Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. Today, there are countless distractions keeping us up at night and stopping us from having a good night's sleep. Yet, sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle (nutrition and exercise are the other two), and in recent years, there has been much interest in how we can sleep better. But are personal measures enough to improve sleep? This, given he erosion of work-life boundaries and the overwhelming amount of digital distractions today. In Part 2, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo continues the conversation on sleep with Professor Michael Chee, the director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Prof Chee has spent close to two decades studying sleep and its impact on cognition and behaviour.   Highlights (click/tap above): 00:49 Balancing structural measures with personal commitment to improve sleep 04:10 Benefits of starting school later in Singapore; effects of sleep for students 07:38 Consequence of chronic short sleep for adults and the elderly 09:12 Tips for effective short naps; should you avoid exercise at night? 10:23 Why alcohol at night really affects sleep quality; debate on caffeinated drinks Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis and Hadyu Rahim Edited by: Eden Soh Follow our previous episodes on sleep issues here: https://str.sg/w8TE Follow Health Check Podcast episodes out here every first and third Wednesday of the month: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts!

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. We continue the conversation on sleep in this episode. Sleep is one of the three pillars of a healthy lifestyle and there has been much interest in how we can sleep better in recent years. The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken up our daily routines, with so many people still working from home. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks to Professor Michael Chee, the director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine at the National University of Singapore. Prof Chee has spent close to two decades studying sleep and its impact on cognition and behaviour.   They discuss how the pandemic has affected sleep, the lessons learned from the last two years and the relevance of sleep targets set by the US-based National Sleep Foundation (NSF). Highlights (click/tap above): 01:05 What has Covid-19 taught us about sleep? 03:39 Sleep targets set by US NSF - how relevant is it to Singapore? 06:27 Difference between self-reported sleep and objectively measured sleep 09:24 Sleep targets and recommendations differ based on individuals 13:08 Effects of sleep habits on health Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Fa'izah Sani and Hadyu Rahim Edited by: Hadyu Rahim and Fa'izah Sani Follow our previous episodes on sleep issues here: https://str.sg/w8TE Follow Health Check Podcast episodes out here every first and third Wednesday of the month: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m SG Extra: https://str.sg/wukR #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. The pandemic may have changed your sleep habits, though sleeping more does not mean that you are sleeping well. So, if you’re one of those about to return to the office and finding it hard to get a good night’s sleep, it’s time to do something about it. Or if you have been struggling to fall asleep even before the pandemic, it is never too late to seek help.  In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Leow Leong Chai, director of the Sleep Disorders Unit, and a senior consultant at the Department of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital, about the common sleep problems that the people in Singapore face, as well as the treatments available. He also sheds light on the spooky episodes that some people have experienced in their sleep, when they felt trapped in their bodies. In the next episode out on May 4, Joyce Teo invites a prominent sleep researcher here to talk about customising sleep. He is Professor Michael Chee, director of the Centre for Sleep and Cognition as well as the Clinical Imaging Research Centre MR Operations at the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine. Highlights (click/tap above): 00:56 Common sleep myths 05:41 What is sleep paralysis and what to do if you're in one? 09:33 New sleep treatments available 13:40 Different severity and types of sleep problems 20:17 Self-treatment and when to seek help Helplines MENTAL WELL-BEING •  Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222 (24 hours) •  Samaritans of Singapore: 1-767 (24 hours) / 9151-1767 (24 hours CareText via WhatsApp) •  Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019 •  Silver Ribbon Singapore: 6386-1928 •  Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 •  Chat, Centre of Excellence for Youth Mental Health: 6493-6500/1 •  Women’s Helpline (Aware): 1800-777-5555 (weekdays, 10am to 6pm)COUNSELLING •  TOUCHline (Counselling): 1800-377-2252 •  TOUCH Care Line (for caregivers): 6804-6555 •  Care Corner Counselling Centre: 6353-1180 •  Counselling and Care Centre: 6536-6366ONLINE RESOURCES •  mindline.sg •  eC2.sg •  tinklefriend.sg •  chat.mentalhealth.sg •  carey.carecorner.org.sg (for those aged 13 to 25) •  limitless.sg/talk (for those aged 12 to 25) Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Fa'izah Sani and Eden Soh  Edited by: Eden Soh Follow our previous episodes on sleep issues here: https://str.sg/w8TE Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck

Health Check Ep 60: How to sleep right 10:42 mins Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with ​Dr Richard Swinburne, a sleep scientist and the Head of Sports Nutrition at the Singapore Sports Institute on sleep hygiene, how long a nap should be and how a lack of sleep can affect your health. They discuss the following points: Develop a good sleep-wake basic routine; go to bed and wake up within 30-60 minutes of the same time each day (2:50) How having less than 6 hours of sleep a night will seriously affect long-term health (4:18) How long should an effective nap be? (6:53) What happens to your body when you wake up after a hour-long nap, and why taxi drivers should try not to drive till 30 minutes after they wake up (7:18) How good sleep nourishes the body and a person's emotional health (8:50) Listen to Ep 59 - What you can eat to sleep better: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/health-check-ep-59 Ep 9 - Why sleep habits need to be formed when young: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/why-sleep-habits-need-to-be-formed-when-young-heal Ep 10 - Can schools and parents help boost the cognition and well-being of sleep-deprived Singaporean teenagers? https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/can-schools-and-parents-help-boost-the-cognition-a Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Penelope Lee and Ernest Luis  Edited by: Penelope Lee Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck

Health Check Ep 59: What you can eat to sleep better 14:46 mins Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Richard Swinburne, a sleep scientist and the Head of Sports Nutrition at the Singapore Sports Institute on sleep nutrition, how he flew to Texas a few years ago to help Olympic gold medallist Joseph Schooling to sleep better and why you need to sleep well before and after getting your Covid-19 vaccine. They discuss the following points: You can get DNA-tested to see how sensitive you are to caffeine (1:04) Caffeine takes 4-6 hours to break down to half its strength, using a double espresso as an example (1:59) How kiwi fruit, tart cherry in natural concentrate or pill form - and omega 3 fish oils for children - can encourage good sleep (2:29) How having enough sleep can help you before and after a Covid-19 vaccination? (5:46) Helping Singapore's Olympic swim champion Joseph Schooling with the perfect performance-enhancing drug called "Zzzz" (7:24) Listen to Ep 60 - How to sleep right: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/how-to-sleep-right-health-check-ep-60 Ep 9 - Why sleep habits need to be formed when young: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/why-sleep-habits-need-to-be-formed-when-young-heal Ep 10 - Can schools and parents help boost the cognition and well-being of sleep-deprived Singaporean teenagers? https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/can-schools-and-parents-help-boost-the-cognition-a Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Penelope Lee and Ernest Luis  Edited by: Penelope Lee Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck

Health Check Ep 10: Can schools and parents help boost the cognition and well-being of sleep-deprived Singaporean teenagers?  9:30 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and debunks the myths with expert guests. To discuss why teenagers and students need to sleep more and how insufficient sleep affects them, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Prof Michael Chee, the director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Duke-NUS Medical School who is a prominent sleep expert.  He answers the following questions: What can be done to help teenagers - inundated with homework, curricular activities, enrichment classes and tuition after school - sleep more? Most Singaporean adolescents sleep an average of 6.5 hours a night on the weekdays. What is a good amount of nocturnal sleep for teenagers? Is seven to eight hours a good achievable target for upper secondary school teenagers? Could shorter sleep increase the risk of diabetes among young Singaporeans? How can students manage better sleep strategy during intense examination periods?  Produced by: Joyce Teo and Ernest Luis Edited by: Adam Azlee Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck

Health Check Ep 9: Why sleep habits need to be formed when young 9:30 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and debunks the myths with expert guests. ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Prof Michael Chee, the director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Duke-NUS Medical School, a prominent sleep expert who wants to change how we think about sleep. He was asked the following questions: 1. Are we sleeping more than our neighbours in the region? What’s the evidence? 2. We all know we should prioritise sleep but many of us don't get a full night's sleep. Can we make up for the lack of sleep on weekends, or by taking afternoon naps? 3. Why do we need to have sufficient sleep? 4. What causes insomnia and is it normal for the elderly to have poor sleep? 5. Should offices have sleep pods? Produced by: Joyce Teo and Ernest Luis Edited by: Adam Azlee Follow Health Check Podcast here and rate us: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheck