Author: Sameed Chaudhary

In most Pakistani homes the day does not really end until midnight. Late dinner stretches into family chai, a long WhatsApp catch up turns into one more drama episode, and the bedroom lights finally go off well after 12. Then you lie there, eyes open, wondering why your mind will not switch off. This is where sleep hygiene quietly changes everything. In Urdu it is often called نیند کی صفائی (Neend ki Safai) and simply means the daily habits that decide how easily you fall asleep and how rested you feel the next morning. Sleep hygiene is the set of…

Sleep problems are genuinely common in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study of 1,488 adults in Karachi, published in a peer-reviewed journal and indexed on PubMed, found that roughly 1 in 3 respondents reported insomnia. What’s striking is that a third of those people were already taking sleeping pills prescribed by a family physician, often without any structured sleep guidance alongside them. That pattern matters because sleeping pills, while sometimes necessary, are not the first-line answer for most cases. According to the NIH Consensus and State of the Science Statements, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) is the recommended first-line treatment, and…

Ghusa — the kind that makes your heart pound and your jaw clench — is something most Pakistanis know well. Whether it’s a rickshaw that cuts you off on Lahore’s Canal Road, a power outage during a summer heatwave, or a disagreement at the dinner table with extended family, daily life here comes loaded with triggers that can push anyone’s patience to its edge. What makes anger management genuinely hard in Pakistan is the cultural layer on top of the physiological one. Many people grew up in households where anger was either expressed loudly or suppressed entirely, with little middle…

Most Pakistani mornings start with chai and a paratha. It’s comforting, it’s fast, and it has been the default for generations. But if you’re trying to manage your weight, that combination, made with refined maida and generous desi ghee, can quietly work against you by spiking blood sugar and leaving you hungry again by 10 a.m. The good news is that eating well at breakfast doesn’t mean giving up desi food. It means choosing smarter versions of what’s already in your kitchen. Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad all have the same local markets stocked with eggs, dahi, oats, and seasonal fruit.…

Protein comes up in almost every conversation about health and fitness in Pakistan, yet most people are genuinely unsure how much they actually need. The confusion is understandable. Some fitness pages quote very high numbers aimed at bodybuilders, while general health advice sticks to a minimum that barely covers basic needs. The reality is more nuanced than either extreme. According to the Pakistan Protein Perception Study 2023, conducted by Right to Protein South Asia, most Pakistanis consume high-protein foods only on a weekly basis rather than daily. That gap between what the body needs and what the desi diet typically…

Morning runners in Lahore’s Jilani Park and Karachi’s Creek Vista are onto something. A 20 to 30 minute run before the heat sets in does more for your body than most people realise, and the science behind it is now very well established. Pakistan’s physical inactivity rates are a growing concern. According to the World Health Organization, over 40% of Pakistani adults are insufficiently physically active, putting them at higher risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and depression. Running is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to reverse that trend. This guide covers the key benefits of…

Pakistani skin deals with a set of conditions most global skincare guides simply don’t account for. Lahore’s smog sits on your face all day. Karachi’s coastal humidity makes oily skin worse between May and September. Islamabad’s dry winters strip moisture faster than any cleanser. A routine that works in London or New York won’t necessarily work here. The good news is that you don’t need a fifteen-step routine or imported products to keep your skin healthy. Most dermatologists in Pakistan recommend starting with four to five products and mastering those before adding anything else. Getting that foundation right is what…

Every Pakistani summer brings the same warnings about heatstroke and fainting. There is a quieter crisis that gets far less attention. As temperatures climb past 45 degrees in many cities, urologists across the country see a sharp rise in one painful condition: kidney stones, known in Urdu as گردے کی پتھری (gurday ki pathri). Quick Answer During a heatwave your body loses water through sweat, your urine becomes concentrated, and the minerals in it crystallise more easily into stones. This is why kidney stones in summer rise sharply across Pakistan. Drinking enough water is the single most effective way to…

Quick Answer A headache causes pressure or aching pain, usually on both sides of the head, and typically resolves within a few hours. A migraine is a neurological condition that produces moderate to severe throbbing pain, most often on one side, and is frequently accompanied by nausea, light sensitivity, and visual disturbances. The two need different treatments, so telling them apart matters. But when the pain keeps coming back, forces you into a dark room, or stops you from getting through a normal day in Karachi or Lahore, it may be something more than a routine headache. Many Pakistani patients…

The federal government has allocated PKR 53.3 billion to the health sector under the 2026 to 27 Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). This marks a significant increase from the PKR 16.5 billion initially allocated the previous year, and the funding is aimed at strengthening tertiary care and crisis management across the country. At a Glance Total health allocation: PKR 53.3 billion, up from PKR 16.5 billion the previous year Earmarked for health, nutrition, and targeted medical infrastructure: PKR 24.3 billion Main focus areas: cancer care, cardiovascular health, and emergency infrastructure Fiscal cycle: the 2026 to 27 Public Sector Development Programme…