Hazy weather not only affects people’s physical health but also “depresses” their mental state. Guangzhou’s hazy weather has lasted for many days, and the number of patients with respiratory, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in hospitals has increased. In addition to this, many people also feel unmotivated and depressed all day long. Our reporter exclusively interviewed doctors of respiratory, cardiology, psychology and ophthalmology to present a guide to living in hazy days for an all-round interpretation.
Respiratory system: Young women have more sensitive airways
The respiratory system bears the brunt of the hazy weather. This is especially true for people with underlying respiratory diseases. Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, for example, have seen a certain increase in outpatient visits recently. They already have poor lung function, and then encounter physical and chemical stimuli from harmful particles in the air, causing airway reactions that can easily lead to lung infections, increased airway obstruction, increased sputum, and more likely other complications, such as respiratory failure.
In addition, the airways of asthma patients are inherently sensitive to external substances and are in a state of overreaction, and they are also prone to attacks when the air quality is poor. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is predominantly in the elderly, while asthma affects both the old and young. These patients may have to adjust their medication on hazy days. For example, anti-infective and phlegm-forming medications are used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, while asthma patients may need to add wheezing medications. But all of them should be under the guidance of a doctor. Patients with allergic rhinitis are also prone to nasal itching, incessant sneezing, runny nose and nasal congestion on hazy days.
Patients with the above basic respiratory diseases have recently increased in the outpatient clinic, but the increase is not too great due to the increased awareness of health care for themselves and their families. The most obvious increase is in the number of patients who say they have been coughing for a week or two, often with itchy throats, little phlegm and no fever, a large part of which is related to poor air quality, “especially some young women, whose airways are more sensitive to haze. In contrast, smokers do not necessarily react so much.” Many patients are anxious to stop coughing and ask if they can hang anti-inflammatory injections, but this type of cough, if not serious, does not require special medication, you can properly increase the protection of the respiratory tract, drink more water, drink some lung soup to relieve symptoms, when the air quality turns better, the symptoms will be significantly improved.
Cardiovascular: easy to induce cardiovascular disease
The complex composition of tiny particles in the air will stimulate the body’s immune system, a series of inflammatory reactions, vasoconstriction, vascular endothelial cell dysfunction, generating a large number of free radicals, leading to thrombosis and increased blood pressure; the human body inhaled a large number of particles, stimulating the nerve reflexes in the lungs, affecting the funding of the nervous system, leading to heart rate disorders, so the haze weather will induce coronary heart disease, stroke, heart attack, angina, etc. The risk of death from these diseases is also on the rise because of the onset of cardiovascular diseases.
A recent study by the American Cancer Society found that for every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 concentration in the air, the death rate from coronary heart disease in the population increases by 24%. Domestic data also show that in large cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xi’an, where the population is large, the risk of premature death is higher if PM2.5 is high.
Psychological: Be wary of “haze anxiety”
The gloomy weather all day long, without sunshine and blue sky, will have an impact on people’s mental state. First, it affects the central nervous system. A gland in the brain called the pineal gland, very sensitive to changes in light, once the external light becomes dark, it will be relatively active, inhibiting the synthesis of hormones such as thyroxine and adrenaline. So the general population, in these days will also feel bad mood, “wilted”, if the hazy weather continues, will intensify anxiety, depression and other negative emotions.
Fall and winter are already high periods of depression, and for people who suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental disorders, the damage of hazy weather is even greater, and they may experience more depression, fidgeting and seasonal mood disorders. The American Journal of Psychiatry has published research linking air pollution to an increase in suicide rates. Second, hazy weather itself can cause respiratory, cardiovascular and other somatic problems, which are related to immune imbalance in the body, and the state of immune imbalance is also one of the comprehensive causes of depression and anxiety.
Eyes: frame glasses can block dust
When the wind blows in hazy weather, or when roadside cars pass by with exhaust fumes, many people will feel dry and itchy eyes, foreign body sensation or even stinging. This is because the mucous membrane of the eyes is extremely sensitive to dust and chemicals, plus the bacteria and viruses carried by the dust in the air are irritating to both eyes and can easily lead to conjunctivitis. You can use artificial tears to clean your eyes every day at home to reduce the amount of time that particles are attached to the mucous membrane.
The contact lens wearers should pay more attention. In the hazy weather, harmful substances in the air are more likely to hide in the gaps between contact lenses and cornea, and many people wear soft contact lenses, which are less breathable, so viruses and bacteria can easily multiply in them. Long-term wearers of contact lenses, the cornea itself is long-term lack of oxygen, prone to corneal epithelial damage or surface ulcers, more prone to infection than others. Originally, tears have a flushing function and also contain antiseptic substances, but wearing contact lenses, the middle of the dirt is like a sewer stuck flushed away. The best change to wear frame glasses in hazy weather, one is conducive to tears at any time to clean up germs, the second glasses lenses can also play a role in blocking the wind, dust, and protect the eyes. If you really want to wear them, use special contact lens drops to clean them thoroughly every day.
Outdoor activities.
During last year’s hazy weather, an elderly man suffered a heart attack during his morning walk in Liuhua Lake Park and was sent to the hospital for emergency surgery to put in a heart stent to save his life. In fact, early in the morning is the worst time of the day air quality, exercise when the body needs more oxygen, with the deepening of breathing, will inhale more harmful substances, hazy weather exercise is best to avoid this time, or changed to carry out at home, such as living room walking around the circle, or do some site requirements are not high health exercises.
You can wear a mask to protect yourself in hazy weather, but you don’t need to use N95, that level of mask will feel very uncomfortable to wear for a long time and have the feeling of lack of oxygen. Do not advocate wearing a mask exercise, “exercise was originally intended to exhale and accelerate the circulation of the body, wearing a mask will make the exercise lose its meaning.
Indoor ventilation.
Indoor ventilation in hazy weather is equally important, but avoid early mornings and days with severe haze. Air purifiers theoretically have a certain role, but the actual use of air filtration can achieve what degree and effect, depending on the quality of different products. Long-term indoor workers, you can properly dim the brightness of the lights to artificially create a relatively well-lit environment.
Diet.
You can relieve the symptoms of itchy throat by moistening lung soup, such as Luo Han Guo tea, stewed snow pear and so on. Eat more vegetables and fruits to replenish vitamins. You can also add lily, maitake, wood ear, pig’s blood and other lung-clearing and lung-moistening foods. In terms of emotional regulation, take vitamin D supplements in moderation and eat moderately more skimmed milk, cod liver oil, cheese, seafood, etc. to regulate hormones that are suppressed in the gray haze weather.