Dr Shahid's Third Principle of health to live 125 years and beyond includes Rest (and relaxation), Sleep and Recreation. (RSE)

We are discussing Dr Shahid's Six Principles of Health. These principles guarantee you to live 100 - 125 years and even longer ( without ever having to see any health care provider in your long and healthy ).

We have already discussed the first two Principles of Heath (Balanced diet and Exercise). For detail please refer to previous blog entries.

The third Principle of Health involves Rest and relaxation, Sleep and Entertainment (RSE).

Let us start with Rest and relaxation.


Rest and Relaxation


Life is busy and it seems each year it just gets busier. Work, family, school, and other commitments just eat the day away and leave you with no time to sit back and relax. However, rest and relaxation is very important. In fact, getting enough rest is imperative to living a healthy lifestyle and when you do not rest and relax you are putting yourself at risk for illness as well as many other side effects.

Why rest and relaxation are so important?

Physical & mental activity require energy & create waste product. As our energy levels go down & waste products accumulate in the body, we experience fatigue & desire for rest. During rest energy is restored & waste products diminish.

Fatigue is essential for it makes us aware for our need to rest. Relaxation (rest) obtained through artificial means such as coffee breaks (caffeine) and/or cigarette smoking only provides temporary stimulation but without any recuperation. Underlying fatigue still persists. Therefore, relaxation with the aid of tobacco, alcohol or other drugs is not recommended.

fatigue is actually increased (not decreased) by the use of such drugs, even though it might appear otherwise.

Fatigue can also be caused by other factors as well. These include :

i, Excessive smoking
ii, Overeating
iii, Lack of physical exercise (PE)
iv, Worry
v, Breathing polluted air
vi Sweating & not drinking salt water to replace the water & salt loss

There are also few pathological factors that cause fatigue. Such as :

i, Anemia
ii, Chronic congestive heart failure
iii, Low thyroid (Myxedema)
iv, Low Adrenal (Addison's Disease)
v, Cancer
vi, Chronic infection
vii, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Vii AIDS

(Rest is not recommended for these conditions. The factor causing the fatigue must be eliminated. For pathological factors causing fatigue one must seek medical help.)

Psychological effects of lack of rest and relaxation :

When you don't get enough rest you have difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, and even remembering things. You might not notice this at first or blame it on your busy schedule, but the more rest and relaxation you miss out, the more pronounced this symptoms will become.

Cognitive functions are first to go if we don't have enough rest. Cognition refers to our ability to think, process information, reason and develop new ideas. Our survival instinct is greatly influenced by our cognition. The ability to think properly and process information correctly (specially when we are driving or in emergency situations), can make a difference of life and death.

Mood is adversely affected next if there is not enough rest. In diminished cognitive ability due to lack of rest; irritation and frustration develops fast. Anger (losing temper easily at slightest provocation) is the first symptom followed by anxiety and depression.,

In addition, lack of rest and relaxation can really make us a difficult person to put up with. It is a scientific fact that when individuals miss out on good rest their personality is affected and they are generally more jittery, more grumpy, and snap easier.

What type of rest do we need?

The type of rest varies from person to person. For a construction worker, for example, just sitting down & drink some salty drink is enough. For someone whose job involves lot of mental activity; sitting down & resting is counterproductive. Therefore, in such instance, jogging, biking or playing some recreational physical sport might be a good idea.

Other ways to rest include :

i,Take a warm bath or shower, steam bath in a controlled sauna or a cold bath in a hot country..
ii, Sitting or reclining comfortably
iii, Listening to soothing music
iv, Reading something uplifting.
v, Being outdoor & enjoying the breeze or nature
vi Meditation, yoga, Ayurvedic massage (Abhyanga).
vii. Traditional massage.
viii. Watch your favourite comedy programs.
ix. Spend time in company of your friends who make you burst into laughter.
x. Spiritual Exercises (already mentioned before).

Lack of rest and relaxation also means diminished immune system.

What is immune System?

You will read about immune system many times in Dr Shahid's Six Principles of health. Rest and relaxation increase the immune system immensely and thereby enhances our ability to fight all kind of invaders. We live in an ocean of invading microorganisms who gain access to our body through various means. A good immune system is vital to combat not only these microorganisms but also to stand the stress of daily life.

In essence longevity means "good immune system".

Someone asked the 127 years old Russian man his secret of long life. He replied,

" When ah work ah work damn hard but when ah sit down (Rest and relax), ah sit like loose. "

If you are a believer of "Creation Myth", then you must know that even God rested on the seventh day.

For comments and question please write to :

syedshahidmd@yahoo.com.au