Tag: stress

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Sleep: The Secret to a Less Stressed Life

M2-Jan2017

M2 / M2 Women
January 2017

Sleep: The Secret to a Less Stressed Life

The silly season has passed and a number of us are putting plans in place to work towards our New Year’s resolutions. With this in mind I thought I would bring the column topic back to the basic fundamentals of health and choose a subject that I feel is one of the most vital determinants of optimal health and well being, yet is often overlooked. Sleep.
“Sleep is a naturally recurring state of mind and body characterized by altered consciousness, relatively inhibited sensory activity, inhibition of nearly all voluntary muscles, and reduced interactions with surroundings.” Many people think that sleep is a restful state of body and mind but the truth is that while you are sleeping your body is kept incredibly busy repairing and regulating all of the systems in your body – improving immunity, clearing waste product, consolidating memories, fighting oxidative stress, regulating hormone synthesis and metabolic rate and much much more.

We need approximately 8 hours of high-quality sleep each night to keep our bodies functioning at optimal capacity but with modern societal habits and developments many of us are not achieving this.

Without doubt the largest contributor to sleeping issues is stress. We live in an incredibly fast-paced, convenience driven, work hard/play hard age where we are constantly pushing ourselves to the limit and many of us are burning out. When our bodies are under prolonged stress our Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis (A complex set of direct influence and feedback mechanisms between three vital organs) no longer responds how it should to the release of our main stress hormone cortisol. This can lead to continuous cortisol synthesis resulting in chronically elevated cortisol levels which have been linked not only to insomnia but also to a raft of other health disorders.

So it’s firmly apparent that to stay well we need to be focusing on managing our stress and reducing its impact on our sleep habits. There are many ways we can do this including the following:

  • Before bedtime take a relaxing bath and listen to some soothing music
  • Meditate or practice yoga with some deep breathing exercises. This can be done both during the day and at night for immediate relaxation
  • Avoid interaction with screens in the 1.5 hours before bedtime
  • Make sure you are neither too full or hungry when you go to bed as this may cause you to wake in the night
  • Limit caffeine and alcohol consumption to help keep your cortisol levels in check
  • Supplement at night with a high-quality mineral formula designed to support deep, restorative sleep
  • Lastly, don’t take life too seriously! Many of us get over-stressed and worked up over matters of little significance. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed during the day take a step back and reassess the matter at hand – often it’s not as urgent as we think it is. Be kind to yourself and practice gratitude whenever possible.

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5 Ways To Cope With Stress

M2-May-2016

M2 May 2016
5 Ways To Cope With Stress

5 Ways To Cope With Stress

Stress is the body’s way of responding to life’s demands. While necessary for our survival, in modern times stress has become one of society’s main health challenges contributing to a raft of health conditions including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, adrenal fatigue, hypertension, obesity, anxiety, depression and even cancer. Short term, stress is great for helping us to make split decisions to ensure our survival but being chronically stressed from an over-demanding job, relationship or life situation can start to have a hugely detrimental impact on your health.
Stress can begin to manifest in symptoms like headaches, insomnia, muscle tension, an upset stomach, change in appetite, difficultly concentrating, weight gain or weight loss, irritability, and premature aging.

Whilst it is impossible to remove stress form your life altogether there are some tips and changes you can make to help your body better cope with stress:

  1. Make sleep a priority. Insomnia and sleep often feed each other creating a vicious cycle of sleeplessness, anxiety and fatigue. Ensure that you are getting 7-8 hours high-quality sleep each night to help regulate your cortisol (stress hormone) levels and support your body’s repair processes.
  2. Keep hydrated. Dehydration decreases cardiac output, which leads to less blow flow and oxygen for the brain, making you feel fatigued and stressed out. Aim to drink 2-3 litres of good quality water each day to help keep alert, focused and stress-free.
  3. Focus on one thing at a time. Multitasking might seem like the best way to power through your to-do list but it can actually decrease productivity and increase your stress. Rather than hurriedly trying to do 10 things at once try focusing on one task at a time.
  4. Eat regularly. This will help keep your blood sugar levels steady and prevent fatigue, headaches and stress caused by low glucose levels. Eat well-balanced, nutrient-dense meals and snacks and try to avoid consuming too much sugar and caffeine.
  5. Just breathe. If you feel yourself getting stressed take a minute to do some deep breathing to calm your nervous system and bring you back into a state of balance. If you have the time, meditation or a short walk outdoors are great ways to bring down cortisol levels. Mineral supplementation is also very helpful.

Lastly, learn to go with the flow. Stress is often self-inflicted from expectations and demands we put on ourselves. Go easy on yourself and let go of things that are outside your control. You’ll be a much happier, stress-free person without the worries of the world on your shoulders.

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Is your child anxious?

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Is your child anxious?

Stress and anxiety does not only affect adults. Today anxiety has a significant impact in the lives of our children, often as a result of added pressure at school, home and from their peers. Prevalence of stress and anxiety in children has increased markedly over the last decade and is now considered to be the most common mental health disorder in school age children affecting 1 in every 8.
Anxiety in children can lead to physical difficulties and inability to cope with every day stresses. The child can develop problems with sleep, headaches, stomach aches and digestive disorders as well as lack of concentration, increased irritability and tiredness amongst other signs. If ignored, anxiety can become the trigger for more serious problems.
How do you know if your child may be struggling with anxiety? Anxious children are often quiet and well behaved and thus their anxiety can frequently go unnoticed by loved ones. Alternatively, some children can be disruptive and misbehave in an attempt to gain attention.

Causes of stress and anxiety in children include peer/family pressure, increased schoolwork demands, neglect at home and even terrible news on TV. With all of these pressures on children it is important to take time out to talk with your child regularly and be involved in what’s happening in their lives so that they do not feel alone. The best medicine that a parent can give to help their child deal with stress is fulltime encouragement and support.

So what else can parents do?

If your child is stressed or anxious there are a number of ways that you can help your child to better cope with stress.

  • Prioritise sleep. Sleep is crucial for decreasing anxiety and improving physical and emotional wellbeing so make sure your child gets enough sleep to help them recover and recharge for the day ahead. The amount of sleep your child requires is age dependent but ranges between 9.5 to 11.5 hours every night.
  • Making your home your child’s happy place where they feel safe and secure is essential. If you have stress at home, do your best to improve the situation or talk to your child about it.
  • Listening to your child’s problems empathetically and keeping channels of communication open will encourage them to feel comfortable enough to let you know about any issues going on in their lives.
  • Allow your child some downtime away from technology to do things that they enjoy whether it be reading quietly, playing with friends or spending time outdoors.
  • Mineral supplementation can be beneficial to support the nervous system and promote relaxation. Look for a formula which combines magnesium, zinc, potassium, B vitamins and vitamin C to nourish the nervous and adrenal systems and help the body better cope with stress and anxiety.