This comes as a real surprise to me as well, for I always thought that having sinus is a disease that is part of me and my family.
Even my dad always told me that it's part of the family.
And for more than 25 years of my life, I actually believed that.
But for once in my life, I actually doubted that I'm born to have sinus.
That's because there's one point in my life where I actually became sinus-free for a duration of more than 3 months.
And I thought the answer then was fitness because for the first time in my life, I actually signed up for a gym membership and trained really hard. (And sweat hard too)
Throwback: Me flexing back in 2014 :)
That time, I didn't really pay attention to my diet too, except adding a protein supplement to my diet.
But with 3 months of being sinus free, I actually stop believing that having sinus is part of me or my family, in fact, I believed it was a matter of fitness.
And my belief that time does prove to be valid.
For where I came from, most of my family members aren't the kind that actually went to the gym and do workouts, but it's understandable. We live in the middle of nowhere. Surrounded by nature in every angle you see.
You would think for once that being with nature helps solve sinus, but it's the total opposite.
While we did have fresh air from nature, the morning air is very humid and cold, and that's when (almost everyone gets their sinus running)
It's so prevalent that none of us would leave the house without a handkerchief in hand.
That was pretty much my life until I finished high school, and I still had the same problem throughout my university years until the day I started going to the gym in 2014.
Just when I thoughtI'm super healthy and my sinus won't come back. It CAME back.
I was still maintaining my workout routine and diet.
By then I was having a job transition, and the most major thing that changed was my sleep pattern.
I basically sleep too much. And since I was working with a startup that time, the place I sleep is also the office.
So I barely even went out most of the day.
And as you've guessed it, my sinus came back.
And I stopped going to the gym since you know, startup life is pretty unstable.
So I stopped trying.
And this went on until I started my own startup, and I don't even care about my sinus problem.
I just accepted it as a part of me.
Until the day I read this article where a Fortune 500 CEO was practicing intermittent fasting and is still fasting today.
The most incredible thing is the fact that he's able to fast for days at a time, 5 days at most, and is even healthier than he previous was.
He's none other than the former Evernote CEO Phil Libin.
I was hooked to this not because I wanted to cure sinus, but for the fact that I can save tons of money on food :P
And I did follow up with the practice he did.
And boy I was in for a surprise.
I stopped having my sinus.
And that's when a theory arises in me.
I asked myself,
"What if, the reason for all the sinus problem you had in your life is not a question of fitness, but it's the fact that you fucking eat too much food?"Yes, people.
I'm not here to brag, but I have all sorts of title when it comes to eating food.
My dad calls me the python, for I always eat freaking lots of food and then went to sleep (or as he called it: hibernation)
My friends call me DBKL ( Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur - which means I'm the dumpster truck that always takes care of the city trash), the dumpster, the sweeper, and one that I'm proud of: THE BLACK HOLE.
I'm sure you get the idea.
I eat A LOT. And when my friends can't finish their dishes, I would be the one that always helps them finish their food.
But here's one thing I know.
My sinus will almost always get triggered once I get super full.
Everyone in my circle can testify this behavior of mine.
So yeah, the whole intermittent fasting actually helped me discover the root cause of my sinus - EATING TOO MUCH.
And further digging reveals that even breakfast, lunch and dinner is a lot of food for any person.
We are not meant to eat that much food on a daily basis.
In fact, the whole routine of breakfast, lunch, and dinner is made up by the Europeans and became a standard during the Industrial Revolution. You'll figure out why here.
If you think that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then you've been sold a lie.
You don't really need breakfast or cereal to start your day.
In fact, you can go through the day perfectly went without eating anything.
Your body can produce enough energy from a process called ketosis, where it's a fancy word for the burning of fats as fuel for your body.
Till today, I never really had any sinus in the morning anymore.
That's because I got rid of the biggest trigger of my sinus which is eating too much.
While eating moderately has been the norm for me for almost 5 months now, I believe there are several other factors that actually helps me prevent any sinus from occurring.
So let me just compile them here.
Tip #1 : Don't eat too much!
In fact, you probably be able to live till retirement healthily by eating one meal per day. I started by splitting my lunch into half, where the other half I would eat for dinner. And I had my best health ever.
Tip #2 : Have cold shower
I learned this from Tony where he would take an ice bath or immerse himself in a cryogenic chamber, and he claims that it helps him reset his nervous system, plus a whole bunch of other benefits. For me, even while I have some morning sinus, but after the cold shower, not only does I feel refreshed, but my sinus actually stopped. So it does helps me in a way.
Tip #3 : Refresh the air in your bedroom
You either open your window and let the fresh air in or get an air filter or do both. Here's the real fact about your bedroom: It's full of dust and small tiny particles from your clothes. Try smacking your bed and shine a ray of light towards it. Regardless of how clean you think your bed is, there are always those tiny particles flying around.
So what happens if you sleep all night in that kind of environment?
You get sinus obviously. Sinus is a way for your body to filter these tiny particles. So if you inhale lots of them, chances are, you'll get running nose all day long. It's either your nose that filters them out or the air filter.
But in my case, I don't really invest in an air filter. All I did every day was, every time I got home from work, I would open my window and points the fan outside so it blows the air outside. While I'm doing that, I would keep the door open so fresh air can come in.
And recently I've added a few plants inside my living room so that will really freshen out the air.
Tip #4: Go outdoor more often
I actually noticed one thing when staying with my other housemates: they get sick a lot. one reason is probably the fact that they stay in their room all day and only went out at night (kinda living like a vampire, I'm not kidding). But the thing is, they are always sick, looks tired and cough a lot.
Well, I did have my sinus again when I stay at home all day long, especially during weekends. Not only that, I was feeling a lot of stress and being lazy at the same time. Like I said previously, there's a lot of dust inside your house, so unless you have a really good air filter installed, the best way is to go outdoors often.
I even invest a little over the weekend to do work at a restaurant with open-air instead of just working from home.
Tip #5 Don't sleep too much (and sleep facing the roof)
I'm famous for being the python among my family members. While that sounded cool, I was always tired and always go to class being sleepy. Not even being punished to sit at the front row can save me LOL(my Matric friends can testify)
And yes, I get my sinus frequently because of this. Why?
Same reason as being indoor too much, you breath in too much dust and fine particles in your bedroom. And you breathe in even more when you sleep more than you should.
So today, I have a fixed sleeping pattern where I would sleep no later than 1 or 2 am and wakes up at 7:30 am in the morning. For me, sleeping 5-6hours is just nice, and I don't get any sinus problem anymore.
And as for sleeping facing the roof? Well, you get to breathe in more oxygen compared to if you were to sleep facing down. (I did this for more than 20 years before changing it.)
Trust me on this, you get much more energy throughout the day, and be able to prevent yourself from being asleep during the day.
Tip #6 Be mindful of the word you tell yourself
Let me ask you this real quick.
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when it comes to Monday? Most people will and they will tell all kinds of things inside their head such as...
"I hate going to work"..
"Monday blues again.."
"I feel so lazy..." (and listening to Bruno Mars Lazy song won't help either)
And many more (I can't think of anymore since I always think empowering stuff LOL)
So what does this has to do with sinus?
Well, one thing I know for sure, and I learn this from Marissa Peer, is that your brain will listen what you say to yourself and give you what you truly want.
Here's how your brain interprets the word you say to yourself:
"Oh, so you don't like going to work? Okay, let me give you the flu, so you'll be sick and can go to the doctors to get your MC"
Or probably gave you sinus. Either way, you'll feel really sick and will not feel like going to work at all.
So either you tell yourself empowering words, or you'll get sick.
So learn to collaborate with your mind. Here's a video that will help you.
On one last note...
I'm the kind of guy that believed in self-healing, and not consuming pills and medicine or going to the hospital to seek treatment (and yes, prescribing all kinds of pills)
I believe that if we're sick, it a way of the body telling us that something is wrong, and there's thing that you do that causes it.
Be it working too much, or eating too much, or partying too much, your body will become sick so that you'll stop doing things that are harmful to your body, and actually get your much-needed rest.
Disclaimer:
1. Of course, I don't have the solid data or research to prove that this will work on everyone. Each of us has a unique set of DNA, body, and we live in a different environment which may contribute to your sinus. But if you try almost everything and still have sinus problem, then consider the advice I gave above.
And I didn't cover a lot of other topics such as food inflammation, as this will require another essay altogether. For this, I recommend you read this book by JJ Virgin. ( I don't earn anything from these, just sincerely sharing)
If you have any question, feel free to ask me in the comment section below! I will try to answer them the best I can.
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