SLEEP IS GOD. GO WORSHIP.

Sometimes we would check with others when we feel we are doing something wrong, or we are confused. During our school life our parents used say that we are always sleeping, but now the same parents say that we are not sleeping enough. Parents always care for us; therefore, we can assume that something is going wrong. Let’s see what the problem is, how it is impacting us and what are the solutions for this issue.

To do that American psychologist helped us to start the proposal with his famous ‘Hierarchy of Needs’. We have carried out a survey for age group between 30 to 45 years, 83% of them are said they are suffering from lack of sleeping hours. Those respondents showed green signal to GO with this survey.

Next step of this survey was to identify the factors influencing the sleeping hours. According to the responses, 60% of respondents said that Social Media is the worst factor influencing their sleeping hours. Office Working Hours also badly influence the sleeping hours. 90% respondents said Staying Out also influenced their sleeping hours. The good thing is 40% of the respondents said that they are not having heavy meals for dinner. 

Since the Social Media is the worst factor, the next question is validated. 50% of the respondents said they are spending more than 3 hours on smartphones in a day. The sad thing is all the respondents are spending minimum one hour with their smartphone in a day. The result of this survey is, 25% of respondents sleep only for a maximum 5 hours in a day. Another 25% of respondents sleeping 7 hours and 42% sleeping 6 hours. Now we can see how smartphones are killing our sleep.

It is the time to know the Sleep Deprivation Effects. There are 4 noticeable signs of sleep deprivation. Excessive sleepiness, Frequent yawning, Irritability & Daytime fatigue. 1st day of the week we can see that most of our colleagues are showing all these signs. Now we will go back to the previous findings that 90% of respondents said that ‘Staying Out’ is influencing their sleeping hours. Our lifestyle during the weekends is similar to the owls life. If we do not care about the sleeping hours, we must face many serious issues listed in this slide, such as Weakened immunity, Accidents, Weight gain. 

Every problem has a solution. We have summarised respondents’ valuable suggestions to improve the sleeping hours as listed. In this proposal we have seen that most of the respondents are having lack of Sleeping hour, then the most influence factor is Social media and all of us are spending minimum one hour on our mobiles. Therefore, we need to give high priority to the worst factor. If we keep electronics out of our bed or switch off Wi-Fi device will add some sleeping hours. Establish a routine when going to the bed such as going to bed on time and waking up on time. Set the scene by setting the bedroom for sleep environment based on your comfort for better sleep. Caffeine and alcohol are two common sleep disrupting culprits, avoid drinking alcohol within three hours of bedtime, and limit yourself. No matter how tempted you are, don’t turn on the television, get on your computer, or check your texts or email. Try not to expose yourself to bright light, extreme temperatures, or loud sounds. 

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body

Medically reviewed by Stacy Sampson, D.O. — Written by Stephanie Watson and Kristeen Cherney on May 15, 2020

2. https://www.health.harvard.edu/sleep/8-reasons-why-youre-not-sleeping

    Published: February 2014

3. https://survivalreport.org/basic-human-needs/

    By Mike T - May 4, 2017

PS: The above content is prepared for Toastmasters Level 3 Project 1 under an Innovative Planning path.

Safety-Management

"The quality of being safe; freedom from danger or injury" # Safety

The dictionary definition is not applicable and should not be used in the context of safety management. The word "safety" should be defined with such a meaning that reflects the reality. There are a number of such definitions by various academics and authorities. Some of these definitions are quoted on below:

U.S. National Safety Council

"Safety" is the control of hazards to attain an acceptable level of risk.

Gloss and Wardle in Introduction to Safety Engineering

"Safety" is the measure of the relative freedom from risks of dangers. Safety is the degree of freedom from risks and hazards in any environment.

Willie Hammer in Occupational Safety Management and Engineering

Safety is a matter of relative protection from exposure to hazards; the antonym to danger.

Lowrance in Of Acceptable Risk: Science and the Determination of Safety --

Safety is a judgment of the acceptability of risk...... A thing is safe if its risks are judged to be acceptable.

Everybody is responsible for their safety. It is not depends on a person or a team.

World's Shortest Man and Woman Meet

For the first time in history, the shortest man and woman in the world have met. The shortest man, Chandra Bahadur Dangi, 72, is from a remote area of Nepal and stands 21.5 inches tall. Eighteen-year-old Jyoti Amge hails from Nagpur, India and measures just less than 25 inches tall.

It was a match made in heaven for Guinness World Records, which arranged the introduction for a photo shoot to promote the upcoming release of Guinness World Records 2013 on September 13. To provide scale, a record book (12 inches in length) was placed between Chandra and Jyoti for one of the photos.

“It was an extraordinary moment,” says Marco Frigatti, the official Guinness World Records Adjudicator, who also took part in the photo shoot. “They’re both such incredible individuals. Everyone knew this was a special moment, and the atmosphere was magical.”

A Record-Breaking Birthday
yoti secured the World’s Shortest Woman title simply by reaching womanhood on her 18^th birthday in December of last year. She has a condition called achondroplasia, a genetic disorder that affects bone growth and cartilage formation. Achondroplasia is the most common cause of dwarfism.

Jyoti won't grow any taller than her current height. Due to her size, she has her clothes specially made. She sleeps in a tiny bed and uses special plates and cutlery to eat. Jyoti is currently pursuing her dream of becoming a successful actress. She has already starred in a number of Indian films.

 

“Since being recognized by Guinness World Records, I have been able to visit lots of different countries,” says Jyoti. “I love travelling. I have visited Japan and parts of Europe, and now I can’t wait to visit the UK.” 

 

 A Record-Breaking Discovery

In February this year, Chandra made headlines around the world when he was crowned the World’s Shortest Man. Until his recent discovery, he had spent his entire life in the remote Nepalese mountain village of Rhimkholi, about 250 miles west of Kathmandu. Because Chandra has never been examined by a doctor, the cause of his short stature is unknown. According to areport from the Daily Mail, doctors suspect he has a form of primordial dwarfism.

Chandra’s 21.5-inch height also snagged him the title of Shortest Man in History, breaking the previous record of India’s Gul Mohammed, who was 22.5 in tall.

“I’m very happy that I’m being recognized by Guinness World Records and that my name will be written in a book,” says Chandra. “It’s a big thing for my family, my village and my country. I am very happy.”

Energy drinks to avoid and embrace

Recent headlines over the potential health hazards of energy drinks have led the FDA into intense investigation. The stimulus? A Maryland mother who filed a request to see whether the energy drink, Monster, had been tied to any deaths in recent years, after a fatal incident with her own 14-year old daughter. Health and nutrition expert Aimee Raupp joins “The Shine” to advise on which energy drinks we should avoid and which to embrace.

Aimee points out that FDA and the Federal government have raised real concerns about the health effects of these energy drinks. In fact, energy drinks are not FDA regulated because their sold as nutritional supplements, not food so that’s why they can exceed the FDA-mandated 71 milligrams of caffeine.

Which beverages should we stay away from? Aimee says to avoid the following energy drinks at all costs.These are the most popularly sold energy drinks in the United States:

Æ Red bull

Æ Monster

Æ Rockstar

Æ Full Throttle

Æ Sobe No Fear

Æ Amp

These drinks are filled with unhealthy additives, artificial ingredients, sugar, and caffeine. And the reaction to consuming these beverages can be alarming after consuming one of these, your body will go into overdrive pupils start to dilate, heart rate increases, and all you want to do is move, move, move (and not in a good way!).

These drinks can also cause a lack of mental focus and increased hunger.

On the flip side, there are a number of “good” energy drinks that provide positive health benefits, and Aimee recommends the following:

Æ Cellnique:

Æ Sambazon:

Æ Steaz:

Æ Scheckter’s Organic Energy

Of this group, Aimee’s top pick is the Cellnique because it’s the lowest in added sugars and the ingredient list here is quite clean and super naturally energizing. Regardless, all

of these choices are organic and contain energizing sources like acai, yerba mate and guarana.

Are you completely weary of energy drinks altogether? If so, here are some great alternatives. Coconut water is one of the best – it’s completely all natural, no preservatives – you can’t get any better than this. Also go for Kombucha ( do be aware though it’s an aquired taste – “effervescent” as Aimee puts it), Yerba Mate, green vegetable juice (with cayenne pepper or ginger or turmeric to really invigorate circulation and boost energy), an energizing smoothie with banana and spirulina, green tea (organic), organic coffee, or dark chocolate.

Mobile Phones filthier than toilet seat

Mobile phones are actually filthier than toilet seats because they are never cleaned even after being handled by different people, thus swarming with germs, say researchers.

 Tests showed that upto 10 times the amount of pathogens which case nausea and stomach upsets were present on a mobile phone than a toilet seat.

Charles Gerba professor of microbiology at the University of Arizona said during his ongoing experiments he has found that bugs get onto a phone because it is so close to our hands and mouths. When somebody lets a friend or a stranger use their mobile their bacteria easily gets onto the device too.

 Gerba added that because mobiles are electronic some people are reticent about cleaning. Since they are just not part of our cleaning routine. But they should be wiped with an antibacterial substance every now and then.

 Previous research has found that other things we assume are clean are in reality rather disgusting the Daily Mail reports.

 British scientist discovered that cash machines have similar levels of pseudomonas and bacillus, bacteria which are known to case sickness and diarrhea, as they found in public toilets. Computer keyboards are also five times dirtier than the average lavatory seat.

10 Things You Shouldn’t Buy Used

A Garage Sale Shopper Saying...

I’m an avid garage sale shopper. Most of my furniture was bought used, and I’ve saved more than 50 percent off the cost of some pieces. But a few things I would never buy used – especially if they put my health or safety at risk.

I don’t think getting sick or injured is worth saving a few bucks on something – and Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson doesn’t either. He mentions ten things you should never buy used. Check it out...

 1. Cribs

Cribs – especially the drop-side kind – are frequently on recall lists, and the reasons why are pretty terrifying. For example, in April, Nan Far Woodworking recalled their drop-side cribs for repair. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission had this to say about it:

The cribs’ drop sides can malfunction, detach or otherwise fail, causing part of the drop side to fall out of position, creating a space into which an infant or toddler can roll and become wedged or entrapped, which can lead to strangulation or suffocation. A child can also fall out of the crib. Drop-side incidents can also occur due to incorrect assembly and with age-related wear and tear.

So how do you know if that crib you’re eyeing on Craigslist hasn’t been recalled? You could check the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of crib recalls, but you don’t know if the crib was sent back for repairs or not. You’d just have to take the seller’s word for it. It’s better to play it safe and buy a new crib.

 2. Car seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says car seats can be safely reused after minor crashes – if the air bags didn’t deploy, no one was injured, and the car drove away. But it recommends car seats be replaced after moderate crashes.

So how do you tell the difference between a car seat in a minor crash, one in a moderate crash, or one that wasn’t in a crash at all? You probably can’t. The damage could be internal and not visible. Don’t risk it. Buy a new one.

3. Helmets

In a crash, the thick foam inside a helmet absorbs shock and protects your head. After a crash, the helmet may look fine, but it often has breaks or tears inside the foam. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons recommends replacing a helmet after any crash – even a minor one. Otherwise, the helmet might not protect you in the next crash.

 4. Laptops

If you take great care of a laptop, it can last through years of heavy use – but you can’t know how someone else treats their stuff. Maybe they dropped it or spilled coffee on it. The laptop could work great at first, but break down after you take it home.

I just paid $119.99 to replace the hard drive in my laptop – and it was working great until it wasn’t. Had I sold the laptop to someone else, they wouldn’t have known about the failing hard drive.

 5. Video cameras

The same goes for video cameras. You may not see any visible damage, but it could have been dropped, exposed to water, or otherwise mistreated. Video cameras are costly to repair, so it isn’t worth buying one used.

 6. Mattresses

A used mattress can come with a lot of extras you don’t want – dead skin cells, bacteria, hair, and every other gross thing you could imagine. It might also have bed bugs. The bugs are such a growing problem that Terminix has released a Top 15 Cities for Bed Bug Infestation list.

Bed bugs live off human blood, leave itchy bite marks, and can cause skin infections. And they multiply. According to Orkin:

 Females can deposit one to five eggs a day, and may lay 200 to 500 eggs in a lifetime. Under normal room temperatures and with an adequate food supply, they can live over 300 days.

Bring a bed bug-infested mattress into your house, and you’ll pay a hefty fee to an exterminator.

7. Shoes

I believe you need a good mattress and a good pair of shoes – since you’re usually in one or the other. The problem is, those used shoes may have been great for the original owner, but they’ve conformed to his or her feet. They might not be great for you. Used shoes that don’t fit just right can lead to feet or leg pain and back problems.

8. Makeup

I see makeup at almost every garage sale I go to, but I’d never buy any. Cosmetic brushes and wands come into contact with skin and can’t be cleaned very well. That barely used tube of lipstick? It might be hosting illness-causing bacteria. Considering drug stores and beauty shops regularly run makeup sales, risking your health isn’t worth the savings.

 9. Plasma and HDTVs

Old tube-style TVs held up a lot better than modern flat-screens. While MSNBC says TVs cost an average of $500 to repair, the repair costs run much higher for plasma screens and for more complicated issues.

 Even at the lower end, it may be more cost-effective to buy a new TV under warranty than a used one.

 10. Hats

The inside of that hat could be brimming with someone else’s dead skin, hair, or worse – lice. Head lice feed on blood and cause itchy and painful reactions in the scalp. The nearly invisible bugs also travel quickly onto other people and your stuff.

Getting rid of lice requires two treatments of pesticides on everyone in the household. Then you’ll have to clean your bedding, linens, clothes, mattresses, and any other soft fabric in the house. The treatment can take hours or days of hard work – all because you bought a cheap hat.

Too much sitting linked to shortened lives

http://www.reuters.com

REUTERS - People who spent a lot of time sitting at a desk or in front of a television were more likely to die than those who were only sedentary a few hours a day, according to an Australian study that looked at death rates during a three-year period.

Researchers, whose results appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that the link between too much time sitting and shortened lives stuck even when they accounted for how much moderate or vigorous exercise people got, as well as their weight and other measures of health.

That suggests that shifting some time from sitting to light physical activity, such as slow walking or active chores, might have important long-term benefits, they added.

"When we give people messages about how much physical activity they should be doing, we also need to talk to them about reducing the amount of hours they spend sitting each day," said Hidde van der Ploeg, the new study's lead author from the University of Sydney.

Of more than 200,000 adults age 45 and older, van der Ploeg and her colleagues found that people who reported sitting for at least 11 hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the study than those who sat less than four hours daily.

That doesn't, however, prove that sitting itself cuts people's lives short, she noted, adding that there could be other unmeasured differences between people who spend a lot or a little time sitting each day.

The team surveyed about 220,000 people from New South Wales, Australia, between 2006 and 2008, including questions about participants' general health and any medical conditions they had, whether they smoked and how much time they spent both exercising and sitting each day.

Then the research team tracked responders using Australian mortality records for an average of almost three years, during which 5,400 - between two and three percent - died.

They found that the extra risk tied to sitting held up regardless of whether people were normal weight or overweight, how much time they spent working out and whether they

were healthy or had pre-existing medical conditions.

Van der Ploeg said too much sitting may affect blood vessels and metabolism by increasing fats in the blood and lowering "good" cholesterol levels.

"When you are standing or walking, your leg muscles are constantly working which helps to clear blood glucose and blood fats from the blood stream," she said. "If you are sitting, this is not happening because the muscles are not active."

The findings are consistent with other recent studies suggesting health consequences from too much sitting, said Mark Tremblay, an obesity and activity researcher at Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Canada.

"Sitting or reclining, especially in front of screens, is bad for you regardless of your age," said Tremblay, who wasn't involved in the study.

He added that even though people tend to think they're okay as long as they work out a certain amount a day, that's not necessarily the case.

"Getting your 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week is not insurance against chronic disease.

Both he and Van der Ploeg said there were ways that even people who have jobs involving a lot of desk work can train themselves to regularly interrupt sedentary behavior, such as standing up while on the phone or holding a stand-up meeting.

"Make sure the fax machine is four steps away from you, not within reaching distance," Tremblay said.

"Drink enough water that you have to pee four times a day. Stand up, stretch, walk around a little bit, say 'hi' to your friend in the cubicle next door."

Seven ‘good’ habits those are bad for your health

www.realbuzz.com

 Drinking water
While we are probably all familiar with the advice to drink eight glasses of water a day, more recent research has suggested that there is actually no scientific evidence supporting this recommendation and that drinking excessive amounts of water can actually be dangerous by lowering the concentration of salt in your blood. Health-conscious water drinkers should also be wary of the trend for drinking bottled water, as studies have suggested that the chemicals (phthalates) from plastic bottles can leach into water and disrupt hormone levels.

Talking over your problems
Talking through your problems can be a great way to gain some perspective and get things off your chest. However, studies have suggested that, after a certain point, rehashing and dwelling on problems can actually be bad for your health. According to research, revisiting and analyzing the same problems with friends (“co-rumination”) can lead to anxiety, stress disorders and depression. Next time a problem arises, by all means talk it over with a friend, but try to focus on problem-solving rather than simply dwelling on the issue.

Sipping on mock tails
You may think that by swapping cocktails for mocktails you are doing your health a favour, but this may not actually be the case. While cutting down on alcohol is beneficial for your wellbeing, mocktails are often high in refined sugar which research suggests is just as damaging and addictive as alcohol. For a safer swap and a shot of nutrients, make sure you stick to mocktails made from pure fruit juices instead of those made from syrups.

Early morning workouts
While a daily workout is great for your health, studies suggest that getting up for early morning exercise may not be as ideal as it seems. A study by a researcher from Brunel University, Middlesex, found that heavy training sessions early in the morning can compromise the immune system and put athletes at increased risk of bacterial and viral infection. While a morning jog or gentle exercise session is unlikely to put you at risk, it may be better to save heavier workouts for later in the day.

Taking nutritional supplements
We all know that vitamins are good for us, but relying on nutritional supplements can actually be bad for your health. Separate studies have shown that high doses of vitamin supplements including iron, magnesium and vitamin B6 raise the death rate of older women, while taking vitamin E can increase men’s risk of prostate cancer. While certain people may be required to take vitamins (those with low levels of vitamin D, for example, or vegans who may be deficient in vitamin B12), for most people a better approach is to opt for a varied diet full of fruit and vegetables which will give you all the nutrients you need.

Slathering on sunscreen
Official advice for many years has warned about the dangers of skin cancer, causing many of us to take measures to cover up in the sun at all times. However, while it is extremely important to protect your skin, experts have more recently advised that little and frequent sun exposure is good for us, preventing vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to rickets, osteomalacia and depression. Official advice in the UK, where rickets has recently made a comeback, is to spend 10 minutes in the midday sun without sunblock each day before covering skin up.

Switching to low fat foods
When getting started in healthy eating, it is tempting to opt for low fat foods in order to help keep off excess pounds. However, cutting out ‘good’ fats such as omega-3 fatty acids could be detrimental to your health. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in oily fish, walnuts and flaxseeds, not only help to keep skin supple and wrinkle-free, they are also essential for good brain and heart health and can help prevent arthritis.

Warning Message regarding to Laptop

Don’t keep your Laptop near to easily flammable material while using

A couple lost their 25 year old son in a fire at home on June 4th. The son who had graduated with MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison two weeks earlier had come home for a while. He had lunch with his dad at home and decided to go back to clean up his hostel room. His father told him to wait, to meet his mother, before he went back for a few days. He decided to take a nap while waiting for his mom to come back home from work. Sometime later their neighbors called 911 when they saw black smoke coming out of the house.

Unfortunately, the 25 years old died in the three year old house. It took several days of investigation to find out the cause of the fire. It was determined that the fire was caused by the laptop resting on the bed. When the laptop was on the bed cooling fan did not get the air to cool the computer and that is what caused the fire. He did not even wake up to get out of the bed because he died of breathing in carbon monoxide.

The reason I am writing this to all of you is that I have seen many of us and also our sons & daughters using the laptop while in bed. Let us all decide and make it a practice not to do that. The risk is real. Let us make it a rule not to use the laptop on bed with blankets and pillows around. Please educate as many people as you can.

"Please pass to everyone you know, you might save one's life

 (Thanks for Zia Hussian. The above message forwarded by him)

Cooler Pad

The Laptop Cooling Stand prevents your laptop from overheating. The unique patented wave design uses natural convection to enhance fan cooling. This stand has low power consumption via your laptop’s USB port with no bulky power adapters.

You know all about heat. Because today’s notebooks rely on fast processors to do the job, they generate a lot of heat, with much of it landing directly in your lap. Some laptops can have a “normal” operating temperature as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit! Not only is that unsafe and uncomfortable, it can also wear your laptop down, cause it to crash unexpectedly, and reduce its overall life expectancy.

How to sharpen your memory

London, Feb 19 (ANI): Doing exercise for up to an hour a day can improve memory and learning in children and the elderly, say scientists.

The researchers found that walking or cycling regularly for between six months to a year can improve memory and problem solving skills in the elderly by between 15 and 20 per cent.

They have shown that such exercise can also increase the size of crucial parts of the brain.

The scientists have also discovered that children who are fit also tend to be better at multitasking and performing difficult mental tasks than unfit friends, the Telegraph reported.

Professor Art Kramer, director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois, who led the research, said their findings could have major implications for improving children's performance at school.

He said it could also be used to help the elderly combat memory loss in old age.

"It is a sad fact of ageing that our brain function decreases as we get older. Increasingly people are also living more sedentary lifestyles. While we know that exercise can have positive effects on cardiovascular disease and diabetes, we have found it can bring about improvements in cognition, brain function and brain structure," Kramer said.

"It is aerobic exercise that is important so by starting off doing just 15 minutes a day and working up to 45 minutes to an hour of continuous working we can see some real improvements in cognition after six months to a year.

"We have been able to do a lot of neuroimaging work alongside our studies in the elderly and show that brain networks and structures also change with exercise.

"Children also seem to benefit and we have found that aerobically fit children exhibit superior cognitive control to lower fit children," Kramer stated.

Work published earlier this year by his team showed that the hippocampus, the part of the brain involved in memory, of elderly people who exercised regularly for more than six months increased by two per cent, effectively reversing brain ageing by one to two years.

In the latest research, he also found that fitter children are better at crossing the street when distracted by music or holding a conversation on a hands-free mobile phone compared to those who were less fit.

He found that while the fit children could cross a road in a virtual reality simulation with ease when distracted, the less fit children tended walk at the same speed as the fitter children but misjudged the speed and distance of the computer generated vehicles.

"The low fitness kids were just as good at crossing the street when it was the only thing they were doing. If they were listening to music or talking on the headset, they performed badly. They often ended up with the screen going red to show they had been hit," Professor Kramer said.

"One way to look at it is that the high fit kids think more efficiently and so are better at multitasking," the researcher added.

The finding was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Vancouver, and is due to be published later this year.

Window seats on planes can up the risk of DVT

Sitting in a window seat of an aeroplane during long distance flights can increase the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), doctors say.

A window seat is one of the risk factors for DVT in long distance travellers outlined in new guidelines by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), which say that a person's individual risk factors for blood clots should be taken into account before being offered preventative medicines.

Other risk factors highlighted include being elderly, pregnant or taking oral contraceptives.

The experts also say that so-called '"economy class syndrome" is a myth, as the risk of developing a blood clot during a long haul flight is the same for those travelling in first or business class.

Deep vein thromboses are blood clots which usually develop in the legs. If a clot breaks away, it can cause a potentially fatal blockage in the lungs known as a pulmonary embolism.

The new guidance, published in the journal Chest, says the risk of developing a blood clot on a long distance flight is "very small" for most people, but was strongest for flights taking longer than eight to ten hours, particuarly in those with other risk factors.

Prolonged sitting, such as in a window seat of a plane, where someone is less likey to get up and move around, can also increase the risk of DVT.

Guidelines co-author Dr Mark Crowther from McMaster University, Ontario, said: "Travelling in economy class does not increase your risk for developing a blood clot, even during long-distance travel.

"However, remaining immobile for long periods of time will. Long distance travellers sitting in a window seat tend to have limited mobility, which increases their risk for DVT. This risk increases as other factors are present."

Smoking and obesity were also identified as risk factors, but the doctors said they found no "definitive evidence" that either dehydration or drinking alcohol boosted the risk of DVT.

Medical conditions which can put a person at increased risk include having had recent surgery, a family history of blood clots and having heart disease.

The guidelines recommend that all long-haul passengers should take preventative measures such as getting out of their seats and walking around, and calf muscle stretches.

In addition to this, people at higher risk of DVT should sit in an aisle seat if possible and wear below-knee graduated compression stockings, they advised.

The doctors also advised against the use of aspirin or any other anti-coagulant medication to prevent DVT in long-distance travellers.

Drugs which can prevent blood clotting should only be considered on an individual basis for those at a higher risk of DVT as the "adverse effects may outweigh the risks," they said.

Dr Gordon Guyatt, who chaired the panel of experts which drew up the guidelines, said: "There has been a significant push in health care to administer DVT prevention for every patient, regardless of risk.

"As a result, many patients are receiving unnecessary therapies that provide little benefit and could have adverse effects."

"The decision to administer DVT prevention therapy should be based on the patients' risk and the benefits of prevention or treatment."