Beijing Winter Olympics, How to Enjoy It Healthily!

Seoul Asan Hospital Urges 5 Precautions
Maintain Daily Habits and Take Care of Eye Health
Watch Correct Posture to Avoid Strain on Back and Neck

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] On the 4th, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics will officially begin. This Olympics is expected to be comfortably viewed due to the minimal time difference. However, during the Olympic period, watching broadcasts may disrupt regular lifestyle habits and physical rhythms. Let's look at five precautions to enjoy the Beijing Olympics healthily, as guided by medical staff from Seoul Asan Medical Center.

Avoid Excessive Excitement and Maintain Usual Habits (Professor Son Gi-young, Department of Family Medicine, Seoul Asan Medical Center)

When engrossed in Olympic events, it is common to become emotionally excited. Since the Olympics can disrupt your daily rhythm, it is necessary to try to maintain your usual lifestyle habits.

Professor Son Gi-yeong, Department of Family Medicine, Asan Medical Center, Seoul.

When watching events, avoid excessive identification with athletes and do not let the results overly affect you; remember to focus on important tasks outside the Olympics such as work, social life, and studies. Especially, if you have pre-existing conditions and are taking medication, be sure to continue taking your medicine as usual.

Also, some people may relapse into smoking due to stress or over-immersion in the wins and losses of Olympic events. Those who had firmly decided to avoid alcohol may start drinking again, or those who had been gradually reducing their weight through controlled eating may see it increase again due to binge eating. Particularly, people in transitional phases of healthy habits should strengthen their willpower and avoid situations that may influence smoking cessation or alcohol moderation.

It is also necessary to refrain from snacking out of boredom during breaks in viewing or ordering excessive amounts of delivery food such as chicken or jokbal (pig's trotters) for each game. Especially since this Winter Olympics is held during the COVID-19 pandemic period when going out and outdoor activities are difficult and physical activity is reduced, such eating habits are likely to cause weight gain.

Even during the Olympics, regular exercise routines should be maintained. It is good to increase activity by using a treadmill or stationary bike while watching TV. Also, be careful not to disrupt regular sleep patterns by watching replays late into the night.

Take Breaks During Long Viewing to Protect Eye Health (Professor Shin Jung-won, Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Asan Medical Center)

Olympic events, being international competitions, often feature tense matches that make viewers hold their breath more than other sports. Therefore, when watching, it is hard to take your eyes off the screen, but concentrating on the screen for a long time is not good for eye health.

Professor Shin Jung-won, Department of Ophthalmology, Seoul Asan Medical Center.

Our eyes tend to blink less when focusing on one spot for a long time, which makes the eyes dry easily. If dry eyes are neglected, it can lead to dry eye syndrome. Therefore, it is best to blink frequently and use artificial tears if you feel dryness. Dry eye syndrome can cause symptoms such as eye stiffness, foreign body sensation, fatigue, and headaches.

Watching TV or smartphones for a long time tires the eyes, so during commercial breaks or game pauses, look away from the screen to rest your eyes. It is also good to keep a distance of more than 2 meters between your eyes and the TV to reduce fatigue.

Especially when watching games on a smartphone, people tend to hold the screen closer to their eyes than with other electronic devices. This can negatively affect eye health, so it is essential to maintain a distance of at least 30 cm.

Many people watch games on their smartphones lying in bed with the lights off before sleeping, which can rapidly deteriorate vision. Therefore, watch games in a well-lit environment and adjust the screen brightness to neither too dark nor too bright.

Watch in Correct Posture to Avoid Strain on Back and Neck (Professor Jo Jae-hwan, Department of Orthopedics, Seoul Asan Medical Center)

Professor Jo Jaehwan, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Asan Medical Center, Seoul.

After a tiring day, when watching the Olympics late at night on TV or smartphones at home, people often take the most comfortable posture for themselves. However, most of these postures are not good for the body. It is important to watch games in a correct posture to avoid strain on skeletal structures such as the back, spine, and neck. Especially, lying on your side with your head supported by your arm, using a high pillow, or half-lying without fully supporting your back against the chair are very bad postures.

Recently, many people watch Olympic games on smartphones. Looking at the smartphone screen in the same posture for a long time can strain the neck. Generally, people lower their heads when looking at smartphones, and if this continues for a long time, it causes neck fatigue and pain. This can lead to conditions such as "forward head posture" syndrome, so caution is needed.

Forward head posture syndrome occurs when continuously looking at a monitor placed low or maintaining a bent neck posture, causing strain on neck, shoulder muscles, and ligaments, resulting in pain. It can also negatively affect the back and waist and, in severe cases, may develop into a cervical disc problem.

When watching the Olympics, it is good for your back to sit properly with your hips as far back in the chair as possible. When looking at the screen, slightly tuck your chin and maintain a downward gaze of about 15 degrees to avoid neck fatigue. Stretching occasionally during the game also helps.

Be Careful of Excessive Vocal Cord Use While Cheering (Professor Lee Yoon-se, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Seoul Asan Medical Center)

Professor Yoonse Lee, Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul.

Due to COVID-19, people cannot gather in restaurants or parks to cheer as before, but many cheer for athletes in small groups with family, friends, or partners, or through non-face-to-face meetings like Zoom or video calls. In such situations, excessive shouting and prolonged talking can cause hoarseness and voice changes. The vocal cords vibrate more than usual, causing friction that leads to congestion and swelling of the vocal cord mucosa, preventing normal vibration. If this condition persists, vocal nodules may develop, causing long-term hoarseness and voice disorders. Therefore, it is important to avoid improper or excessive use of the voice to prevent abnormal vocal cord conditions.

To maintain a healthy voice during the Olympics, refrain from using your voice when you feel hoarseness or pain. Drinking alcohol such as beer causes the vocal cords to swell and can cause more damage during phonation. Also, avoid speaking with tension in your throat, shouting excitedly, or speaking in extreme high or low pitches. Drinking plenty of fluids and controlling indoor humidity during cheering helps vocal health.

Prevention is more important than treatment for all diseases, and especially vocal cord diseases can mostly be prevented with proper management.

Beware of Side Effects from Watching Late-Night Replays (Professor Jung Seok-hoon, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul Asan Medical Center)

Professor Jung Seok-hoon, Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, Seoul.

Since Olympic event times overlap with work and study hours, many office workers and students who miss main events watch replays late at night on TV or search for game videos on smartphones or tablets. Watching games late into the night can cause sleep deprivation and poor sleep habits, leading to various side effects.

Even if watching Olympic games late, avoid foods and drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, cola, and black tea, and refrain from drinking alcohol or smoking 1-2 hours before bedtime. Also, watching replays of athletes' fighting moments at night can cause mental and psychological excitement. This releases a substance called dopamine, which can have an effect similar to exercising late at night and interfere with sleep. Therefore, it is advisable to watch games calmly and comfortably without excitement when viewing late at night.

If you start feeling drowsy while watching, it is best to go to bed immediately. The bedroom should be used only for sleep, so avoid habits of watching TV or smartphones in bed.

Regardless of when you fall asleep, try to wake up at the same time every day. Many people take naps due to lack of sleep, but it is best to avoid naps as much as possible. If you must nap due to fatigue, keep it under 30 minutes.