happening is associated with cases of severe mental illness while the rest 96% violence is associated with the general population. But it is mostly seen that mentally ill people are more likely to be a victim of violence.   2.    MYTH – Mentally ill people are weak and can’t take up responsibilities FACT – Mental illness is not a sign of weakness or failure. Mental illness could be because of trauma, abuse, genetics, disability or changes ...
Read more