[Click! Health] Reduce Late-Night Snacks and Maintain Good Posture... Enjoy a Healthy World Cup

Chilly Weather... Need to Pay Attention to Warmth Measures During Street Cheers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chun-hee] The global festival for Earthlings, the World Cup, has returned after four years. As it is the first-ever winter World Cup and matches are concentrated late at night in Korean time due to time differences, it is important to reduce late-night snacks and maintain proper posture for healthy cheering.

All of Korea's group stage matches are held at 10 PM or midnight Korean time. Since many enjoy cheering with "chimaek" (chicken + beer), the demand for delivery late-night snacks is expected to naturally increase. However, consuming high-calorie foods late at night can cause indigestion. Especially oily and high-sodium foods like chicken can burden the stomach, and if accompanied by alcohol such as beer, digestive diseases may occur. Excessive drinking can also significantly affect your condition the next day.

Gout should also be watched out for. According to the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service on the 27th, the number of gout patients in Korea increased significantly from about 390,000 in 2017 to about 490,000 last year. The cause is 'purine' proteins in fatty meats that metabolize in the body to form uric acid crystals. When uric acid crystals accumulate in joint tissues such as ankles and knees, they cause inflammatory reactions accompanied by severe pain. Especially, hops and yeast in beer contain large amounts of purine, and drinking more than two glasses of beer daily doubles the risk of gout compared to those who do not, making the risk of late-night chimaek high as well.

Kim Yoo-geun, an orthopedic surgeon at Bupyeong Himchan Hospital, said, “Gout mostly appears in middle-aged men whose ability to remove uric acid decreases with age, but recently the number of male patients in their 30s has also increased,” advising, “If you have experienced pain in the big toe joint after drinking, regular calorie restriction and moderation in drinking are necessary.” Drinking plenty of water to excrete uric acid through urine is also helpful.

Also, watching the game for about two hours naturally leads to reclining or lying face down on the sofa. Such postures put physical pressure on our muscles, ligaments, and spine, causing symptoms like numbness in the limbs or stiffness in the neck. Sitting in a fixed posture for a long time puts a lot of strain on the lower back and joints. Maintaining a hunched posture can easily cause stiffness in muscles such as the neck and shoulders. Continuous tension in the neck can lead to muscle pain in the shoulders and neck area. It is good to stretch by turning the waist or neck during the game and frequently change your viewing posture.

As the weather gets colder and matches are held late at night when temperatures are even lower, if you plan to participate in street cheering, you should pay attention to warmth by wearing thick coats or using pocket warmers. If warmth is not properly maintained and you unconsciously hunch your body strongly due to the cold, stress is applied to the muscles, and continuous muscle tension can cause muscle pain similar to a stiff neck. Moreover, suddenly standing up or running after a sudden goal while your body is stiff can cause joint injuries. If you have blood pressure issues, you should also refrain from excessive excitement. Blood pressure naturally rises slightly in winter, and it may increase further along with pulse rate.