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Monday 3 April 2023

What is the best sleeping position?

Experts say side sleeping is probably the better way to sleep.

MOST people spend a third of their lives either asleep or resting, according to the Sleep Foundation.

During sleep, the body recharges and repairs itself.

And a good night’s sleep often can be determined by what position you are lying in bed. Back-sleepers beware.

“I know many people find it to be comfortable, because they’re not putting weight on their joints,” says Dr Lois Krahn, a Mayo Clinic sleep specialist.

But experts say sleeping on your back is actually the worst sleeping position, especially if you have sleep apnea.

“Sleeping on the back means that your tongue and jaw can fall down and crowd your airway. And many people snore more on their back,” says Dr Krahn.

Sleeping on your stomach helps keep the airway open, but it can put a strain on your spine and neck.

“There’s a host of evidence overall suggesting that probably sleeping on the side is better,” says Dr. Virend Somers, a cardiologist and director of the sleep facility within Mayo Clinic’s Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

Side sleeping helps prevent the airway from collapsing and can reduce snoring.

“And so, all in all, sleeping on the side – perhaps with their head slightly elevated as long as that’s comfortable – is a good way to sleep,” says Dr Krahn.

Side sleeping is also recommended during pregnancy, especially the last trimester.

And sleeping on the left side is best because it keeps pressure off internal organs and promotes healthy blood flow.

“When you are in that third trimester of pregnancy and when you sleep on your back, the uterus is compressing your inferior vena cava (the largest vein in the body).

“It’s compressing the arterial system,” says Dr Somers.

Sleeping on your side also is considered by the Sleep Foundation as the best for people with neck and back pain, especially if you place a small pillow between your knees.

“Because if you don’t have a pillow between your knees, that stress of sleeping on the side pulls on your hip and can cause some issues,” says Dr Somers. – Mayo Clinic News Network/tribune News Service

Monday 6 February 2023

Trow mandarins in search of love

Hope this works: (from left) Ng, Khor, Lee and Chung seen at the waterfront. — LIM BENG TATT/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: Centuries ago, when maidens in China could not freely socialise, Chap Goh Meh – the 15th and last day of Chinese New Year (CNY) festivities – was the only evening when they could step out of their homes without being closely chaperoned.

As they went out, dressed in their Sunday best, to temples to pray for a blessed future, young men would be out on the streets too – because this was about the only time of the year when they could openly admire the lasses of their villages.

If a young lady stole their heart at first sight, a young man would then seek the services of a matchmaker to make the proper enquiries and hopefully, introductions.

That is how Chap Goh Meh became to be known as the Chinese equivalent of Valentine’s Day, while in Penang and other parts of Malaysia, another tradition was added to it.

Sometime in the 19th century, single Chinese ladies went out in groups to the seaside on Chap Goh Meh and tossed out mandarin oranges which, just like throwing coins into a well, would hopefully bring them good luck in the form of the man of their dreams.

This tradition has stuck around to this day and for Jess Ng, 26, and her three gal pals, the new in-thing for them is to do it by themselves instead of being stuck in a crowd.

“I never threw mandarins for Chap Goh Meh before because I didn’t like the traffic jams and the large crowd of people.

“This year, we decided that since this is our first time celebrating Chinese New Year together since the Covid-19 pandemic, we should try this mandarin-throwing,” Ng said with a laugh.

Ng, Star Khor, 22, Rachel Lee, 20, and Kelly Chung, 28, are all hairdressers who had their fair share of troubles during the pandemic, as hair salons were among the last types of businesses to be allowed to resume normal operations.

Ng said she did not currently have a boyfriend nor did she believe that throwing mandarins into the sea would really help her find one.

“But I wanted to do it just to celebrate the last day of CNY. I pray that the Year of the Rabbit would be a happy one for the world. Everyone has been through a lot and I hope this year, we will all find blessings,” she said.

Unlike Ng, Lee went ahead and scribbled her phone number with a permanent marker on her mandarins before throwing them.

“I wouldn’t know what to do if someone actually calls me and say they found my mandarin,” Lee laughed.

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An all-in-one celebration of cultural diversity

Resounding return after the quiet years

‘Decent’ year predicted for Penang

Large crowds throng island to celebrate double joy

Friday 11 March 2022

One Covid-19 SOP with 10 rules to be enforced, and nine recommendations to apply to all from April 1, 2022

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As Malaysia transitions into the endemic phase, the government will cut down the Covid-19 standard operating procedure (SOP) from the existing 181 to just one.
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Senior Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who heads the Ministerial Quartet, said the one SOP contains 10 requirements that will continue to be enforced under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

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The 10 requirements under the one SOP are:
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1. Wear a face mask when in public
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2. Operation hours must adhere to the permit or licence
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3. Maintain hand hygiene
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4. Perform Covid-19 tests according to the National Testing Strategy
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5. Manage suspected or confirmed Covid-19 cases according to the Health Ministry’s guidelines
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6. Use MySejahtera and MySJTrace for admission registration
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7. Ensure physical distancing of one metre
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8. Ensure a good ventilation system
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9. Ensure the cleanliness of premises
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10. Comply with the vaccination requirements for various activities
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The 10 requirements include the need to wear face masks and to practise physical distancing.
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“In essence, this one SOP for the ‘Transition to Endemicity’ phase has been simplified from the 181 SOP that was enforced under the National Recovery Plan.
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“This one SOP will be enforced under Act 342 from April 1.
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“All 10 requirements have been practised by the public throughout the pandemic. I believe everyone can adhere to it,” he said yesterday.
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Hishammuddin said besides the one SOP, there would also be nine guidelines for the public to follow.
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These would not be enforced, but the people would be encouraged to adhere to them to lower the risk of infection.
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“Each of the guidelines will explain how to conduct Covid-19 risk assessments and how to practise the SOP properly for the different activities,” he said.
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The guidelines cover activities related to transportation and travel; education and care; retail, food and beverage; closed workspaces; open workspaces; events, ceremonies, entertainment and tourist attractions; hotels and guest accommodations; religious events, weddings and funerals; and sports, recreation and leisure.
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He said the SOP and nine guidelines of the Transition to Endemicity phase would be published on a website that could be accessed two weeks before April 1.

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Friday 24 December 2021

Yuan’s rising global influence

The currency’s correlation with an MSCI Inc index of its developing-nation peers rose to record in September on a weekly basis before edging back slightly amid the Omicron outbreak, Bloomberg data show.

` BEIJING: The Chinese yuan is having a greater impact on its emerging-market counterparts than ever before and may play a crucial role in determining their performance in the coming year.

` The currency’s correlation with an MSCI Inc index of its developing-nation peers rose to record in September on a weekly basis before edging back slightly amid the Omicron outbreak, Bloomberg data show.

` While the close relationship is partly a result of China’s large weighting, it’s also been driven by the yuan’s links to the Brazilian real reaching the strongest since at least 2008, and that with India’s rupee touching a three-year high.The yuan’s rising global influence is yet another sign of China’s deepening connections across the world economy.

` Investors are increasingly being drawn to its bonds as an alternative to United States Treasuries, while some banks are calling for the yuan to join the dollar, euro and yen as a global reserve currency.

` ADVERTISING Yet with China’s potential being offset by murky policy making and regulatory crackdowns, being tied too closely to the yuan may also backfire.

` “China is going to be a very important element of emerging-market stability and the growth picture,” said Magdalena Polan, principal economist at PGIM Ltd in London.

` “The willingness for Chinese policy makers to stabilise growth will be very important to the outlook for Latam and Asia and South Africa, as countries there still rely quite a lot on exports from China.”

` While correlations can be measured in many ways, China’s increasing presence in global trade has progressively boosted the yuan’s links with those of its emerging-market peers.

` In 2000, the average developing nation sent only 2.2% of its exports to China, while that proportion has now grown to 11.3%, according to data from Societe Generale SA.

` The investment bank says the yuan’s relative stability has traditionally made it most closely correlated with those of its emerging-market peers with strong and credible policy makers such as Mexico, Chile and South Korea.

` Since the US-China trade war in 2018, however, the yuan’s links with emerging markets as a whole have grown stronger, with the average correlation rising to 83% that year, according to SocGen data.

` There’s a risk of course that those very connections may also weigh on emerging-market currencies if the yuan begins to weaken. The major risk of that happening looks to be due to potential policy divergence, with the People’s Bank of China expected to ease monetary policy in 2022, just as central banks from the US, UK and Australia start to tighten.

` The yuan will face a particular challenge as the Federal Reserve beings to raise borrowing costs, a move that is anticipated to lead to a stronger dollar and outflows from emergin

`g markets. Still, China’s currency has so far shown itself to be relatively resilient to monetary policy at home and abroad. China’s economy has become an increasingly important influence on global growth over the past decade, and a vital one for emerging markets, according to JP Morgan Private Bank.

` “Since the financial crisis, we’ve had mini cycles in global emerging markets, largely coincident in China’s property and credit cycle and since the crisis that has been the key driver of the outlook in emerging markets for the most part,” said Alexander Wolf, head of investment strategy, Asia, at JP Morgan Private Bank in Hong Kong.

` The yuan’s relative resilience this year has also played a role in limiting fluctuations across emerging markets, in what has otherwise been a very tumultuous 12 months.

` “The fact that the yuan’s not doing too much I categorise it as a volatility suppressant,” said Paul Mackel, head of global foreign-exchange research at HSBC Holdings Plc in Hong Kong. “We believe that stability can last for longer.” — Bloomberg