The Risks Of Fatigue

Do you find it difficult to measure, manage and mitigate against fatigue in your workplace? Wesley Corporate Health and Fatigue Science offers a breakthrough solution to all three problems with the ReadiBand^TM System.

What is fatigue?
Fatigue is a state of tiredness associated with prolonged work and/or prolonged wakefulness. The two most common sources are:

• a depleted sleep reservoir, due to acute sleep loss or chronic sleep restriction, and
• altered sleep/wake cycles, due to shift work or crossing time zones.  

Common causes of these include medical factors such as obstructive sleep apnoea, chronic fatigue syndrome, anaemia, heart failure and restless leg syndrome, and work or environmental factors such as jet lag or stress.

Fatigue impacts on health 
Sleep deprivation has similar effects on performance to that of alcohol intoxication. It can impair many physical and cognitive qualities such as:

• judgement and decision making
• sustained attention and alertness
• short term memory
• communication
• reaction time
• hand-eye co-ordination

Research has shown that insufficient sleep can also interfere with glucose regulation, appetite control, insulin resistance and weight management, all which can be linked to conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes.

Therefore, people who do not have adequate sleep are more likely than well rested people to fall victim to fatigue and experience industrial or automotive accidents and have work-related performance problems. Overall, inadequate sleep can result in increases in the utilisation of healthcare resources and reduced quality of life, impaired day-to-day functioning and increased depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse.

The ReadiBand^TM system empowers employees with opportunities to reduce the personal risks of developing diabetes, cancer, obesity, and the other health problems that have been associated with a lack of quality sleep.

Fatigue Risk in the Australian Workplace
• 16% of the Australian workforce are shiftworkers and experience twice the injury rate of non-shiftworkers

• 30% of heavy vehicle accidents have fatigue as the primary or underlying cause

• Fatigue related accidents account for 80% of accident claim costs

• In surface mining alone, 60-65% of truck-haulage accidents are directly related to operator fatigue

Unfortunately, most people are poor judges of their own sleep quality and their fatigue status, so unless they utilise technology such as Fatigue Science’s ReadiBand™, they often do not realise they need help.

Beating Fatigue Risk with The Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS)

The ReadiBand™ system combines principles based on over 50 years of validated scientific research with recent advances in fatigue-factor-measurement technology and computerised performance-effectiveness modeling.  It is very easy to use and staff are simply required to wear it continuously for 7 days. The overall FRMS can be completed in six simple steps: 

For more information on how Welsey Corporate Health can help you battle fatigue in the workplace, call Louise Reeve on 3234 2609 or contact us online at http://www.weshealth.com.au/

A Walking Workplace

Did you know that employee’s who go for a daily walk before or during the work day will be generally healthier, more productive and creative, and less likely to be absent or take sick-leave?

The Benefits of Regular Walking
Although the copious benefits of exercise have long been established, it may not be as widely recognised that even just performing regular brisk walking can provide significant benefits for an individual’s all round health and wellbeing.   

Some of the benefits of regular walking include:

• Increased cardiovascular and pulmonary fitness
• Improved and manageable blood pressure, cholesterol profile and blood sugar levels
• Improved and manageable joint and muscular pain or stiffness
• Strengthened bones and improved balance
• Increased muscle strength and endurance
• Reduced body fat.

A recent analysis of multiple studies that used a walking only intervention for a minimum of four weeks has shown an average relative reduction of 1.4% in body weight,  1.9% in percent body fat and a reduction of 0.8% in systolic and 2.0% in diastolic blood pressure from baseline measurements. It was also found that walking at a self-selected brisk pace can result in modest but meaningful increases in cardio respiratory fitness.

Primarily, these benefits will help manage or reduce the risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis. Research has also shown how exercise reduces the risk of some cancers, particularly bowel, with some suggestive evidence linking it to a reduced risk of lung, ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancers.

Regular walking can also help to relieve feelings of depression or anxiety, aid in better sleep and better digestion. And aside from the long list of health benefits, it is better for our environment by reducing car dependency. This makes it better for our hip pocket too!

How to Build More Walking into your Workday… 
Its easy! If you live too far from work to walk the whole way, get off public transport a few stops earlier or park the car at least one kilometre away and walk the rest of the way. Or get out for a half-hour walk at lunchtime and if you have a sedentary office job, get up and walk around at least once every hour and where possible use the stairs. 

Evidence shows that there are both direct and immediate benefits for organisations and employees to support and promote walking regularly.

Therefore, to help build regular walking into your daily routine, Wesley Corporate Health encourages businesses and employees to get involved in the Cancer Council National Walk to Work Day, on Friday 16 September 2011 and register their organisations as a Walking Workplace. 

The primary aim for the annual event, now in its 13^th year, is to get Australia walking again, but participants are also encouraged to become a fund-raiser for the Cancer Council in the fight against cancer. Please visit www.walk.com.au/ for more information on how to get your business involved in supporting this event.

Wesley Corporate Health in Papua New Guinea!

Situated in the mountainous highlands of the Western Province, amidst the thick jungle and the meandering Fly River, is the Ok Tedi Mine Site.  Ok Tedi Mining Limited (OTML) now operates the mine, which has become the single largest business contributor to the economics of the Western Province and PNG.  The Ok Tedi mine is a large-scale, cost-competitive producer of copper concentrate, but also extracts gold and silver for export. 

In mid 2009, OTML introduced an Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) Program to help staff maintain, or regain, health and fitness for both their personal and working lives.  The introduction of the program followed a number of adverse health outcomes in employees due to natural causes, but it was acknowledged that most of these had a strong link to lifestyle diseases. 

OTML enlisted the support of Wesley Corporate Health (WCH) in response to the request for an expert team of health professionals to help them refine and improve the program. Since coming on board in early 2010, WCH has been successful in training and engaging local health staff, improving access to healthier food options, and marketing the importance of a healthy lifestyle in the community. 

One of the most eagerly anticipated and valuable outcomes of the program has been the development of OTML’s very own version of the WCH Wellbeing Book - Health for Life. In consultation with local staff and the community, coupled with a great deal of research into best practice guidelines for the PNG population, WCH was responsible for introducing a new and improved Employee Health Evaluation for the company, and a book that employees are now able to take home containing their results and further educational material to share with their families. 

The much anticipated launch of the OTML Health for Life book was supported by attendance from OTML Managing Director Nigel Parker, and captured on film by the local media team. Since its roll out, the book has inspired a dramatic increase in the number of staff presenting to have an annual health assessment, and they are now able to share the education it provides with those at home. 

WCH Primary Health Professional Michelle Spillane with OTML 
Managing Director Nigel Parker,EHW Program Coordinator 
and Program Manager.

The next publication set to go to print will be a local cookbook providing advice on healthy, balanced meal and snack options for a community that is often faced with the challenges of being quite remote and isolated. WCH will be providing expert nutrition guidance, but will also draw on assistance from the local people who have been called to submit their favourite recipes for inclusion.

In a community where luxuries as we know them are few and far between, it is a great privilege for WCH to be involved with this project, and to have the opportunity to make a difference to the lives of the people in the Western Province of PNG.  Congratulations must go to OTML for providing their employees with such a fantastic health and wellness program to improve the lives of their employees, families, and the wider community.

Is your workplace mentally healthy?

Although ‘mental health’ encompasses a wide range of debilitating conditions, the two most prevalent mental illnesses in the workplace are depression and anxiety. Often people have significant difficulties in coping with these illnesses and give up their job without employers ever having any awareness of their condition.

Research suggests that each person experiencing depression takes on average three to four days off work per month, which results in a considerable loss in productivity for individual employers. Unfortunately, around 50% of people with depression don't get the help they need. For every full time employee with untreated or undiagnosed depression, it costs an organisation $9665 per year on average in lost productivity.   Over six million working days are lost each year as sick leave due to mental illness in Australian workplaces.

Mental Health Week (October 9^th-15^th) is a national campaign aimed to raise awareness and understanding of mental health illnesses within the community.  This week coincides with World Mental Health Day on October 10^th, which is a global campaign by the World Federation of Mental Health to also educate about this important issue.

For more information on Mental Health Week, World Mental Health Day and mental health conditions, please visit http://www.mentalhealth.org.au/ 

How to recognise the signs

Some behaviours commonly associated with Depression may include out of character moodiness, increased irritability and frustration, difficulty sleeping and increased feelings of fatigue or pain. It may also be associated with spending less time with friends and family, staying home from work, loss of interest in usual pleasurable activities and increased alcohol or drug use. 

Anxiety disorders come in many forms and involve feelings of continual or extreme discomfort and tension, with fear of panic attacks (usually without discernable cause) to a point where it affects and interrupts a person's every day life.  The anxiety presents itself in symptoms such as restlessness, irritability, fatigue, impaired concentration, increased muscle tension and disturbed sleep.

Workplace stress is also known to be a significant risk factor for developing depression. With the demands and stresses placed on today’s workforce, it would be beneficial for employers to implement policies and strategies that support and protect the mental health of their employees.

Organisations might consider strategies such as mental wellness seminars, or interventions that promote healthy lifestyle behaviours and stress reduction practices, such as group exercise sessions, relaxation workshops or an interactive cooking demonstration. Research shows that early diagnoses or the introduction of intervention programs can result in a five-fold return on investment due to increased employee productivity.

How Wesley Corporate Health Can Help You

Our highly experienced team of Psychologists can assist your organisation with a range of services. As an Employee Assistance Program, WCH will act as a confidential way to access Psychological help when an employee needs it. The level of support available to staff can be set by your organisation, and this may range from full requried support to a set limit of sessions which are financially supported. Employers are often surprised at how many staff do access the program, as mental health issues are rarely discussed in the workplace setting. Knowing that access is available if/when they need it is highly valued by staff.

Additional services that may facilitate in sustaining a mentally healthy workforce include a range of mental health seminars and workshops, individual telephone health coaching and emotional wellbeing screening and referrals as part of our health assessments. Wesley Corporate Health's targeted employee health interventions are designed to provide a positive return on your investment.

To find out how we can tailor a package of targeted health interventions for your company, call Louise Reeve on 3234 2609 or contact us online at http://www.weshealth.com.au/

http://www.anxietyaustralia.com.au/

http://www.beyondblue.org.au/

Quitting Smoking - Don't Give Up Giving Up!

If you've been thinking of quitting remember that people average 4-6 attempts to quit before they are successful, so don’t give up! Each attempt you'll learn more about why and when you smoke - tools to help you be a non-smoker for good!

Rewards for quitting start right away:

After 12 hours: Almost all of the nicotine is out of your system.
After 24 hours: Carbon monoxide levels in your blood have dropped dramatically and you have more oxygen in your bloodstream.
After 5 days: Most nicotine by-products have gone
Within days: Your sense of taste and smell improve.
Within a month: Your blood pressure returns to its normal level and your immune system begins to recover.
Within 2 months: Your lungs will no longer be producing phlegm caused by smoking.
After 12 months: Your increased risk of dying from heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.
After 10 years: Your risk of lung cancer is less than half that of a continuing smoker and continues to decline (provided it is not already present).

Step 1 – Deciding to Quit
One of the best reasons to quit smoking is the fact that you can prevent illness and possible death. About 50% of lifetime smokers will die from the habit. Two of the most common killer diseases caused by smoking include lung cancer and heart disease.

Step 2 – Getting Ready to Quit
Those who plan to quit are often more successful than those smokers who don’t. Here are four
stages to getting ready:

1. Understand your nicotine addiction
Nicotine affects the chemicals in your brain. It only takes one cigarette to give you a ‘feel good’
sensation. However, smokers’ bodies learn to depend on nicotine resulting in an increased amount of tobacco being smoked.

2. Know why you smoke
The most common reasons why people smoke are emotive, pleasure seeking, social pressure,habit and addiction.
All smokers have their own smoking triggers, and these habits are often tied to certain moods, events or places.

3. Plan ways to deal with quitting
Quitline – a 24hr telephone service that provides information on quitting and services available in your local area.
Nicotine gum and patches – visit your doctor and discuss your plans to quit smoking. Your doctor might recommend using nicotine gum or patches and can explain to you how to use them effectively.
Have a plan in place to cope with cravings. Find a quit partner as it often helps to have someone to support you.

4. Set a quit date


Step 3 – Quitting
Going cold turkey is the most successful method for most people, and involves stopping smoking suddenly and completely. If this is not for you, gradually cut down by reducing the number of cigarettes smoked each day and smoking cigarettes with less nicotine content.
Plan to quit on a specific day, within two or three weeks from now. Choose a time when you will be under minimal pressure, yet still have plenty of things to occupy yourself with.
 
Coping with recovery symptoms:To quit you must confront your cravings and learn how to live through them until they no longer exist. Remember the 4 D’s:

- Delay acting on the urge to smoke. Don’t open a pack or light a cigarette. After five minutes, the urge to smoke weakens

- Deep breathe. Take a long slow breath in, and slowly out again. Repeat three times.

- Drink water. Sip it slowly, holding it in your mouth a little longer to savor the taste.

- Do something else. Take your mind off smoking by taking action – put on some music, go for a walk, or ring a friend.

Step 4 – Staying a non smoker
Think of yourself as a non-smoker from the moment you quit. With this in mind, you can handle any situation that arises without the need to smoke. A non-smoker doesn’t turn to cigarettes to cope.

- Find new ways to handle stress and emotions
- Find new ways to relax such as self-massage, meditation and deep breathing
- Reward yourself - calculate the amount of money you are saving from being a non-smoker and buy yourself a special gift

The Quitline (13 QUIT or 137848) is a free service that provides 24 hour assistance to those trying to quit (for the cost of a local call from all landlines, more from mobiles). Their website is also a handy reference - http://www.quitnow.gov.au/

© Wesley Corporate Health (2011) - This article is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.

Portion sizes matter

Over eating too much of a good thing can lead to increased weight. We at Wesley Corporate Health hear from many clients that although they feel they're eating the 'right' foods, they are still overweight. The answer to this puzzle is often confusion over correct portion sizing.

A simple way to work out what size your portions should be is to use your hands!

Harvard University has also released a new 'food plate' to explain what portions of our diet should be taken up with the various food groups. It's important to remember however that there can be a big nutritional difference between the types of grains and proteins you choose. Always opt for wholegrain, low GI grains such as brown rice, brown pasta, oats and quinoa. With protein choose sources low in saturated fats - fish, legumes (eg red kidney beans or chickpeas), tofu or chicken. Dairy should preferably be low in fat as well.

Why do we often have portion distortion?

· We are all unconsciously persuaded to eat more because of factors like marketing, packaging and our environment. Often, the most cost effective option is to order larger meals and extra foods with ‘meal deals’ and consumers are naturally attracted to options that are value for money.

· Larger dinner plates and wine glasses have become fashionable leading to larger serving sizes both at home and when eating out.

· The serving size for so many common items has increased drastically in the last 20 years.

à Flavoured milk has gone from  an average size of 300mLs (220 cal) to 500-600mLs (440 cal)

à An average size mars bar used to be 30g (135cal) but is now sold at 80g (370cal)

Tips for portion control:

· Put out smaller bowls, plates and glasses so that smaller serving sizes fill the plate and appear larger

· Don’t eat straight from a packet. You may eat more than you realize. Take out the right portion and eat it from a plate.

· Eat three small meals and 2 snacks—This pattern keeps your metabolism boosted and avoids becoming excessively hungry and making poor food choices

· Choose foods low in GI—The slower and more sustained release of energy from food leaves you feeling satisfied for longer

· Do not serves meals buffet style; set out one plate with the proper portion already dished up

· When eating out, order an entrée size main meal and/or share a dessert with someone instead of getting your own

· If you cook in large batches, freeze what won’t be served right away in smaller portions so you won’t be tempted to finish eating the whole batch before it spoils

· Measure your food for a couple of days to get an idea of exactly how much you are eating. Use a set of kitchen scales and measuring cups.

· Eat slowly and mindfully. Focus on all aspects of the meal such as smell, texture, temperature and flavour. Listen to cues from your body and recognize when you are satisfied.

· See an Accredited Practicing Dietitian for a personalized plan to manage portion control

If you are wanting to lose weight, aim for mid meal snacks that equate to around 100 calories. Some suggestions include:

· Tub of reduced fat yoghurt or dairy snack

· Piece of fruit—1 x large or 2 x small

· 2 x vitaweats with 1 slice of cheese

· Soup in a Cup

· 250mL fruit juice or popper

· Nuts—20g equates to 14 cashews/ almonds, 25 pistachios or 6 macadamias

© Wesley Corporate Health (2011) - This article is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.

Standard Alcoholic Drinks

What is a 'standard' drink?

Look for a label similar to the image below. These will be written on all packaged drinks in Australia.

Some examples of the number of 'standard drinks' for common drinks are below:

Images courtesy of Motor Accident Commission, SA

What is alcohol?

Alcohol is a Central Nervous System (CNS) depressant. It affects virtually every organ in the body, and chronic use can lead to numerous preventable diseases including alcoholism.
Australians are the heaviest drinkers in the English speaking world. We drink to relax, to celebrate, to socialise and to have fun. Alcohol forms a part of many social functions - from family get togethers to parties and work functions. Unfortunately excessive alcohol use is responsible for many physical, mental and emotional problems.

The following guidelines can help you look after yourself, your family and others when alcohol is being used.

Short term effects

• Distorted vision, hearing and co-ordination
• Altered perceptions and emotions
• Impaired judgment
• Bad breath and hangovers

Long term effects

• Loss of appetite
• Vitamin deficiencies
• Skin problems
• Depression
• Sexual impotence
• Weight gain
• Difficulty sleeping
• Arguments with family
• Decreased functioning at work
• Financial difficulties

Signs of a drinking problem
If you feel that someone you know could have a drinking problem, the following situations may help you decide whether or not to seek further assistance:

• Inability to control drinking - regardless of intentions they frequently end up consuming too much
• Using alcohol to escape from problems
• Changing from a reserved person to the ‘life of the party’
• A high tolerance level—they can drink far more alcohol than others
• Suffers ‘blackouts’ when drinking - the person can't remember what happened
• The person sustains injuries from drinking
• Alcohol is/has affected their ability to complete normal activities such as working

When to avoid alcohol?
You should not consume ANY alcohol if you:

• are pregnant
• are operating machinery
• are taking medication
• suffer from a condition such as liver disease

© Wesley Corporate Health (2011) - This article is provided for your information only and does not replace qualified medical advice. The information provided may not apply to every person or all situations. A medical practitioner should be consulted for all treatment and medication.