In today’s health-conscious world, many people strive to eat a clean, balanced diet. However, for some, this pursuit of healthy eating can morph into an unhealthy obsession known as orthorexia nervosa.

While eating healthy is essential for overall well-being, orthorexia takes it to a concerning extreme.

Over the past several years, there’s been a shift among Americans in our attitudes toward food. Slowly but surely, more of us are choosing wholesome foods and paying closer attention to what we’re consuming in what’s been dubbed the “clean eating movement.”

That’s terrific news. Focusing on a clean eating meal plan that includes fresh foods and eliminating highly processed ingredients can lead to reduced inflammation, a lowered risk of diabetes and certain types of cancers, and an overall happier, healthier feeling.

But what begins for many as a genuine desire to feel better about themselves and the foods they put into their bodies has the potential to become a dangerous fixation, often propelled by social media. Meet orthorexia, a new cousin to anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and other eating disorders.

What is orthorexia?

Orthorexia describes an obsession with eating foods that one considers healthy. While healthy eating is beneficial, orthorexia crosses the line into an unhealthy preoccupation with food quality and purity.

Individuals with orthorexia develop rigid dietary rules and restrictions, often eliminating entire food groups they deem unhealthy. Their focus shifts from enjoying nutritious food to a relentless pursuit of dietary perfection.

“Orthorexia nervosa” was named by Dr. Steven Bratman in 1996. While seeing patients in his alternative medicine practice, he noticed an increasing amount of them were fixated on eating healthy.

He coined the phrase as a way to help a particular patient work through her extremist attitude about food.

As Dr. Bratman describes, “It is formed in analogy to anorexia nervosa, but using orthro, meaning ‘right,’ to indicate an obsession with eating the right foods.”

But what began as a tongue-in-cheek way to work through a patient’s troubled relationship with food and getting “overly obsessed health foodists to take a look at themselves” has evolved into a term that describes a real eating disorder that some young women and men are finding themselves all too familiar with.

While eating clean, reading labels and being cognizant of the foods we consume (mindful eating or intuitive eating) aren’t bad things — particularly in a society that’s seeing increasingly high rates of obesity — for some, it becomes an unhealthy obsession with otherwise healthy eating.

While social media isn’t to blame for orthorexia ­­— after all, the phrase came about in the ’90s, years before Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and Pinterest even existed — experts agree that easy access to all those pretty photos of kale smoothies and meticulously arranged salads makes it easier to feel the pressure to eat clean.

The 24/7 access we have to popular food feeds and celebrity accounts means comparing diets or “outdoing” someone else’s (“She’s vegetarian? I can go vegan!”) is always at our fingertips.

Is orthorexia a genuine eating disorder?

While many people, mainly young white women, identify as having orthorexia, mention the term to a doctor and you might get a blank look. That’s because orthorexia isn’t yet considered an official, individual eating disorder.

It’s not included in the latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) that’s published by the American Psychiatric Association and considered the “bible” of disorders.

Some experts believe that orthorexia is not different enough from other existing disorders, like anorexia or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), to warrant its own definition. Similar to anorexics, individuals with orthorexia become fixated on food and their bodies, though the preoccupation is not on calories or weight, but on what types of food are being eaten.

For those struggling with orthorexia, there are constant feelings of being “unclean” or having their bodies marred by the foods they’re eating, no matter how “healthy” their diets are.

According to Dr. Bratman, recovering anorexics sometimes shift or “graduate” to orthorexia. These people keep their disordered eating habits but focus on purity, rather than losing weight.

Like people with OCD, orthorexics use their eating habits as a way to gain control. For some, the fact that these people are obsessing over something — not what they are obsessing over — means orthorexia is a type of OCD.

Of course, that theory might be self-prophesying, as more research on orthorexia as a unique eating disorder is needed.

As Dr. Cynthia Bulik, professor of eating disorders at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told The Guardian, diagnosing orthorexia can be a vicious cycle.

“It is not a bona fide diagnosis, so there is no research on it; however, since there is no research on it, we know very little about whether it actually should be a disorder,” she said.

Eventually, however, “orthorexia” might officially enter the medical lexicon. That’s because of the way eating disorder evolution tends to occur.

After bulimia was recognized as a disorder in 1979, for example, doctors started recognizing that some patients were first binge eating and then purging their food, or just binge eating altogether. But it wasn’t until 2013 that binge eating disorder was added to the DSM-5.

In orthorexia’s case, when Dr. Bratman first came up with the name, most of his clients were fixated on cleanses, the popular healthy eating fad at the time. Today, it’s cutting out gluten, eliminating dairy or nixing entire food groups.

While these might be positive, healthy changes for some people — like if you have celiac disease or lactose intolerance ­— for some people, the obsession with eliminating certain “bad” foods becomes all-consuming.

Signs and symptoms

Is reading restaurant menus before meeting friends for dinner or cutting cheese out from your diet orthorexia? Not necessarily.

Empowering yourself to make healthy choices or restricting foods that truly don’t work for your particular body because they make you sick or contribute to health issues is not a bad thing.

That’s what makes recognizing orthorexia especially tricky. Eating clean and choosing healthy foods are, in general, positive things.

It’s much more difficult to identify the problem because it’s cloaked in a “healthy” disguise.

If you plan your day and social activities around food, attach your self-esteem to how well you can stick to your diet, or find yourself restricting more and more foods, it could be time to seek help. When clean eating becomes a fixation that’s dominating your life, there is a problem.

Dr. Bratman and his colleagues released formal criteria to diagnose orthorexia. It includes two sets of criteria.

Criterion A comprises an obsessive focus on “healthy eating;” an exaggerated fear of disease; a sense of personal impurity, anxiety and shame if an individual violates self-imposed dietary rules; and increasing dietary restrictions over time.

In Criterion B, the compulsive behavior leads to malnutrition from a restricted diet; impairment of social, academic or vocational functions because of healthy diet behavior; and a positive sense of self-worth being excessively dependent on a person’s self-defined “healthy” eating behavior.

Remember, choosing good-for-you foods isn’t a bad thing — just like enjoying a pizza or nibbling on chocolate now and again isn’t the end of the world.

With orthorexia, though, there’s really no longer a choice when it comes to eating “healthy.” Food has become a psychological obsession.

Here are some signs and symptoms of orthorexia:

• Obsessive preoccupation with healthy eating: People with orthorexia spend excessive time planning meals, researching healthy foods and worrying about the purity of their ingredients.
• Rigid dietary rules and restrictions: They may create elaborate rules around food preparation, consumption and source. Any deviation from these self-imposed rules can cause significant anxiety and distress.
• Elimination of entire food groups: Orthorexic individuals often restrict or eliminate entire food groups they perceive as unhealthy, even if these foods are part of a balanced diet.
• Increasingly restricted diet: The “safe” food options become narrower over time.
• Increasing social isolation: The fear of consuming anything deemed unhealthy can lead to social isolation as individuals with orthorexia avoid social gatherings or restaurants where they cannot control the ingredients. It can also manifest in feeling superior to others based on dietary habits.
• Deteriorating mental and physical health: The relentless pursuit of dietary perfection can lead to malnutrition, anxiety, depression and a negative self-image.

Causes

The exact cause of orthorexia is unknown, but several factors may contribute to its development, including:

• Obsessive personality traits: Individuals with perfectionist tendencies or a history of OCD may be more prone to developing orthorexia.
• Social media influence: The constant bombardment of unrealistic body image standards and extreme diet trends on social media can fuel unhealthy obsessions with food and physique.
• Low self-esteem: People struggling with low self-esteem may latch on to healthy eating as a way to feel control and improve their self-worth.
• History of dieting: Individuals with a history of yo-yo dieting or restrictive eating patterns may be more susceptible to orthorexia.
• History of eating disorders: Individuals with a history of anorexia or bulimia may be more at risk. Past eating disorders can shift focus to food purity.
• Focus on health: A genuine interest in healthy eating and a desire for control over health can morph into an unhealthy obsession.

It also appears being a student with a health-related major is a risk factor, with several studies showcasing many dietetics and nutrition students deal with orthorexia.

How common is it?

The prevalence of orthorexia is not well-documented due to its lack of recognition as a distinct disorder. However, it’s becoming more noticeable with the rise of health-focused dietary movements.

Since it is a relatively new eating disorder, there’s no established data on its prevalence. Experts believe it’s becoming increasingly common, particularly among athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and individuals with a strong focus on health and wellness.

Vegetarians and vegans also seem to have higher rates, according to available research.

Overall, the best estimates reveal that less than 1 percent of people in U.S. fit the criteria for orthorexia, which coincides with several other eating disorders.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing orthorexia involves assessing dietary habits and their impact on mental and physical health. Criteria include an obsessive focus on healthy eating, significant dietary restrictions, and resulting malnutrition or social/occupational impairment.

Healthcare professionals may diagnose orthorexia based on symptoms such as:

• Preoccupation with healthy eating that disrupts daily life
• Rigid dietary rules and restrictions
• Anxiety or distress associated with not adhering to self-imposed dietary rules
• Evidence of malnutrition or weight loss

This might involve a physical examination, blood tests and a psychological evaluation. The following questionnaires may be used to diagnose the condition:

• ORTO-15
• ORTO-R
• Bratman Orthorexia Test (BOT)
• Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ)

Negative health effects

While the pursuit of healthy eating is commendable, orthorexia can have several negative health consequences, including:

1. Malnutrition

By eliminating entire food groups or strictly limiting food intake, individuals with orthorexia may deprive their bodies of essential nutrients, leading to malnutrition and health complications. Restricting food groups can lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins, minerals and macronutrients.

2. Social isolation

The fear of consuming unhealthy foods can lead to social isolation as individuals avoid social gatherings or restaurants. Avoiding social gatherings due to food concerns, in turn, can lead to loneliness and depression.

3. Anxiety and depression

The constant stress and anxiety around food choices can contribute to the development of anxiety and depression.

4. Negative self-image

The relentless pursuit of dietary perfection can result in a negative body image and low self-esteem.

5. Weakened immune system

Malnutrition from restrictive eating can weaken the immune system and increase susceptibility to illness. In addition, it may result in issues such as slowed heart rate, general weakness, digestive issues, metabolic acidosis, hormonal and electrolyte imbalances, and more.

6. Damage to digestive system

Excessive focus on “clean” foods can disrupt gut health and lead to digestive issues. In addition, chronic purging or laxative abuse in some cases of orthorexia can damage the digestive system.

How to treat

Treatment for orthorexia typically involves a combination of psychotherapy and nutritional counseling.

Psychotherapy can help individuals with orthorexia address the underlying psychological factors that contribute to their obsession with healthy eating, such as anxiety, perfectionism or low self-esteem.

Nutritional counseling can help them develop a more balanced and flexible approach to eating that meets their nutritional needs while promoting a healthy relationship with food.

Here is more on the multipronged approach to treating this form of disordered eating:

• Nutritional counseling: A registered dietitian can help develop a balanced and flexible eating plan.
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT can help identify and modify negative thoughts and behaviors related to food.
• Support groups: Connecting with others who understand the challenges of orthorexia can be invaluable and help manage underlying mental health issues.
• Gradual exposure to feared foods: Slowly start reintroducing certain foods to reduce anxiety around eating.

Do you have orthorexia?

Do you believe you might be suffering from orthorexia?

Consider these questions provided by the National Eating Disorders Association. The more questions you answer “yes” to, the likelier it is you might have orthorexia.

• Do you wish that occasionally you could just eat and not worry about food quality?
• Do you ever wish you could spend less time on food and more time living and loving?
• Does it seem beyond your ability to eat a meal prepared with love by someone else — one single meal — and not try to control what is served?
• Are you constantly looking for ways foods are unhealthy for you?
• Do love, joy, play and creativity take a back seat to following the perfect diet?
• Do you feel guilt or self-loathing when you stray from your diet?
• Do you feel in control when you stick to the “correct” diet?
• Have you put yourself on a nutritional pedestal and wonder how others can possibly eat the foods they eat?

If you believe you might have a problem with orthorexia, it’s important to reach out for help. Working with a professional who specializes in eating disorders can help you rethink your relationship with food and address the underlying issues that contribute to orthorexia.

While eating clean and focusing on a healthy lifestyle are great, they’re just part of our lives. Food is a way to nourish our bodies, enjoy time with friends and family, and feel good ­— not an enemy.

The post Orthorexia: Are You Obsessed With Eating the Right Foods? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Cortisol is often called the primary “stress hormone” because it’s one of the main hormones we release when we’re under any sort of pressure and our evolutionary-based “fight or flight response” kicks into gear.

Although most think of cortisol as a bad thing — such as contributing to acne, weight gain or high blood pressure — there’s actually a lot more to cortisol levels than just our stress response and its unwanted symptoms. We need it to live.

While producing cortisol is a necessity for life and helps keep us motivated, awake and responsive to our environment, maintaining abnormally high circulating cortisol levels can become dangerous and contribute to long-term problems.

Long-term use of corticosteroids and chronic stress are two of the biggest contributors to high cortisol. Chronic, high cortisol production — also known as hypercortisolism — is tied to symptoms and ailments including weight gain, anxiety, sleep disorders, hormonal imbalances and fertility problems, in addition to many other problems.

The good news is there are many natural ways to lower high cortisol levels.

What Is Cortisol?

The adrenal gland, following signals from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, is responsible for the secretion of cortisol, a type of essential glucocorticoid steroid hormone. Cortisol levels are highest in the morning around 7 a.m. and lowest at night (called a diurnal rhythm).

Cortisol is also present in both chronically stressed individuals and those who are perfectly healthy. This vital hormone possesses dozens of different purposes within the body and makes numerous chemical interactions every single day.

What does cortisol do exactly? Cortisol receptors are scattered throughout the entire body, found in nearly every cell, and serve different essential functions, including:

• helping keep us awake and alert
• preventing fatigue or brain fog
• keeping our metabolisms running (it helps us burn fat for energy)
• balancing blood sugar levels (since it allows cells to take up and use glucose for energy)
• reducing inflammation and helping with healing
• balancing fluid levels based on salt and water intake
• contributing to control over blood pressure
• helping with many cognitive processes, like learning and memory formulation
• allowing us to respond to and escape perceived dangers
• helping develop the fetus during pregnancy

Levels of cortisol rise when the pituitary gland releases another hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH signals the adrenals to pump out more cortisol.

Why does this happen? Many different things trigger this release, including various forms of physical or emotional stress, a poor lifestyle, too little sleep, or illnesses and infections.

While cortisol (a stress hormone) can increase in response to good or bad stress, it tends to remain elevated when someone is dealing with chronic, unresolved stress. A so-called positive stress is also called eustress.

Cushing’s Disease

When the pituitary or adrenal glands produce abnormally high levels of cortisol for a duration of time, a doctor (perhaps a endocrinologist) may diagnose a serious, chronic disorder called Cushing’s disease.

Cushing’s disease is usually caused by tumors on the adrenal or pituitary glands and often causes symptoms like rapid weight gain, a swollen face, fatigue, and water retention/swelling around the abdomen and upper back. It impacts women between the ages of 25 to 40 most often, although people of any age and gender can develop this condition.

Diagnosable Cushing’s disease caused by an overactive adrenal gland is considered much rarer than just having generally high cortisol levels. In other words, you have a much greater chance of experiencing high cortisol at certain times due to increased stress in your life than you do of ever being diagnosed with Cushing’s disease.

While people experience at least somewhat high levels of cortisol at one time or another during very stressful episodes (such as a job loss, family crisis or major change), rates of Cushing’s disease diagnoses are still very low compared to other hormonal/endocrine conditions, like thyroid disorders or diabetes, for example.

It’s estimated that Cushing’s disease impacts between 10 to 15 people per million, but comparatively high cortisol levels above what are considered normal affect millions of people and most adults. While symptoms of Cushing’s disease and high cortisol tend to be similar, those caused by Cushing’s disease are usually more severe, last longer and more often cause other complications.

Cushing’s syndrome is not the same as Cushing’s disease. They’re similar but also different conditions.

Cushing’s syndrome is less serious and refers to “the general state characterized by excessive levels of cortisol in the blood,” while Cushing’s disease is the condition caused by a pituitary tumor that secretes the hormone ACTH, which causes excess cortisol.

Addison’s Disease

On the other hand, the opposite of having Cushing’s disease — experiencing abnormally low cortisol levels — can result in a condition known as Addison’s disease, adrenal insufficiency or adrenal fatigue.

Addison’s disease is also rare and considered a type of autoimmune disease, since it causes the immune system to attack the body’s own healthy tissue. In this case, tissues within the adrenal glands themselves become damaged and inflamed, which alters how the adrenals produce hormones.

Certain symptoms of Addison’s disease are essentially the opposite of symptoms of Cushing’s disease, since they’re caused by a deficit in cortisol rather than an excess. Addison’s symptoms can include fatigue, weight loss, muscle wasting, mood swings and changes to the skin.

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be similar.

Symptoms of High Cortisol Levels

According to research done by the Genetics Learning Science Center at the University of Utah, the long-term danger of having high cortisol is that it activates the fight-or-flight response, which temporarily shuts down normal reproductive, digestive and immune functions. The body targets these systems for shutdown because it doesn’t need them for immediate survival.

Sensory nerve cells pass the perception of a threat, or stress, from the environment to the hypothalamus in the brain. This signals the pituitary and primary adrenal glands to produce more cortisol.

If this cycle goes on for too long, someone becomes more susceptible to all sorts of illnesses, infections and hormonal problems.

Some clues that may signal you’re living with high cortisol levels include:

• weight gain, especially around the abdomen/stomach (this can happen despite not changing your diet or exercise routine)
• a puffy, flushed face
• mood swings and increased anxiety
• fatigue (including feeling “tired but wired”)
• trouble sleeping normally
• irregular periods and fertility problems (chronic stress drives pregnenolone/progesterone into conversion to cortisol, which competes for precursors available for synthesizing of other important hormones, like DHEA, estrogen and estradiol
• high blood pressure levels (cortisol narrows the arteries while the epinephrine increases heart rate)
• acne or other changes in the skin
• higher rates for bone fractures and osteoporosis (cortisol can lower hormones like estrogen, which are important for bone health)
• muscle aches and pains
• changes in libido due to changes in estrogen or decreased testosterone
• excessive thirst
• increased urination
• higher susceptibility to infections (the stress response can lower immune system functions)

Causes

Wondering what underlying conditions could be contributing to your high cortisol levels? Cortisol tends to go up as perceived stress goes up, so anything that triggers a negative mind state — things like anxiety, worry, anger or frustration — contributes to high cortisol levels.

Medication use, inflammation, poor sleep and a poor diet can also trigger high cortisol levels by altering hormonal balances and negatively affecting the immune system.

Corticosteroid medications like hydrocortisone, prednisone pills or other medications used to treat inflammatory-related diseases or symptoms are common causes of high cortisol levels.

Aside from corticosteroids, other major factors contributing to higher than usual cortisol production include:

• depression
• over-exercising or overtraining
• nutrient deficiencies
• addiction (alcohol or drug abuse)
• higher than normal estrogen levels
• malnourishment and eating disorders
• severe kidney or liver disease
• hyperthyroidism
• obesity
• pregnancy or birth control pills
• recent surgery, illness, injury or whole-body infections (which all trigger inflammation)

Testing and Diagnosis

Your doctor can order a number of tests to determine if you have abnormally high cortisol levels. Both blood and urine testing helps reveal a problem, but a 24-hour urine test is used more often than a cortisol blood test to diagnose Cushing’s disease or syndrome.

The cortisol values listed below, which can be obtained from a blood test, serve as a reference range for what’s considered normal. Cortisol levels above this normal range are considered high and can be risky or problematic.

Keep in mind that values differ depending on time of day, age and the type of cortisol test preformed. Saliva tests are now also recommended and appear to be as reliable as a blood sample.

Additionally, an overnight dexamethasone suppression test may also be recommended, and it involves taking a dose of a corticosteroid medicine called dexamethasone to determine how blood cortisol is affected.

Because of this, your doctor will always need to evaluate your results in light of your specific symptoms and medical history.

• Normal cortisol ranges for adults and children in the morning are between five to 23 micrograms per deciliter (mcg/dL) or 138 to 635 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L).
• Normal cortisol ranges for adults and children in the afternoon are between three to 16 mcg/dL or 83 to 441 nmol/L.
• Normal cortisol for a newborn baby is between two to 11 mcg/dL or 55 to 304 nmol/L.

If your test results reveal that you’re at risk for Cushing’s disease or Cushing’s syndrome, you’ll be treated dependent on what’s causing cortisol levels to rise in the first place.

Cushing’s syndrome and Cushing’s disease are most often caused by benign tumor growth on the pituitary gland (called a pituitary adenoma), cortisol-like synthetic medication use and the cortisol-increasing lifestyle factors mentioned above, so all of these will be addressed by your doctor if they’re contributing to your symptoms.

A high percentage of people with either Cushing’s disease or syndrome display at least small tumor growths on their pituitary glands and need to have these removed with surgery or reduced with medications and lifestyle changes in order to resolve cortisol-related symptoms.

It’s important to talk to your doctor if you suspect you might have Cushing’s disease or syndrome to assess whether or not you need to discontinue or lower use of medications that increase cortisol (such as steroids), undergo life-saving surgery to remove the tumor, or use radiation and/or medications to shrink the tumor.

However, keep in mind these are very rarely needed interventions, and most people with high cortisol levels are able to manage their conditions naturally without surgery or medication.

How to Lower Cortisol Levels Naturally

You can greatly help manage cortisol levels and regain your health by changing your diet, exercise routine, sleep and stress levels.

Assuming you haven’t been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease (see above) by your doctor, here are steps you can take to help lower high cortisol levels naturally:

1. Switch to a whole foods, anti-inflammatory diet

Poorly managed blood sugar levels (especially hypoglycemia, having low blood sugar) and high levels of inflammation can contribute to high cortisol levels and other hormonal imbalances. Following an anti-inflammatory diet low in processed foods and high in antioxidants, fiber and essential nutrients is key to balancing hormones, controlling your cravings and getting you on the right track.

These same strategies can also help with adrenal support, allowing you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, boosting energy during the day, and helping you sleep better at night.

Some of the most significant dietary contributors to inflammation and high cortisol levels include:

• high-sugar, high-glycemic diet (with many packaged foods, refined grain products, sugary drinks and snacks)
• consuming high amounts of refined and trans fats
• drinking too much caffeine and alcohol
• experiencing insufficient intake of micronutrients and antioxidants
• not consuming enough fiber (which makes it hard to balance blood sugar)
• not consuming enough healthy fats or protein (which can lead to hunger, weight gain and high blood sugar)

Instead, switch to a low-glycemic diet, include healthy fats and proteins with every meal, and make sure to get enough fiber and phytonutrients by eating plenty fresh fruits and veggies.

Some of the most useful foods for lowering cortisol and stabilizing blood sugar include vegetables; fruits; coconut or olive oil; nuts; seeds; lean proteins like eggs, fish and grass-fed beef; and probiotic foods (like yogurt, kefir or cultured veggies).

2. Reduce and manage stress

Chronic stress is now linked with just about every health problem out there.

Stress affects most people at least to some degree and impacts health by sending chemical signals around the body, including to the heart and blood vessels, immune system, lungs, digestive system, sensory organs, and brain.

Stress has the power to increase breathing, heart rate, pain and muscle tension, your appetite (including overeating), and sleep-related problems.

Fortunately, stress management is something you can begin without too much trouble. The natural stress relievers listed below are proven to help lower cortisol and decrease the negative impact stress has on your health:

• Meditation or “mindfulness”: This practice has been shown to help train the brain and body to turn off the stress response and promote more relaxation, and these benefits are possible without impairing alertness, concentration or memory. Many studies show that daily mediation or even healing prayer for just 15 to 30 minutes can offer significant reductions in cortisol. Participating in a regular “mindfulness-based stress reduction” program also offers significant reductions in cortisol and stress-related symptoms or diseases. Using meditative methods can also improve brain and heart health while bolstering your immune system.
• Acupuncture: Trusted for thousands of years in Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture treatments help naturally control stress and reduce symptoms like muscle or joint pain, headaches, fertility problems, troubling sleeping, and poor circulation.
• Deep breathing exercises: Taking deep breaths helps turn down the sympathetic nervous system and kick in the body’s natural relaxation response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. Diaphragmatic breathing is an easy technique to learn on your own and practice throughout the day to relieve muscle tension and anxiety.
• Spending time in nature/outdoors: Studies show that physical settings play a role in stress reduction, and being in nature is a well-documented way to promote relaxation. Try going for walks (try forest bathing) or runs outside (especially barefoot running or walking, a practice called “earthing“), spending time at the ocean, walking through forests, gardening at home, or doing other things outdoors and away from technology to reduce anxiety.

3. Exercise regularly

According to research published by Harvard Medical School, regular exercise (about 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, depending on the intensity) is one of the best ways to manage stress, balance hormones, sleep better and aid normal metabolic functions (like balancing blood sugar levels). The key is to avoid overtraining and overexerting yourself, which can actually cause even more cortisol to be released.

Exercise benefits hormone levels because although it temporarily increases adrenaline and cortisol production, it generally helps bring cortisol back down to normal levels afterward. This cycle helps your body better handle stress and gives your autonomic nervous system (the one that controls your stress and relaxation responses) its own workout.

This means the next time your stress hormones rise due to a perceived threat, you should be able to lower cortisol levels more easily, since your body becomes primed to this during physical activity.

4. Use adaptogen herbs and superfoods

Adaptogen herbs help naturally lower high cortisol levels in several key ways. They help balance hormones; reduce inflammation due to their strong antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial effects; have natural antidepressant effects; lower fatigue; and help balance blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

Many adaptogens, such as reishi mushrooms and cocoa, have been safely used for thousands of years to promote better overall health with little to no side effects.

There are at least 16 different proven adaptogenic herbs that can help lower cortisol, including:

• ashwagandha
• astragalus
• licorice root
• holy basil
• medicinal mushrooms, including resishi and cordyceps
• rhodiola

5. Try essential oils to promote relaxation

Similarly to adaptogen herbs, essential oils are also helpful for fighting stress and balancing hormones. Essential oils, including lavender, myrrh, frankincense and bergamot, contain potent, active ingredients that have been shown to naturally lower cortisol, reduce inflammation, improve immunity, and help with sleep and digestive functions.

Try inhaling some of the best essential oils for hormones, diffusing them in your home, making bath soaks or body washes using your favorite kinds, or rubbing them directly into your skin when mixed properly with a carrier oil (like coconut or jojoba oil).

If you’re dealing with side effects of high cortisol, including acne, indigestion or bloated stomach, certain essential oils like lemon or peppermint can help with that, too.

6. Get enough sleep

Getting enough sleep helps us control cortisol production, but having high cortisol levels can make it hard to rest.

In people with normal circadian rhythms, cortisol levels rise during the early morning hours and then drop very low at night prior to sleep and during sleep.

People who develop high cortisol levels can wind up feeling the opposite: wired and anxious at night but then fatigued during the day — thus, they can’t sleep well at the times they’re supposed to.

This overactivity of the adrenal glands is one of the biggest signs of Cushing’s disease or adrenal fatigue and is usually tied to stress and hormonal imbalances.

By taking the steps listed above, you should be able to rest more easily. Ideally, you should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to reset your circadian rhythms and bring hormones back to balance.

Infradian rhythm (longer than 24 hours) and ultradian rhythm (shorter than 24 hours) also affect cortisol levels.

Final Thoughts

• Although cortisol is often viewed as a bad actor, we need it to live. The problem is medications, a lack of exercise, ultra-processed foods and high stress levels can leave us living with too much cortisol in the body.
• Symptoms of high cortisol levels include weight gain; a puffy, flushed face; mood swings and increased anxiety; fatigue; trouble sleeping; irregular periods and fertility problems; high blood pressure; acne or other changes in the skin; higher rates for bone fractures and osteoporosis; muscle aches and pains; changes in libido due to changes in estrogen or decreased testosterone; excessive thirst and increased urination; and higher susceptibility to infections.
• Corticosteroids, depression, over-exercising or overtraining, nutrient deficiencies, alcohol or drug abuse, higher than normal estrogen levels, malnourishment and eating disorders, sever kidney or liver disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity, pregnancy or birth control pills, and recent surgery, illness, injury or whole-body infections can all cause high cortisol.
• In rare cases, a (usually benign) tumor could be the root cause of high cortisol levels. Your doctor can order routine tests to determine your cortisol levels and suggest ways to lower it.
• Regardless, we could all probably tap in to natural cortisol-lowering techniques like mindfulness, exercise, and a diet rich in fresh vegetables, clean protein and fruit.
• Here are some steps you can take to manage your cortisol levels: Switch to a whole foods, anti-inflammatory diet; reduce and manage stress; exercise regularly; use adaptogen herbs and superfoods; use essential oils to promote relaxation; and get enough sleep.

The post Natural Remedies for High Cortisol Levels & Excessive Stress appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Would it surprise you to find out that the benefits of reading include fighting stress, supporting better sleep and even increasing longevity? If you’re an avid reader, you likely already have experienced the many pros of spending time each day reading.

A study including more than 3,600 participants found that reading books can extend life expectancy. Book readers experienced a 20 percent reduction in risk of mortality over the 12 years of follow-up compared to non-book readers.

Reading is so important because it promotes mental, emotional and even physical health. It’s soothing and brain-boosting at the same time.

Plus, when reading with a child, it helps build a strong relationship, and those aren’t the only health benefits of reading.

Benefits of Reading

1. Fights stress

One of the top benefits of reading is its ability to reduce stress and promote a calming, warming environment. Like meditation, yoga and walks outdoors, reading is an impactful way to manage stress, and it’s one of the best ways to be happy.

Several studies prove this to be true, including one that shows shared reading among a parent and young child reduces parenting stress and positively impacts the parent-child relationship over time.

Another study published in the Journal of Religion and Health indicates that Bible reading moderates the relationship between stress and hope and helps people rely on benevolent coping responses.

One study out of the University of Sussex even reported that just six minutes of reading can reduce stress by 68 percent.

2. Promotes empathy and understanding

Reading can make you more understanding and empathetic. It allows you to walk in someone else’s shoes and expands your knowledge of the world.

A survey involving 213 students in health sciences professional programs found that leisure reading helped in professional development and increased participants’ empathy. Participants also noted that leisure reading reduced stress, improved thinking and communication skills, and improved understanding of minority groups.

3. Improves sleep

Research also suggests that reading at bedtime is associated with longer nighttime sleep.

Parents of 62 children, aged 4 years old, completed a questionnaire on bedtime reading frequency and other sleep variables. The data indicates that reading at bedtime is significantly associated with longer total nighttime sleep duration, and interventions aimed at increasing reading at bedtime may improve sleep health among preschoolers.

Another study found that substituting 50% of time spent looking at screens with reading books improves sleep quality in children, and further research on the benefits of reading for sleep determined that reading before going to sleep improves sleep quality.

4. Boosts cognitive health

Reading helps keep your mind engaged, can boost brain function and helps prevent age-related cognitive decline.

A study published in Age suggests that daily “mental training” can improve brain functions in normal adults. Data shows that reading sentences out loud can help improve working memory.

Another study found that reading strengthens language processing regions of the brain and can also positively impact sensory and motor functions or pathways.

5. Increases longevity

Research highlights the link between reading and longevity. According to a study published in Social Science and Medicine, book reading contributed to survival advantage and a reduction in risk mortality.

Of course, reducing stress, improving sleep and boosting brain function are all important reading benefits that can improve life span and overall health.

6. Makes you smarter and expands knowledge

Books are a rich source of information on a myriad of topics, providing readers with knowledge that can be applied in various aspects of life. Studies show that reading broadens one’s knowledge base, contributing to greater general intelligence and a better understanding of the world.

Research published in Advances in Child Development and Behavior indicates that reading, or print exposure, is associated with larger vocabulary, general knowledge and verbal skills. It also contributes to an increase of world knowledge and abstract reasoning skills.

Perhaps the best way to dive in to a new subject, begin a new hobby or expand your knowledge of issues impacting your community is by reading.

7. Enhances conversation skills

Reading a variety of literature exposes readers to different perspectives, ideas and vocabulary, enhancing their ability to engage in meaningful conversations.

A study published in Science found that reading literary fiction improves the ability to understand others’ mental states, a crucial skill in conversation and social interactions.

8. Teaches social skills

Books, especially those with rich character development, can teach readers about social cues, empathy and understanding different social contexts.

Research indicates that engaging with stories helps develop empathy and social skills, as readers learn to see the world from others’ viewpoints.

9. Improves critical thinking

Reading critically, particularly non-fiction and complex literature, fosters critical thinking by encouraging readers to analyze, evaluate and synthesize information.

Regular reading enhances critical thinking skills, enabling individuals to better process and question information.

10. Strengthens communication abilities

Regular reading expands vocabulary and improves language skills, which are essential for effective communication.

A study in Reading Research Quarterly found that reading proficiency is directly linked to improved writing and speaking abilities, enhancing overall communication skills.

11. Promotes creativity and imagination

Reading, particularly fiction, stimulates the imagination and encourages creative thinking.

According research published in Creativity Research Journal, readers of fiction are more likely to engage in creative thinking and problem-solving.

12. Improves concentration and focus

Reading requires sustained attention, which helps improve concentration and focus.

Regular readers show better concentration and cognitive stamina compared to non-readers.

13. Boosts mental health

Reading can be a form of mental escape and relaxation, reducing stress and anxiety.

Bibliotherapy, or the use of books for therapeutic purposes, has been shown to improve mental health outcomes by providing a sense of comfort and understanding.

What Should You Read?

Any type of reading is beneficial for your emotional, mental and physical health. You can read novels, magazines, newspapers and digital articles from your phone or tablet.

You can also choose the genre of literature that you like best — from historical to biographical, spiritual, self-help or fiction. Choose what brings you joy and allows you to relax.

Keep in mind that if you are reading in the evening as part of your p.m. routine, you may want to opt for books or paper over digital reading.

There are some studies analyzing the effects of book reading versus reading from an iPad before bedtime. While some data shows no difference between the two on sleep patterns, a study published in Sleep Medicine found that reading from an iPad decreased subjective sleepiness.

Researchers also concluded that evening iPad reading may have consequences in terms of alertness, circadian physiology and sleep, so it may be beneficial to stick to book or paper reading before bedtime.

How to Incorporate More Reading

Try to create a reading routine that you stick to every day. Perhaps that means 30 minutes of reading in the morning while you enjoy a cup of coffee or tea or reading during your lunch break or before bedtime as part of your p.m. routine.

If you read consistently, you’ll experience the many benefits of reading.

Reading something uplifting and inspiring is a motivating way to start the day. It helps ease stress and boost mood early on.

In the evening, choosing reading time over TV time, or any type of screen time, is better for your mood, brain and sleep. That’s not to say that there’s no space for mindless TV time during your week, but doing more reading is beneficial.

Choose a genre that’s soothing to you at night and allows you to wind down before bedtime.

Any Risks/Side Effects?

To reap the benefits of reading, choose a genre or subject that brings you joy, at least before going to sleep.

If you love reading newspapers or online news sources, make sure it’s not impacting your mood. News coverage can often be anxiety-inducing, so be aware of how it impacts your mood and behavior.

While digital reading has become more and more popular, be aware that the blue light may make you feel more alert and lead to eye strain after long-term use.

It’s OK to do some reading digitally, but try to read from books or paper, too.

Conclusion

• There’s evidence that reading can help reduce stress, improve sleep, boost brain function, improve your mood and even make you smarter.
• Read every day to promote better brain function, expand your knowledge of the world and build a sense of empathy.
• Reading with children is also extremely beneficial. Reading for kids helps improve sleep and supports a sense of closeness.

The post The Many Benefits of Reading for Adults and Children appeared first on Dr. Axe.

In today’s hyper-connected world, many people experience anxiety when they are without their smartphones. This condition, known as nomophobia, has become increasingly common.

What exactly is nomophobia, and how can you recognize and address it?

Does the “ding” of your phone have you dropping whatever you’re doing to see who “liked” your latest Facebook status?

Are you answering work emails before rubbing the sleep from your eyes?

Does a low battery icon leave you quivering in fear?

You, my friend, are likely suffering from nomophobia. Thankfully, there are ways to treat this condition to help address your smartphone addiction.

What Is Nomophobia?

Nomophobia, short for “no-mobile-phone phobia,” is the fear of being without a mobile phone or being unable to use it.

The term originated from a 2008 study commissioned by the U.K. Post Office to examine the anxieties mobile phone users experience. The study found that nearly 53 percent of mobile phone users in the U.K. tend to feel anxious when they “lose their mobile phone, run out of battery or credit, or have no network coverage.”

More simply put, nomophobia is having a smartphone addiction, and it’s a “first world problem” that’s showing no signs of slowing down, regardless of age.

While it might sound silly — can you really be addicted to a handheld device? — the implications are real.

About half of U.S. adults are checking their phones at least several times an hour, with 11 percent tapping their screens awake every few minutes. No space is safe from the rush of a new tweet, either.

Almost one in 10 Americans has admitted to using her phone during sex, and among young adults ages 18 to 34, the number is even higher: One in five has engaged with his smartphone when being intimate.

Is it a surprise, then, that 12 percent think that smartphones are detrimental to relationships?

When you combine nomophobia with cars, things get even scarier. Among American adult drivers, more than 27 percent have sent or read texts while driving.

Among young adults, that number shoots up to 34 percent.

What’s the harm in interacting with your phone at a red light or when traffic is heavy? Consider the fact that text messaging while driving makes a crash 23 times more likely.

Yikes.

Symptoms

While there is no set criteria to diagnose this condition, experts believe nomophobia is a smartphone addiction and/or dependence.

Recognizing the signs of nomophobia is the first step toward addressing it. Common symptoms include:

• Panic or anxiety when separated from your phone
• Checking your phone repeatedly without receiving notifications
• Doomscrolling
• Avoiding places or situations where phone use is restricted
• Feeling uneasy when your phone is out of sight
• Excessive time spent on your phone, impacting daily life
• Respiratory alterations
• Trembling
• Perspiration
• Agitation
• Disorientation
• Tachycardia
• Inability to turn off your smartphone
• Taking the phone everywhere
• Fear of being without phone access (no internet connection or cell signal)
• Fear of not being able to use phone in case of emergency
• Stressing about neglecting your online persona
• Socially isolating and skipping activities to spend more time on your smartphone
• Increased heart rate

According to research, some signs that someone may have nomophobia can include the fear of:

• Feeling disconnected
• Not have immediate access to information
• Giving up the convenience of your mobile device
• Not being able to contact and communicate with others

Causes

Several factors contribute to the development of nomophobia:

• Social connectivity: Fear of missing out (FOMO) on social interactions and updates.
• Dependence on technology: Increasing reliance on smartphones for various daily tasks.
• Instant gratification: The immediate access to information and entertainment that phones provide.
• Psychological factors: Underlying anxiety disorders or personality traits.

Other possible causes that research has unearthed include:

• obsessive thoughts and compulsive smartphone behaviors
• extremely large number of hours using a smartphone each day
• social discomfort and feelings of inferiority

Damage Nomophobia Does

Even for those of us who don’t text and drive, nomophobia has serious consequences.

It can have several adverse effects on an individual’s well-being, such as:

• Mental health: Increased anxiety, depression, stress and feelings of loneliness.
• Physical health: Poor posture, eye strain and sleep disturbances due to excessive phone use.
• Social interactions: Reduced face-to-face communication and weakened relationships.
• Productivity: Decreased focus and productivity at work or school due to constant phone checking.

Furthermore, research on nomophobia in adolescents and young adults published in 2021 in Frontier in Psychiatry concluded that “excessive smartphone use is associated with psychiatric, cognitive, emotional, medical and brain changes that should be considered by health and education professionals.”

The authors revealed that “excessive smartphone use is associated with difficulties in cognitive-emotion regulation, impulsivity, impaired cognitive function, addiction to social networking, shyness and low self-esteem. Medical problems include sleep problems, reduced physical fitness, unhealthy eating habits, pain and migraines, reduced cognitive control and changes in the brain’s gray matter volume.”

Here’s more on the negative effects of smartphone addiction:

1. You’re wasting time

While many of us are convinced that multitasking allows us to get more done, multitasking doesn’t really work. Not only are our brains unequipped to handle two dissimilar tasks at once, but trying to accomplish several things at once ends up wasting more time than saving any.

Think about it: How well do you retain information when someone’s talking to you as you’re scrolling through emails or watching the latest cat video your friend posted? Even if your body is in a room, it’s easy to miss important information when your brain is somewhere else completely.

Plus, let’s face it: No one likes talking to someone who’s “listening” with her face buried in a screen.

2. You’re more anxious

Not having your phone around can increase anxiety. One British study found that 51 percent of participants suffer “extreme tech anxiety” when separated from their smartphones.

Some of that stems from feeling that, if we’re apart from our phones, we won’t be included when friends make plans or won’t know what the latest Facebook meme is.

Even our bodies are starting to recognize when our phones aren’t around. A University of Missouri study discovered that iPhone users who parted with their devices during situations that require a significant amount of attention, like taking a test or completing a work assignment, could result in poorer performance.

That’s because, when participants were separated from their phones and then asked to complete simple word search puzzles, their heart rates and blood pressure increased — as did their feelings of anxiety and unpleasantness.

3. You’re not sleeping as well

“Check email one last time, make sure no friends posted anything interesting, one last glance of Instagram … oh wait, a new work email came in. Darn it, that afternoon meeting got pushed up. Did I prep enough for it? Should I review things one more time? Wait, it’s late already. I guess I’ll just think about it for the next half-hour while I toss and turn trying to fall asleep.”

Sound familiar?

Being inundated with stimulating information right before bed often means you can’t sleep well, particularly when we’re presented with situations beyond our control. And most of us are sleeping with our phones.

In almost every age group, at least 40 percent of Americans sleep with their phones within reach. For those 25 to 29 years old, the number’s even higher: Almost 80 percent are snuggling up to their devices.

The danger isn’t only that each beep overnight has the potential to wake us up. Smartphones also emit a blue light, signaling to the brain that it’s time to wake up.

Blue lights suppress melatonin, the hormone that dictates our sleep rhythms. Yes, the struggle to sleep with your phone is real.

4. Your children are picking up your naughty habits

“Do as I say, not as I do” is all too real when it comes to smartphone time. Even as parents ask children and teens to lay off Snapchat or put their phones down during dinner, they’re checking calendars, answering texts or indulging in one last game of Candy Crush.

It stands to reason then that in almost every study of smartphone use, young adults have the highest usage rates. Children are learning that always being connected is normal — and missing out on the importance of human-to-human interaction.

Are You Addicted to Your Smartphone?

If any of these apply to you, all signs point to a smartphone addiction:

• You reach for your smartphone upon waking up and right before bed.
• It’s not uncommon for you to catch up on emails or the latest in the news while you’re eating.
• When your phone is out of reach, low on battery or (gasp) completely turned off, you feel anxious or stressed out.
• Being out of cell phone signal makes you feel like you might be missing something.
• You live for that next Instagrammable moment.
• Pavlov’s dogs have nothing on you: When you hear that familiar text sound, you perk up.
• You’ve checked your phone at least once while reading this article!

Treatment

Addressing nomophobia involves a combination of strategies:

• Digital detox: Gradually reducing the amount of time spent on your phone.
• Setting boundaries: Establishing phone-free zones or times, such as during meals or before bed.
• Mindfulness practices: Engaging in activities that promote relaxation and reduce anxiety, such as meditation or yoga.
• Professional help: Seeking therapy or counseling to address underlying anxiety or dependence issues. Behavioral therapies such as cognitive behavior therapy, exposure therapy, systematic desensitization, aversion therapy and hypnotherapy are often used to help treat phobias.
• Medications: Certain medications can help in severe cases.
• Support groups: Realizing you aren’t alone and talking with others can help.
• Self-care: Do things to improve your mental and physical well-being, such as progressive muscle relaxation, breathing exercises, calming activities, ecotherapy and getting outdoors, etc.

In addition, follow these steps to enjoy a life that’s complemented, not ruled, by your smartphone:

1. Turn off your cell phone at least an hour before bed

Give your brain a chance to unwind and commit to turning off your phone an hour before bedtime. That means off, not just on silent.

Those vibrations and blinking lights are still harmful, as is knowing that you’re just one reach away from seeing the latest.

Remember, nomophobia never sleeps, and neither will you. No wonder so many of us are always tired, huh?

If you have a legitimate reason for keeping your phone on — your daughter is out with friends or your parents are elderly and you don’t have a landline — turn your phone on “do not disturb,” and place your phone on the other side of the room. In this mode, your phone will silence all notifications but allow you to enable exceptions, such as a phone call from a specific number.

Remember: Seeing how many “likes” your last Instagram post received is not a legitimate reason.

“But I use my phone as my alarm clock,” you say. “I need it nearby!”

To that I respond …

2. Stop shacking up with your phone

Get a real alarm clock. (Yes, you can still find these Stone Age relics.)

Not only will this allow you to turn off your phone completely overnight (again, unless you need to stay on alert for a family member and don’t have a landline), but instead of waking up with the temptation to see what you missed overnight, you can spend the first moments of the morning stretching, thinking about what’s on schedule for the day or basically doing anything other than checking your phone.

For extra credit, I challenge you not to turn your phone on again until your morning routine is finished: You’ve exercised, showered, dressed, eaten breakfast, maybe even read the paper (remember that pastime!) and pushed the kids out the door.

3. Set certain times to check your phone

Do you really need to look at every single email the second it’s received? Save your sanity and simultaneously help your productivity by designating certain times to glance at your smartphone.

For instance, you might want to do a five-minute sweep of your social networks and email right before sitting down at your desk to do work, then hide your phone away for the next hour, checking it when you take a five-minute break.

Structuring your working hours around short breaks helps you settle in to your task without distractions for a period of time, while knowing that a “break” is just around the corner.

Additionally, once the work day is over, give yourself a set length of time that you’re allowed to check anything work-related. Maybe after dinner (and well before bedtime!) you allow yourself 10 minutes to review any messages that might have come in or need your attention.

And this is the time to be discerning: If it’s not something that requires your attention right this second (i.e., a million-dollar deal will fall through if you don’t answer that email), it can wait until morning.

4. Establish phone-free zones

I know I can’t be the only one who’s horrified that smartphones are disrupting people during intimate moments. With that said, designating certain places and times as phone-free zones is a great way to tackle nomophobia.

Mealtimes are a good place to start: Instead of scrolling and chewing, you can practice mindful eating and engaging conversation.

It’s also a prime opportunity to set an example for children. They’ll see you value conversation and good food over responding to your phone’s every ring.

And please, just say no to phones in bed.

5. Engage in real human contact

Finally, instead of “connecting” with friends and family over social media, try spending some real time with them. Instead of “liking” your cousin’s status, call him up to hear the story firsthand (gasp!).

Set up a coffee date to catch up with friends instead of that group text. Send a thoughtful card to a faraway friend.

We’re social creatures who thrive on real human interaction. That’s something a smartphone just can’t replicate.

The post Nomophobia: How Fear of Being Without Your Phone Harms Health (& What to Do About It) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

In the bustling world we live in, finding moments of solace and connection is increasingly precious. Enter “fika,” the Swedish tradition that’s not just about grabbing a coffee, but a cultural institution centered around relaxation, socializing and indulging in life’s simple pleasures.

Forget the ordinary coffee break. Fika (pronounced fee-kah) is a Swedish tradition that elevates the simple act of grabbing a cup of joe into an art form. It’s more than just caffeine — it’s a social ritual, a moment of mindfulness and a cornerstone of Swedish culture.

So let’s explore the essence of fika, its distinction from a mere coffee break, its potential benefits and how you can embrace this delightful ritual in your own life.

What Is Fika?

Fika is more than just a word in Swedish — it’s a way of life.

Essentially, it entails taking a break from work or daily routines to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea, often accompanied by a sweet treat or light snack. It’s not merely about refueling. It’s a cherished cultural practice deeply ingrained in Swedish society, fostering connections, relaxation and mindfulness.

Fika translates to “coffee” in Swedish, but it encompasses so much more. It’s the act of taking a break, often with coffee and a sweet treat, to connect with friends, family or colleagues. It can happen anywhere, from cozy cafes to park benches, and at any time of day.

Fika vs. Coffee Break

While fika may seem similar to a typical coffee break, the two differ significantly in purpose and ambiance. While a coffee break may be a hurried affair, fika is a deliberate pause, an opportunity to slow down, savor the moment and connect with others. It’s about quality over quantity, emphasizing the social aspect as much as the refreshments themselves.

While similar to a coffee break, fika goes deeper. It’s not just about a quick caffeine fix. It prioritizes social interaction, creating a dedicated space for conversation and connection.

It’s a chance to slow down, de-stress and build stronger relationships.

Potential Benefits

Beyond the pleasure of indulging in delectable treats, fika offers a range of potential benefits. It provides a mental breather, allowing individuals to recharge and return to tasks with renewed focus and creativity in similar way that taking a mental health day does. Moreover, the social aspect fosters a sense of community and strengthens interpersonal relationships, contributing to overall well-being and happiness.

Here are some more benefits of fika:

1. May Boost Productivity

Short breaks like fika can actually improve focus and concentration when you return to work. In fact, research shows that taking breaks — even short ones — may help the brain learn new skills.

2. Helps Strengthen Relationships

Fika fosters a sense of community and belonging, leading to stronger bonds with colleagues and loved ones. Not only that, but several studies show that people who feel a sense of belonging tend to have better health outcomes — or at least report feeling better and having stronger overall health.

3. Can Reduce Stress

Taking a mindful break allows you to de-stress and recharge, improving overall well-being. This can have huge benefits to health considering stress plays a key role in just about everything aspect of the human body.

4. Promotes Mindfulness

Fika encourages you to savor the moment, appreciate simple pleasures and disconnect from the daily grind. Taken to together, it can help teach you how to be happy, such as by hacking brain chemicals to boost happiness, combating loneliness and enhancing friendships.

How to Fika Like a Swede

Embracing fika in your own life is simpler than you might think. To fika like a Swede:

1. Prioritize quality over speed.
2. Choose high-quality coffee or tea, and pair it with a delicious pastry or sandwich.
3. Set aside dedicated time for fika, ideally in the morning and afternoon, to break up the day and cultivate a sense of routine.
4. Most importantly, invite others to join you, whether it’s colleagues, friends or family, and engage in meaningful conversations while relishing the moment.

Ready to embrace the fika lifestyle? Here’s how to do it right:

• The Food: Coffee is a must, but tea is also acceptable. Pair it with a classic Swedish pastry like a “kanelbulle” (cinnamon bun) or a “havrekaka” (oatmeal cookie).
• The Time: There’s no set time for fika. Swedes often enjoy it mid-morning, afternoon or even during work hours.
• The Company: Fika is best enjoyed with others! Invite colleagues, friends or family to share a cup and conversation.
• The Ambiance: Find a cozy spot – a cafe, park or even your own home kitchen. The key is to create a relaxing atmosphere for conversation and connection, similarly to the way Danish people embrace hygge.

Conclusion

• Fika is more than just a coffee break — it’s a philosophy. It’s a reminder to slow down, connect with others and savor the simple pleasures in life.
• Next time you crave a coffee break, consider incorporating the spirit of fika. You might just discover a new way to relax, reconnect and find joy in the everyday niceties.
• In a world that often glorifies business and productivity, fika serves as a gentle reminder to slow down and appreciate life’s little joys. It’s a practice that transcends borders, offering a universal prescription for connection, relaxation and mindfulness.
• So, the next time you feel overwhelmed or in need of a pick-me-up, why not take a cue from the Swedes and indulge in a fika? After all, there’s no sweeter way to nourish the body and soul.

The post Fika: The Swedish Ritual of Coffee, Connection and Calm appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Anxiety can be a disabling condition that’s accompanied by long-term stress and a decline in overall health. It contributes to many chronic diseases, even when treated with conventional medications. That’s why we need to use natural remedies for anxiety and other mood disorders that address the root of the problem instead of putting a Band-Aid on your anxiety symptoms.

In fact, anxiety can affect people of all ages, with an estimated 31.1 percent of adults in U.S. experiencing symptoms at some point in their lives. In addition, 40 percent to 67 percent of people with anxiety experience signs of depression, which makes it an even more serious and difficult condition to treat properly, and the lifetime prevalence is estimated to be between 4.3 percent and 5.9 percent..

Research shows that people with anxiety have difficulty successfully achieving short- or long-term remission, with remission rates remaining as low as 38 percent after five years.

The good news is that there are many natural remedies for anxiety that are safe and don’t cause adverse side effects like so many anti-anxiety medications. By eating a clean and well-balanced diet that contains important nutrients like B vitamins, magnesium and omega-3s, and using essential oils for anxiety, you may notice an immediate difference in your mood, energy levels and sleep patterns.

Plus, there are many supplements and lifestyle changes that serve as natural remedies for anxiety as well.

What Is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal response to stress or a dangerous situation. It’s often referred to as the “fight or flight” response.

It’s also the most prevalent mental health condition. Anxiety becomes problematic when it is constant or in reaction to inappropriate circumstances, which over time can negatively affect your day-to-day life.

In fact, there are a number of anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder and panic disorder. Anxiety is also a big part of phobias and other issues, such as autophobia (the fear of being alone) and the Sunday scaries.

Causes and Risk Factors

Causes of anxiety include:

• stress
• traumatic life experiences
• thyroid problems
• dysfunctional serotonin
• excessive alcohol
• caffeine or sugar intake
• hormone imbalance

In addition, research shows that risk factors for anxiety disorders include being female, experiencing stressful life events in childhood and adulthood, having a family history of mental health disorders, having limited economic resources, and being shy in childhood.

Signs and Symptoms

Although anxiety is characterized by excessive worrying and tension, other physical and psychological symptoms of anxiety can include:

• muscle tension
• chest tightness
• heart palpitations
• high blood pressure
• insomnia
• digestive problems
• panic attacks
• irritability
• difficulty concentrating
• restlessness
• sweating
• anxiousness
• inability to socialize

Natural Remedies for Anxiety

Diet

1. Eat a Clean and Well-Balanced Diet

Several studies show that there is a connection between the diet choices and psychology, physiology and behavior. Dietary choices impact a person from the moment he or she is born to adult life.

Consuming too many or too little calories can increase anxiety symptoms and other psychological or emotional disorders. Also, poor diet can lead to many anxiety symptoms, including moodiness, fatigue and abnormal blood sugar levels that cause nervousness and the jitters.

A poor diet can also lead to weight gain, and this can impact your body image and bring on feelings of worthlessness and self-doubt.

Eating anti-inflammatory foods can be a natural remedy for anxiety because they are important for neurotransmitters synthesizing and balancing your mood and stress response. In addition, it’s also important to eat healthy fats, unrefined carbohydrates and lean protein.

To improve anxiety symptoms, make sure to add vitamin B foods, magnesium-rich foods, foods high in calcium and omega-3 foods — some of the best mood-boosting foods — to your diet too, including:

• wild-caught fish (like salmon, mackerel, tuna, white fish and herring)
• grass-fed beef
• organic chicken
• nutritional yeast
• eggs
• yogurt or kefir
• leafy greens (like spinach, kale, chard and collard greens)
• fresh vegetables (like celery, bok choy, broccoli, beets and artichokes)
• fresh fruits (like blueberries, pineapple, banana and figs)
• sea vegetables
• healthy fats (like avocado, coconut oil and olive oil)
• beans (such as black beans, adzuki beans, chickpeas and fava beans)
• legumes (like lentils and peas)
• nuts (such as walnuts, almonds and cashews)
• seeds (including flaxseeds, chia seeds, hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds)
• unrefined grains (like farro, quinoa and barley)

2. Avoid Sugary and Processed Foods

Research shows that consuming foods that have a high glycemic index can contribute to anxiety and depression. Sugar and refined carbohydrates can give you blood sugar highs and lows throughout the day, increasing anxiety, nervousness and fatigue.

These foods can cause mood swings and alter your energy levels, making it more difficult to get your anxiety symptoms under control. They also contribute to inflammation and alter your brain structure and neurotransmitter function.

To maintain normal blood sugar levels and improve your anxiety symptoms, stay away from refined foods, including baked goods (like pastries and cookies), sweetened beverages, fast foods, fried foods, processed meat and refined grains (which can be found in cereals and packaged breads).

One specific dietary option that covers many of these bases and may actually influence anxiety is the keto diet. Preliminary research in animals has found that following this high-fat, low-carb diet may result in a lowered risk for anxiety.

3. Limit Caffeine and Alcohol

Too much caffeine or alcohol can increase anxiety symptoms like moodiness, nervousness and the jitters. A study published by the British Journal of Psychiatry found that abstinence from alcohol is associated with a lower risk of anxiety. To reduce anxiety, avoid alcohol completely, or limit your alcohol intake to one to three drinks per week — but no more than two at a time.

Research also shows that consuming too much caffeine can induce anxiety symptoms, and people with panic disorder and social anxiety seem to be particularly sensitive to the effects of caffeine. Limit coffee or black tea to no more than one cup per day.

Supplements

4. Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is an adaptogen herb that is often used as a natural remedy for anxiety because it helps stabilize the body’s response to stress. In a systematic review that assessed data on the effectiveness of ashwagandha as a treatment for anxiety, researchers found that most studies concluded with significant improvement in anxiety symptoms with ashwagandha therapy.

However, ashwagandha is not only a stress reliever. It also protects the brain from degeneration, and it works to improve anxiety symptoms by destroying free radicals that cause damage to the brain and body.

Research shows that ashwagandha helps improve focus, reduce fatigue and fight anxiety without the side effects of most anti-anxiety medications.

5. Kava Root

Research shows that kava root can be used to treat anxiety because it’s a nonaddictive and non-hypnotic anxiolytic. Kava is used to improve mood, ease anxiety and boost sociability.

It’s also used in homeopathy. It works by stimulating dopamine receptors and inducing euphoria.

In fact, a randomized, controlled trial conducted in Australia found that kava can be considered a first-line therapy for generalized anxiety disorder, and it’s shown to be safe for people undergoing treatment. A meta-analysis reported by Cochrane that involved seven trials suggests that there are significant effects from kava treatment for anxiety with few side effects, which are all considered mild.

Take kava under the guidance of your health care provider, as it can interact with certain medications. Also, do not consume alcohol if you are using kava, and be aware of the most common side effects, including headache, drowsiness and diarrhea.

6. 5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan)

Supplementing with 5-HTP, which is synthesized from tryptophan (an essential amino acids that acts as a mood regulator), can help treat a number of issues that are associated with anxiety, including trouble sleeping, moodiness and headaches. 5-HTP increases serotonin, which is a calming neurotransmitter that transmits signals between the nerve cells and alters brain functions that regulate your mood and sleep patterns.

Studies show that 5-HTP therapy is associated with a significant reduction in anxiety due to its calming effects. However, it’s important that you do not take 5-HTP with any prescription anti-anxiety or antidepressant medications.

7. GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid)

GABA is an amino acid that is responsible for decreasing anxiety in the nervous system, and it also helps relax your muscles. It’s used for a number of conditions in addition to relieving anxiety, including reducing PMS, relieving insomnia, stabilizing blood pressure, treating ADHD, burning fat and relieving pain.

GABA is also an inhibitory neurotransmitter that can cause a sedative effect, helps regulate nerve cells and calms anxiety. Anti-anxiety drugs, like Xanax and Valium, work to increase the amount of GABA in the brain.

There are GABA supplements available in your local health food or vitamin store. Another option is to use valerian root, which naturally increases your brain’s GABA level and helps calm anxiety.

8. Magnesium

Magnesium plays many important roles in the body, and magnesium deficiency is one of the leading deficiencies in adults. If you’re struggling with anxiety, you may want to try taking a magnesium supplement.

Magnesium helps relax your muscles and calm the nervous system. Also, it’s vital for GABA function and regulating certain hormones that are crucial for calming the brain and promoting relaxation.

Magnesium is commonly used to combat anxiety, poor digestion, muscle spasms and trouble sleeping. Look for magnesium in citrate, chelate and chloride, which are forms that the body absorbs better.

However, be aware that too much magnesium can cause diarrhea, so be careful with the dose. Because of this, start with smaller amounts of magnesium, and work your way up to a dose that’s effective for you.

9. Vitamin B Complex

B vitamins help combat stress and stabilize your mood. Vitamin B6, in particular, serves as a natural remedy for anxiety because it works to boost mood, balance blood sugar levels and maintain a healthy nervous system. In fact, symptoms of a vitamin B6 deficiency include anxiety, irritability, depression, changes in mood, muscle pains and fatigue.

In addition, vitamin B12 is also important for fighting chronic stress, mood disorders and depression. It helps improve your concentration and energy levels and allows your nervous system to function properly.

Other supplements that show potential as natural remedies for anxiety include:

• Melatonin
• L-Theanine
• Lemon Balm

Essential Oils

10. Lavender Oil

Lavender oil has been shown to reduce anxiety and help relax the body. A multi-center, double-blind, randomized study conducted in Germany found that Silexan, an oral lavender oil capsule, was just as effective as benzodiazepine, anti-anxiety medication that usually induces sedation and had a high potential for drug abuse.

Research also shows that using lavender oil topically or inhaling lavender can help induce calmness and relieve symptoms of anxiety, like nervousness, headaches and muscle pain.

Put three drops of lavender oil in your palm, and rub it onto your neck, wrists and temples. You can also diffuse lavender oil at home or at work, inhale it directly from the bottle for immediate relief, or add five to 10 drops to warm bath water to fight anxiety naturally.

11. Roman Chamomile

Roman chamomile essential oil is used to calm nerves and reduce anxiety because of its mild sedative and relaxation-promoting properties. Inhaling it works as an emotional trigger because the fragrance travels directly to the brain to help fight anxiety symptoms.

A study published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine found that when chamomile oil is taken orally, it causes a significant reduction of anxiety and depression symptoms when compared to a placebo.

Diffuse five drops of Roman chamomile oil at home or at work, inhale it directly from the bottle, or apply it topically to the neck, chest and wrists. Roman chamomile is also gentle enough for children to use as a natural remedy for anxiety.

Lifestyle

12. Physical Activity

Regular physical activity helps improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation, boost confidence, improve energy levels, and ease stress and tension. People with anxiety can benefit from exercises like yoga and tai chi because they promote relaxation and involve deep breathing techniques that help reduce stress and muscle tension.

A 2012 review published in Alternative Medicine Review found that of the 35 trials that addressed the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress, 25 of them noted a significant decrease in stress and anxiety symptoms as a result of practicing yoga.

In fact, yoga changes your brain by impacting your GABA levels and suppressing neural activity.

Besides yoga and tai chi, you can practice other exercises that help calm the body. For example, running, walking or hiking outdoors, lifting weights, and even dancing can help combat stress.

13. Get Enough Rest

Researchers at the University of Berkeley found that a lack of sleep can amplify anticipatory anxiety by stimulating regions in the brain that are associated with emotional processing. This means sleep deprivation can contribute to common anxiety symptoms. These symptoms include excessive worrying, and by restoring proper sleep patterns, people with anxiety can reduce feelings of fear, worry and tension.

Aim to get seven to nine hours of sleep every night in order to reduce stress, balance your hormones, prevent moodiness and reduce fatigue. You can also diffuse lavender or Roman chamomile essential oil in your bedroom to help induce relaxation.

14. Meditate

A 2013 randomized, controlled trial published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry found that mindfulness meditation had a beneficial effect on anxiety symptoms and improved stress reactivity and coping mechanisms when faced with a stress challenge.

If you’re new to this, try guided meditation as one of your natural remedies for anxiety, which is available on YouTube and podcasts. It helps reduce your cortisol levels, improve your sleep quality, boost your productivity at home and at work, and treat your anxiety.

15. Find Support

In your effort to overcome anxiety, finding support from your family, friends, community and professional therapists can be extremely helpful. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on a person’s underlying thoughts in determining how that person acts and feels. Therapists help change your thought patterns and reactions so you can better handle stressful situations.

If your anxiety affects your quality of life, consider joining a local support group or connecting with other people who are dealing with anxiety. Together, you can use these natural remedies for anxiety with members of your community and work through tough situations with their support.

Other potential natural remedies for anxiety, according to research, include:

• Not smoking
• Journaling
• Acupuncture
• Breathing exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, pursed lip breathing and other breathwork
• Spending time with animals
• Grounding
• Positive self-talk
• Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping
• ASMR

Conventional Treatment

Typically, anxiety is treated with a combination of psychotropic drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy. Pharmacologic interventions for anxiety include:

• Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs): SNRIs are used to treat anxiety, depression, panic disorder, fibromyalgia and back pain. They work by blocking or delaying the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, which helps improve your mood. Some SNRI brand names include Cymbalta, Pristiq, Effexor and Savella. Common side effects of these medications include dizziness, nausea, loss of appetite, sexual problems, constipation, weight loss, insomnia, headaches, dry mouth and agitation.
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs): SSRIs are used to correct low serotonin levels in the brain. SSRIs are used to treat anxiety disorders and depression. Some examples of commonly prescribed SSRIs include Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa. Possible side effects of these medications include drowsiness, nausea, diarrhea, headache, sexual problems, agitation, dizziness, dry mouth, insomnia and blurred vision. In fact, research shows that approximately 30 percent to 50 percent of patients on SSRIs experience these kind of mild side effects.
• Benzodiazepines: Benzodiazepines are used to enhance the effect of GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces the activity of neurons that cause anxiety. Benzodiazepine drugs are used to treat anxiety, insomnia, alcohol withdrawal, pack attacks and seizures (due to their anticonvulsant properties). The most popular types of benzodiazepines include Xanax, Valium, Librium and Tranxene. These medications come with side effects like dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, sweating, trouble sleeping, impaired coordination, confusion and an increased risk of falling in elderly patients.

The controversial botanical substance kratom is also sometimes used to alleviate anxiety and help with pain relief. Thankfully, there are natural remedies for anxiety to try as well.

Precautions

If you choose to use any of these natural remedies for anxiety, do so under the guidance of your health care provider. Also, make sure that he or she knows what other medications you are taking in order to avoid dangerous interactions.

For example, some of these natural remedies for anxiety, including kava root, 5-HTP and GABA, do interact with commonly prescribed anti-anxiety and anti-depression medications. Do not use these supplements or herbs along with prescribed drugs.

Conclusion

• Anxiety is a normal response to stress or a dangerous situation. However — referred to as the “fight or flight” response — it’s the most prevalent mental health condition.
• Research shows that people with anxiety cannot always successfully achieve short- or long-term remission, with remission rates remaining as low as 38 percent after five years.
• Conventional treatments for anxiety include a combination of psychotropic drugs and cognitive behavioral therapy, though there are natural remedies for anxiety too.
• Natural remedies for anxiety offer alternative therapies that don’t cause adverse side effects and have been proven effective. These natural remedies for anxiety include supplements like magnesium, GABA and vitamin B complex; herbs like kava root; essential oils; and dietary and lifestyle changes.
• Try these natural remedies for anxiety if you suffer from this condition.

The post Anxiety Natural Remedies: 15+ Ways to Relax & Find Calm appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Several studies show that exercising kindness boosts happiness levels, but new evidence shows it also promotes healthier aging, too.

Adding a little kindness into your day can boost your self-esteem, support your immune system, improve the health of your heart and promote healthy aging.

These are great reasons to add small acts of kindness to your day. Being kind creates a ripple effect that inspires those around you.

Think about how we can make small changes in our communities with kindness and learn how to be happy at the same time. It’s definitely a win-win.

What Does Kindness Mean?

Kindness involves enacting kind behaviors toward other people. It doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming — it’s simply showing a bit of love, gratitude and compassion to the people around you.

Did you know that kindness is actually contagious? Simply observing an act of kindness can boost happiness levels and make the viewer more likely to practice kindness. This is exactly why the “pay it forward” method works so well.

Random Acts of Kindness

Practicing kindness is like lifting weights — you need to exercise kindness and strengthen those muscles over time. The best way to do that is to perform random acts of kindness every day.

You’ll notice that it boosts your optimism, self-esteem and overall happiness — making you want to enact kind behaviors even more often.

Here are some random acts of kindness you can try:

1. Hold the door for strangers
2. Plant a tree in your neighborhood
3. Pick up litter at the park or beach
4. Pay for someone’s coffee (or dry cleaning, lunch, groceries, ice cream)
5. Get involved with a fundraiser
6. Compliment a stranger
7. Write a letter showing gratitude
8. Write a positive review for a local business
9. Mow your neighbor’s lawn
10. Mentor a young person
11. Prepare a meal for a family in need
12. Recycle, even when you aren’t home
13. Volunteer your time at a nonprofit
14. Bring your nieces and nephews out for a treat
15. Gift your spouse or loved one with a massage
16. Walk your neighbor’s dog
17. Contribute to a community garden
18. Grow vegetables, and share them with neighbors
19. Donate clothes or home goods
20. Smile at work

Health Benefits

There are many health benefits of kindness, and most only take a few seconds or minutes of your day. Here’s how kindness impacts your health:

• Boosts happiness
• Increases feelings of self-worth
• Improves self-esteem
• Improves anxiety
• Reduces pain
• Fights stress
• Improves depression
• Reduces blood pressure
• Boosts immunity
• Improves relationships
• Increases longevity

Kindness Makes the Body Younger?

Here’s where it gets really interesting. A randomized, controlled trial conducted by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that practicing loving-kindness meditation may actually slow aging.

When 142 middle-aged adults participated in mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation or a “waitlist” control group during a six-week workshop, scientists recorded their telomere length. The participants in meditation groups attended six hourlong group meditation classes once a week and practiced meditation at home for 20 minutes per day using an audio recording.

Telomeres, the markers used for this study, are known as hallmarks of aging. They’re the protective caps at the end of  chromosomes that prevent them from damage.

As we age, telomeres begin to wear down and shorten. Studies show that this is associated with a number of health issues, including DNA damage and cancer. In fact, telomere length is directly related to longevity.

We know lifestyle factors, like getting regular exercise and eating a healthy diet, reduce the rate of telomere loss, while factors like chronic stress and living a sedentary life wear them down earlier in life.

The meditation study found that the loving-kindness meditation group lost significantly less telomere length than the other groups. The mindfulness meditation group showed changes in telomere length that were intermediate between the loving-kindness and control groups.

Researchers concluded that loving-kindness meditation may work to “buffer telomere attrition,” thereby serving as a tool for healthy aging.

Want to give loving-kindness meditation a try? Here’s an exercise from the University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good in Action program.

How Kindness Changes Your Brain and Body

A 2019 study published in the Journal of Social Psychology tested whether performing different types of kindness activities impacts happiness. Researchers found that performing kindness activities for seven days increased happiness levels. They also found a positive correlation between the number of kind acts and increases in happiness.

A study published in Journal of Happiness Studies indicates that happy people scored higher on their recognition and enactment of kind behaviors. Female undergraduate students in Japan reported that their subjective happiness increased simply by counting their own acts of kindness in one week.

The study results suggest that happy people become even more kind and grateful when they think back on their kindness, and a person’s strength of kindness plays an important role in increasing happiness.

Clearly there’s a powerful kindness-happiness connection, but why does this occur? Kindness affects the brain and body in several ways, including the following:

• Boosts oxytocin: Witnessing or engaging in acts of kindness produces oxytocin, which is known as the “love hormone.” A boost in oxytocin can lead to a feeling calmness, joy, generosity and compassion. Oxytocin also releases nitric oxide, which dilates blood vessels, reduces blood pressure and lowers free radicals that cause disease.
• Stimulates serotonin production: Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that sends messages from one area of the brain to another. It works to control your mood and reduces the production of stress hormones.
• Reduces cortisol: People who engage in acts of kindness consistently produce less cortisol, a main stress hormone.
• Triggers the “helper’s high” phenomenon: Being kind stimulates the brain’s pleasure and reward centers, causing what’s referred to as the “helper’s high.” This is due to increased dopamine levels after performing acts of kindness.

Healthy Aging Hacks

Are you loving the healthy aging benefits of kindness? Here are other simple ways to keep your mind and body sharp even as you age.

Morning

• Prep your skin with a natural youth serum, like this Homemade Anti-Aging Serum.
• Use natural, chemical-free makeup products, like this DIY Foundation Makeup.
• Set aside 10 to 30 minutes for mindfulness meditation.
• Short on time? Just add collagen to your morning smoothie or cup of coffee.

Lunch

• Drink a cup of green tea.
• Eat a nutrient-rich lunch that’s packed with anti-aging foods like avocado, nuts, bone broth, turmeric, cooked vegetables, coconut-based products and salmon.
• Exercise for at least 30 minutes (if you haven’t already).
• Practice a simple act of kindness toward someone at work or a complete stranger.

Evening

• Enjoy an occasional glass of red wine and piece of quality dark chocolate. (Both contain resveratrol.)
• Stick to healthy desserts, and limit simple carbs.
• Use anti-aging essential oils in the shower or bath, like frankincense, myrrh and lavender.
• Take your daily supplements (if you haven’t already), especially probiotics, digestive enzymes and adaptogenic mushrooms.

Bedtime

• Try oil pulling or a salt water rinse.
• Wash your face with a natural and gentle cleanser.
• Read a positive book, magazine or article.
• Limit screen time.
• Get to bed early, and embrace sleep.

Weekends

• Practice simple stress relievers, like taking a walk outdoors, grounding, taking a yoga class or getting a massage.
• Spend time with loved ones.
• Engage in healing prayer or meditation.
• Create a calm environment.
• Move your body.

Final Thoughts

• Not only does practicing kindness positively impact the health of your brain, heart and immune system, but it also employs healthy aging effects.
• Adding small acts of kindness to your day, like offering compliments, holding the door or preparing a meal for someone in need, will improve your own mood and health, and support the health of people around you too.

The post Kindness Slows Aging and Should Be Part of Everyone’s Wellness Plan appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Do you know what it feels like when you’re longing for someone? Maybe you can’t concentrate on anything else because you’re constantly thinking about a love interest or love lost. You may be experiencing lovesickness, which can occur when you’re feeling sad, unmotivated or even physically ill because of your lover’s absence.

The truth is that there are some varieties of lovesickness, and the emotions can feel like a bit of a roller coaster. Why does this happen, and if you’re trying to move on, how do you overcome feeling lovesick?

What Does It Mean to Be Lovesick?

Lovesickness occurs when you’re longing for someone so intensely that it’s changing the way you think and feel. This can occur after you’ve lost a loved one and are grieving, perhaps from a breakup or death.

You may also feel lovesick when you have unmatched feelings for someone or when you’re distanced from a partner and can’t connect emotionally or physically.

As you may already know, the feeling of love is not triggered by the heart, but comes from activity in the brain and hormone fluctuations.

A 2018 study published in Frontiers in Pharmacology suggests that lovesickness alters dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, testosterone and cortisol levels. Researchers indicate that being lovesick can cause traits that range from frenzy and intrusive thinking to despair and depression.

Symptoms

The term “sick” is used for a reason — you may actually feel both physical and emotional symptoms when experiencing lovesickness. Being lovesick can interfere with your normal life and routine.

Some of the most common symptoms include:

• lack of motivation
• fatigue
• anxiety
• sadness or depression
• trouble sleeping
• mood changes
• loss of appetite
• irritability or agitation
• restlessness
• increased pain or tension
• digestive problems
• thinking about the person excessively/constantly
• feeling isolated
• poor dietary and lifestyle choices

Now, it’s not uncommon to feel lovesickness symptoms when you’re first starting to fall in love. That excitement, inability to focus on other things, euphoria and feeling of desire are sometimes described as being lovesick, but using the term lovestruck is more accurate.

While it can feel confusing and overwhelming to fall in love, the experience is generally positive and exciting, which makes it different than feeling lovesick.

How to Overcome Lovesickness

There may not be an overnight cure for lovesickness, but there are ways to reduce the symptoms and change your mindset so you can better cope with the loss you’re experiencing. In most cases, lovesickness is temporary and will fade over time, especially if you help yourself to get back on track with your normal lifestyle.

1. Practice Self-Care

One of the best things you can do for yourself when feeling lovesick is love yourself more than ever. Recent research defines self-care as having the ability to care for oneself through awareness, self-control and self-reliance in order to achieve optimal health and well-being.

You can do that with self-care activities or exercises, like:

• reading inspiring books
• spending more time outdoors
• getting more involved in your community
• decluttering your home
• working out daily
• improving your diet
• getting enough sleep or downtime

2. Spend Time With Friends and Family

To ease those lovesick symptoms, engage in face-to-face interactions with loved ones. This promotes a feeling of connectedness and boosts those happy hormones.

Nurturing the relationships you have boosts your mood and self-confidence. In fact, research shows that having strong, healthy friendships is associated with life satisfaction.

3. Talk About It

It’s not healthy to suppress your feelings, even if it feels like the easier thing to do. Talk about how you’re feeling with someone close to you or a professional. This will help you to process your emotions and work through them over time.

A 2018 study published in Clinical Epidemiology found that early treatment with talk therapy is associated with reduced long-term risk of serious mental health conditions in people dealing with serious bereavement after the loss of a loved one.

4. Increase Oxytocin

Oxytocin is the love hormone, often called “the love drug.” It’s responsible for many aspects of pleasure and social bonding, but it also helps soothe the body and mind.

There are ways to naturally boost the production of oxytocin, like:

• hugging friends and loved ones
• getting a massage
• watching a funny movie
• exercising
• listening to calming music
• speaking to someone you trust

Risks and Side Effects

It’s not uncommon to feel lovesick after a breakup, separation or loss of a loved one. If this begins to impact your day-to-day routine and ability to function, seek help from a trusted source or professional.

Remember to prioritize self-care and your own personal health.

Conclusion

• Lovesickness occurs when you’re longing for someone so intensely that it’s changing the way you think and feel.
• Feeling lovesick may occur after you’ve lost a loved one and are grieving, perhaps from a breakup, separation or death.
• Some signs of lovesickness include trouble concentrating, fatigue, insomnia or restlessness, mood changes, appetite changes, and digestive issues.
• If you’re experiencing these symptoms, prioritize self-care, connect with friends and family, talk about your feelings with a trusted source or professional, and work on boosting your happy hormones by getting outside, laughing and being creative.

The post What Is Lovesickness and How Do You Overcome It? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Oxytocin — nicknamed by some experts “the tend and befriend hormone” — is one of the most important hormones that humans (and many other mammals) produce. It plays an important role in:

• social bonding
• building relationships
• reproduction
• childbirth
• breastfeeding
• raising children

Here’s something that may come as a surprise: According to the American Psychological Association, oxytocin is released in response to both positive social connection and stressful conditions.

Levels have been found to be higher when someone is under stress, such as when exposed to social isolation or when in an unhappy relationship. It’s thought that increased levels may help motivate people to reach out for help.

On the other hand, situations that make us feel safe, happy and connected tend to cause the release of several “feel-good hormones,” including oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin.

What Is Oxytocin?

Oxytocin is a hormone (technically a peptide or neuropeptide) that is involved in bonding. As a neuropeptide, it’s a “chemical messenger” that acts on organs, including the brain.

What does oxytocin do, and where is it produced?

Oxytocin is produced in the hypothalamus region in the brain, often called the “control center” of the brain. It’s also thought to be influenced by activation of the amygdala, which is the region of the brain mostly associated with fear and memories.

Once the hypothalamus sends signals for oxytocin to be produced, it’s either released into the bloodstream or to other parts of the brain and spinal cord. It binds to oxytocin receptors, influencing how we feel and behave toward others.

Oxytocin influences the autonomic nervous system and the immune system. This includes having an effect on the “hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis” (also called the HPA axis), which dictates release of many hormones.

This peptide hormone has been said to have “broad implications” for general health, including facilitating adaption to stressors, development, growth, healing, reproduction and social behavior. It also seems to have anti-inflammatory and even antioxidant effects, since it defends the body against trauma, illness and stress-induced damage.

Additionally, it helps keep blood pressure levels in the normal range and also balances cortisol levels, a primary “stress hormone.”

We usually think of it as a feminine hormone, but do men produce oxytocin too?

Yes — while it was originally considered a hormone that was only found in women due to its tie to labor, lactation and raising children, it’s now known to be present and important in both men and women (although women are still thought to produce more).

For example, oxytocin helps with male reproduction — as well as female reproduction — by supporting production of testosterone in the testes and motility of sperm. Additionally, it affects both sexes’ metabolisms, moods, immune systems and more.

The post Oxytocin (The Love Hormone): Benefits + How to Increase Levels appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Denmark consistently ranks as one of the happiest countries in the world, but why? Well, a concept called “hygge,” pronounced “HUE-gah,” is believed to be a big part of that.

What is hygge lifestyle all about? It’s a bit hard to put into words, but it involves practices that make the winter feel cozy, warm and comforting.

We discuss hygge with Danish happiness expert Meik Wiking, the founder and chief executive of the Happiness Research Institute, a think tank based in Copenhagen dedicated to exploring why some societies are happier than others, to help us better understand the benefits of hygge.

What Is Hygge?

The word hygge is described in various ways depending on whom you ask. According to the Hygge House website, the meaning of hygge is “a feeling or moment, whether alone or with friends, at home or out, ordinary or extraordinary as cozy, charming or special.”

The Oxford Dictionary defines hygge as “the quality of being warm and comfortable that gives a feeling of happiness.”

Wiking, author of “The Little Book of Hygge,” reveals that hygge has been explained as everything from “the art of creating intimacy” and “cosiness of the soul” to “cocoa by candlelight.” He says that this concept is engrained in the culture of Denmark.

Wiking told the New York Times that “Danes see hygge as a part of our culture, the same way you see freedom as inherently American.”

Some of the key ingredients of hygge include:

• Togetherness
• Relaxation
• Indulgence
• Presence
• Comfort

Danes essentially created hygge to cope with difficult feelings like boredom, coldness, darkness and mundaneness. While hygge is a year-round concept in Denmark, it’s becoming a more commonly adopted practice to help others around the world get through the dark, cold winter months while maintaining a positive attitude.

How to Practice Hygge

You can think of hygge as” making the ordinary extraordinary.” With a mindful component of focusing on and enjoying a simple moment, hygge is something Americans could certainly use more of. (America ranked No. 15 in the 2023 world happiness index, while Denmark consistently captures the No. 2 slot in terms of happiness rankings.)

Wiking says the true essence of hygge is the pursuit of everyday happiness — it’s basically like a hug, just without the physical touch.

How do you live a “hygge life”? Hygge is about feeling safe and secure, and ultimately, you know it when you feel it. It might look like cuddling up to a loved one on the sofa when it’s cold outside or sharing comfort food with your closest friends.

What are examples of hygge? Some ways in which it’s practiced include:

• Reading books while snuggling in warm blankets
• Sitting around a fire sipping a cup of hot cocoa or coffee (Danes are the fourth-biggest coffee drinkers in the world)
• Enjoying some wine over candlelight while having deep conversations
• Cooking a satisfying meal with your family, such as Danish favorites like meat, potatoes and a healthy dessert
• Taking a walk or bike ride outdoors wearing cozy socks, gloves and a hat

Louisa Thomsen Brits, author of “The Book of Hygge,” suggests creating an atmosphere conducive to hygge by focusing on details like:

• wooden bowls
• cuddling
• brushing your teeth while your partner brushes his or her teeth and stands next to you
• being naked
• vintage textiles
• pendant lights
• circular tables
• burned spatulas
• old shoes
• honking geese
• line-dried laundry

Here’s an example Wiking shared to help us understand hygge:

One December, just before Christmas, I was spending the weekend with some friends at an old cabin. The shortest day of the year was brightened by the blanket of snow covering the surrounding landscape. When the sun set, around 4 in the afternoon, we would not see it again for 17 hours, and we headed instead to get the fire going.

We were all tired after hiking and were half asleep, sitting in a semicircle around the fireplace in the cabin, wearing big jumpers and wool socks. The only sounds you could heat were the stew boiling, the sparks from the fireplace and someone having a sip of their mulled wine. Then one of my friends broke the silence.

“Could this be any more hygge?” he asked rhetorically.

“Yes,” one of the girls said, “if there was a storm raging outside.”

Hygge Principles

Wiking shares his hygge manifesto in his book, which can help us all get a little more hygge in our lives. Here are his thoughts, as well as other experts’, on how to add more to your life:

Atmosphere

• Turn down the lights. The most comforting spaces for hygge feel warm, relaxed and are usually dimly lit.
• Bring out the candles and fireplaces.
• Turn off devices to help you focus.

Togetherness

• Build relationships and narratives.
• Gather and talk about things like, “Do you remember the time we …?”
• Don’t be afraid to dive into deeper topics that help people bond, such as the meaning of life, fears, goals, etc.
• Practice creating a space that is trusting, secure and supportive.

Gratitude

• Take it in. Slow down, and live in the moment.
• Understand that this might be as good as it gets.
• Learn to be content rather than to strive for more.

Equality

• Think “we over me.”
• Share the tasks and the airtime.
• Practice self-compassion and self-care.

Benefits

What is a hygge lifestyle beneficial for? The main benefit is that it can reduce loneliness and depression while contributing to greater meaning in life and happiness. It helps us focus on what’s truly important in life, such as relationships and meaning.

Think of hygge as giving yourself and others a treat, to savor simple moments filled with good food, conversation and company.

How does hygge impact happiness? Perhaps Benjamin Franklin said it best: “Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”

More and more people around the world are questioning what defines happiness. It’s a difficult thing to measure and to explain.

Research suggests that an increasing number of people feel unhappy and “left behind,” particularly when there is talk of their country moving forward.

The great thing about hygge is that it’s available to everyone and doesn’t cost much money at all. In fact, happiness experts like Wiking hope that hygge can help people better understand that wealth and well-being are not always closely tied.

According to research findings, after our basic needs are met, more money doesn’t lead to more happiness, and instead, we can focus on what brings us a better quality of life.

We know from many studies that things like close relationships, gratitude, sharing conversation and food, and presence contribute to happiness in various ways, such as by:

• Decreasing loneliness by increasing feelings of connectedness, security and kinship
• Helping us cope with seasonal active disorder and side effects of stress
• Improving relaxation, which can assist in getting better sleep
• Decreasing distractions so we are more productive
• Increasing feelings of contentment, which helps counteract anxiety
• Lowering the risk for unhealthy coping strategies, such as drinking too much alcohol or using drugs
• Improving quality of life, even among those who are in difficult situations
• Potentially increasing physical activity if it involves going outside skating, bike riding, hiking or walking — all of these can help lower stress levels and increase in self-esteem

Conclusion

• What is the concept of hygge? It’s a lifestyle practice that includes elements of togetherness, relaxation, indulgence, presence and comfort.
• Hygge is all about creating warm, cozy and comforting feelings that can contribute to greater meaning in life, close relationships and happiness.
• To create more hygge in your life, burn beeswax candles in your home, snuggle up with blankets to stay warm, indulge in clean comfort foods, read books by the fire, and spend a lot of time together telling stories and appreciating the small moments in life. The goal is to focus on being present in the moment.

The post Hygge: the Danish Way to Achieve True Winter Happiness appeared first on Dr. Axe.

How do you feel about adopting the “clutter-free holidays” mentality? Does the idea bring a sense of calm? Perhaps it would allow you to focus on what truly matters: loved ones … and not buying loads of stuff!

Maybe you feel just the opposite: Your chest tightens at the thought of not spoiling everyone on your gift-giving list. The notion of a Christmas tree without a sea of presents underneath it seems unfathomable — downright Scrooge-like!

Wherever your opinion falls, one thing is clear: There are many proven physical and mental health benefits that stem from stepping away from materialism.

Before you close out this screen in protest, take a deep breath. You can still give gifts. You can still support your local economy. It just won’t look like traditional holiday gifting, and that’s OK.

(Your friends who really don’t need those clunky bread makers and toxic scented candles thank you in advance!)

Giving Is Good for Us

When it comes to your personal health, it’s still a good idea to remain active in the gift-giving game.

Researchers who study the act of giving presents and related emotions (yes, that is a real job!) highlight some interesting findings:

• Giving a gift to someone else creates more joy than buying a gift for yourself.
• That gift doesn’t have to be a wrapped-up package; money, experiences and the gift of time together boost happiness for the giver and receiver.
• A gift-giver’s joy remains strong for days after giving.
• Giving to others doesn’t seem to get old — happiness levels remain high even with repeated giving.
• Experiential gifts produce greater relationship improvements compared to material gifts (aka “stuff).
• Interesting finding alert! You don’t have to participate in the experience  you gift someone for your relationship with that person to grow in a positive way.
• We’re more socially connected but lonelier today, but giving experience gifts helps close the loneliness gap.

Generosity through giving, including volunteering your time, is connected to the following health benefits:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increased self-esteem
• Less depression
• Lower stress levels
• Longer life
• Greater happiness and satisfaction

One Quick Note

Now, before we go any further, let’s clarify something: There are millions of people currently living at, below and even above the official poverty line in the U.S. who are struggling to survive and thrive. I’m not suggesting skipping on physical gifts in this instance.

(Perhaps, though, the greatest gift we could give would be to read and act on “The Sum of Us” by Heather McGhee.)

This article focuses on reducing excess stuff in our gifting — unnecessary clutter that’s actually holding us back, maxing out our credit cards and messing with our mental health.

What Does Clutter-Free Mean?

One definition of clutter is a collection of things lying about in an untidy mass. In a New York Times article, clutter researcher Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., and professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, defines it as “an overabundance of possessions that collectively create chaotic and disorderly living spaces.”

How do we give and receive in a way that doesn’t clutter up people’s lives, which can actually lead to physical and mental health troubles? We embrace the clutter-free holidays frame of mind!

Benefits of Less Clutter

In its extreme form, clutter can build up to the point of hoarding, which can pose immediate life-threatening risks, but even “everyday” clutter can trash our happiness levels.

Feeling like you’re living in a cluttered home may contribute to chronic stress, as it can elevate the stress level cortisol. Chronically high cortisol is linked to all sorts of health concerns, including:

• Weight gain
• High blood pressure
• Mood swings
• Fertility problems
• Acne
• Increased anxiety
• Higher risk of osteoporosis
• Muscle aches and pains

The Procrastinator Angle

People who procrastinate are also more likely to already live among clutter, according to research. For these folks, delaying decisions about what to get rid of compounds the problem.  That means it’s even more important to focus on experiential gifts for the procrastinators in your life.

Avoiding material gifts may be a good idea for the more mature people in your life, too. Older adults with too much stuff report a significant decrease in life satisfaction. A 2020 study published in Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services found that reducing clutter is beneficial for the aging brain.

The Climate Factor

Buying less stuff with a clutter-free holidays mentality is also a more climate-friendly approach. After all, it takes a lot of energy to mine materials, manufacture and ship out the “stuff” we clutter our homes with.

According to the Nature Conservancy and many leading schools of thought, the average carbon footprint for a person in the U.S. is 16 tons. That is one of the highest rates in the world.

Globally, the average carbon footprint is closer to four tons. To have the best chance of avoiding a two degrees C rise in global temperatures, the average global carbon footprint per year needs to drop to under two tons by 2050.

Use Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Calculator to see where you fall.

How to Have a Clutter-Free Holiday (and Home)

You can cultivate a more clutter-free home for the holidays when it comes to giving and receiving.

Make it clear to your friends and family members that you don’t want any physical gifts for the holidays. Otherwise, who knows what gifts could arrive:

• A third pressure cooker?
• A juicer you won’t use?
• Unwanted clothing you may forget to return on time?
• Yet another No. 1 dad mug?

You can avoid all of the awkward, unwanted gifts by being politely direct and providing “non-stuff” alternatives. (Remember, it’s good for people to give.)

Here are some examples:

• Create a fundraiser for a charity you believe in, and direct people there. (Make sure it’s a Charity Star Navigator four-star rated nonprofit.)
• Ask people to volunteer to a cause close to your heart and share their experiences with you.
• Suggest a coffee and library date or dinner date instead.
• Ask for a membership to a cool museum or arboretum in your area.

Aside from reducing unwanted gifts, you can also minimize your own holiday decorating. It will be less to stow away later. Only keep holiday decorations that truly elicit joy and special memories and don’t add to your stress levels.

Clutter-Free Gift Giving Ideas

“Togetherness Presents”:

• Organize a family (or friends) volunteer effort — and make sure to include your favorite elders! A University of California, Berkeley study discovered that elderly people who volunteered for two or more organizations were 44 percent less likely to die over a five-year period than non-volunteers, regardless of if they smoked or exercised or not.
• Set up a Project FeederWatch subscription to become “community scientists” and have fun tallying official bird counts for Cornell University scientists.
• Coordinate a family nature stroll. Being in nature, also known as forest bathing, can lower blood pressure, improve your immune system and boost your brain in many key ways.
• Take your kids, nieces or nephews out for a geocaching adventure. (Adventure Lab has fun “missions,” too.) When you get really good, you can create your own caches for others to enjoy.

Here are a few ideas to get your creative, giving mindset flowing…

• Public library dates with your friends
• Massage sessions
• Volunteer in someone’s honor to a cause that person cares about
• Donate to a cause your recipient is passionate about
• Orchestra tickets
• Sessions with a cleaner or professional organizer
• Set up monthly visits to a retirement home with your friends (paint nails, do henna tattoos, share stores, etc.)
• Movie passes
• Theatre tickets
• National or state park passes
• Passes/membership to a museum or aquarium
• Dinner dates (homemade or going out)
• Bowling passes
• Gentle yoga and relaxation classes
• Gas cards
• Oil changes
• Babysitting services
• Train passes
• Sessions with a certified personal trainer (look for trainers certified through the National Strength & Conditioning Association, National Academy of Sports Medicine or American College of Sports Medicine)

Final Thoughts

• The holidays can bring many material gifts, which adds to our already cluttered lifestyles.
• Clutter is bad for our health, both mentally and physically.
• Living in a cluttered atmosphere can lead to higher cortisol levels.
• High cortisol is linked to high blood pressure and anxiety, skin problems, increased risk of osteoporosis, and more.
• Giving gifts provides even more happiness than receiving them, but giving experience gifts creates the most happiness compared to material gifts.
• Giving more clutter-free experiential gifts helps people keep their living spaces less cluttered, thereby reducing their stress levels.

The post Clutter-Free Holidays: Top Ways to Celebrate Without the Stress of Stuff appeared first on Dr. Axe.

The onslaught of family, friends and social events that occurs during the holidays is enough to make even the most social person want to sneak away and enjoy some alone time. However, if your idea of relaxing during the festive madness translates into checking in on Facebook, drooling over Insta-worthy photos or playing a marathon video game session, it might be time to back away from the electronics and start unplugging for the holidays instead.

Benefits of Unplugging

Unplugging for the holidays is more than just sticking your smartphone or other tech devices into another room for a few hours. Instead, it’s about making a concerted effort to give your brain a break and allow yourself to enjoy life’s smaller pleasures, such as:

• the company of loved ones
• truly enjoying a meal without first snapping photos of it
• even just having some mental downtime

If that sounds a little hokey for you, there are actually scientific benefits to disconnecting and plugging back into real life:

1. Say Goodbye to Nomophobia

Does putting down your phone give you FOMO? If so, you’re not alone.

About half of American adults check their phones numerous times an hour — in fact, nearly one in 10 Americans has used his or her phone during intimate moments!

Welcome to the world of nomophobia, or the fear of being without your smartphone.

Reducing your screen time means you’ll have less time to waste on things like cat videos and more to spend on things you’ve been putting off because you “have no free time,” like baking more, trying out a new hobby or just unwinding with a good book. It might take some time to get used to, but soon you’ll find yourself keeping your phone switched off more than on.

2. Reduce Anxiety

If you’re already stressed, too much tech time can make you feel more anxious and increase levels of depression.

The pressure of waiting for a new like, the seemingly endless social media scrolling — it can eventually take a toll on mental health. Luckily, unplugging for the holidays can help reverse those effects.

Because anxiety can lead to a host of side effects, from headaches and trouble sleeping to an elevated heart rate, which can lead to heart disease, seize any opportunity (or these handy natural stress relievers) to decrease it! You’ll feel better, and your body will thank you, too — as will your family members, who will appreciate the more cheerful you!

3. Your Brain Will Focus Better

Do you find yourself switching between apps, talking on the phone while playing computer games or simply trying to listen to that story your partner is telling you while checking tomorrow’s weather? All that multitasking is doing things to your brain, and they aren’t good.

See, our brains aren’t actually designed to multitask, and we don’t actually do it. What happens instead is that our minds just shift focus super quickly, losing cognitive function in the process.

In fact, people who multitask tend to be more stressed and impulsive than their one-track-mind counterparts, likely because multitasking can increase production of the stress hormone cortisol along with adrenaline.

Shutting off your technological tempters will allow you to practice mindfulness and give all your attention to what’s happening in front of you, whether it’s playing with your nieces and nephews or enjoying that delicious bite of apple pie. You might notice that you remember small details a bit better, as your brain is able to focus on the task at hand and process info more quickly.

4. Get More Sleep

Watching Netflix in bed or checking your email one last time is ruining your shut-eye. The screens on your favorite gadgets emit a blue light.

To your brain, blue light is the same as daylight and acts to stifle the production of melatonin. That’s a big deal, because melatonin is the hormone that’s responsible for setting our sleep-wake cycles, or circadian rhythms.

This makes it harder not only to fall asleep, but fall into the deep sleep that our bodies need to properly refresh.

The importance of sleep cannot be overstated. In fact, missing sleep can take years off your life. It can also lead to increased weight gain, up your chances of getting sick and affect your mood negatively.

Luckily, unplugging can help improve your sleep. You might find your memory improving, as sleeping seems to help new concepts “set” in the brain.

Getting enough Z’s also reduces inflammation in the body, lowering your risk of everything from heart disease to diabetes.

5. Feel Happier and Healthier with Loved Ones

While too much together time might be what’s driving you to seek the comforts of technology, it might be time to get cozy. Spending time with your friends and family actually improves your health.

It turns out the more shy and lonely you feel, the likelier you are to be addicted to your smartphone. In addition, people without strong relationships increase their risk of dying prematurely by 50 percent, which is greater than the effect of obesity or physical inactivity.

Unplugging for the holidays gives you an opportunity to nurture those relationships that are important to you and reconnect, while increasing longevity. Not bad!

5 Tips for Unplugging for the Holidays

Ready to unplug but not sure how? These tips will help you have a tech-free holiday and enjoy the benefits of unplugging for the holidays.

1. Get Everyone on Board

It’s a lot easier to stay away from your smartphone if everyone else you’re with follows suit. Let family and friends know you’d like to do a digital detox during your time together.

Have everyone turn their phones off, then collect them and keep them in a separate room.

2. Pre-plan Activities

The day might seem boring if everyone’s phone is taken and there’s no plan for entertainment. Pre-empt this, and design a list of activities everyone can get involved in.

From making popcorn and watching a movie to going on a hike, baking cookies or playing board games, you’ll be surprised by how much fun you can have together.

3. Keep Your Phone Out of the Bedroom at Night

Invest in an alarm clock, and keep your phone out of the room when you’re getting ready to sleep — ideally, you’ll turn it off at least an hour beforehand. You’ll steer clear of the blue light that can keep you awake and won’t start your day with a social media blitz.

4. Take Time to Unwind

Whether it’s reading a book or taking a hot bath with essential oils, take time to enjoy life’s little pleasures sans technology.

5. Practice Yoga

Yoga changes your brain in a variety of ways, and they’re all for the better! With all the extra time you’ll have from your digital detox, you’ll have time to unroll a mat and get your namaste on.

The post 5 Benefits of Unplugging for the Holidays + 5 Tips appeared first on Dr. Axe.

For thousands of years, cultures and religions around the world have turned to various forms of creative “therapies” to relieve stress and deal with difficult emotions. One such form is art therapy.

More formal approaches to art therapy (AT) have been around since the 1940s. AT was originally developed to “help clients tap into their inner thoughts, feelings and experiences through creative expression.”

Today this approach is often combined with talk therapy to help people cope with illnesses, stress and emotions that can be hard to discuss.

What are the benefits of art therapy? Research conducted over the past several decades indicates  that art therapy can be an effective way to help treat a wide range of mental and physical health conditions — ranging from addictions and depression to eating disorders and dementia.

What Is Art Therapy?

Art therapy can be defined as the application of visual arts in a therapeutic context. This type of therapeutic technique is one you can utilize when working with a therapist or coach, as well as something that you can practice on your own at home or in a group class.

What are different types of art therapy? Types of art therapy include:

• painting
• journaling
• sketching
• making collages
• sculpting with clay
• mosaics
• collaging
• color therapy
• card making
• music therapy
• and others

There are endless ways to practice, but the most important thing is that it feels comfortable and inspiring.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, AT is based on the belief that “the creative process involved in artistic self-expression helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem, self-awareness, and achieve insight.” In this way, art therapy can be considered a form of psychodynamic therapy, which focuses on unconscious processes as they are manifested in a person’s present behaviors.

As one GoodTherapy article explains, there were a group influential writers in the 1940s — including Margaret Naumburg, considered the founder of AT — who  first made significant contributions toward the development of art therapy as a recognized field in the U.S. and Europe. The pioneers of AT believed that creative practices served as a way of expressing repressed, unconscious thoughts and emotions.

By the 20th century, AT became a technique requiring certification, training and sometimes licensing (depending on the location). Today it’s utilized in many different settings, including:

• mental health facilities
• hospitals
• schools
• shelters
• nursing homes
• rehab centers

Benefits/Uses

What are the main uses of art therapy? AT is used with children, adolescents, adults, elderly adults, groups, families, veterans and people with chronic health issues.

Whether practiced with help from a professional art therapist (often as a complement to traditional mental health treatments), done at home alone or explored in a group setting, art therapy can help people dealing with conditions including:

• depression
• anxiety
• PTSD
• phobias
• chronic pain
• addictions
• attention disorders
• grief and loss
• dementia
• eating disorders
• schizophrenia
• and others

Below are some of the many benefits of art therapy backed up by recent research:

1. Helps Relieve Stress

Studies suggest that AT can help people cope with chronic stress, depression and anxiety by helping them process and express their feelings, including those that have been “buried” and ignored. Being creative can also increase self-esteem, a sense of control and self-accomplishment, and help people take on positive perspectives of their life experiences.

For instance, research published in 2023 explored the effects of art therapy interventions to address burnout and psychosocial distress in health care workers by evaluating several studies.

The researchers revealed that “half of studies using qualitative methods reported stress reduction or an ability to better manage stress following the art therapy-based intervention. This perceived effect was identified both by participants and practitioners delivering the intervention.”

Furthermore, a 2023 study published in SAGE Open Nursing concluded that “creative art therapy could be used as a psychotherapeutic approach to manage mental health complexities among patients with stroke.”

Another way that AT may help people cope with stress is by lifting their moods thanks to increased release of dopamine in the brain, a chemical that feels rewarding. Dopamine is associated with feelings like excitement and happiness and tends to be released when we’re engaged in something pleasurable and attention-grabbing.

2. Serves as a Creative, Non-Verbal Outlet

Practicing art can act as an emotional release and a healthy outlet for expressing oneself, especially if the person normally finds it difficult to vocalize how he or she is struggling.

People report being better able to let go of resentment, frustration, anger, worries and other emotions when they engage in something creative that holds their attention and gives them perspective.

How does art therapy work for helping people cope with trauma? Art therapists often encourage patients to use “free form” art expressions to gain insight into their feelings and to express emotions that cannot be said with words.

Studies suggest that AT can be especially helpful for people dealing with PTSD symptoms because it provides a creative, non-verbal outlet that improves processing of complex feelings. It may be even more impactful when paired with cognitive behavioral therapy or other approaches if appropriate.

Among people with a history of trauma/PTSD, AT has been shown to help improve moods and coping skills, promote relaxation, foster healthier relationships, and decrease disruptive behaviors and attitudes.

3. Increases Mindfulness

Doing something creative and finding ways to express yourself artistically give you the chance to slow down, give your mind a break and practice mindfulness, or presence/awareness.

Artistic endeavors can be a great way to get into a “flow state” in which you’re completely attuned to what you’re doing, using all of your senses and paying attention how your body feels in the moment, rather than getting caught up in your thoughts.

4. Offers Support When Practiced in a Group

When art is done in a group setting it can be an excellent way to build healthy connections with other people and gain support. This approach has been shown to help people dealing with depression, the elderly, school-aged children and veterans.

Not only can it help fight depression and loneliness, but it’s also been shown to increase empathy and acceptance of others.

5. Develops Fine Motor Skills

AT is used by some occupational therapists to help develop their patients’ cognitive and sensorimotor functions, hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, and finger dexterity and speed.

Among the elderly it’s also been shown to help stimulate mental function and offer protection against cognitive decline/dementia. Additionally, there’s evidence it may help reduce loss of coordination and mood-related problems, such as depression in Parkinson’s patients.

6. Can Help Improve Recovery and Pain

The American Cancer Society (ACS) considers art therapy to be a complementary and alternative medicine that can help people recovering from serious illnesses, including cancer, heart disease, chronic pain and behavioral problems.

According to the ACS, some of the potential uses of AT include:

• reducing anxiety levels among cancer survivors
• improving recovery times
• decreasing hospital stays
• improving communication and social function
• and offering natural pain control

Studies have found that dialysis patients who partake in AT sessions typically experience lower levels of stress, less compassion fatigue and an increased sense of purpose. Other studies have demonstrated that cancer patients who practice AT often benefit from more positive emotions; less anxiety, depression and sleep-related problems; and more increased self-worth and confidence.

Limitations/Concerns

In terms of its drawbacks, what is art therapy sometimes criticized for? Not every study has found that AT is effective at reducing psychological symptoms and distress.

It seems that a patient’s willingness to give AT a try and his/her attitude toward this approach are important for the outcome.

Although this form of therapy has been practiced for many decades, there’s generally still a lack of well-controlled studies demonstrating its effectiveness. compared to other forms of psychotherapy.

For example, researchers involved in a 2018 systematic review published in the journal Frontiers state that they “recommend the necessary expansions for future research in the field, to enable art therapy research to take further strides forward.”

That said, the majority of studies available do show promise that it’s both effective and low-risk, as long as cost/availability is not an issue.

How It Works

How is art therapy effective? Therapists believe that being creative can help people discover important insights about themselves and increase their sense of well-being and self-esteem.

This form of therapy is thought to be particularly helpful for those who feel “out of touch” with their emotions and needs. When someone has a hard time deciphering how she/he feels, remembering past events or expressing his- or herself, creative outlets can help that person make breakthroughs.

Some of the primary ways that art therapy helps patients overcome symptoms and work toward recovery include:

• developing self-awareness and insight
• exploring repressed/hidden emotions
• addressing unresolved emotional conflicts and trauma
• improving communication, self-expression and social skills
• increasing self-esteem, self-reliance and personal independence
• maintenance of identity (as opposed to being defined by an illness or trauma)
• a decrease in negative emotions and stress and an increase in positive emotions

Techniques and Exercises

What does an art therapist do exactly? Most therapists combine creative activities — such as painting, drawing, sculpting, collage making, etc. — with clinical psychological techniques and sometimes spiritual practices.

The therapist may ask the patient to focus on color, spatial arrangement, composition or a number of other aspects related to a creative project. The patient may or may not be asked to verbally express her/his feelings or thoughts while engaging in creative work.

In some cases, family members, spouses or other loved ones might become involved in the session. This ultimately depends on the specific therapist and client, as well as the goals of the session.

No matter which types of techniques/exercises are utilized, the goal is for the client to be expressive and insightful, focusing on his/her inner experience rather than trying to produce something tangible that’s impressive. There’s no need to be “good” at art because the goal is to enjoy the process rather than to be fixated on the finished product or outcome.

How many sessions does someone need to complete in order to benefit from this type of therapy? When a client works with an art therapist, the length of therapy depends upon factors like the patient’s/client’s needs, goals, medical history and intellectual understanding. One review found that, on average, patients attend nine sessions, although a range of one to 15 sessions is common.

How to Find (or Become) an Art Therapist

In many countries, including the U.S., professional art therapists earn master’s degrees in art therapy or a related field. Most therapists earn credentials that allow them to become registered, board-certified or licensed art therapists.

Educational requirements and focus areas for this profession typically include:

• theories of art therapy
• counseling
• psychotherapy practices (individual, group and family techniques)
• human and creative development
• and others

If you’re interested in becoming an art therapist, visit the American Art Therapy Association’s website for more information on schooling, licensing and other requirements.

If you’re interested in working with an art therapist, you can ask for a referral from your primary care doctor or therapist — or look for classes/treatments offered in settings, such as hospitals, rehabilitation centers, colleges, schools, and some art studios or event spaces.

While you can certainly practice creative therapies on your own, working with a licensed therapist is recommended because it can help introduce you to the practice and tailor techniques to your specific needs.

Conclusion

• What is art therapy? It’s a therapeutic approach that uses creative expression to improve mental and physical well-being.
• AT techniques include painting, journaling, sketching, making collages, sculpting with clay, mosaics and collaging.
• Sessions can allow for a “free flow” of emotions, acting as a release. That may be especially helpful for unlocking hidden/repressed emotions because this technique can involve non-verbal communication of difficult emotions that can be hard to understand or share.
• Benefits of art therapy can include reduced stress/anxiety, depression, PTSD symptoms, chronic pain, low self-esteem and other symptoms.

The post What Is Art Therapy? Benefits & How It’s Used to Help Heal appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you’re a sports fan — heck, even if you aren’t — you’re most likely familiar with fantasy sports whether you play them or not. They can be fun, provide some extra incentive while watching a game and help satiate your competitive spirit. What you may not know is that fantasy sports can actually have an effect on your mental and even physical health.

It’s true, and the health effects of fantasy sports can be positive or negative, depending on a number of factors. In fact, research has been ongoing examining the health effects of fantasy sports, whether we’re walking fantasy football, fantasy basketball, fantasy baseball, fantasy soccer, fantasy hockey or any other fantasy sport.

Health Effects of Fantasy Sports

In August 2023, Michael Merschel of American Heart Association News detailed the health effects of fantasy sports, and according to the limited available research on how playing fantasy sports impacts health, there are both pros and cons to this extremely popular activity. Understanding these effects is extremely important considering more than 62 million Canadians and Americans played fantasy sports in 2022, according to the Fantasy Sports & Gambling Association.

Positive Health Effects

1. Camaraderie and Social Interaction

Joining a fantasy sports league can provide a sense of community and social interaction. Engaging with friends, family or colleagues in a shared activity can contribute positively to mental health.

In addition, particularly in today’s online-focused world, participating in fantasy sports can help prevent and/or combat loneliness, which in turn can boost mental health.

“Having a way to engage with a positive force like fantasy sports can really add to one’s social circle,” neuroscientist Renee Miller, a professor in the department of brain and cognitive science at the University of Rochester in New York, told Merschel. High levels of social satisfaction, she said, “are one of the best correlates with longevity and mental health.”

2. Cognitive Benefits

Managing a fantasy team involves strategic thinking, decision-making and statistical analysis. These mental exercises can be stimulating and may contribute to cognitive skills and analytical thinking.

In addition, “positive social interactions lead to the release of chemicals such as serotonin, which stabilizes mood, and oxytocin, which among other things protects the brain from stress,” noted Merschel.

Here’s more from Merschel and Miller on the cognitive benefits of playing fantasy sports:

“I think playing fantasy sports can be really good for your brain health,” Miller said.

She likens fantasy sports to puzzles. Playing “really forces your brain to work in creative ways,” requiring you to use different data sources while monitoring the players and their stats amid ever-shifting circumstances. All that requires mental flexibility, cognitive flexibility and logical reasoning, she said, “and those are all skills that we practice less and less as we get older.”

Moller noted that research suggests both social and mental stimulation reduces the risk of dementia and cognitive decline.

3. Stress Relief and Entertainment

For many participants, fantasy sports serve as a form of entertainment and a way to unwind. They can provide a break from daily stressors and offer a source of enjoyment for sports enthusiasts.

This, in turn, can promote stress relief and improve both psychological and physical well-being.

Negative Health Effects

1. Time Consumption and Gambling Addiction

Engaging in fantasy sports may lead to excessive time spent on managing teams, researching player statistics and following games. If not managed properly, this can potentially interfere with other responsibilities and activities, leading to stress or neglect of other important aspects of life.

In addition, gambling is often a big part of fantasy sports, particularly daily fantasy, and this can lead to a very harmful gambling addiction. Gambling can cause a host of financial and health issues, including taking a toll on mental health.

2. Emotional Impact

The emotional investment in fantasy sports can sometimes lead to frustration, disappointment or stress, especially if a participant’s fantasy team is not performing well. This emotional involvement may affect mood and well-being.

3. Sedentary Lifestyle

Like many online activities, participating in fantasy sports may contribute to a sedentary lifestyle if individuals spend extended periods in front of a computer or mobile device managing their teams, not to mention watching the sporting events themselves. Lack of physical activity is associated with various health concerns.

It’s important to note that the impact of fantasy sports on health varies from person to person. Moderation and balance are key.

If participation in fantasy sports begins to interfere with daily life, relationships or overall well-being, it may be advisable to reassess the level of involvement. Additionally, incorporating physical activity and ensuring a healthy balance of activities is crucial for maintaining overall health and well-being, and research is underway evaluating “active fantasy sports” that promote moving the body as part of playing fantasy sports.

The post The Surprising Health Effects of Fantasy Sports: Should You Play? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Stress. It’s an awful word and a worse feeling, isn’t it? It’s particularly awful when talking chronic stress.

The thing is, stress isn’t all bad. Without it, we wouldn’t be motivated to take steps to protect ourselves, plan for the future or perform.

A certain level of stress (especially “good” eustress) helps us adapt to our environments and pushes us to excel. The stress that is worrisome is chronic stress, which many in the world and particularly the U.S. suffer from far too often.

What does chronic stress do to your body? It can affect you negatively in multiple ways. For example, research confirms that elevated cortisol levels can increase susceptibility to some illnesses, sleep deprivation, and even brain shrinkage and memory problems in adults of middle age.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chronic stress can affect your quality of life and even dampen your immune system, which is why it’s important to incorporate natural stress relievers into your regular routine to help you cope.

What Is Chronic Stress?

Stress is defined as “a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.”

Your central nervous system, which is in charge of your “fight or flight” response, controls levels of “stress hormones” like cortisol and adrenaline that circulate through your body. Your hypothalamus communicates with your adrenal glands to release more stress hormones when you’re feeling threatened or overwhelmed.

While stress itself may not be a good thing, in reality each of us is only here because of the stress response. Our ancestors reacted to a threat by fighting or fleeing, literally or figuratively, and survived thanks to this fight or flight instinct.

Here’s how the body reacts to stress:

• During periods of acute stress, adrenaline and cortisol flood the body.
• Blood pressure, breathing and heart rate increase.
• Glucose is released into the bloodstream for ready energy.
• Digestion, growth, reproduction and immune system functions are suppressed or put on hold.
• Blood flow to the skin is decreased, and pain tolerance is increased.

Chronic stress vs. acute stress: What’s the difference?

It typically takes about 90 minutes for the metabolism to return to normal following an acutely stressful event. However, with chronic stress, most people tend to ignore or push down symptoms until they eventually “burn out,” which can take months.

When facing chronic stress, many of us don’t physically dispel stress hormones or take the time to resolve the real problems (if they are even capable of being resolved). If we aren’t able to soothe ourselves, to grieve or to take the time to question our priorities, stress can linger on and on for many months or even years.

What are examples of chronic stress? Chronic stress examples can include:

• Emotional distress due to grieving the death of a loved one
• A serious health diagnosis, especially one that limits daily functioning and requires a hospital stay/ongoing treatments
• Financial problems, including unemployment
• Work stress, including feeling overwhelmed with everyday responsibilities and stress tied to commuting
• Emotional stress plus fatigue when taking care of others among doctors, nurses, EMTs or other health care providers/first responders
• Feeling socially isolated
• Family-related stress, often due to feeling short on time, rushed and overwhelmed
• War and violence, especially if serving in the military
• Relationship problems, especially those involving abuse or divorce
• Major life changes, like moving to a new city or starting a new demanding career path
• Injuries that lead to chronic pain
• Imprisonment
• Internal causes of stress tied to one’s mindset, including living with guilt and regret, pessimism, rigid thinking, lack of flexibility, negative self-talk, and perfectionism

Related: How to Practice Positive Self-Talk for Better Health and Happiness

Symptoms

What are the symptoms of chronic stress? According to the American Institute of Stress, chronic distress can cause more than 50 symptoms. Five of the most common chronic stress symptoms are irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches and trouble sleeping.

Here are some of the many negative effects that unresolved stress can have on your body:

• Reduced ability to concentrate and act efficiently, as stress has negative effects on memory and learning. It can lead to less fuel being sent to the brain and poor communication between brain cells.
• Increased risk for substance abuse problems, including use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
• Weakening of your immune system, making fighting infection much more difficult
• Increased inflammatory responses and release of compounds known as cytokines, which affect tissues and organs all over the body
• Food addictions, gambling, checking out with television and video games
• Accelerated symptoms tied to aging, including brain shrinkage and worsened symptoms tied to arthritis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis
• Increased chronic pain, including neck and back pain, headaches, joint pain, and muscle pain
• Metabolic dysfunction and potentially weight gain, since cortisol can trigger accumulation of dangerous belly fat and worsen cravings for fat, salt and sugar
• Higher risk for a variety of digestive disorders and symptoms, like ulcers, a bloated stomach, cramping, constipation and diarrhea
• Trouble sleeping and then irritability and fatigue as a result
• Depression symptoms, such as feelings of helplessness and lack of control
• Becoming more accident-prone
• Not being able to plan for the future or make decisions
• Experiencing increased for a number of health problems, potentially including diabetes, heart attack, heart disease and stroke. Stress increases your heart rate and force, constricts and damages your arteries, and can lead to inflammation.
• Worsened asthma symptoms
• Reduced sexual desire and erectile dysfunction in men
• Menstrual changes in women, including worsened PMS and irregular periods
• Skin/hair conditions, like eczema, hair loss, acne and rashes

Related: How to Practice Progressive Muscle Relaxation for Stress & Pain Relief

Causes

A high percentage of Americans consistently worry about money, job security and the political climate in the U.S. The American Psychological Association published research focused on the “Most Common Sources of Stress.”

It found:

• 63% worry about the future of our nation
• 62% worry about money
• 61% worry about work
• 57% worry about the political climate
• 51% worry about violence and crime

According to some research, two of the biggest drivers of suicidal thoughts and attempts are job loss and social isolation.

When you go through an acute/short-term crisis, your actions normally wind end up reversing many of the stress-related processes described above. You can essentially either fight or flee and resolve the problem — then take comfort in contact with loved ones or satisfaction in your abilities.

You might dispel adrenaline through pacing or some other soothing effort to restore balance.

Life today, however, doesn’t often offer us the opportunity to enact a full stress response and resolution. Instead, we operate as if we’re in a constant, low-grade state of emergency, with no real end in sight.

Related: What Causes Self-Sabotaging Behaviors? (And How Do You Stop?)

Diagnosis

How do you know if you have chronic stress? Ask yourself if you’re dealing with the most common stress-related symptoms (like mood changes, trouble sleeping, pain/tension — including tension headaches — and so on). Are you feeling things are out of your control and that the future is hopeless?

If you can relate to many of the symptoms above, it might be time to speak to a therapist or at least to rethink how you’re handling your current situation. If stress has led to specific symptoms, such as breakouts, gastrointestinal issues and chronic pain, talk to your doctor about tests that can determine the underlying causes and come up with a holistic treatment plan together.

A therapist, or even your primary care giver or a functional/naturopathic doctor, can help you manage stress with coping strategies such as mindfulness, breathing exercises, journaling, physical exercises and tools for changing your thought patterns.

Remedies

Plenty of research has found that stress management and relaxation techniques can help you become more able to adapt to stressful events, more efficient in functioning during stressful times and better able to recover from stress.

Ultimately, chronic stress treatment and recovery time depends on how severely someone is stressed and the coping mechanisms they choose to employ. Based on findings from a large body of research, these are some of the most impactful ways you can cope with chronic stress:

• Get regular exercise, which is one of the best ways to cope with stress and help your body return to homeostasis.
• Make time to engage in pleasantly challenging activities, like reading, exercising, painting, etc.
• Take deep breaths and stretch.
• Get outside, and get some sunlight exposure.
• Get plenty of sleep, and even nap if you’re feeling run down.
• Eat a nourishing diet that includes balanced meals emphasizing whole foods to help manage anxiety symptoms.
• Have something to look forward to. There’s evidence demonstrating that positive anticipation can reduce stress and anxiety because it leads to more hopeful anticipatory thoughts, leaving less room for negative thoughts and worry.
• Try mindfulness training. Meditation can serve as one coping mechanism, since it helps to bring your attention to the present and decrease the amount of time you spend worrying about the future.
• Avoid becoming overly absorbed in the 24/7 news cycle.
• Find ways to gain a sense of control, such as by creating a schedule and boundaries for yourself. Stress, anxiety and depression are fueled by feelings of helplessness and overwhelm. Schedule tasks, prioritize and delegate so you’re better able to cope.
• Try journaling, especially “gratitude journaling.” Your thoughts and emotions are the very things that you can learn to control, no matter what happens in your environment. Take a look at your life, and identify what’s causing you stress. Pay attention to your moods, and try to identify the thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to them.
• Avoid alcohol and drugs, which can actually wind up worsening stress.
• Connect with others to talk about how you’re feeling, even if it’s over the phone, Zoom, etc.
• Listen to your favorite music — and sing along. Listening to music can ease anxiety and even physical pain.
• Try tapping techniques. Also known as the emotional freedom technique, or EFT, it can reduce acute or chronic stress and improve sleeping habits.

Related: Catecholamines and Stress Response: What You Need to Know

Final Thoughts

• Stress is normal, and some kinds of stress are good. However, chronic stress symptoms like indigestion, brain fog, fatigue and trouble sleeping that last many months are not normal.
• Chronic stress can affect every physical and psychological system in the body. Examples of such stressors can include financial worry, work stress and health-related stressors.
• Even if your problems are here to stay for now, you can learn how to better manage stress by incorporating stress-relieving practices into your life. See the list above, which suggests coping mechanisms like exercise, sunlight, gratitude journaling, etc.

The post What Is Chronic Stress? Learn How to Overcome Naturally appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Apps that provide guided meditations have quickly become some of the most downloaded apps in the world. In fact, the meditation industry, largely focused on mindfulness meditation, is worth billions annually and continues to climb, spent on studio classes, workshops, books, online courses and apps.

Considering that mindfulness meditation has been linked to dozens of health benefits — such as reduced stress and chronic pain, protection against chronic diseases, and better sleep — there’s a reason so many people are interested in starting a regular meditation practice.

For example, a 2019 study found that, “Mindfulness Training using a smartphone app may provide immediate effects on mood and stress, while also providing long-term benefits for attentional control.”

Mindfulness has definitely become a huge buzzword, yet many people are still confused about what exactly it means to “be mindful.” Below we’ll cover the basics of what mindfulness meditation entails, the ways it can help enhance your health both physically and mentally, as well as tips for getting started.

What Is Mindfulness Meditation?

While there are many definitions of mindfulness, one that encompasses the basic idea is “a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.” Being fully present involves acknowledging and accepting your feelings, thoughts, internal monologue and bodily sensations, while not being overly reactive or overwhelmed by them.

What is the difference between mindfulness and meditation? Meditation is an ancient practice, and there are many ways to meditate, mindfulness being only one of them.

You can meditate while seated, standing, walking or laying down.

Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness, which is easier to do when meditating. However, there are many ways to be mindful, as you can intentionally be more aware at various points in your day.

“You can practice mindfulness anytime, anywhere, and with anyone by showing up and being fully engaged in the here and now,” explains the Chopra Center.

The Basics of Mindfulness

Many people credit Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., with the creation of modern-day mindfulness meditation as we’ve come to think of it. Zin created the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1979 to help patients dealing with a wide range of problems, such as chronic pain and addictions.

What happens during mindfulness meditation exactly?

People practice mindfulness meditation in order to become more intentional and aware of their thoughts and surroundings. While mindfulness meditation can be a formal practice in which you sit down in silence with your eyes closed, you can also practice in many other ways — such as by paying closer attention to the things you do each day, rather than multitasking or being distracted.

“Nearly every task we perform in a day — be it brushing our teeth, eating lunch, talking with friends or exercising — can be done more mindfully,” say writers at Mindful.org.

Here is what you can expect when practicing mindfulness:

• Rather than completing tasks while “going through the motions,” day dreaming or zoning out, instead you practice focusing on what you’re actually doing and feeling. You notice your thoughts and emotions, rather than letting your mind wander.
• The idea is to be aware of what you’re experiencing right now, rather than reviewing the past or planning for the future.
• During a guided mindfulness meditation you typically keep your focus on something constant, such as your breath or sounds in your environment. Your exact focal point varies depending on the meditation techniques you’re using.
• You may choose to focus on a prayer, chant, a certain image in your mind, a candle flame or a religious image. For example, in transcendental meditation you repeat a mantra to yourself silently, which serves as your focal point, while in Vipassana meditation (one of the oldest Buddhist meditation practices) you usually fixate your attention on your breath.
• While trying to pay attention to the object in focus, you listen to our own thoughts without being caught up in them. You notice how thoughts continuously pop up but then leave or change if you don’t follow them.
• You use the practice to gain self-awareness. Rather than trying to stop your thoughts or judge them, you approach them with curiosity and compassion.

Health Benefits

What is mindfulness meditation capable of doing when it comes to improving your physical and mental health? Based on hundreds of research studies conducted over the past several decades, here’s what we know:

1. Helps Reduce Anxiety

According to a 2016 article published in the journal BJ Psych Bulletin, “Mindfulness-based interventions have been tried out in a wide range of mental disorders, with the strongest evidence for use in depression and anxiety.”

When you meditate, you give your mind a break from jumping back and forth between the past and future, which can trigger feelings like worry, regret, guilt, anxiety symptoms and panic. You notice where your mind “has gone off to” when it wanders and take note of habitual patterns, and then you practice returning to your breath (or another object) and not getting caught up in mental distractions.

A 2013 randomized, controlled trial found that mindfulness has a beneficial effect on anxiety symptoms in those with generalized anxiety disorder, while a 2019 study found that it can reduce risk for clinical depression. When you resist taking all of your negative thoughts seriously, you experience less self-criticism and more self-compassion, plus usually more empathy for others as well.

2. Can Lower the Risk for Health Problems Related to Stress

Mindfulness meditation benefits include lowering secretion of stress hormones, helping treat insomnia, supporting recovery from addictions and much more, say writers at Harvard University: “Eight in 10 Americans experience stress in their daily lives and have a hard time relaxing their bodies and calming their minds, which puts them at high risk of heart disease, stroke, and other illnesses.”

Mindfulness is now considered as effective at protecting your health as exercise, yoga and even eating a healthy diet. It may also reduce chronic pain, thanks to its positive effects on stress hormone production, such as cortisol levels, and the immune system.

Research shows that meditation stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for making you feel calmer and overcoming stressful situations, and turns down the flight or fight response. This can lead to physical health improvements, such as lowered blood pressure, less muscle tension, fewer tension headaches and improved digestion.

3. May Help Improve Sleep

A growing number of studies suggest that mindful meditation can improve sleep quality. The reason it can assist you in falling and staying asleep is because it decreases ruminating and worrying, plus relaxes your body.

A 2018 study compared the effects of a seven-week mindfulness treatment to no treatment among a waiting list control group. Findings showed that those trained in mindfulness experienced less subjective insomnia and sleep impairment and improved sleep quality and sleepiness.

Individuals in the mindfulness group demonstrated significant improvements across all outcome measures that were maintained at a three-month follow-up assessment.

4. Can Help Kids Feel Calmer and More Focused

Children and teens who practice mindfulness activities may benefit from improved concentration, communication, coping skills and self-esteem.

A 2019 article published in the journal Current Opinion in Pediatrics explains that mindfulness-based interventions can reduce a number of problems commonly experienced by adolescents, including:

• symptoms of anxiety and depression
• binge eating/overeating
• restrictive eating disorders
• lack of emotion regulation
• ADHD
• sleep problems
• chronic illness and pain
• stress related to performance in school and sports

5. Can Improve Recovery from Addictions and Destructive Habits

Because mindfulness helps people bounce back from emotionally upsetting events more quickly, plus increases the flexibility through which one can respond to stressful events, it’s useful for overcoming a variety of addictions.

Research findings suggest that it works to decrease unwanted behaviors because it trains individuals to first notice their thoughts/cravings and then to practice different strategies to distance themselves from these thoughts, without giving in to them.

A 2018 article published in Addiction Science and Clinical Practice states:

Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been studied as a treatment for an array addictive behaviors, including drinking, smoking, opioid misuse, and use of illicit substances like cocaine and heroin … MBIs reduce substance misuse and craving by modulating cognitive, affective, and psychophysiological processes integral to self-regulation and reward processing.

How to Start

Now that you know the many reasons to adopt a meditation practice, you’re probably wondering, “How do you do mindfulness meditation?” Here’s how to practice mindfulness if you’re a beginner, using a basic meditation technique that focuses your awareness on your breath:

1. Start by deciding how long you want to practice for. In the beginning it’s recommended that you stick to short but consistent sessions, such as five or 10 minutes per day, in order to build a habit. As you advance, you may want to meditate for as long as 2o to 60 minutes daily.
2. Choose a location where you’re comfortable and undistracted. This can be inside or outside, depending on your preference.
3. Decide which posture works best for you, choosing one that allows you to feel comfortable but alert. You may want to sit with crossed legs and a straight spine or lay down, but keep in mind that the goal isn’t to fall asleep. You can also use a chair, a meditation cushion, bolster, blanket, etc., if it helps you.
4. Keep your body relaxed, eyes either closed or slightly open but soft, and arms loosely dangled by your side. Try to relax your muscles but not to hunch or stiffen your back or neck.
5. Bring your attention to your breath, focusing on the sounds, feelings in your body or anything else that grabs your attention regarding your breath.
6. This is when your mind will start to wander, which is expected and normal. Gently return your attention to your breath. Your mind will likely keep generating thoughts that distract you, but the whole point of the meditation is to practice observing your thoughts without needing to react.
7. No matter how much your attention keeps drifting away from your breath, try not to judge yourself or give up. When time is up, take a moment to notice how your body feels and any change in your emotions. Pause for a few moments and notice if you feel any more clarity or calmness.

Incorporating Into Daily Life

What are some mindfulness exercises you can start implementing each day? Whether you prefer meditating while sitting, walking or laying down, here are some ways you can start practicing today:

• Find a quiet place at home where you can sit and listen to your favorite mindfulness meditation YouTube videos, apps or podcasts. There are now hundreds of free guided mindfulness meditations available online, so keep searching until you find a teacher who resonates with you.
• Commit to trying a meditation app for 10 days in a row, which may be enough to make the habit stick.
• If an active meditation appeals to you more, experiment with yoga or other ways of using exercise as active meditation. You can do this by focusing on your breath while moving, noticing how different parts of your body feel, and tuning in to the rhythm of your movements.
• If you’re interested in taking your practice to the next level, consider learning advanced meditation techniques at a training center or retreat. You may even be brave enough to try a silent retreat, in which you don’t talk out loud to anyone else for several days.

Other ways to incorporate mindfulness and/or calm the mind include:

• Sleep meditation
• Singing bowls and sound baths
• Body scan meditation
• Progressive muscle relaxation
• Vision board

Conclusion

• What is mindfulness meditation? It’s a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment.
• Benefits of meditation include decreasing the risk for stress, anxiety, depression, sleep problems, eating disorders, chronic pain, ADHD among adolescents and much more.
• There are various mindfulness exercises that can help improve your physical and mental health, including sitting, walking and moving meditations. You can choose to focus on your breath, sounds, your body, images, mantras and more.
• In order to get started, consider trying mindfulness training apps or videos or attending a class or retreat. With as little as 10 minutes per day you can lower your risk for many health problems related to stress, while improving your overall well-being.

The post Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation + How to Get Started appeared first on Dr. Axe.

In our modern era of constant stimulation and instant gratification, the concept of a dopamine detox has emerged as a compelling strategy for regaining control over our minds and lives. It involves intentionally abstaining from activities that overstimulate the brain’s reward system, thereby allowing it to reset and restore balance.

While this practice has garnered attention as a means to break free from addictive behaviors and increase productivity, its mechanisms are largely misunderstood. Dopamine is only one element of a complex reward system in the brain, and while you can reduce how often the brain chemical spikes, you can’t actually reduce dopamine levels.

A dopamine detox, therefore, is more about intentionally choosing more mindful and natural activities that help settle the body and mind over potentially harmful stimuli.

Implementing this digital-age respite can be beneficial to your mental and physical health in many ways.

What Is a Dopamine Detox?

A dopamine detox, also known as a dopamine fast or digital detox, is a practice aimed at reducing the overstimulation of the brain’s reward system, particularly the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation. The concept of dopamine detox, which was created by California psychiatrist Cameron Sepah, gained popularity through online discussions and self-help videos, but its mechanism is largely misunderstood by the public.

The idea behind a dopamine detox, which is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, is to abstain from activities that provide immediate gratification or excessive stimulation. The compulsive behaviors that can be minimized with this method include excessive:

• Social media use
• Texting
• Video gaming
• Television watching
• Eating/Drinking
• Gambling
• Shopping
• Thrill seeking

By limiting exposure to these stimuli, proponents of dopamine detox believe that it can help reset the brain’s reward circuitry so we don’t automatically respond to largely unhealthy reward-inducing cues in order to experience a short-lived boost.

During a dopamine detox, individuals typically restrict their engagement with pleasurable activities for a designated period, which can range from a few hours to an entire day. Instead of indulging in activities that provide instant gratification, they are encouraged to engage in more mindful and natural activities, such as reading, journaling, meditating, spending time outdoors or engaging in physical exercise.

The aim of a dopamine detox is to shift focus away from constant external stimulation and retrain the brain to appreciate simpler and more meaningful experiences.

Role of Dopamine

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, and “feel good hormone” that plays a crucial role in the body and brain. It is involved in a wide range of physiological functions and associated with various aspects of behavior, mood and cognition.

Here are some key roles of dopamine in the body:

• Reward and Pleasure: Dopamine is heavily involved in the brain’s reward system, which reinforces behavior by providing feelings of pleasure and motivation. It’s released when we engage in pleasurable activities like eating, socializing or engaging in activities we enjoy.
• Movement and Motor Control: Dopamine plays a critical role in coordinating smooth movements and motor control. A dopamine deficiency in certain areas of the brain can lead to motor symptoms associated with conditions like Parkinson’s disease.
• Mood Regulation: Dopamine is involved in regulating mood and emotions. It helps modulate feelings of pleasure, motivation and reward, which are essential for experiencing positive emotions and motivation. Imbalances in dopamine levels have been linked to mood disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder.
• Cognitive Function: Dopamine is essential for various cognitive processes, including memory, attention, learning and decision-making. It helps in maintaining focus, enhancing working memory and facilitating the transfer of information between different brain regions.
• Hormone Regulation: Dopamine also acts as a hormone that regulates the release of other hormones, such as prolactin. In the hypothalamus, dopamine inhibits the secretion of prolactin, which is involved in lactation and reproductive functions.

While dopamine plays a crucial role in these functions, its actions are complex and interconnected with other neurotransmitters and systems in the body. Imbalances in dopamine levels can have significant impacts on both physical and mental health.

Conditions associated with dopamine dysregulation include Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia, addiction disorders and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

How to Do a Dopamine Detox

A dopamine detox, as mentioned earlier, is a practice aimed at reducing overstimulation and resetting the brain’s reward system. The goal is to reduce impulsive pleasure-seeking or addictive behaviors and replace them with more mindful activities.

Here are some steps you can take to do a dopamine detox:

1. Identify Stimulating Activities

Make a list of activities that provide instant gratification or excessive stimulation, such as social media use, video gaming, watching television, eating junk food or any other sources of immediate pleasure that you engage in too often.

2. Set a Detox Goal

Decide what activities you want to abstain from during your detox, and determine the appropriate duration. You may choose to avoid an activity for a few hours per day for one month or for entire days at a time, depending on your goals. Whatever you decide, write down your goals and duration before getting started.

3. Decide on Alternative Activities

Plan your dopamine detox day by outlining alternative activities that are less stimulating and more mindful. Consider activities like reading, journaling, meditating, engaging in physical exercise, spending time in nature, pursuing a hobby or having face-to-face interactions with others.

4. Minimize Screen Time

Reduce your exposure to screens during the detox period. This includes smartphones, computers, tablets and television. If you use these devices for work, limit additional screen time, and choose a more mindful activity instead.

5. Practice Mindfulness

Be mindful of your thoughts, emotions and cravings during the detox. Acknowledge any urges or discomforts that may arise, and observe them without giving in to them. Mindfulness techniques such as deep breathing exercises or meditation can help you stay present and focused.

6. Engage in Physical Activity

Physical exercise can boost endorphins and provide a natural sense of pleasure. Incorporate activities like walking, jogging, yoga, biking, swimming or any form of exercise that you enjoy.

7. Seek Meaningful Connections

Connect with others in meaningful ways by spending quality time with loved ones, engaging in face-to-face conversations, or participating in group activities that foster connection and social interaction.

8. Reflect and Journal

Take time to reflect on your detox experience. Journaling can help you gain insights, track your progress, and express your thoughts and emotions.

Does It Work? Benefits

The benefits of a dopamine detox are often subjective and can vary from person to person. While there are positive effects of reducing potentially harmful stimuli, it’s helpful to keep in mind that while dopamine levels rise when exposed to certain activities, they don’t actually fall when you’re not exposed to them.

The purpose of a dopamine fast or detox is to break addictive tendencies and spend more time engaging in mindful activities that help alleviate stress while boosting productivity.

Here are some potential benefits that people associate with dopamine detox:

1. Increased Focus and Productivity: Research shows that even small distractions can derail focus and productivity. By reducing exposure to stimulating activities, you may experience improved focus and concentration. Eliminating distractions makes it easier to engage in tasks that require sustained attention, leading to increased productivity.
2. Enhanced Self-Control: Engaging in a dopamine detox can help individuals develop greater self-control and discipline. By abstaining from instant gratification activities, they may learn to resist impulsive behaviors and make more deliberate choices in their daily lives.
3. Improved Mood and Emotional Well-Being: Some individuals report experiencing improved mood and emotional well-being after a dopamine detox, especially when it’s a reduction in screen time. By breaking free from constant external stimulation and finding contentment in simpler activities, they may feel a greater sense of inner calm and satisfaction.
4. Heightened Sensory Perception: By reducing exposure to overstimulation, individuals may become more attuned to their surroundings and develop a heightened sense of sensory perception. This, for example, is what occurs among people who practice regular meditation, and it can lead to a greater appreciation for subtle pleasures in everyday experiences.
5. Increased Creativity: Detoxing from highly stimulating activities while increasing mindfulness activities may provide a mental space for creativity to flourish. By stepping away from constant digital inputs, individuals may find their minds more open to new ideas, inspiration and creative thinking.
6. Improved Sleep Patterns: Excessive exposure to stimulating activities, particularly before bedtime, can disrupt sleep patterns. By incorporating a dopamine detox and reducing screen time, individuals may experience better sleep quality and more restful nights.
7. Increased Self-Awareness: A dopamine detox can provide an opportunity for self-reflection and increased self-awareness. By taking a break from external distractions, individuals may gain insights into their own habits, preferences and values.

What a Dopamine Fast Is Not

The creator of the dopamine detox concept said that this method of reducing stimuli done in excess and increasing mindfulness activities is nothing revolutionary. Some followers, however, are taking it to extremes because they don’t quite understand the mechanisms behind this approach.

Sepah explains what a dopamine fast is not, noting the following:

• Food or calorie deprivation
• Social isolation
• Restricting talking, listening to music or exercise
• Avoiding pleasure and satisfying activities

Instead, a dopamine detox is a conscious effort to reduce potentially harmful stimuli that you engage in excessively, replacing that with a more mindful or intentional activity.

Conclusion

• A dopamine detox is a practice aimed at reducing the overstimulation of the brain’s reward system, particularly the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that’s associated with pleasure and motivation.
• The idea behind a dopamine detox, which is based on cognitive behavioral therapy, is to abstain from activities that provide immediate gratification or excessive stimulation. This may include social media use, texting, overeating, excessive screen time and more.
• Some potential benefits of a dopamine detox include increased focus and productivity, improved mood and emotional well-being, improved sleep patterns, and enhanced self-control.

The post What Is a Dopamine Detox and Does It Work? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

According to research published in the Lancet, eating disorders have been increasing over the past 50 years, and changes in our food environment have been implicated in these issues.

From emotional eating to orthorexia, when you become obsessed with eating only the “right foods,” eating disorders come in many forms and can impact anyone. In fact, recent research shows that eating disorders in men are on the rise, which calls into question previous notions that they mostly affect adolescents and women.

When it comes to treating an eating disorder, the first step is to know the signs and symptoms so it can be diagnosed before causing major health implications. Eating disorders can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, but there are several ways to combat them and create healthy long-term habits.

What Is an Eating Disorder?

An eating disorder is a disruption in eating behavior, with excessive concern about body weight that impairs physical health and psychosocial functioning. It’s a complex and potentially life-threatening mental health condition that’s generally characterized by abnormal eating habits and attitudes toward food, weight and body image.

An eating disorder involves a range of emotional, psychological and physical disturbances that significantly impact an individual’s well-being.

Eating disorders can have severe physical and psychological consequences, including:

• Malnutrition
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Gastrointestinal problems
• Hormonal disturbances
• Cardiovascular issues
• Depression, anxiety
• Social isolation

Eating disorders can affect individuals of any age, gender or background, although they are more commonly observed in young women. They are complex conditions that can be influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological and sociocultural factors.

Early recognition, intervention and access to appropriate treatment are crucial for individuals struggling with these disorders.

Signs and Symptoms

Although eating disorders are often stereotyped as conditions that affect adolescents and young adults, they can occur at any age, according to recent studies. The signs and symptoms of eating disorders can vary depending on the specific type of disorder, but there are common indicators to be aware of.

It’s important to note that individuals struggling with an eating disorder may not exhibit all of these signs, and the presence of some symptoms doesn’t necessarily indicate an eating disorder. But if someone is experiencing several of these symptoms, it may be a cause for concern and warrant further evaluation by a health care professional.

Here are the 10 most common signs and symptoms associated with eating disorders:

1. Significant weight fluctuations: Rapid and dramatic weight loss or weight gain can be indicative of an eating disorder, especially if accompanied by other symptoms.
2. Distorted body image: A distorted perception of one’s body shape or size, often believing the person is overweight despite being underweight or at a healthy weight.
3. Obsession with food, calories and diets: Constant preoccupation with food, strict calorie counting or following extreme diets.
4. Restrictive eating patterns: Severely restricting food intake, avoiding certain food groups or adopting rigid eating rituals.
5. Binge eating: Frequent episodes of consuming unusually large amounts of food within a short time, accompanied by a sense of loss of control.
6. Purging behaviors: Engaging in self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or misuse of laxatives, diuretics or enemas as a means to compensate for food intake.
7. Social withdrawal and isolation: Avoiding social activities that involve food, becoming withdrawn from friends and family, or exhibiting changes in social behavior.
8. Emotional and psychological changes: Mood swings, irritability, anxiety, depression, or a preoccupation with body image and self-worth tied to weight and appearance.
9. Physical changes and complications: Fatigue, dizziness, fainting, weakness, frequent gastrointestinal problems, irregular or absent menstrual periods (in females), dry skin, hair loss, and dental problems.
10. Excessive exercise: Engaging in compulsive or excessive exercise routines, even when injured or exhausted.

Causes

The causes of eating disorders are complex and multifaceted, involving a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, environmental and sociocultural factors.

Several common factors that may contribute to the development of eating disorders include:

1. Genetic and biological factors: There is evidence suggesting a genetic predisposition to eating disorders. Individuals with a family history of eating disorders or other mental health conditions may be at a higher risk. Certain biological factors, such as abnormalities in brain chemicals or neurotransmitters, may also contribute to the development of eating disorders.
2. Psychological factors: Research shows that psychological factors play a significant role in the development of eating disorders. Low self-esteem, perfectionism, negative body image and distorted body image perception are often observed in individuals with eating disorders. Additionally, studies indicate that individuals with certain personality traits, such as impulsivity, obsessive-compulsive tendencies or anxiety, may be more vulnerable to developing eating disorders.
3. Sociocultural factors: Societal pressures and cultural influences can contribute to the development of eating disorders, research suggests. Societal emphasis on thinness, idealized body standards portrayed in media, and societal norms that equate thinness with beauty and success can all contribute to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors. Cultural factors, such as the prevalence of dieting or weight-focused behaviors, can also impact the development of eating disorders.
4. Environmental factors: Environmental factors, such as childhood trauma, history of abuse, dysfunctional family dynamics, or a history of teasing or bullying can increase the risk of developing an eating disorder. Stressful life events, transitions or significant life changes may also trigger the onset of disordered eating behaviors.

Types of Eating Disorders

Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. Individuals with this disorder often restrict their food intake to extreme levels, leading to significant weight loss and malnutrition. They may engage in excessive exercise and exhibit obsessive behaviors around food and body weight.

People with anorexia may deny the severity of their low body weight and may experience physical complications, such as osteoporosis, anemia, loss of muscle mass, fatigue, cognitive impairments, organ damage and hormonal imbalances.

Bulimia Nervosa

Bulimia nervosa involves recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by purging behaviors, such as self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, or the misuse of laxatives or diuretics. Individuals with bulimia often experience a sense of lack of control during binge episodes and may engage in secretive eating behaviors.

People with bulimia are typically preoccupied with body shape and weight, and the purging behaviors can lead to electrolyte imbalances, nutrient deficiencies, depression, dental issues and gastrointestinal problems.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED)

Binge eating disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of consuming large amounts of food within a short period, accompanied by a feeling of loss of control. Unlike bulimia, individuals with BED do not regularly engage in compensatory behaviors.

They often experience shame, guilt and distress due to their eating patterns, and the disorder is associated with significant weight gain, obesity and related health problems.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder involves a significant restriction in the amount and variety of food intake, often driven by sensory sensitivities, fears of aversive consequences or a lack of interest in eating. Unlike anorexia, the restriction in ARFID is not driven by body image concerns or a desire for weight loss.

Individuals with ARFID may experience weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, and impaired growth and development.

Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders

Other specified feeding or eating disorders encompass a range of eating disorders that do not meet the full criteria for the above categories but still involve disordered eating patterns. Examples include atypical anorexia nervosa (meeting all criteria except weight), purging disorder (recurrent purging without binge eating) and night eating syndrome (consuming a significant portion of daily calories during nighttime).

Orthorexia

Although not technically considered an eating disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, orthorexia is a condition that affects individuals who have an obsession with eating the right foods. Orthorexia differs from other eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, because it centers around the quality of food consumed, not the quantity.

Individuals with orthorexia can become so fixated on what they consider healthy eating that they can actually damage their own well-being. Common signs of orthorexia include excessive research on foods, rigidly following dietary rules, and avoiding foods deemed as unhealthy or impure.

How to Know If You Have One

It’s important to be aware of the warning signs of an eating disorder. Identifying the condition early and seeking help will significantly improve your chances of recovery.

Remember that everyone who struggles with an eating disorder has a different experience, and the signs or symptoms won’t always be the same.

Some red flags that indicate a problem in a majority of cases include:

• Discomfort eating around others
• Extreme concern about body size and image
• Obsession with counting calories, fats or carbohydrates
• Frequent dieting
• Significant mood swings
• Extreme weight changes

Treatment

The treatment of eating disorders typically involves a multidisciplinary approach, combining medical, nutritional and psychological interventions. The specific treatment plan may vary depending on the type and severity of the eating disorder, as well as individual needs and circumstances.

Here are some common components of eating disorder treatment:

1. Medical Management

In severe cases, medical stabilization may be necessary to address any immediate health complications associated with an eating disorder. This may involve monitoring vital signs, managing electrolyte imbalances and addressing nutritional deficiencies.

Regular medical checkups are also important to assess physical health throughout the treatment process.

Addressing any medical complications resulting from the eating disorder is essential. This may involve collaborating with medical specialists, such as endocrinologists, gastroenterologists or dentists, to manage and treat specific health concerns.

2. Nutritional Counseling

Registered dietitians or nutritionists play a crucial role in helping individuals establish a healthy and balanced relationship with food. They provide guidance on meal planning and portion sizes and help individuals develop regular eating patterns.

Nutritional counseling aims to restore proper nutrition and address any underlying nutritional deficiencies. Nutrition professionals are involved in all levels of care, including individual and group treatment in hospitals or residential programs and outpatient programs.

3. Psychotherapy

Various forms of psychotherapy are used in the treatment of eating disorders. Cognitive behavioral therapy is commonly used to address distorted thoughts and beliefs related to food, body image and self-worth. It helps individuals develop healthier coping mechanisms and challenge unhelpful patterns of thinking.

According to research published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, cognitive behavioral therapy has the largest efficacy for adults with eating disorders, specifically bulimia.

Other therapies like dialectical behavior therapy, interpersonal therapy and family-based treatment may also be utilized depending on the specific needs and circumstances of the individual.

4. Supportive Counseling and Therapy

Individual counseling, family therapy or group therapy can provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore the emotional and psychological factors contributing to their eating disorders. This can help address underlying issues, such as low self-esteem, body image concerns, trauma or co-occurring mental health conditions.

5. Medication

In some cases, medication may be prescribed to manage co-occurring mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Medications are typically used as an adjunct to psychotherapy and other forms of treatment.

6. Relapse Prevention and Aftercare

Building a strong support system and developing strategies for relapse prevention are important components of long-term recovery from eating disorders. Aftercare plans often include ongoing therapy, regular medical follow-ups, and support groups to maintain progress and prevent relapse.

It’s important to note that the treatment of eating disorders should be individualized and comprehensive, considering the unique needs and circumstances of each person. Recovery from an eating disorder is a journey, and ongoing support and care are essential for sustained healing.

Conclusion

• An eating disorder is a disruption in eating behavior, with excessive concern about body weight that impairs physical health and psychosocial functioning.
• These disorders involve a range of emotional, psychological and physical disturbances that significantly impact an individual’s well-being.
• Eating disorders can affect individuals of any age, gender or background. They are complex conditions that can be influenced by a combination of genetic, environmental, psychological and sociocultural factors.
• Some types of eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge-eating disorder and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder.
• Although the signs and symptoms of eating disorders aren’t the same for everyone, the most common red flags include an obsession with weight and calorie intake, severe mood swings, frequent dieting, and trouble eating in front of others.

The post Eating Disorders: Most Common Types, Signs, Symptoms, Causes & More appeared first on Dr. Axe.

There are many reasons to take a high-quality daily multivitamin — from helping prevent and/or overcome nutritional deficiencies to supporting growth and development, maintaining strong bones, and protecting the eyes and heart — and now there could be even more reason to add a multivitamin to your everyday routine.

It turns out, recent research shows that taking a daily multivitamin may protect cognition and possibly even help prevent cognitive decline.

Study: Daily Multivitamin Can Protect Cognition

Many supplements, including multivitamins, are praised for their brain-boosting effects, but research on these effects has been mixed over the years. To get a better understanding of the efficacy of brain supplements (aka nootropics), researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and Wake Forest School of Medicine examined the effects of cocoa extract and a daily multivitamin on cognitive health in older adults.

Published in the Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, the COcoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study for the Mind (COSMOS-Mind) trial tested both a daily multivitamin mineral (MVM) vs. a placebo and cocoa extract vs. a placebo to determine if they could enhance and protect cognition in older women and men.

In all, 2,262 people with a mean age of 73 years old participated in the trial, which was conducted over three years, testing “Telephone Interview of Cognitive Status, Word List and Story Recall, Oral Trail-Making, Verbal Fluency, Number Span, and Digit Ordering.”

The researchers concluded:

The post Study Finds Daily Multivitamin Can Protect Cognition appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Do you know that serotonin plays a role in virtually all human behavioral processes? From your emotions to digestion and motor skills, this powerful chemical impacts so many aspects of life and body function.

Serotonin receptors are found throughout the brain, where they work as neurotransmitters that send messages from one area to another, but the majority of serotonin in the human body is actually found in the gut, where it influences a number of biological processes, including digestion, appetite, metabolism, mood and memory.

Increasing your serotonin levels may work as a natural remedy for depression and improve your overall mood, but with this and any neurotransmitter (such as acetylcholine), you don’t want too much of it to accumulate in the body either. That’s why increasing your levels naturally is a better option than using antidepressants with nasty side effects.

What Is Serotonin?

Serotonin is a type of chemical that acts as a neurotransmitter, meaning it helps send signals from one area of the brain to another. The chemical name for serotonin is 5-hydroxytryptamine, and it’s sometimes called 5-HT. As a neurotransmitter, it controls neural activity and plays a role in a wide range of neuropsychological processes.

Only 2 percent of the body’s serotonin is found in the brain, and 95 percent is produced in the intestine, where it modulates hormonal, endocrine, autocrine and paracrine actions. In the brain, it occurs naturally in the body and works as a neurotransmitter, sending chemical messages or signals to the brain in order to regulate motor function, pain perception and appetite.

It also modulates various biological processes, including cardiovascular function, energy balance, digestive function and mood regulation.

It is a byproduct of tryptophan, an essential amino acid that’s known for its ability to regulate mood and balance hormones naturally. Tryptophan converts to serotonin in the brain and helps make other essential amino acids available to help control your mood and reduce your production of stress hormones.

Serotonin vs. Dopamine

What is the function of serotonin and dopamine? Both are neurotransmitters that play a role in depression.

Serotonin functions as a mood regulator, and it also plays a role in many other body processes, like digestion and sleep. Dopamine is connected to what’s called the “pleasure center” in the brain. Your body gets a rush of dopamine when you are rewarded, but low levels of dopamine may lead to low motivation and feelings of helplessness.

The major difference is how the two neurotransmitters affect your mood. Dopamine is released after pleasurable experiences, and it alters your motivation and interest, while serotonin impacts the way you process emotions.

For optimal health, we need to keep both levels in balance.

Another brain chemical that plays some similar roles as serotonin and dopamine is oxytocin, which is primarily associated with feelings of love.

Relation to Mental Health and Depression

Serotonin transmits signals between our nerve cells, giving it the ability to alter brain functions that affect our mood and sleep. Serotonin for depression has been the focus of many clinical and preclinical studies over the years. Researchers know that the chemical signals many receptors throughout the brain regions in humans, but the exact mechanisms of serotonin as an antidepressant are still being explored.

Research conducted at Columbia University indicates that while the majority of the 15 known receptors for serotonin have been linked to depression and depression-like behavior, the 1A and 1B receptors are the most studied. Human brain imaging and genetic studies show that these two receptors are involved in depression and the response to antidepressant treatment.

According to a review published in World Psychiatry, “evidence suggests that impairing serotonin function can cause clinical depression in some circumstances.”

Moreover, evidence suggests that low serotonin function may compromise a patient’s ability to maintain recovery from depression, rather than it having a primary effect on lowering mood in vulnerable people.

This seems to be true because studies show tryptophan deletion is much more apparent in people with prior episodes of depression in comparison to those who are simply at a higher risk of depression because of family history.

Studies involving selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) indicate that it may not be the neurotransmitter’s’ direct effects on our mood, but rather its ability to promote positive shifts in automatic emotional responses that helps relieve symptoms of depression.

Serotonin Benefits and Uses

1. Improves Mood and Memory

Studies indicate that low brain serotonin levels are associated with poor memory and depressed mood. We also know that serotonin and tryptophan produce alternations in the gut that alter the gut-brain axis and impact your mood and cognitive health.

Researchers have been able to explore the role of serotonin for depression by investigating the effects of lowering dietary tryptophan levels, causing a lowering of brain serotonin levels.

2. Regulates Digestion

Ninety-five percent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the intestine. Research shows that the chemical plays a role in intestinal motility and inflammation.

When 5-HT is naturally released, it binds to specific receptors in order to initiate gut motility. It also regulates appetite, and it produces more of the chemical to help eliminate foods more quickly when they are irritating to the digestive system.

3. Relieves Pain

A study published in the journal Pain Research and Treatment found there is an inverse correlation between postoperative pain levels in patients with chronic low back pain and serum serotonin levels.

Another study found that when healthy volunteers underwent acute tryptophan depletion to manipulate 5-HT function, they experienced a significantly reduced pain threshold and tolerance in response to a heat thermode.

4. Promotes Blood Clotting

We need enough serotonin to promote blood clotting. The chemical is released in blood platelets to help with wound healing. Plus, it works to narrow tiny arteries so they form blood clots.

Although this serotonin benefit helps in the healing process, there’s also evidence that too much serotonin can lead to blood clots that contribute to coronary heart disease, so it’s important to stay within the normal range to prevent adverse effects.

5. Helps Wound Healing

A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences found that serotonin acts as a potential therapeutic candidate for enhancing skin healing in burn patients. Researchers found that serotonin significantly accelerated cell migration and improved the wound-healing process in vitro and vivo models of burn injuries.

Normal Ranges

You can have your serotonin levels tested with a blood test. Blood is typically drawn from the vein and sent to the lab for results.

People who are at risk of serotonin deficiency or carcinoid syndrome (high serotonin levels) may need a blood test. The normal serotonin range is 101–283 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL).

After receiving your levels from a lab, it’s best to discuss them with your health care provider, as test measurements may differ and change what’s considered a normal result.

Deficiency Symptoms and Causes

Research shows that impaired serotonin function has been associated with psychiatric disorders, including:

• depression
• anxiety
• compulsive behavior
• aggression
• substance abuse
• seasonal affective disorder
• bulimia
• childhood hyperactivity
• hypersexuality
• mania
• schizophrenia
• behavioral disorders

Low serotonin symptoms include the following:

• Depressed mood
• Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Aggression
• Irritability
• Trouble sleeping
• Appetite changes
• Chronic pain
• Poor memory
• Digestion issues
• Headaches

What causes low serotonin levels? Serotonin is part of a complex system of chemicals and receptors. If you have low serotonin levels, you may have deficiencies in other neurotransmitters, which is what causes such noticeable symptoms.

Researchers don’t know for sure what causes serotonin deficiency, but it may be due to genetics, poor diet and lifestyle.

If you deal with chronic stress or are exposed to toxic substances, like heavy metals or pesticides, you may be at a greater risk of low serotonin. Other causes may include a lack of sunlight and taking certain medications for a long period of time.

How to Treat Deficiency

There are natural serotonin foods and boosters that can increase levels of serotonin without the need for pharmaceutical drugs.

1. Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Did you know the health of your gut alters your body’s ability to produce serotonin? It’s important you eat anti-inflammatory foods that improve the health of your gut and promote the balance of good and bad bacteria.

Some of the best foods include wild-caught salmon, eggs, leafy greens, nuts and fresh vegetables.

To maximize the good bacteria in the gut, probiotic foods are also beneficial. Eating or drinking kefir, kombucha, probiotic yogurt and apple cider vinegar help improve the health of your gut.

Healthy fats, like avocado, coconut oil, extra-virgin olive oil and ghee, also help reduce inflammation and promote the natural production of serotonin.

2. Exercise

Research shows that exercise has beneficial effects on brain function because it modulates the neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline. These chemical messengers contribute to exercise, affecting brain function and even improving neurological disorders.

3. Get Enough Sunlight

The serotonin neurotransmitter is not produced properly if you don’t get enough sunlight. Research suggests that there’s actually a direct relationship between sunlight and the production of serotonin. It’s believed that exposure to sunlight triggers the brain to release the chemical.

This may explain, at least in part, why low levels of serotonin are associated with seasonal affective disorder.

4. Tryptophan

Research published in Nutrients shows that reduced intake of tryptophan can lead to significant reductions in certain brain activities that boost happiness.

According to a study, patients are often successful at lowering negative symptoms related to mood disorders, addictions or hormonal problems when they take six grams of L-tryptophan per day. Taking this amount of tryptophan every day for several months has been shown to decrease mood swings, irritability, tension and restlessness.

5. 5-HTP

5-HTP, or 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is an amino acid that’s naturally produced by the body. It’s used to produce serotonin, which is why 5-HTP supplements are often used to improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression. You can find 5-HTP supplements online and in health food stores.

SSRIs Uses and Side Effects

SSRIs are used to improve symptoms of depression by increasing levels of serotonin in your brain. Some of the most common types of SSRIs include Prozac and Zoloft.

Neuropsychological studies have found that in both healthy and depressed participants, administration of SSRIs led to positive shifts in the way the brain reacted to emotionally driven information. Other studies, however, report different results, suggesting that only 50 percent of patients respond to SSRIs and effective remission occurs less than 30 percent of the time, indicating that new antidepressant strategies are needed.

SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs in the world, but they don’t come without potential side effects. Some of the most common side effects include drowsiness, nausea, nervousness, dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, trouble sleeping, sexual problems and blurred vision.

SSRIs also interact with certain medications and can have dangerous effects when combined with some pharmaceutical drugs or herbal supplements. Be sure to consult your health care provider about possible interactions.

There is the risk of experiencing withdrawal-like symptoms after stopping SSRIs as well. These symptoms may include a feeling of uneasiness, dizziness, nausea, flu-like symptoms and more.

In addition to SSRIs, another class of drugs that are used for depression are called serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs. These drugs increase levels of both serotonin and norepinephrine, another neurotransmitter.

Serotonin Syndrome Causes and Treatment

Serotonin syndrome, which is a type of serotonin toxicity, is when high levels of the chemical accumulate in the body. This is sometimes caused by taking two or more medications that raise levels or combining medications with some herbal supplements.

Abuse of illegal drugs, like LSD, cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines, can also cause this condition.

The most common serotonin syndrome symptoms are anxiety, restlessness, agitation, sweating and confusion. In more serious cases, it can also lead to health issues like muscle twitching, muscle stiffness, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, high fever and seizures.

Research also suggests high serotonin levels increase the risk of osteoporosis due to its effects on our bones. If you notice these symptoms, consult your health care provider, and talk to him/her about having your levels tested.

For people dealing with this condition, serotonin syndrome treatment involves withdrawal from the drugs or medications that are causing your chemical levels to be too high. There are also medications that are used to block production of the neurotransmitter, such as Periactin.

Precautions and Drug Interactions

If you are concerned about low or high serotonin levels, consult your health care provider. Before using pills or supplements to correct a deficiency, seek advice from your doctor, especially if you already take medications to avoid interactions.

There is not enough research to support the use of serotonin supplements during pregnancy or while nursing, so be sure to ask your health care provider before using them.

Final Thoughts

• The serotonin definition is a neurotransmitter that’s produced within the brain and gut. It sends messages to receptors throughout the brain that allow for several body processes. It affects many parts of the body and allows for internal chemical balance.
• Are dopamine and serotonin the same? No — they are both neurotransmitters that play a role in mood and emotions, but they are different. The serotonin molecule alters our emotional reactions to life events, while dopamine is influenced by pleasurable experiences.
• Normal serotonin levels make you feel, well, normal, but levels that are too high or too low can cause adverse effects. When your body produces the right amount, you should experience regular sleep, but too much or too little of it can lead to sleep dysfunction.
• What happens when your levels are too high? Serotonin syndrome, which occurs when too much of the chemical is produced in the body, can lead to anxiety, restlessness, rapid heart rate and high fever.
• For people with low levels, supplements, usually in the form of tryptophan or 5-HTP, may help improve the deficiency. Research also suggests exercising, getting daily exposure to sunlight and eating a healthy, anti-inflammatory diet help increase levels naturally.

The post Serotonin: Why You Need It and How to Boost Levels Naturally appeared first on Dr. Axe.

For many people with binge eating disorder, mindful eating feels very difficult, and thoughts about food, body weight and eating are near-constant: Did I eat too much? Do I need to restrict? When should I eat again? What should I eat next? Why can’t I just stop eating? Why am I so out of control around food?

Research shows that oftentimes people with eating disorders don’t fall neatly into one category/diagnosis and tend to display more than one type of abnormal eating behavior, in addition to symptoms of depression and anxiety. For example, it’s common for people with all types of eating disorders to engage in behaviors like overeating, restricting, purging, over-exercising, or taking laxatives or diet pills from time to time.

Experts believe that even when someone struggles with binge eating disorder (or is an emotional eater/overeater who doesn’t have a diagnosable eating disorder), he or she likely also restricts food intake and diets frequently. In fact, dieting, obsessing about weight, displaying symptoms of orthorexia, viewing certain foods as forbidden and going too long without eating are all behaviors that increase someone’s chance of developing binge eating disorder.

What Is Binge Eating?

Binge eating disorder (BED) is a somewhat common type of eating disorder — affecting middle-aged women more than any other group — that’s different than other well-known eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, although it has some things in common with both.

Information about binge eating disorder has been evolving over the past several decades as researchers learn more about what drives compulsive eating, obesity and abnormal eating behaviors, but for now binge eating disorder is defined by the National Eating Disorder Association as recurrent binge eating without the regular use of compensatory behaviors (like vomiting, excessive exercise or using laxatives).

Many people who have had binge eating disorder describe it as a cycle that feels very out of control: binging (often on unhealthy foods that have been deemed “off-limits” or forbidden), followed by feelings of intense shame and guilt, often followed by self-hatred, intense dieting and restricting, and then more binging. Harboring a strong urge to eat along with night eating are also quite common.

Causes

Like other eating disorders, the cause of binge eating disorder isn’t entirely understood. Researchers state that BED is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and lifestyle factors. The following play a role in the formation of BED:

• Genetic and biological causes of binge eating disorder: Genes seem to play a role in eating disorders, and it’s clear that BED and other signs of abnormal eating run in facilities. Genes can make it more likely that someone will battle weight gain and find it hard to control overeating throughout that person’s life, although genes alone don’t make someone overweight or have an eating disorder. Experts make it clear that while BED is more likely to affect people who have family histories of eating disorders and obesity, genetics in combination with physical/emotional problems is what leads to destructive thoughts and decisions about food that define BED.
• Other mental disorders and symptoms (depression, anxiety and substance abuse): Studies show that the incidence of depression and anxiety is very high among people with BED. Research suggests there’s likely a cycle taking place, where binge eating contributes to mental problems, including anxiety, and then the mental problems make binge eating harder to manage and break free from. Anxiety, depression, and abusing alcohol and drugs can contribute to negative thought patterns that drive low self-esteem, guilt, shame and hopelessness, which keeps someone trapped in an eating disorder.
• History of weight stigma: Many people with BED feel intense pressure to lose weight and try to meet the “thin ideal” portrayed in society and the media. Experiences of weight stigma, weight-related discrimination, childhood obesity and bullying about weight, and significant history of weight changes are all risk factors for BED.
• Frequent or restrictive dieting: According to research regarding eating disorder statistics, approximately one in five obese adults struggles with binge eating disorder. The majority of obese individuals are fully aware of their problem and attempt to lose weight and control their eating through dieting, which are sometimes very restrictive (such as fasting, fad-dieting or crash-dieting), which can trigger “starvation mode” and intense urges to overeat. For people with BED, following a traditional weight loss program long term seems to be difficult, and many go through cycles of losing and regaining weight over and over again.
• Childhood trauma (abuse, neglect, etc.): It’s a common theme among people with eating disorders, including BED, to have experienced difficult childhoods. Many people with binge eating problems report turning to food for comfort from a young age and having difficulty breaking this habit in adulthood.

Symptoms

The symptoms and behaviors associated with binge eating are what allow professionals to make a diagnoses and separate BED from other eating disorders, which as mentioned earlier often have some overlap in terms of their symptoms, causes and underlying thought patterns. Currently, the official criteria for diagnosis of binge eating disorder includes:

• Loss of control over amount of eating
• Marked distress (emotional disturbance) over binge episodes
• Binging occurs at least once per week for three months in a row

THREE or more of the following signs and symptoms must be present in order for BED to be diagnosed:

• Eating more rapidly than normal (large amounts of food within two hours, for example, as the urge to eat is very strong)
• Eating until feeling uncomfortably full
• Eating large amounts of food when not feeling physically hungry
• Eating alone because of being embarrassed or ashamed of how much one is eating
• Feeling disgusted with oneself, depressed, anxious or very guilty after overeating
• Stockpiling food to consume secretly at a later time
• Eating normally in the presence of others but gorging when isolated (such as night eating)
• Experiencing feelings of stress or anxiety that can only be relieved by eating
• Feelings of numbness or lack of sensation while binging
• Never experiencing satiation, the state of being satisfied, no matter the amount of food consumed

Aside from the behaviors described above, many people with binge eating disorder experience secondhand physical, emotional and social symptoms related to their overeating, including:

• Higher risk for obesity
• Higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and hypertension
• Increased anxiety, depression and irritability
• Trouble sleeping and insomnia
• Gallbladder disease
• Muscle and joint pains
• Digestive issues, including IBS

How to Stop Binge Eating

1. Seek Therapy and Professional Help

Several forms of professional therapies have been shown to greatly help people struggling with binge eating and start their recovery. These include family-based treatment, adolescent-focused treatment and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is considered by many experts to be the gold-standard approach to treating and managing eating disorders because of how it addresses underlying thought patterns and beliefs that drive compulsive behaviors, shame and anxiety.

CBT (which is the term often used interchangeably with dialectical behavioral therapy) focuses on impulsive interruption and the importance of thoughts in determining behaviors. This type of therapy can help address underlying emotional issues and deeply held beliefs that have nothing to do with food but still drive the desire to overeat, restrict and continue the cycle.

Specifically, there are eating disorder treatment centers that the individual should also consider, if the standard therapies do not seem to work. Serious medical intervention may be required at these treatment centers in order to help reverse this condition.

2. Put Weight Loss on the Back Burner

Because dieting and continuously attempting to lose weight are risks factors for binging, most experts recommend learning to change your entire approach to managing your weight. While it’s important to take good care of yourself, eat healthy foods, and move in the direction of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight, focusing too much on achieving weight loss, obsessing over calorie counting and other restrictive behaviors can actually contribute to anxiety around food. This increases the odds of binging, especially on foods normally viewed as “off-limits.”

A therapist or nutritionist can help you establish an eating plan that seems manageable longterm, meets your calorie and nutrient needs, but still allows room for indulgences and treats. Aiming to eat the “perfect diet,” forbidding or strictly avoiding certain foods, and only focusing on your weight (as opposed to the big picture of your mental and physical health) can actually backfire in the long run. Experts on eating disorders advise that eating for comfort or emotional reasons on occasion is actually normal and not necessarily a bad thing, as long as the food does not become the main source of comfort.

Many therapists and nutrition counselors now use a form of intuitive eating called the “non-diet” method to teach people with BED to recognize and respond to sensations of physical hunger, plus learn to regulate feelings associated with satisfaction, cravings for certain foods and eating for comfort.

3. Reduce Stress

Experts agree that the underlying issues driving eating disorders and binge eating are compulsive behavior and the inability to handle difficult feelings, situations and thoughts. Stress can often trigger the need for people to comfort themselves, and, as we all know, “comfort food” is widely available and often used in this way.

Learning to manage stressful situations or tough emotions without turning to food can feel overwhelming and like a long road if it’s a very ingrained behavior, but it’s essential for recovering from any eating disorder, including BED.

One of the best things you can do for binge eating disorder treatment and boost your odds of recovery long-term is to establish and practice several other ways to soothe yourself and relieve stress during difficult times. Different things work for different people, but studies show that effective stress-reducing techniques include regular exercise, meditation and yoga, listening to music, spending time with other people, reading and writing, being outdoors in nature, and keeping up with fun hobbies.

4. Try Mindfulness Meditation, Deep Breathing and Yoga

Meditation, deep breathing and yoga can all be used as ongoing tools for relaxing, reflecting on tough feelings, boosting creativity, feeling more happiness and gratitude, and even getting better sleep. According to the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, mindfulness meditation, healing prayer and yoga learned through guided six- to eight-week programs can reduce binge eating, kickstart eating disorder recovery, improve self-esteem and even improve many aspects of health related to obesity/overeating, including blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and cortisol levels.

Studies have shown that meditation reduces activity in the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for the fight or flight response and anxiety) and increases activity in the parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for emotional control, feelings of calm and clear decision making). One study found that women who took a six-week course of meditation and mindful yoga experienced significantly fewer binge episodes and a reduction in symptoms related to compulsive behavior, stress and depression. “Mindfulness-based eating awareness training” is one type of meditation program designed to address the core issues of BED — controlling responses to varying emotional states, making conscious food choices, developing an awareness of hunger and satiety cues, and cultivating self-acceptance — which has been shown to decrease binge episodes and increase self-control.

Yoga and deep breathing can also improve confidence in someone’s body by increasing appreciation and gratitude for what the body is capable of, regardless of weight. According to the Eating Disorder Hope Foundation, research has demonstrated that practicing yoga and meditation in conjunction with pharmacological and psychological interventions could be a complementary therapy that creates some of the following benefits for people with eating disorders:

• • • Increased attentiveness to one’s body functions and feelings (including appetite and fullness signals)
    • Improved mood and decreased irritability, plus greater sense of connection and well-being
    • Improved body image and self-confidence
    • Healing from physical tension and pain (greater muscular strength, cardiovascular function and flexibility)
    • Improved ability to focus, sleep, diminish impulsivity and avoid irrational thoughts/behaviors

5. Get Support

Getting support from others, especially family and close friends, is crucial to overcoming eating disorders. After all, one of the biggest motivating factors for seeking help and working through recovery is wanting to have closer, more honest and intimate relationships with others. It’s certainly hard to admit when you’re struggling with binge eating, but research shows that being honest and opening up, plus connecting with others going through the same thing, can make all the difference.

You can start gathering support by telling just one person who is close to you about what what you’re going through, becoming educated about BED and joining a support group online. BED support groups can be found through the NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association). It may also help to call an eating disorder helpline.

Binge Eating vs. Compulsive Eating vs. ‘Emotional Eating’

Distinguishing between overeating and binge eating disorder can be difficult even for eating disorder professionals who are well-trained in BED. Binge eating is often thought of as a more severe form of “compulsive” (also called mindless or emotional) eating. All of these terms have been used for decades to describe people’s behaviors who seem to eat large amounts and abnormally. However, BED is considered a distinct entity that is different than overeating, which in the U.S. and many other developed nations is now very common.

Most people who would consider themselves totally “normal eaters” eat for emotional reasons from time to time (not because they’re hungry). This can happen on occasion when dining out with friends, in social situations, on holidays or during vacations. Some people also overeat frequently — such as night eating — even when they’re no longer hungry to deal with feelings like boredom, sadness, being tired or feeling anxious.

But occasionally overeating, eating unhealthy foods or eating for emotional reasons is usually not harmful or destructive in the scheme of things if people are otherwise taking good care of themselves and sticking to clean eating the majority of the time.

What makes BED different from simply overeating is that binge episodes occur more frequently and are impactful enough to interfere with someone’s life, relationships and work. Individuals suffering with binge eating disorder experience intense embarrassment and shame, often hide their behaviors or lie about their food intake, and spend abnormal amounts of time thinking about food and eating.

People with binge eating problems might wait years before they tell anyone — and sadly, the longer it goes on, and the more that people have trouble stopping eating when they’re full and recognizing satiety, the harder the cycle of BED can be to stop.

Facts

• Research regarding the prevalence of binge eating disorder shows that about 2 percent to 4 percent of American adults struggle with BED during their lifetimes (comparatively speaking, around 1 percent struggle with anorexia and 1.5 percent with bulimia). Although BED is more common than anorexia and bulimia combined, historically it hasn’t been talked about as much.
• Binge eating disorder is technically classified as an “other specified feeding and eating disorder” or OSFED, which is “a clinical category of disordered eating that describes individuals suffering from maladaptive thoughts and behaviors related to food, eating and body image, but who do not meet all the diagnostic criteria for another specific diagnosis like anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.”
• Estimates show that eating disorders in general are a daily struggle for at least 10 million females and 1 million males in the U.S., a 40 percent of individuals in the U.S. have either personally experienced an eating disorder or know someone close to them who has.
• Like other eating disorders, binge eating disorder is more likely to happen to an individual who has experienced a psychotic episode by the age of 13.
• Due to the large amount of shame around eating disorders, less than half of people with BED seek and obtain treatment for their disorder (around 43 percent will), which raises various health risks.
• In the DSM-5 (the standard system for classification of mental disorders used by mental health professionals in the U.S.) what’s now called “Binge Eating Disorder” used to be classified under “Eating disorders not otherwise specified” (also called EDNOS, which is now the most common type of eating disorder worldwide).
• Approximately 5 percent of individuals suffering from BED die from health complications of the disorder, and many more suffer from conditions and symptoms due to cycles of gaining weight/obesity, purging and restricting.

Final Thoughts

• Dieting, obsessing about weight, displaying symptoms of orthorexia, viewing certain foods as forbidden and going too long without eating are all behaviors that increase someone’s chance of developing binge eating disorder.
• Researchers believe that BED is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and lifestyle factors, including genetics and biological attributes, other mental disorders and symptoms, history of weight stigma, frequent or restrictive dieting, and childhood trauma.
• About 2 percent to 4 percent of American adults struggle with BED during their lifetimes (comparatively speaking, around 1 percent struggle with anorexia and 1.5 percent with bulimia).
• Five ways to help treat binge eating disorder include seeking therapy and professional help, putting weight loss on the back burner, reducing stress, trying mindfulness meditation, deep breathing and yoga and getting support from family and friends.

The post How to Stop Binge Eating appeared first on Dr. Axe.

You’ve probably heard the expression “a roller coaster of emotions,” and it’s a pretty accurate description of what’s possible in a given day. The list of emotions that are experienced by humans on a daily basis are complex.

But don’t be fearful because not only is it normal to experience numerous feelings, it’s expected.

Although all humans wonder how to be happy, seemingly negative emotions have helped humans survive dangerous situations. Neurotransmitters in our brains adjust to circumstances so that our bodies can react appropriately.

It’s when we deal with chronic negative emotions that our health is in jeopardy, but there are ways to regulate emotions and pinpoint emotional triggers — allowing you to stay in control of your mental and physical health.

What Are Emotions?

Emotions are instinctive states of mind or feelings that are derived from a person’s circumstances. Within the brain, they are stimulated by a movement of neurotransmitters in response to stimuli.

Researchers suggest that our basic emotions have been hardwired into us since primitive times, when the emotions of our ancestors evolved in response to everyday challenges. Really, these basic emotions are in place as a means of survival.

They are triggered automatically, unconsciously and quickly during certain situations.

A popular concept is that there’s a basic list of emotions, pointing out the primary and primitive emotions that humans experience daily. These serve as the building blocks of more complex emotions.

Scientists in the field have varying opinions about what can be labeled as basic versus what are more complex or uncommon. Here’s a quick roundup of the scientific theories out there regarding primary emotions:

• In the 1870s, Charles Darwin suggested that all humans (and some animals) express emotions through remarkably similar behaviors. He expressed that they are separate discrete entities. He also focused on facial expressions, or the visible, but temporary changes in appearance.
• In the 1890s, German physician Wilhelm Wundt (who is known as the “father of psychology”) described different emotions or feelings as classes, rather than single processes. He pointed out that emotions such as joy, hope, anxiety, care and anger are not concrete in their descriptions and vary greatly from time to time, depending on the circumstance.
• In the 1970s, Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions, including anger, fear, disgust, sadness, happiness and surprise.
• In 1980, Robert Plutchik discussed eight core emotions, plus eight derivative ones that are constructed of two basic ones. His theory is that complex emotions are a mixture of two primary emotions. He came up with a “wheel of emotions” that looks like a color wheel to explain this visually. When two basic emotions mix, they create a new color or complex emotion.

This, of course, doesn’t touch on every theory, but it does show the progression of thought. In a nutshell, after pinpointing the most common, or basic emotions, researchers agreed that they exist along a gradient and sometimes in combination with other emotions.

Related: How to Overcome Jealousy to Improve Overall Health

List of Emotions

When researching emotions in psychology, many articles discuss the work of Paul Ekman, a leading scientist in the field who has worked to pinpoint a list of emotions.

When Ekman surveyed over 100 scientists who research them, he found that emotional labels were empirically established, with high agreement on five basic emotions:

• Anger
• Fear
• Disgust
• Sadness
• Happiness

Other ones in the list of emotions that were endorsed by 40 percent to 50 percent of scientists as basics were shame, surprise and embarrassment.

Within the five types of emotions list, there are several complex ones and even facial expressions, so let’s dive a little deeper into each one on the main list of emotions for a better understanding.

1. Anger

Let’s start with the most debated basic emotion, anger. It may be difficult to detect during development, and it can be directed both inwardly and outwardly.

Although it’s often considered a negative emotion, anger is normal and necessary for survival. It allows humans to defend themselves during dangerous or toxic situations.

A list of emotions associated with anger include feeling:

• frustrated
• irritated
• infuriated
• enraged
• mad
• offended
• outraged
• displeased
• aggravated

2. Fear

Fear is caused by a perceived risk of safety and for the safety of others. The endocrine and autonomic nervous systems prepare the body to face danger, triggering the “freeze, flight, fight, fright” reactions that occur in the face of fear.

This is a normal, necessary emotional reaction that allowed our ancestors to deal with everyday dangers and threats.

Research highlights that a person’s perception and reaction of fear depends on his or her personality and mental health status. For example, a person who struggles with severe anxiety experiences greater levels of fear, even if the threat is considered less fearful by others.

Feelings that are associated with fear include being:

• nervous
• panicked
• anxious
• stressed
• worried
• horrified
• concerned
• unsettled
• uneasy
• alert

3. Disgust

Thought to emerge when our ancestors were triggered by potentially harmful foods, disgust is a strong disapproval and rejection of something offensive.

Feelings of disgust come about after experiencing something unpleasant, whether it’s a smell, sight or thought.

Feelings of disgust can also be described as:

• revulsion
• offensive
• nauseating
• disturbing
• disapproving

4. Sadness

Ekman describes sadness as a basic emotion that occurs when one loses a valued person, fails to achieve a goal or loses a sense of control. Research discussing the numerous expressions of sadness indicates that it can cause tears, chest aches and feelings of powerlessness.

It’s completely normal to feel sadness, and every one of these basic emotions, from time to time. It’s chronic sadness that impacts your daily life that becomes problematic.

Feelings associated with sadness include being:

• unhappy
• gloomy
• heartbroken
• disappointed
• disconnected
• grieving
• mournful
• sorrowful
• hopeless

5. Happiness

Since Aristotle, happiness has been described as an emotion that consists of pleasure and a well-lived life (or meaning). Of course, everyone strives for happiness, but what actually makes us happy differs depending on our culture and expectations.

Happiness is known to be highly individualized, as a person’s state of contentment is associated with his “wanting” and “liking,” according to researchers.

Some words that are commonly used to describe feelings of happiness include:

• joyful
• elated
• hopeful
• peaceful
• amused
• glad
• satisfied
• pleased
• delighted
• amused

Beyond this list of emotions, researchers agree that there are others that deserve research and recognition. They include:

• shame
• surprise
• embarrassment
• guilt
• contempt
• love
• awe
• pain
• envy
• compassion
• gratitude

Related: What Is Autophobia? How to Treat the Fear of Being Alone

How Emotions Affect Us

Emotions are related to the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. These chemical messengers, like dopamine and serotonin, are released when the brain receives happy news, giving you that light and warm feeling that comes with this basic emotion.

On the other hand, a drop in these neurotransmitters causes sadness and the heaviness that comes with this emotion.

It’s completely normal for neurotransmitter levels to increase and decrease throughout the day in response to your experiences and thoughts. In fact, emotions help keep us out of danger and allow us to stay connected socially, which is so important for survival.

The most common neurotransmitters involved in positive and negative emotions include:

• Dopamine
• Serotonin
• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)
• Noradrenaline
• Oxytocin
• Acetylcholine

Although a shift in these neurotransmitters is normal and expected, chronic negative emotions can have a major impact on your health. Negative emotional states cause stress on the body, leading to increased inflammation, higher risk of mental health issues and weakened immune function.

Research published in Frontiers in Neuroscience advises that psychological stress triggers inflammatory activity and cognitive changes. Chronic sadness, for example, plays a significant role in the onset and recurrence of depression.

To recap, a shift of emotions, from negative to positive, is normal, but when you experience negative ones chronically, it can have major health implications. This is exactly why you want to work to regulate your emotions and address the triggers of negative feelings.

Related: Effects of Negative Thinking + How to Overcome Negativity Bias

How to Control Them

Identify Emotions

Being able to identify what you feel based on the list of emotions helps you control them or deal with them appropriately. This usually takes mindfulness and reflection.

Pay close attention to the physical signs of emotions, like sweating palms and racing heart for fear, body aches for sadness, and increased body temperature for anger.

Reflect on Emotional Triggers

The root of emotions aren’t always obvious — they can stem from deeper issues or insecurities. If you are confused about why you feel a particular emotion, investigate the potential triggers.

It may actually stem from an unexpected source, like being tired, missing a friend or family member, being hungry, or eating an unhealthy meal.

Practice Mindfulness

Practicing mindfulness, which is a mental state achieved by focusing on your awareness at the present moment, helps you understand and accept your feelings. This moment-by-moment awareness makes it easier to detect and understand your emotions.

Research shows that mindfulness-based interventions have positive effects on psychological well-being.

How do you practice mindfulness? One of the best ways is mindfulness meditation, which allows you to focus on the feelings in your body.

Any other moments of quiet reflection are helpful, like taking a walk outdoors, practicing yoga, gardening and cooking.

Mindfulness or quiet reflection can help you work through your feelings, calm your mind and regulate your feelings.

Take Care of Yourself

It’s normal to experience uncontrollable emotions from time to time, as you are faced with a positive or negative situation. To control your everyday feelings, self-care is key.

How can you understand and regulate your feelings if you aren’t tuned in to yourself and taking care of your health?

Your self-care checklist should include aspects related to your physical, social, mental, spiritual and environmental health.

Are you eating a healthy, balanced diet, getting enough rest, moving your body, engaging with loved ones, spending time in reflection and spending time outdoors? These are just some of the actions you should take every day to promote your overall wellness.

Related: Dangers of Toxic Positivity + What to Do Instead

Conclusion

• The list of basic emotions has been debated and researched for centuries. Scientists seem to agree that there are five primary ones: anger, fear, disgust, sadness and happiness.
• This list of negative and positive emotions is triggered by stimuli that alter neurotransmitter levels in the brain. This is normal and necessary biological process, and it’s in place to ensure human survival.
• When humans experience chronic negative feelings, they deal with serious repercussions, such as an increased risk of mental, physical and social health problems.
• To regulate your feelings, practice mindfulness, identify your feelings and their triggers, and make self-care a priority.

The post List of Emotions: What Are They & How Can They Be Regulated? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Do your energy levels plummet once the summer months are over? Does your motivation to socialize with friends and family or even leave the house disappear when the sun does, and do you start to feel more “normal” when springtime — and more daylight hours — return? You might be suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

The winter blues are well-known and quite common — after all, these months come packed with a lot of holidays that can be emotionally draining. Combine that with minimal time in the sunshine, especially if you work in an office, and cold weather that seems to scream “stay home and get in a blanket,” and it’s no wonder that people tend to be a bit anti-social and grumpy from November until about April.

For some people, the “winter blues” are more than just curling up with Netflix for a few weekends in a row. Those who suffer from seasonal affective disorde actually experience a type of depression that rears its head during certain seasons.

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?

SAD is a form of clinical depression that comes and goes in a seasonal pattern. It’s also referred to as “winter depression,” because that’s usually the time when symptoms become more pronounced and noticeable. This bout of depression begins and ends around the same time each year.

Millions of Americans suffer from SAD in its strictest form each year, and it seems to affect women more than men. SAD affects people from September to April, with peak (read: worst) times occurring in December, January and February.

For most people, their first winter experiencing seasonal affective disorder will occur between the ages of 18 and 30 years old, though a change in location, such as a major move later in life, can bring on symptoms.

Related: Sun Lamp Uses and Benefits (Plus How to Buy One)

Causes

Researchers aren’t sure what causes SAD, but it is a type of major depressive disorder. SAD patients can be just as depressed as those suffering from other forms of depression ­— this is a serious condition.

While the exact reasons for SAD aren’t clear yet, it’s believed that a vitamin D deficiency and a lack of sunlight keep a part of the brain, the hypothalamus, from working properly, leading to a disruption of circadian rhythms. When our circadian rhythms are out of whack, it can affect our levels of melatonin and serotonin.

In people with SAD, melatonin, the hormone that makes us feel sleepy, might be produced in higher levels, leading to increased feelings of lethargy. On the other hand, serotonin levels decrease.

Serotonin is a hormone that affects mood and appetite. Not having enough serotonin is linked to depression.

Because seasonal affective disorder seems to be more common in women than men, being female is a risk factor. Additionally, there seems to be a genetic predisposition to seasonal affective disorder, as it often runs in families.

Unsurprisingly since seasonal affective disorder is so tied to sunlight, location makes a difference. SAD is more common among people who live far north or south of the equator, thanks to abbreviated daylight winter hours and longer days during summer months.

Related: Color Therapy Benefits for Mood & More (Plus How to Do It)

Symptoms

Seasonal affective disorder symptoms vary from person to person. Generally, symptoms might start out mild and become more severe during the peak winter months of December through February. They start to ease up once sunnier spring days begin emerging.

People suffering from SAD experience:

• a decrease in energy
• trouble sleeping
• a loss of interest in activities
• difficulty concentrating
• depressive feelings
• a decreased sex drive
• appetite or weight gain changes —

Sugar addiction and cravings for carbs and other comfort foods are also common in people with seasonal affective disorder.

It can be difficult to determine if a person is suffering from “traditional” depression or if it’s SAD. The telltale sign is when you begin experiencing these depressive feelings.

Usually, the feelings begin in September, are at their worst during the peak winter months, and start easing up in March or April. A diagnosis will often not be made until two to three consecutive winter seasons with the symptoms.

Health professionals will evaluate that you’ve had depression that begins and ends in a specific season every year, no episodes of depression during other seasons, and more seasons of depression than seasons without depression. Your doctor will probably do a physical exam, which might include lab testing to rule out any other health problems and a psychological evaluation.

Related: How to Cope With Cabin Fever: Symptoms, Tips & More

Treating SAD with Natural Remedies

There are several natural, prescription-free remedies you can try for seasonal affective disorder.

1. Get a Light Box

If your outdoor hours are limited during the winter months, a light box might be a worthwhile investment. In fact, the majority of SAD patients see improvements in their disposition.

Light therapy allows you to get exposure to bright, artificial light during the most difficult months. It’s recommended that SAD patients use light therapy daily, from the first signs of symptoms until the springtime, when SAD resolves itself.

Most people require between 15 to 30 minutes of therapy a day and will start feeling improvements within two to four days, with the full improvement happening within two weeks.

Because seasonal affective disorder symptoms return quickly once light therapy stops, remaining consistent with treatment during the winter months is crucial. It’s also often recommended that light treatment occur in the morning to prevent difficulties falling asleep later in the evening.

Light therapy boxes are available without a prescription, but they can come with side effects, like headaches or eye strains. Because of UV exposure, it’s also recommended that you see a health provider who specializes in light therapy to ensure you get the right amount of light and filter out dangerous UV rays.

2. Keep Exercising

I know ­— it can be difficult enough to hit the gym when you’re feeling great, never mind when you’re not up to par. But regular exercise has been proven to help with traditional types of depression, and SAD is no different.

Staying active increases the production of feel-good chemicals that can help ease depressive feelings and even brain fog. In one study, just 30 minutes of walking on a treadmill for 10 consecutive days was enough to produce a significant reduction in depression.

Research also suggests that the frequency and consistency of exercising, rather than the duration or intensity, has the most positive effect. You don’t need to run a marathon or start up CrossFit to reap the healing benefits of exercise.

Join a group fitness class, rev up the treadmill or practice yoga. It all helps.

3. Add a Vitamin D Supplement

Vitamin D, or the sunshine vitamin, has been linked to depression. Patients with seasonal affective disorder often have low levels of the vitamin.

While scientists aren’t sure why that’s the case, it’s worth checking with your doctor to make sure your vitamin D levels are up to par. Because most U.S. adults have some type of deficiency in the vitamin, adding a supplement could help you feel better and even improve bone health and boost your immune system.

In addition, there is some evidence that using St. John’s wort together with phototherapy works even better as a way to beat the winter blues.

4. Get Outside

When there is a ray of sunlight during the cold, dark months, take advantage.

Sleep with curtains and blinds open to get in any glimmer of sunshine in the morning. Break up your workday with an early afternoon walk to soak up some vitamin D naturally.

Bundle up and try to get as much natural light as possible. Your brain and body will both thank you for it.

Bonus points if you can squeeze your workouts in outside, no matter if it’s an early morning stroll solo or a weekend game of fetch with the dog.

5. Talk It Out

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a type of psychotherapy that helps people change unhelpful or unhealthy habits of thinking, feeling and behaving, can help alter your way of thinking, focusing on positive solutions instead of saying, “Forget it, I’m skipping those dinner plans I made.”

While CBT is useful for many types of depression and mental health disorders, there’s renewed interest in using it as a treatment for seasonal affective disorder. In fact, a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found CBT could be more helpful to SAD patients than light therapy in the long run.

The study tracked 177 people with seasonal affective disorder as they were given either light therapy or cognitive behavioral therapy designed for SAD over six weeks and then checked in with them over the next two winters.

During the first winter, light therapy and CBT worked equally as well in reducing depression symptoms, but by the second check-in appointment, CBT pulled into the lead. In the group of patients who received CBT to treat their seasonal affective disorder, 27.3 percent had their depression come back the following winter, while 45.6 percent of those who received light therapy did.

For those folks who were treated with CBT but still experienced a return of seasonal affective disorder, their symptoms were milder than those who were treated with the light therapy.

The difference, according to Kelly Rohan, a lead author of the study, might be that CBT teaches people skills and coping mechanisms they can employ at any time, while light therapy requires spending a certain amount of time daily to reap the effects, while not feeling in control of emotions.

6. Eat a Healthy Diet

It all comes back to food, doesn’t it? While people with SAD crave comfort foods — starchy carbs, sweet treats and more — eating that way ensures you’ll look and feel worse.

Instead, focus on a SAD-busting, healing diet. Lots of lean protein, leafy greens and fish will keep hormones in check and boost serotonin levels.

When you do get the urge for carbs, choose complex, whole-grain varieties, like whole-grain pasta and bread, instead of nutrition-deficient white carbohydrates.

7. Reach Out for Help

Depression, no matter the type, can feel extremely isolating. Reaching out to friends and family and establishing a support network can help ease the burden.

If you suspect you’re at risk for seasonal affective disorder, be sure to reach out to your health professional.

The post 7 Seasonal Affective Disorder Natural Treatments That Work appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Stress: We all deal with it, yet we know how much better off we’d be — both physically and mentally — if we could only get it under control and find stress relievers that really work. While stress can be a positive, motivating factor at times (such as when you’re under pressure to perform well at work or to ace an important exam), more and more research shows that chronic stress impacts the body in ways similar to a poor diet, lack of sleep or sedentary lifestyle.

Would you believe that 75 percent to 90 percent of all doctors office visits are related to conditions caused by stress? How exactly does stress negatively affect our health in so many ways? It mostly boils down to changes in our hormones, which then cascade to an increase in inflammation and various other problems.

Uncontrolled stress experienced over a long period of time is considered “chronic stress,” dangerous and capable of increasing someone’s risk for heart disease, diabetes, weight gain or obesity, mental disorders, autoimmune diseases, digestive disorders, and even cancer.

Let’s face it, the stress we face today isn’t going anywhere, which is exactly why it’s more important than ever to find natural ways to relieve stress that work well for us. Studies show you can greatly benefit from carving out more time in your busy schedule for things like regular exercise, meditation, spending time outdoors and keeping up with fun hobbies.

If you adhere to the following eight practices, you’re likely to better manage your stress on a daily basis.

Higher Stress Levels Today

In many parts of the world, more people today report experiencing negative experiences — which includes physical pain, worry, sadness, stress and anger — on a daily basis than at any recent point in history. What is causing everyone to feel so stressed and burnt out?

The American Institute of Stress tells us that a number of studies and polls have found that some of the top reasons people feel stressed and mentally unwell include:

•   Worries over finances and the economy
•   Health and health care-related concerns
•   Disapproval of government performance and worries over politics
•   Anxiety over current events, including natural and societal events such as mass shootings, climate crisis, racial tensions and terrorism
•   Stress due to social media and technology use
•   Feelings of loneliness and depression

We know that stress can negatively affect nearly all parts of the body, including the musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system gastrointestinal system, nervous system, and both female and male reproductive systems. Here are some of the ways ongoing stress can lead to discomfort and disease:

•   Causes tension headaches and migraines
•   Makes it harder to sleep and causes fatigue (even adrenal fatigue)
•   Triggers digestive issues such as stomach aches or IBS
•   Can lead to overeating and weight gain, or sporadic eating patterns and skipping meals
•   Makes it more likely that people favor sedentary activities and don’t exercise
•   Can lead to social isolation, loneliness and poor relationships
•   Cab increase obesity, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and asthma.

Related: Sunday Scaries: How to Deal with Work Anxiety

What Is Chronic Stress?

Chronic stress is considered the type of stress that interferes with your ability to function normally over an extended period, such as more than 6 months.

Obviously people of all ages can experience chronic stress, but it’s thought that younger and middle-aged adults between the ages of 15 and 49 are most likely to deal with debilitating chronic stress. “Generation Z” is considered to be the most stressed-out age group in many industrialized nations, due to factors like violence, political turmoil, poor finances and poor health, while “Millennials” report the highest rates of anxiety, loneliness and depression.

Do people always know that they are dealing with chronic stress? Not necessarily. It’s not always easy for someone to make a connection between stress in their lives and symptoms such as pain and brain fog. People also tend to struggle with identifying exactly what’s causing them to worry or to feel angry, overwhelmed or depressed.

When chronically stressed, you release more “stress hormones” such as adrenaline and cortisol, a steroid hormone in the broader class of steroids called glucocorticoids that is secreted by the adrenal glands. When levels of stress hormones remain elevated over time, they impact many bodily functions.

Natural Stress Relief

1. Exercise and Yoga

One of the best stress relievers available to us is exercise, a natural remedy for anxiety because it releases powerful endorphin chemicals in the brain, which act like the body’s built-in painkillers and mood-lifters.

Research suggests the negative effects of stress on the body seem to be exaggerated in people who are inactive, a phenomenon called”stress-induced/exercise deficient” phenotype. Because we react to stress by experiencing changes in our neuro-endocrine systems, regular exercise is protective because it regulates various metabolic and psychological processes in the body, including reinforcing our natural circadian rhythms, sleep/wake cycles, moods and blood sugar levels.

Exercises improves insulin sensitivity, can help someone become more aware of their hunger levels, improves confidence/self-esteem, and leads to better mental processing and a lower risk for depression. Can’t sleep? Well, exercise can help with that too, which is very important considering quality sleep is needed to regulate hormones and help the body recover.

Yoga has been shown to have similar benefits, reinforcing the “mind-body connection,” improving how people (especially women) feel about their bodies, helping with sleep and controlling anxiety. A review of over 35 clinical trials that tested the effects of regular yoga on stress levels and health found that, overall, yoga offers significant improvements in various physical and psychological health markers for the majority of people.

Looking for an even more impactful way to feel the benefits of exercise? Do so while listening to uplifting music. Research findings indicate that music listening positively impacts the psycho-biological stress system, helps activate the parasympathetic nervous system, improves recovery time, and has benefits for hormonal balance and brain functioning overall.

Another terrific way to relieve stress is through forest bathing. To forest bathe, you immerse yourself in naturally beautiful and health-boosting forest surroundings by using your various senses of sight, hearing, smell, etc. It’s meant to be a very peaceful and positive experience that has been shown by science to provide various health benefits. A study found that the tree’s compounds can decrease stress hormone levels in both men and women.

2. Meditation/Devotional Prayer

Meditation and healing prayer are both proven stress relievers that help people deal with worry, anxiety and finding peace of mind. Best of all, they can both be practiced conveniently anytime of day, in your own home and with no therapist, practitioner or program needed, making them a no-brainer.

Meditation and prayer have been used for literally thousands of years to improve well-being and connection to others, but today they’re actually backed up by science as well. Breathing exer

Natural stress relief meditation and mindfulness-based stress reduction are types of simple mental techniques that are practiced for as little as 10–15 minutes once or twice a day in order to bring about more “mindfulness” and reduce stress or anxiety.

Various other forms of meditation have been shown to lower physiological responses to stress, improve mental alertness, and help people overcome various emotional and physical problems, such as: anxiety, depression, poor mental health that affects quality of life, attention problems, substance use, eating habits, sleep, pain and weight gain.

3.  Acupuncture

Acupuncture has increasingly been used to treat many stress-related conditions, including psychiatric disorders, autoimmune or immunological-related diseases, infertility, anxiety, and depression. Researchers have found that acupunture treatments result in changes in the cardiovascular and immune systems, increasing protective T-cell proliferation and helping with cellular immuno-responses.

Studies have shown that acupuncture is one of the best stress relievers for patients recovering from heart disease because it helps regulate the nervous system, therefore having positive effects on blood pressure levels, circulation, hormones and other factors.

4. A Nutrient-Dense Diet

A steady supply of nutrients like essential vitamins, trace minerals, healthy fats, electrolytes, amino acids and antioxidants all help your brain handle stress better, therefore benefiting your entire body. It’s also a great weight loss tip for women and men.

Some of the most nutrient-dense foods for natural stress relief include:

• Foods high in B vitamins (which the body uses to convert nutrients to energy) — raw or cultured dairy products, cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, poultry, brewer’s yeast and green leafy vegetables.
• Foods high in calcium and magnesium — as relaxing minerals and electrolytes, calcium and magnesium are important for relaxing muscles, relieving headaches and helping you sleep. Try unsweetened organic yogurt, wild-caught salmon, beans/legumes, leafy green veggies, cruciferous veggies like broccoli, avocados and nuts.
• High-protein foods — foods with protein provide amino acids that are needed for proper neurotransmitter functions.
• Healthy fats and omega-3 fatty acids — cold-water, wild-caught fish like salmon or sardines can reduce inflammation and help stabilize moods, plus omega-3s are great for the brain, development and heart health. Other healthy fats that support brain health include nuts/seeds, avocado, olive oil and coconut oil.

On the other hand, foods to avoid in order to keep stress levels down include:

• Packaged or sugary foods — processed, refined foods or those with added sugar can give you blood sugar highs and lows throughout the day, increasing anxiety and causing cravings and fatigue.
• Too much alcohol or caffeine — both alcohol and caffeine can cause or worsen anxiety, make you dehydrated, interfere with sleep leaving you tired, and make you unable to cope with stress well.
• Refined vegetable oils — imbalances in polyunaturated fatty acids, meaning getting much more omega-6s than omega-3s from your diet, are tied to metabolic damage, inflammation and even poor gut health, which can affect mental processes.

5. Challenging Your Thoughts with “Cognitive Behavioral Therapy”

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a type of therapeutic practice that has been proven to lower anxiety, stress and multiple disorders — including addiction, eating disorders, insomnia and depression. Knowing that at least 50 percent of the time experiencing a mental disorder is due mostly to chronic, untreated stress reactions, therapists use CBT to train all types of people to better react to situations that are stressful.

CBT focuses on challenging and changing your thoughts first and foremost, since the way you perceive an event (not the actual event itself) means everything in terms of how your body reacts. Once you can identify the root thought pattern that is causing harmful behaviors, you can work on changing how you think about events and therefore react to them.

The idea behind CBT is this: If you can reframe the way you think about events in your life — for example, instead of panicking over a job change you choose to embrace it, prepare as best you can and seize the opportunity to start fresh — you can literally reduce the stress you wind up feeling from the event.

CBT is useful for training us to avoid internal causes of stress, such as “all-or-nothing” thinking, jumping to conclusions, pessimism, having unrealistic expectations for ourselves, always expecting the worst-case scenario, and feeling guilt or shame over events that are out of our control.

6. Spending More Time in Nature and Being Social

Making time for connecting with the people around you (like practicing fika), spending time outside and doing things you love with family, friends and your spouse are all stress relievers that are good for your health in many ways. Social connection is tied to longevity, since it helps people feel like they’re a part of something larger than themselves and helps give them perspective.

Being outdoors has some similar effects, reminding people that they’re one piece of a much larger universe, lifting their moods and making it easier to get good sleep.

For many American workers, their work stress accelerates because they don’t take their full vacation or who are always on call. Instead, take your deserved vacation days to give your body and brain a break from work. Same story with a packed work day — go outside for a walk; don’t eat lunch at your desk; try not to work past 5 p.m. if you started earlier, etc.

7. Keeping a Journal

Keeping track of your emotions, both positive and negative, along with the events that can trigger them helps you identify what’s causing stress. A journal is an easy, effective way to monitor your state of mind throughout the day, focus on thoughts that cause you harm and figure out what’s really bothering you when you’re unsure.

A journal can also reduce stress by helping you to stay organized, such as listing out appointments, household responsibilities, job assignments or other tasks so you’re less frantic and likely to miss important deadlines.

8. Using Adaptogen Herbs and Essential Oils

Several adaptogenic herbs and essential oils have been shown to improve anxiety symptoms by reducing the effects that stress and cortisol have on the body. Adaptogens (including ginseng, ashwagandga, maca, rhodiola, holy basil and cocoa) are a unique class of healing plants that balance, restore and protect the body and make it easier to handle stress by regulating hormones and physiological functions.

Essential oils such as lavender, myrrh, frankincense and bergamot are also capable of reducing inflammation, improving immunity, balancing hormones, and helping with sleep and digestion.

Bonus Stress Relievers:

• Breathing Exercises
• Cooking Therapy Benefits for Stress + Mental Health
• Singing Bowl and Sound Bath Benefits for Stress Relief & More

Final Thoughts

• We can’t always control sources of stress in our lives, but we change how we react to them. The good news is that the human body is actually designed to experience and handle stress, which is exactly why our bodies react to it so strongly.
• With some practice, we have the power to learn to use certain elements of stress to our advantage (for example, the fact that stress keeps us more alert and attentive), while better controlling other negative reactions (like digestion problems or giving in to cravings for unhealthy foods).
• That’s why it’s so important to find the proper stress relievers to maintain a strong quality of life. The eight stress relievers above can help you maintain a good mood, remain calm and better handle your day-to-day stress.

The post 8 Natural Ways to Achieve Stress Relief appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Writing a gratitude letter may not seem like a huge deal, but thanks to brain imaging studies, we now know it’s a powerful exercise that produces a cascade of positive, long-lasting emotions — for both the recipient and the the letter writer.

But how you share the letter matters. (More on that in a bit!)

The benefits of gratitude, in general, are well-documented. That’s why happiness experts commonly recommend keeping a gratitude journal or reciting what you’re grateful for every morning.

It’s no surprise that practicing gratitude elicits feelings of, well, gratitude, but it also brings forward other positive emotions, as well. These include feelings of elevation and connectedness.

Researchers also note that gratitude:

• Reinforces new and existing relationships
• Predicts more committed, longer-lasting relationships
• Improves relationships and results in spending more time together
• Reduces the likelihood of experiencing envy, narcissism and cynicism
• Improves sleep and immune system health
• Can reduce inflammation

Gratitude is also part of new, cutting-edge research aimed at building resilience, something more important than ever today. According to an ongoing study, partaking in mindfulness and gratitude exercise as part of the “Strength-Focused and Meaning-Oriented Approach to Resilience and Transformation” program significantly helps people improve emotional emotional flexibility, coping skills and outlook.

What Is a Letter of Gratitude?

A gratitude letter is just as it seems: a letter of appreciation that you write to someone who has impacted you personally. As Michigan State University points out, writing a letter of gratitude is a great way to show appreciation for someone who made a difference in your life.

Sitting down to construct your letter, whether you handwrite it or type it out, allows you to reflect on how someone helped shape you into the person you are today.

Why Write One?

Figuring out how to write a gratitude letter may seem daunting, but it’s important to understand that your letter doesn’t have to be long, elaborate or fancy in order to be effective. In fact, keeping things simple and writing a heartfelt gratitude note can bring potent, long-lasting results.

“A gratitude letter is one of the most powerful tools for increasing happiness because it can forge social bonds and really change someone’s life,” explains Laurie Santos, Ph.D, professor of psychology and instructor of Yale’s Science of Wellbeing course.

In fact, we now know that writing a letter of gratitude can actually change your brain for the better. In 2015, Indiana University researchers published a study showing that people who participated in gratitude letter writing experienced more gratitude themselves and “significantly greater neural modulation by gratitude in the medial prefrontal cortex three months later.”

Also of importance is the fact that writing a gratitude letter is accessible — it’s virtually free or very low-cost.  One study found that a single “gratitude letter–writing intervention appears to be a promising low-cost, brief and meaningful tool” to improve well-being.

In the Science of Well-Being course, Santos outlines research by positive psychology pioneer Martin Seligman and stresses that the biggest happiness benefits for the letter writer and recipient take place when you deliver your letter in person and read it to the recipient. (Over the phone or video chat is OK, too, but in-person is best.)

“However you meet up, you should read the letter aloud,” the Yale outlines. “We also recommend that you both have some tissues handy for this one.”

How to Write a Gratitude Letter

The gratitude letter is a key positive psychology exercise. To stress the above findings again, we know that a letter of gratitude and appreciation is most effective when delivered in-person during a “gratitude visit” and when you read it out loud to the recipient.

If you take Yale’s free, online Science of Well-Being course, writing a gratitude letter and conducting a gratitude visit is a key assignment.

Whether it’s a letter of gratitude to a boss, a letter of gratitude to a teacher or someone else who made a difference in your life, the idea is to write to someone living, someone you genuinely care about — and someone you haven’t properly thanked yet.

Then, Santos recommends:

1. Finding a quiet spot when you have a half-hour free.
2. Writing a heartfelt letter to that person explaining how she or he touched your life and why that person is meaningful to you.
3. Making the letter as long as you like, but aiming for at least 300 words, which is about a page.
4. When you schedule your visit, don’t tell the person you’ll be reading him or her your letter.
5. Do, however, make sure you allow at least 30 minutes for your gratitude visit, so you’ll have time to bond and discuss any emotions the reading bubbles up for you and your recipient.

More Tips

Still need a little direction? Not sure whom to write to?

Maybe one of these suggestions will feel right. Just make sure it’s someone you never properly thanked:

• A coach or instructor who mentored you
• A teacher who opened up your horizons
• An aunt, uncle or other relative
• A colleague or friend
• A health care worker who saved or otherwise positively changed your life

Note: It’s OK, and can actually be beneficial, if you choose someone you haven’t spoken to or thought about in a while.

The University of California, Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center also offers some great tips. In fact, a gratitude letter is also part of its free, weight-week Science of Happiness course, too.

When it comes to writing a letter of gratitude, it suggests:

• Write as though you are addressing this person directly (“Dear ______”)
• Don’t worry about grammar or spelling
• Be specific in describing what this person did, why you are grateful for that person and how that person’s behavior affected your life
• Describe what you are doing in your life now and how you often remember her or his efforts

Delivering Your Gratitude Letter

• Upon arrival, tell the person you’re grateful for her, and share that you’d like to read a letter you wrote outlining that gratitude.
• Politely ask that he waits to comment until you finish reading.
• Don’t rush through your reading, which can often happen when you’re nervous. Take a deep breath, and savor each word.
• Be sure to pause to notice the feelings arising in yourself.
• Make contact, and notice your recipient’s reactions, too.
• After you have read the letter, be receptive to the reaction and discuss your feelings together.
• Don’t forget to give the letter to the person you’re honoring before you leave!

Conclusion

• Gratitude is shown to elicit feelings of happiness and connectedness. It can also improve your relationships and outlook.
• Practicing gratitude can even reduce inflammation and improve your immune system.
• Writing a gratitude letter to show someone that you’re thankful for her impact on your life — and then reading that letter to her in person — is one of the most powerful ways to practice gratitude.
• The reader and the recipient can both receive a mental health boost. For the person writing and reading the letter, the positive impact cast last for at least three months, according to brain scans.
• A letter of gratitude doesn’t have to be long or fancy. Shoot for at least 300 words, and don’t stress about perfect grammar. Just be authentic.
• Sharing specific examples of what a person did or said to help you along the way is an effective strategy for gratitude letter writing.

The post How to Write a Gratitude Letter appeared first on Dr. Axe.

What’s one simple way to be happier? Find more things in your life to be grateful for and practice gratitude.

Gratitude is linked to not only reduced risk for depression and anxiety, but also a boost in overall well-being, kindness, relationship satisfaction and physical health markers, too.

What Is Gratitude?

What does gratitude really mean? Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful.”

It means having a readiness to show appreciation for something and the ability to express it. The word gratitude itself is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness or gratefulness.

Is gratitude an emotion? It’s considered to be a temporary feeling/emotion, a mood, a personality trait, as well as a practice.

Due to factors like how genetics influences one’s personality, some people are thought to experience more gratitude naturally, while others have to work a bit harder at it.

According to psychologists, the “social emotion” of gratitude can have many benefits — such as helping to strengthen relationships, self-esteem and overall mental health. It can help people feel happier and defend against loneliness, jealousy and other negative emotions.

Anthropologists believe that gratitude has roots in evolutionary history. It helped humans survive by bonding with others in their social circles, encouraging helping others and being helped in return.

Recent studies have demonstrated that when someone feels grateful, specific regions in the brain become more activated. This includes parts of the prefrontal cortex that allow for reflection and heighten sensitivity when imagining future experiences.

Related: Dangers of Toxic Positivity + What to Do Instead

Health Benefits

Based on recent research, here are some of the main benefits of gratitude:

1. Protects Against Depression and Boosts Happiness

In one review published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, when researchers investigated the connection between gratitude and human health in over 50 studies, they found that gratitude is associated with higher levels of emotional and social well-being and more experiences of positive emotional states, such as happiness, life satisfaction and flourishing.

As one article describes this phenomenon:

Studies show that practicing gratitude curbs the use of words expressing negative emotions and shifts inner attention away from such negative emotions such as resentment and envy, minimizing the possibility of ruminating, which is a hallmark of depression.

According to recent research, delivering a letter of gratitude to someone who was never properly thanked for his or her kindness led to participants immediately experiencing a significant increase in happiness scores that lasted for weeks, more so than any other intervention.

In another study, when college students receiving counseling services were assigned to either a group that was instructed to write one letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks or to write about their deepest thoughts and feelings about negative experiences, those participants who wrote gratitude letters reported significantly better mental health four weeks and 12 weeks after their writing exercise ended.

Researchers concluded that this data, as well as evidence from other studies, suggests that gratitude writing can be beneficial for those struggling with mental health concerns such as depression, even if they already receive psychological counseling.

2. Reduces Stress and Anxiety

People who make an effort to be more appreciative seem to do better at dealing with adversity and facing tough decisions or situations because they focus on the positives and see challenges as useful lessons and even gifts, rather than as curses.

According to an ongoing 2020 study focused on helping health care providers battling COVID-19, it’s believed that an approach called “Strength-Focused and Meaning-Oriented Approach to Resilience and Transformation” — which includes mindfulness and gratitude exercises — may be one of the most effective at improving emotional flexibility, coping skills and outlook.

Data overall suggests a gratitude practice can increase psychological resilience against chronic stress, anxiety symptoms, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and unhappiness. When reflecting on the positive elements of the past and present, people are more prone to being hopeful and optimistic about the future.

3. Improves Relationships

Expressing gratitude often makes people feel more connected to something bigger than themselves. Being thankful for your life also makes it less likely that you’ll experience envy, cynicism and narcissism, which can all damage relationships and decrease happiness.

You’re more likely to pay good feelings forward when you feel more grateful —such as by showing more compassion, patience and generosity — plus gratitude tends to encourage more volunteering and prosocial behaviors.

Couples who show appreciation for one another also seem to benefit from better communication overall, including the ability to work through conflicts, according to certain studies.

Thankfulness also tends to make people better family members, spouses, students and employees. A 2016 study found that keeping a gratitude diary increased students’ sense of belonging among other students.

Other studies have found that expressions of gratitude by managers tend to motivate employees to be more productive at work due to feeling more seen and appreciated.

4. Helps Encourage Healthier Choices/Self-Care

There’s evidence suggesting that gratitude interventions can have long-lasting positive effects when it comes to promoting healthy choices — such as eating a nutrient-dense diet, exercising, sleeping enough, staying on top of school and work-related tasks, and so on. When you feel grateful for your life and the relationships in it, you’re more likely to take better care of yourself so you can show up as your “best self.”

In one study, after 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. They also reported exercising more and having fewer visits to physicians compared to those who focused on sources of aggravation in their lives.

5. Can Help Improve Sleep and Physical Health

In studies, gratitude has been shown to foster both physical and psychological health, meaning it may help decrease chronic pain, tension, fatigue, sleep issues like insomnia and other symptoms tied to stress/depression.

Overall, research suggests that grateful people are less prone to experiencing sleep troubles tied to stress and may also benefit from having stronger immune systems. One study even found that gratitude journaling may improve biomarkers related to heart failure morbidity, such as reduced inflammation.

Related: What Is an Internal Monologue? (And Does Everyone Have One?)

How to Practice

While it’s technically a feeling/emotion, cultivating more gratitude can be thought of as a practice. In order to boost thankfulness in your life, it’s important to actually make it by a habit by making a conscious efforts to “count one’s blessings” more often by looking for the positives in your life.

How do you practice gratitude? You can do so by:

• keeping a gratitude journal (writing down several things daily that you’re thankful for)
• expressing your appreciation to others in your life, such as by writing letters/emails or complimenting them
• praying and meditating to practice being more mindful/present and optimistic
• simply making an effort to bring things to mind each day that make you feel warm and happy

What are some of the people, places and things in your life that you can focus on in order to feel more grateful? Try bringing to mind:

• your relationships with loved ones, such as family
• your connection to friends
• your support from your employer and colleagues
• your connection to nature and animals
• your health and physical abilities

Why It’s Important

Why is gratitude important? Here’s how gratitude can contribute to overall well-being, with help from some popular gratitude quotes:

• “Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, gratitude also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.” — Harvard Health Publishing
• “What I’ve come to realize is that no matter the state or quality of our lives, whatever outcomes we’ve produced, goals we’ve reached (or failed to reach), what decisions we’ve made, and where we’ve ended up, has almost everything to do with focus. While some things might be out of our control, much of what happens based on our thoughts, emotions and behaviors, are largely a conditional response to our focus…I’m grateful for the air that I breathe, for the heart beating blood in my chest, for the organs in my body, for every living cell and fiber that are functioning towards my survival, I am grateful. We forget about those things from time to time. Until of course these things come into jeopardy.” — Wanderlust Worker
• “Gratitude may be one of the most overlooked tools for increasing happiness. Research shows it is the single most powerful method of increasing happiness. Having an attitude of gratitude doesn’t cost any money. It doesn’t take much time. But the benefits of gratitude are enormous…it touches on many aspects of our lives. Our emotions. Personality. Social dynamics. Career success and health. All of these can contribute to increasing our basic happiness.”— Happier Human

How is gratitude related to positivity?

Positivity is defined as “the practice of being or tendency to be positive or optimistic in attitude.” It goes hand in hand with gratitude because both help you see the world in a positive light and focus less on the negative.

It’s been shown that a gratitude practice can become a habit that encourages more positivity overall. As the saying goes, “neurons that fire together wire together,” so every time you practice pointing out the good in your life, you’re more likely to feel thankful in the future.

What Happens When It Fails?

If you’re not often in a thankful frame of mind, this can wind up taking a toll on your physical and mental health. People who feel less grateful overall are more prone to experiencing problems such as:

• Depression and anxiety
• Relationship issues
• Substance abuse problems
• Symptoms tied to stress
• Insomnia
• Chronic pain and tension

This may be true because a lack of gratitude can lead to envy, jealousy and low self-esteem due to feeling like your life and your accomplishments are never good enough. The opposite of gratitude can be described as condemnation, thanklessness and ungratefulness — all of which can lead to a life that feels less rich, meaningful and motivating.

Conclusion

• Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful.” Why is gratitude important? It helps boost happiness, positively, self-esteem, relationships and self-care.
• Research shows that being grateful can protect against issues such as depression, envy, anxiety, insomnia, pain and relationship issues.
• Here’s how to practice gratitude: Keep a journal/diary of some “little joys of daily life,” write down “three good things” that happened, write letters of appreciation to others or compliment people more, and imagine what your life would be like without daily comforts or special people.

The post Benefits of Gratitude for the Body & Mind (Plus How to Practice It) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

There’s plenty of research suggesting that spending time with their grandchildren is beneficial to grandparents’ health. What about the benefits of grandparents to their grandchildren?

Many of us have heart-warming memories involving our grandparents. Whether it’s holiday get-togethers, waving to them from the sidelines of a sports game, getting a little treat from them during a visit or just the day-to-day love you received from a grandparent — for many, grandparents positively impact their mental, emotional and even physical health.

We know that this relationship is special for so many reasons, but few know that research actually shows there are plenty of benefits of grandparents being in their families’ lives.

In fact, data shows that these relationships can reduce the risk of mental health issues and promote overall well-being.

Benefits of Grandparents

It’s impossible to count the many benefits of grandparents. They are nurturers and have a major impact on the lives of their children and grandchildren.

For many American families, they are invaluable.

One scientific review pointed out that grandparents play an important role in raising grandchildren for logistical reasons, too. As women and mothers become more integrated in the workforce, mothers depend more on extended family, particularly  grandparents, to provide care for their children.

The number of single-parent homes has also increased. As of this 2017 report, about 7 million (10 percent) of grandparents lived with at least one of their grandchildren.

What are the benefits of grandparents in children’s lives? I’m sure you could make a long list based on your own personal relationships, but there are some specific benefits that have been proven.

Many reports indicate that multigenerational bonds increase the well-being, stability and support for children.

Here are some proven benefits of grandparents:

1. Improve Mental Health

Like the benefits of aunts, grandparents promote mental and emotional health for their grandchildren.

The emotional support and closeness received from a grandparent can reduce the risk of depression among adult grandchildren, according to research conducted at Boston University. Researchers found that for both grandparents and adult grandchildren, a close relationship reduced depressive symptoms.

The bonding sessions between grandparents and grandchildren improves mental health because they provide a sense of support, patience and love.

2. Provide a Sense of Security

Grandparents are known as a security blanket. They are trusted and provide great emotional support.

They are also tremendously comforting, with their physical affection and even with the way that they are present in a grandchild’s life. In a time of need, a grandparent is there, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the grandchild.

One report called grandparents the “first line of defense” when families are in need, troubled or disrupted. They are often there to contribute time, caregiving and even financial resources when necessary.

3. Share Interests

Are any of your favorite hobbies or activities passed down from your grandparent? Maybe it’s fishing, hiking, biking, painting, reading books, listening to music or playing chess.

It’s common that grandparents and grandchildren share interests that bring joy to both generations and increase their bond even further. Plus, grandparents have the experience and wisdom that can be passed down from generation to generation.

For many grandchildren, they continue these activities or interests through childhood and adulthood, always keeping a piece of their grandparents with them.

4. Improve Physical Health

We know that grandparents help improve the mental health of grandchildren, even when they become adults, but what about their physical health?

A study published in PLoS One suggests that grandparents may reduce grandchildren’s cancer risk factors. This is because of the positive influence that grandparents have on their grandchildren’s health, especially related to issues like smoking, alcohol use, diet and physical activity.

5. Help with Childcare

Grandparents commonly help with childcare, which is a tremendous help to parents. We also know that the benefits of grandparents raising grandchildren are extensive.

Research published in the Journal of Family Issues found that children living in mother-only families that include a grandparent are substantially less likely to be living below or near the poverty level compared to children living in mother-only families without a grandparent present.

Data shows that not only do grandparents provide their time, but they enhance the financial security of children in some circumstances, especially those living in three-generation households.

How to Stay Connected from Afar

When it comes to the grandparent-grandchildren connection, sometimes it’s necessary to care from a distance. In fact, many of these relationships involve a ton of affections and attachment but little day-to-day interaction.

Thankfully, there are many ways to stay connected with grandparents from afar. Here are a few easy ways to stay engaged:

1. Talk often: Whether it’s over the phone or using an app like FaceTime or Zoom, talking to grandparents regularly can help keep the connection strong and boost the emotional health of all generations. Try to speak at least one to two times per week when you can’t see each other in person.
2. Have virtual playdates: Who said you couldn’t read books, play board games or do puzzles virtually? You can using video apps like Zoom, Skype and FaceTime. This is a great way to engage in playtime, even if you can’t do it face-to-face.
3. Write letters: There’s nothing better than a good old-fashioned letter. Letter writing is great practice for children (and young adults), and there’s something special about receiving a handwritten letter from a loved one. You can include what you’ve been doing throughout the week, your favorite meals, future plans and more. This is also a great opportunity for grandparents to maintain the sense of emotional support that’s so important for grandchildren.
4. Send photos and videos: If you aren’t able to meet in person, sending digital photos and videos can be a sweet surprise for grandparents. You can also make a photo book online and have it sent to the grandparents as a special gift. This is a great holiday gift idea if you aren’t able to get together this year.
5. Do a drive-by: These days, drive-bys for loved ones aren’t uncommon. Even parades for birthdays, graduations and other special events have become popular. This is a fun way to show your love and support for someone, even if you can’t be close to that person. A drive-by for grandparents is just a little reminder that they are still special and you miss them. You can make fun posters, cheer and even play music from the car.

Other Ways to Engage with Grandparents

Spending quality time with grandparents promotes the overall health and well-being of the grandparent and grandchild. The ways that you can engage with your grandparent are endless, really. Just sitting around and chatting does the trick.

If you are looking for new ways to engage with your grandparents, here are some ideas:

For older grandchildren:

• Walk through the park
• Go out to eat
• Get a cup of coffee
• Take a class together
• Cook dinner together
• Take a trip
• Go to a sports game
• Go to the movies

For younger grandchildren:

• Go to the playground
• Go to the library
• Do a craft together
• Work on a puzzle
• Go for a walk
• Attend a community or school event
• Go to a sports game
• Read books
• Fly a kite

Conclusion

• It’s hard to explain the importance of grandparents on child development and well-being. Research shows that spending time with grandparents improves a child’s (and adult grandchild’s) mental, emotional and physical health.
• Grandparents benefits include providing a sense of security, providing childcare, improving mental health, boosting physical health and sharing life-long interests.
• Even if you can’t be with your grandparents physically, using phone or computer apps to communicate virtually, writing letters and sending photos are great ways to stay engaged and connected.

The post Benefits of Grandparents (+ How to Stay Connected from Afar) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Bickering about finances, debating child-rearing methods and arguing about whose turn it is to take out the garbage — sometimes the daily grind of married life can leave you feeling a little less than enthusiastic about your spouse. Even when your partner is driving you up the wall, though, that person might actually be providing health benefits of marriage.

That’s right: It turns out that married people enjoy certain health advantages over singles. Now, that doesn’t mean that tying the knot automatically makes you happier or healthier, but a major happiness study does suggest relationships are at the root of  finding joy.

To be clear, though, health benefits of marriage don’t extend to people who are in unhappy, abusive or stressful relationships. (This includes things like being married  to someone with narcissistic personality disorder, for instance.) In these cases, being single with a supportive, loving circle of family and friends is healthier than being trapped in an unhappy, stressful or abusive marriage.

In general, however, the lifestyle choice of getting hitched can translate into being healthier. Here’s how…

Top Health Benefits of Marriage

1. Lower Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

One study from New York University, which examined the records of more than 3.5 million people aged 21 to 102 years old, found that both men and women who were married enjoyed a lower rate of ever having a heart attack than their single counterparts. Those results held true even after adjusting for factors like age, sex, race and other risk factors.

Interestingly, being divorced or widowed meant a greater likelihood of cardiovascular disease than being married or single. When it comes to heart disease, it’s not better to have loved and lost.

Men also experience more health benefits from marriage than women. A Canadian study found that, among men who were experiencing chest pain, the married ones went to the doctor to get checked out significantly earlier than single men, leading to a lower risk of cardiovascular death.

Could spousal “nagging” to see the doctor be the cause? Maybe doctors should start sharing the benefits of marriage as part of a loving prescription for supplementing coronary heart disease treatment.

2. Less Stress

It might seem counterintuitive when you’re in the midst of an argument, but being married actually leads to a hormonal change that affects stress levels. One study looked at 500 master’s degree students to learn more about that.

Researchers asked study participants to play a series of computer games that tested economic behaviors. In order to make the games stressful and affect levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, students were told the test was a course requirement that would impact future career placement. Each student gave a saliva sample before and after the test to measure cortisol.

The study found that cortisol levels were increased more in men and women who were unmarried compared to those who were married. Additionally, those who were unmarried had a higher baseline of cortisol, meaning they suffered from higher stress levels to begin with. Researchers believe that while marriage can be stressful, it can also serve as a powerful tool for helping people deal with other life stressors.

Normally, cortisol levels rise after waking and fall as the day progresses. Another study analyzed cortisol levels and slopes in 572 healthy adults who were either married or in marriage-like relationships, never married, or previously married.

Samples of cortisol-containing saliva were collected at different times on three nonconsecutive days. Researchers found that the married group had lower levels of cortisol than the non-married or previously married groups.

The married group also showed a faster drop in cortisol levels compared to the never-married group. The differences between the married and previously married groups were minimal. Again, marriage showed signs of helping to keep stress at bay.

3. Better Chance of Surviving Cancer

A bit more grim but equally as important, being married boosted survival rates of cancer patients in one study. Published in a peer-reviewed journal, a University of San Diego study pored over the information of almost 800,000 California adults who were diagnosed with invasive cancer between 2000 and 2009, and followed up with them in 2012.

Researchers found that for males, on average, the rate of death was 27 percent higher for those who were unmarried. For women, it was 19 percent higher.

The most benefits were found in married, white men. The researchers attributed the higher survival rate among married patients with a stronger support system than for singles.

Of course, if you’re not married, you can seek similar benefits by connecting to those in your close network of family and friends. Translation: Don’t let a cancer diagnosis isolate you from others.

4. Longevity

Finally, getting wed could mean you’ll live longer. One study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that being married through middle age could be the key to reaching old age.

Those people who never married were more than twice as likely to die early than those who’d been in stable marriages in their adult lives. Being single or widowed and never remarrying reduced the chances of reaching old age, even after the researchers adjusted the study for risky behaviors.

A Downside of Marriage

Singles, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is one case where marriage doesn’t help: obesity.

People who are married suffer from higher rates of obesity than singles do. Because obesity is tied to so many other health ailments, like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, it’s important to continue making healthy choices once you’re married — together.

Going on fun, active dates is a great way to keep the spark alive while keeping fit. Consider exploring the neighborhood by bike, hitting up a rock climbing gym or taking a cooking a cooking class together instead of going out for dinner and a movie.

A lack of communication and stress eating can also lead to problems with weight. If you’re having trouble getting through to your partner, think about seeing a couples therapist who can help you work through tough spots in your marriage together instead of turning to food for comfort.

Conclusion

• Being in a safe, stable marriage can help you live longer, reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and reduce stress levels, among other benefits of marriage.
• For those with cancer, being in a healthy marriage seems to increase the odds of living longer. However, if you are unmarried and living with cancer, avoiding isolation and tapping in to your network of family and friends can provide similar benefits.
• One downside? Being married increases your changes of being obese, so adopt an active, healthy lifestyle together.

The post Top 4 Health Benefits of Marriage appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you’re like a lot of folks, just the idea of making a life-long commitment to exercise and healthier habits can seem overwhelming. Maybe you just have a few pounds to lose, or a spare tire to shed around the midsection. Let’s not get crazy and insist you become a chiseled athlete!

That thought may be enough to keep you sitting on the couch, binge watching episodes of Ted Lasso.

I’ve coached many patients who honestly didn’t believe they had what it took to stick with an exercise program. I’ll let you in on a secret that I share with them: You need the highest amount of grit on the front end. Then it gets easier.

Finding the motivation to exercise is toughest when you’re out of shape and carrying those extra pounds. As someone who has climbed mountains, and run through mud and jungles, I can attest that for the person who is already exercising daily, staying motivated is just not as hard.

Once you have a mindset of resilience, commitment and perseverance, your physicality and endurance will follow.

So, if the biggest exercise hurdle is the commitment to start, what is the chemistry of commitment? It is learning how to fire up the portions of your brain that will help you stay motivated and focused.

How to Develop Healthier Habits

The recipe for commitment to exercise and healthier habits is relatively simple. You just need to remember three things: food, psychology and supplementation.

1. Food

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with motivation. Wow, sounds great! You want more of that, right? Unfortunately, high dopamine levels also jump start food cravings. Pretty soon, you’re raiding the freezer for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s instead of lacing up your athletic shoes.

The key is achieving a healthier dopamine balance in your brain. Eating foods rich in the amino acid L-tyrosine — the natural building block of dopamine — may give you a consistent low-grade sense of feeling good, and help you cut your ties with whatever you’re craving.

Foods high in L-Tyrosine include dark chocolate, oatmeal, chicken, ricotta cheese, edamame and wheat germ.

2. Keep it simple. Don’t overthink it.

Remember, you’re working on the ambition to get off the couch, not train for a marathon. If you just make a point of moving for three minutes, three or four times a day, you’re training your brain to make a commitment. The truth is that you probably won’t stop after three minutes. Most people end up doing 10 minutes at a time.

Certainly, if you are easily distracted and your mind is prone to wandering, it will be much harder for your brain to stay committed to exercise. For that three minutes (or 10 minutes), you want to be focused on moving your muscles. The next task on your list can wait.

3. One easy shortcut is supplementing with slow release caffeine and L-theanine.

This ingredient combination, widely available as Spartan Focus, sharpens your mental preparation and helps you stay in the zone. As important, it won’t give you caffeine jitters or make you nauseous.

Exercise Recommendations

No gym or special equipment required (although you do need a floor!). Our bodies are meant to lift, push, pull, jump, squat and run. Get all those movements in and you’re golden. Short bursts of structured exercise — check out HIIT workouts — boost dopamine and increase focus.

Here is an example of what that might look like:

• First set in the early morning: Find a staircase. Go up and down for three minutes or until you can’t hold a conversation, whatever happens first. Then get down on the floor and do three sets of 10 push-ups.
• Mid-day: Do jumping jacks, again for three minutes or until you can’t hold a conversation, whichever comes first. Then, find a chair. Get up and sit down on it for three sets of 20.
• End of day: Start with a light three-minute jog, to the same level as the staircase and jumping jacks. Then pick up an object that you feel is heavy for you to hold in one hand. This is about 15 to 20 lbs for most people. Find a table or chair and do single-sided bend over rows for three sets of 10 each.

It can also help to find a sport or activity that you absolutely love and want to practice more often. Take, for example, the trendy sport of pickleball that has taken country by storm. Or perhaps it’s golf, tennis or cycling.

Committing to Exercise Is Easier than You Think

So, that’s really it. Just follow these three steps and your brain chemistry will be well on its way supporting your newfound life-long commitment to fitness.

And since the true physical and emotional benefits come from exercising daily, you’ll soon be enjoying a healthier, more balanced life.

Bryce Wylde, BSc (Hon), DHMHS is a leading health expert specializing in integrative and functional medicine, homeopathy, clinical nutrition, and supplementation. As associate medical director at P3 Health in Toronto, and director of My Health Report, he blends the latest in science and technology with traditional and ancient remedies. Wylde is the author of three national best-selling books, previous host of CTV’s Wylde on Health, and is a frequent guest health expert on U.S. and Canadian TV.

The post How to Form Healthier Habits & Commit to Exercise appeared first on Dr. Axe.

We often talk about the many health benefits of dark chocolate, perhaps because it’s so darn tasty. Its impressive antioxidant profile and impact on cardiovascular health are added, guilt-reducing bonuses.

Well, good news: A new preclinical study shows that dark chocolate may also help your brain adapt to chronic stress.

Study Findings: Dark Chocolate Could Boost Stress Response

A June 2022 study published in Nutritional Neuroscience analyzed the impact of dark chocolate dietary patterns on the hippocampal CA1 brain region in rats when exposed to chronic stress.

Thirty-five rats were placed into five groups: a control group, a stress group and three groups made up of different dark chocolate dietary patterns. Rats in the “compulsory diet” received only dark chocolate for stress, rats on the “optional diet” had an option of unlimited dark chocolate or chow, and those on the “restricted diet” received chow and only four grams of dark chocolate daily.

Based on their findings, researchers concluded that the compulsory and restricted dark chocolate dietary patterns reversed the harmful effects of chronic isolation stress on the brain nerve cells that impact learning and memory processing.

Results also show that food intake and body weight decreased significantly in all dark chocolate groups.

What It Means

This is the first study of its kind, testing the impact of dark chocolate for stress by way of affecting nerve cells in the brain. The next step is to research whether or not dark chocolate impacts humans similarly.

There is already evidence that dark chocolate benefits brain health. A 2020 study found that dark chocolate consumption improved verbal episodic memory compared to white chocolate. Researchers believe that this may be due to increased cerebral blood flow from cocoa flavonoids.

A parallel-group, randomized trial published in 2019 indicates that consuming dark chocolate enhances cognitive function performance compared to white chocolate.

There’s also research on how dark chocolate impacts perceived stress. A 2014 study showed that consuming 40 grams of dark or milk chocolate daily during a two-week period is an effective way to reduce perceived stress in females.

This latest study on dark chocolate suggests that the antioxidant-rich food may have several mechanisms for boosting brain health and reducing stress in humans, which is exactly why it’s considered a happy food.

Tips to Reduce Stress

Controlling stress is a major issue among adults. Although it’s a natural feeling that can improve motivation, dealing with it constantly can have significant effects on your overall health.

To boot, stress can impact your dietary and lifestyle choices, leading to a cycle of inflammation, low mood and trouble sleeping.

There are many natural stress relievers that can help ease anxiety, reduce inflammation, improve mental clarity and promote restful sleep. Here are some of the top tips for reducing stress:

1. Daily exercise or physical activity (including walking outdoors, jogging, yoga, swimming, biking and lifting weights)
2. A nutrient-rich diet that includes high-quality protein, healthy fats, complex carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables and herbs (avoid or cut back on processed, packaged and sugary foods, alcohol, and caffeine)
3. Spending more time outdoors, taking casual walks, hiking or relaxing outside
4. Keep a journal to track and work through emotions, helping you to identify triggers and common causes of stress
5. Breathing exercises, stretching and massage
6. Using adaptogenic herbs, such as ashwagandha, ginseng, cocoa and maca
7. Engaging in daily spiritual prayer or meditation

Conclusion

• A June 2022 study published in Nutritional Neuroscience evaluated the impact of dark chocolate dietary patterns on the hippocampal CA1 brain region, which plays a role in memory and learning.
• Researchers found that rats on dark chocolate dietary patterns showed a reversal of the harmful effects of chronic isolation stress on the brain nerve cells.
• Study results also show that food intake and body weight decreased significantly among rats fed dark chocolate.
• Although human evidence is needed, this study suggests that dark chocolate plays a role in reducing the impact of chronic stress on the brain.

The post Dark Chocolate for Stress Starts in the Brain, New Study Shows appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Carotenoids are types of antioxidants that are known to contribute to eye and brain health, as well as maintenance of normal vision. They do this by fighting effects of free radical damage, also called oxidative stress.

These antioxidants are found within some of the healthiest foods available to us, such as carrots, kale, sweet potatoes, peppers and papaya. The fat-soluble plant pigments primarily show up in plants as yellow, orange or red pigments, which explains why you can obtain them from plant flowers, leaves and fruits that come in these shades.

A new study demonstrates that adding more superfoods to your diet that provide carotenoids can protect you against age-related decline in mental health and well-being, especially if you’re a woman.

Study Findings: Macular Carotenoids for Women

A 2022 study published in Nutritional Neuroscience found that higher dietary intake of carotenoids appears to be protective against visual and cognitive loss among adult women. Women were the focus of this particular study because women represent about two-thirds of all cases of dementia, as well as 70% of cases of macular degeneration. 

Which carotenoids may help lessen the risk of macular degeneration? Lutein and zeaxanthin seem to be especially important, as these specific compounds are found within tissues of the eye and brain. These are among more than 7,000 carotenoids that have been identified.

Both of these nutrients seem to play a role in preventing neurodegenerative diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (one of the leading causes of blindness) and some forms of dementia.

How do carotenoids prevent macular degeneration?

It’s been found that lutein, zeaxanthin and other carotenoids, such as mesozeaxanthin, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, including because they block light that damages the retina, as well as oxidative stress that can interfere with normal brain function.

Researchers believe that carotenoids are capable of directly improving function of the eyes and preventing central nervous system degeneration.

Lutein and zeaxanthin specifically have been found to help:

• Reduce glare disability
• Decrease eye discomfort
• Reduce photostress
• Improve chromatic contrast and visual range (e.g., the ability to see through haze)
• Improve visual processing speed
• Help with cognitive functions, including problem solving, memory and executive function (which happens mostly in areas such as the hippocampus and frontal cortex)
• Inhibit the deposition of brain β-amyloids, which are linked to higher risk for cognitive decline

Are carotenoids found in the macula?

Yes, they are the primary pigments found in the eye’s macula, which is located at the center of the retina. The macula is involved in high-acuity daylight vision— plus it helps you see colors and fine details.

How does vitamin A/beta-carotene affect the macula?

Research shows that vitamin A is another nutrient with antioxidant effects that can defend the eyes against cellular damage and age-related diseases. Like carotenoids, beta-carotene has been been reported to reduce the risk of macular degeneration by lowering oxidative stress, specially when it’s consumed from food sources as opposed to supplements.

What It Means

In order to stay mentally sharp into older age and prevent loss of vision, it’s important to consume a variety of antioxidants and phytonutrients on a regular basis.

Carotenoids— as well as other nutrients like vitamin A/beta-carotene, polyphenols, flavonoids and anthocyanin— can help prevent many health conditions tied to aging and an unhealthy lifestyle. For example, eating a diet high in antioxidants is protective against:

• Certain types of cancer
• Heart disease
• Type 2 diabetes
• Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s
• Osteoporosis/bone density loss

One meta-analysis and systematic review found that higher intake of green leafy vegetables — one of the best sources of antioxidants— was strongly linked to reduced all-cause mortality (death from all causes). Increasing your intake of leafy greens by about 100 grams per day (about one to two cups of raw greens) may reduce your risk of death by about 25%.

How to Get More Carotenoids in Diet

Studies suggest that eating antioxidant-rich foods, as opposed to taking supplements, is the best way to boost your intake of protective compounds like caronteorids. That’s because foods contain hundreds of different compounds that work synergistically, unlike supplements, which usually only provide single antioxidants.

The top dietary sources of carotenoids (which also supply you with other protective antioxidants and nutrients) are:

• Winter squash or butternut squash
• Carrots and carrot juice
• Sweet potato
• Leafy greens, like collards, spinach, kale and turnip greens
• Tomatoes
• Pumpkin
• Plantains
• Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges and tangerines)
• Cantaloupe
• Red peppers
• Papaya

Conclusion

• Many studies, including one published in 2022, suggest that higher dietary intake of certain antioxidants, such as carotenoids, can help decrease progression of eye-related diseases as well as cognitive decline.
• This seems especially important for adult women who are impacted by these conditions disproportionally.
• How does this work? Carotenoids defend the macula/retina from cellar damage that’s caused by light, oxidative stress and inflammation.
• To add more antioxidants to your diet, eat nutrient-rich foods, including leafy greens, squash, carrots, tomatoes, citrus fruits, tropical fruits like papaya and mango, peppers, and sweet potatoes.

The post Macular Carotenoids Support Vision, Brain Health & Longevity appeared first on Dr. Axe.

One of the most underrated aspects of health is sleep despite the fact that research shows over and over again how vital getting the proper amount of sleep is to reach optimal health. Conversely, sleep deprivation is a serious issue that is tied to many health problems, including increased risk of chronic diseases, negative effects on mood and cognition, and so much more. So what is the ideal amount of sleep to help stave off these issues and help you operate at full speed?

That’s what a team of researchers of sought to find out in a 2022 study published in Nature Aging, and it turns out they were able to determine a recommended ideal amount of sleep for middle-aged and older adults.

Study Findings: Ideal Sleep Number for Middle, Old Age

Utilizing data from the UK Biobank, a host of Chinese and U.K. researchers from Fudan University’s Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence in Shanghai sought to determine the ideal amount of sleep to help protect cognition and mental health. Analyzing the more than 500,000 participants in the UK Biobank health study ages 38 to 73, the researchers found that seven hours of sleep among this age group was the ideal amount of sleep to support cognition and mental health.

While the study authors note this is a nonlinear link, the data showed that participants who slept less than seven hours a night and those who slept more than that per night seemed to have more difficulty learning and remembering new things, solving problems and making decisions, and paying attention. In addition, they reported experiencing more symptoms of depression and anxiety, along with worse overall well-being.

The study authors noted, “We found a beneficial association with cognitive function and mental health with a sleep duration of approximately 7 h in a middle-aged to older adult population.”

They concluded:

… nonlinear associations between sleep duration and mental health, cognitive function and brain structure were found in a large cohort of middle-aged to older participants from the UK Biobank. The most significant brain structures were found to include the precentral cortex, the lateral orbitofrontal cortex and the hippocampus. Given the role of the hippocampus in memory processes and in Alzheimer’s disease, the nonlinear association between sleep duration and this brain region is of particular importance. Furthermore, baseline non-optimal sleep duration was significantly associated with decreased cognitive function and increased psychiatric symptoms on follow up. Our findings have emphasized the importance of sleep regulation for cognition, mental health and well-being of adults. In addition, we identified a possible unified pathway that includes genetics and brain mechanisms.

While these results show that seven hours of sleep appears to be the sweet spot for optimal mental and brain health, the researchers emphasized the results exhibit a nonlinear association, not necessary a direct connection.

“While we can’t say conclusively that too little or too much sleep causes cognitive problems, our analysis looking at individuals over a longer period of time appears to support this idea,”Jianfeng Feng, a professor at China’s Fudan University and an author of the study, said in a statement shared with CNN. “But the reasons why older people have poorer sleep appear to be complex, influenced by a combination of our genetic makeup and the structure of our brains.”

What It Means

This study provides evidence that the ideal amount of sleep seems to benefit cognitive and mental health, which isn’t surprising, and the recommended seven hours of sleep seems to make sense given that our ancestors slept a little under 6.5 hours per night, according to research from UCLA. Yes, that’s less than seven hours per night, but when taking into consideration the extremely different lifestyles today compared to hundreds of years ago, the slight difference makes sense.

However, seven hours may not necessarily be the ideal target for everyone. Some people function best with a little more or a little less sleep, as just like many other aspects of health, it really can depend on the individual.

Still, it’s definitely a good idea to aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night, and it’s a good idea to track your focus and mood and compare it with the amount of sleep you got that day. This could help you determine the ideal amount of sleep for you.

Tips for Better Sleep

To support optimal sleep and boost brain health, try natural sleep aids, such as:

• sleep-promoting foods, such as those with tryptophan
• calcium
• magnesium
• essential oils for sleep, including bergamot and lavender
• passion flower
• valerian root
• St. John’s wort

You can also try sleep meditation and take melatonin, but be careful not to take melatonin every night for a long period of time. Research shows that taking too much melatonin can be risky.

Other ways to promote better sleep include:

• managing stress
• avoiding blue light at night
• increasing exposure to natural light during the daytime
• exercising
• adjusting your diet
• creating a bedtime routine

Conclusion

• Sleep deprivation and oversleeping can play a part in a host of health issues, particularly on brain health.
• A 2022 study looked to identify the ideal amount of sleep to support cognition, mental health and overall well-being. Examining U.K. data from a health study involving adults ages 38 to 73, researchers found that seven hours of sleep appeared to be the sweet spot for optimal health.
• To help reach the ideal amount of sleep and keep the brain in tip-top shape, utilize natural sleep aids, set a bedtime routine and make sure you get the ideal amount of sleep for you, with seven hours a good target based on research.

The post Researchers Try to Nail Down Ideal Amount of Sleep appeared first on Dr. Axe.

A boring life may not be something many of us strive for, but the truth is, occasional boredom may actually have a number of health benefits.

That’s right — allowing yourself to be bored more often can pay off in terms of your productivity, creativity and ability to handle stress. On the other hand, if you force yourself to be focused and productive 24/7, you might actually be self-sabotaging your ability to be calm and content long term.

Psychologists believe there’s a happy medium when it comes to boredom: We don’t want to experience too much or too little. Let’s look at what causes boredom, what types of problems and perks it can lead to, plus the best ways to handle it when it arises.

What Is Boredom?

Boredom is defined as the state of being bored, meaning lacking enthusiasm or interest.

You can think of boredom as a deficit in meaning. It happens when you aren’t engaged in anything active or you are doing something but you don’t care about it.

According to experts who have studied boredom, there are three different types:

• mundane boredom, such as waiting in line
• profound malaise, meaning a feeling of discontent with the general experience of life
• ineffable deficit, or feeling like something is missing, usually something that is familiar to us

In other words, what’s called “simple boredom” (or mundane) seems to be easier to manage and even beneficial, since it can cause us to notice more things around us and seek out interesting tasks. On the other hand, “existential boredom” describes as a sense of emptiness and alienation, which can take a toll on one’s mental health.

Symptoms/Causes

What does boredom do to a person?

Ultimately it depends on the individual, since some enjoy downtime and boring moments more than others.

Boredom can sometimes lead to behaviors and symptoms such as:

• Feelings of restlessness and anxiety
• Fatigue
• Emotional eating
• Brain fog
• Sadness or disappointment — in other words, the sensation that something is missing or that we’re missing a worthwhile opportunity (aka FOMO)
• Depression symptoms — depression can have a connection to boredom, which experts believe might be due to how some bored people perceive their lives; they may think that they lack meaningful relationships, purpose, passion, imagination or initiative
• Higher risk for substance abuse (researchers shows that teenagers who report being bored frequently may be 50% more likely to start smoking, drinking and using illegal drugs compared to non-bored peers)
• Higher risk for reckless acts, like driving dangerously, dropping out of school, becoming unemployed or gambling irresponsibly

What causes boredom?

What are the underlying reasons why we feel bored? Experts believe that the main causes of boredom include a lack of meaning (we don’t care much about something we’re doing) and a breakdown in attention (we can’t seem to focus on a task or activity).

When we’re in a situation that doesn’t feel engaging or seems pointlessness, this is when boredom strikes.

There are lots of different times in our lives when we might feel bored, such as:

• When doing monotonous chores around the house.
• When driving or commuting to work.
• When exercising, if we don’t find the activity to be fun or rewarding.
• When having conversations with people we don’t find interesting.
• When watching, listening to or reading something that we find dull.

Certain personality traits make people more susceptible to being bored, including low self-control, anxiety symptoms, impulsivity, depression, and substance use. Those with certain personality disorders, such as borderline personality disorder, may also struggle with feeling bored, which can cause anxiety.

Those who struggle with fatigue, due to health issues or poor sleep, may also find themselves in boring situations more often because they lack the energy to seek out fun experiences. Even people who have suffered certain brain disorders or head trauma that impact the orbitofrontal cortex are more prone to boredom, since this area of the frontal lobe affects feelings of reward.

Interestingly, researchers have found that people tend to experience the most boredom when they are teenagers and the least when they are in their 50s. It makes sense that there would be less boring moments midlife because this is when most people have the most responsibilities, such as work, family, school, volunteering, hobbies, etc.

Boredom tends to increase slightly among the elderly, as this is when many people are retired, socialize less, have less energy and may be more cognitively impaired.

Potential Benefits of Boredom

Here’s the good news: Although it doesn’t feel very exciting to be bored, if you lean in to the experience it can actually wind up improving your life. As one article published by Psychology Today put it: “Boredom is a catalyst for change and an opportunity for reflection.”

Potential benefits boredom can include:

• Increasing self-awareness about what you do and don’t enjoy.
• Tapping in to your imagination and creativity, in part because you’re more likely to daydream when bored. Boredom can be especially helpful for children because it encourages self-entertainment and self-reliance.
• Boosting relationship skills and conflict resolution, since it gives you the opportunity to think over past arguments or mistakes.
• Encouraging you to rethink your priorities and shift to something more fulfilling. (For example, if you’re frequently very bored at work you might choose to consider another career.)
• Making you seek out novel experiences, which can open your mind and perspective.
• Reducing procrastination. If you have free time, this can be the push you need to start a project or complete a task. That being said, some people use procrastination and boredom to avoid confronting painful thoughts.

How to Relieve/Treat Boredom

How can you relieve boredom, and also importantly, should you even try to?

The key to using boredom and downtime to your benefit is to find activities that are both meaningful and engaging. Here are some ideas for doing that:

1. Less Screen Time, More Self-Care

Instead of scrolling on your phone or other devices when you have spare time, use the opportunity to unplug and focus on self-care, such as by meditating, doing breathing exercises, taking a walk outside or straightening up your living space.

Researchers believe that lots of electronic device use during free time, including social media use, can increase anxiety and depression. If you use this time to take care of yourself in other ways, you’re much more likely to feel calm, content and clear-headed, which helps you deal with stress.

2. Get Into a Flow State

A “flow state” describes being fully engaged in a task. It happens when a task is neither too hard or too easy, but just hard enough that it requires our full effort and concentration.

It’s naturally rewarding to be in flow and basically the opposite of being bored.

What are some ways to get into flow? Pick an activity that challenges you, and do it while undistracted. Try:

• a different type of exercise or sport
• a new board game or computer game
• something creative, like making art of music
• riding your bike somewhere scenic
• concentrating on a work project 30 minutes straight
• building something with your hands

3. Combine Something Stimulating With Something Boring

When you’re doing something mundane, such as chores or commuting, try also doing something that’s enjoyable at the same time. For example, redirect your attention to a different activity, such as listening to music or a podcast or doodling when studying, cleaning or exercising.

4. Sharpen Your Mental Abilities

To keep your brain in tip-top shape as you age, do things that stimulate your mind, such as crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, learning a new language or new recipes, taking an outline course, and so on. Bonus: Many of these are great for improving your focus and memory.

No matter your age, when you’re sitting around daydreaming or relaxing, you can also try planning or preparing for the day or week to come.

Make mental lists in your mind, or try practicing visualization, in which you imagine in detail how a scenario will turn out. You can also mentally list things that you’re grateful for that happened that day, which is great for lowering stress.

5. Use Your Skills and Talents for Something Meaningful

Find activities that give you both a sense of agency and that contribute to the greater good. You can volunteer your time or resources to a local organization, or do something such as writing helpful blog posts giving other people advice.

When you use your free time to make other people’s lives better, it’s a win-win, since it also boosts your happiness and sense of meaning at the same time.

Conclusion

• When we’re bored, we lack enthusiasm or interest. We might be doing nothing at all or doing something that doesn’t hold our attention or doesn’t seem to have a real purpose.
• What are symptoms and signs of boredom? There are both pros and cons of boredom. Too much can cause anxiety, restlessness and depression, while too little doesn’t leave enough time for us to rest, reflect and be imaginative.
• Psychologists believe that a little boredom is a good thing because it has the power to motivate us to pursue new goals and novel experiences. It can help improve self-awareness, conflict resolution and planning.
• If you find yourself in boring situations more often that you’d like, seek out activities that are simulating, new and meaningful. You can volunteer, read, exercise, make art, listen to music, cook or clean.

The post The Surprising Benefits of Boredom appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Anger is a normal and healthy human emotion that is linked to physiological and biological changes. While it’s an important emotion that allows people to express their emotions, the intensity of anger varies, and anger management is critical for maintaining control.

When you aren’t able to deal with adversity or disagreements in a positive, constructive way, it can impact your relationships, work environment, family life and more. Using anger management techniques like calming your mind, taking a break and using logic to think through the situation helps you deal with these situations in a purposeful, mature and healthy manner.

What Is Anger?

Anger is an expression of displacement and frustration. We instinctively express anger with aggression, although the intensity of the response varies from mild irritation to full-on rage.

Researchers explain the expression of anger as the exploration of an environment and establishment of sense of personal control over one’s own actions, conflict negotiation and defense of personal integrity.

It can be triggered by many factors, including an argument or altercation, feeling attacked or disrespected, dealing with an unforeseen situation, and more. Controlled anger is normal and actually needed for human survival, but anger management is important, especially if you are easily triggered and often lash out at even small setbacks.

There are approaches to expressing or dealing with anger, including expressing it, suppressing it and calming your feelings. It’s beneficial to express your anger in an assertive, yet respectful and controlled manner. In fact, unexpressed or suppressed anger has been shown to cause a buildup of negative feelings, tension and resentment, and it can cause you to turn your anger inward.

Calming your anger or practicing anger management means that you’re controlling your response and taking measures to approach the issue from a clear-headed place. It does not mean that the anger is being suppressed, but instead it’s addressed in a healthy, productive way.

How Anger Can Negatively Benefit Health

Chronic anger or being angered easily can impact your mental and physical health and hinder your relationships, career and more. The “hot headed” person in the office or family may not be trusted to maintain a healthy, meaningful relationship.

Feelings of anger can increase your cortisol levels, the stress hormone that allows for your natural fight or flight response. In normal amounts, cortisol is perfectly normal and healthy, but chronic increased cortisol can cause some major health concerns.

Researchers have found that chronic anger or antagonist behavior can contribute to the following:

• headaches
• appetite changes
• weight gain or loss
• high blood pressure
• heart disease
• blood sugar fluctuations
• sleep disorders
• acne and other skin conditions
• digestion problems
• fatigue

Anger Management Techniques

When it comes to anger management, there are techniques you can use in the moment to help you better deal with the situation. Remember that you don’t want to suppress the anger, but face it from a calm, logical headspace so that you can move on in a healthy way.

1. Take a Beat

Anger or rage often occurs in the moment and can be expressed spontaneously, with little control. While this reaction is natural when faced with a trigger that causes negative feelings, it will be much better handled if you take a moment to decompress and better understand the conflict.

Taking a moment to think about the issue before reacting to it will allow you to process the cause of anger and formulate a plan on how to deal with it.

2. Find Your Calm

Use relaxation techniques like deep breathing, repetition of positive reinforcements or words (like “relax” or “be calm”), taking a walk outdoors alone, or visualizing a safe, happy place to put your mind at ease in a moment of anger. These stress relievers will help with anger management and allow you to deal with the situation from a clearheaded space.

3. Identify Triggers

Anger can be caused by internal and external triggers. Negative or traumatic memories can cause anger, and so can altercations with co-workers or loved ones, financial pressures, traffic or car trouble (road rage), and events that don’t turn out as planned.

There are many factors in a given day that can cause anger — that’s normal to some degree — but if you find yourself triggered by the same things repeatedly, then you can better prepare for these situations.

Remember that logic can defeat anger in a moment. If a trigger sets you off, focus on restructuring the way you think about the situation. This is called cognitive restructuring, and it allows you to think about things differently, in a rational way that makes you better able to deal with the problem in a healthy way.

4. Communicate Your Feelings

A major cause of anger is feeling unheard, unappreciated or disrespected. In fact, research indicates that even in challenging work settings, like staff in the emergency department, practicing communication techniques is effective in giving employees tools to address their own feelings and expressions of anger in difficult situations.

While feelings linked to anger can be hard to acknowledge and communicate, suppressing them will only turn your anger inward and can cause feelings of regret or resentment. To deal with anger in a healthy way, focus on communicating your feelings honestly and calmly.

5. Take a Walk Outdoors

Taking a walk outdoors for anger management will help lift your mood and calm your body. Research shows that exposure to natural scenes has stress-reducing effects and helps improve a negative mood.

Other Ways to Control Anger

In addition to tools that you can use for anger management when you’re faced with a difficult or anger-promoting situation, there are also long-term actions you can take to improve your overall mood and health.

1. Get Enough Rest

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that there are important consequences of everyday sleep loss on anger, and sleepiness can cause issues with anger management.

2. Exercise Daily

Exercise is a natural stress reliever, and it can certainly help with anger management, especially if you’re dealing with chronic anger or enduring a stressful situation that you can’t control. Exercising releases powerful endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that act like mood-lifters.

A 2008 study published in Pediatric Exercise Science suggests that aerobic exercise may reduce or prevent the increase in anger expression, which researchers found to be true among overweight children who participated in an after-school exercise program.

3. Try Meditation or Quiet Time

A study published in Consciousness and Cognition examined the effects of meditation of both experienced and novice meditators who reported feelings of anger. Researchers found that both groups experienced signs of relaxation, including slowed breathing and heart rate, and decreased blood pressure after meditating.

4. Check Your Diet

Nutrient deficiencies can cause hormone imbalance, low energy and mood changes. We need a steady supply of essential nutrients, including healthy fats, amino acids, antioxidants, electrolytes, vitamins and minerals, to help our brains better manage emotions.

Focus on eating a well-balanced diet that’s low in processed foods, sugary foods and refined vegetable oils. Reduce your alcohol and caffeine intake, as consumption of these beverages can impact your mood.

The foods that you want to make sure are part of your daily diet include:

• Healthy fats and omega-3 foods, like wild salmon, avocado, nuts, seeds and olive oil
• High-quality proteins, including grass-fed beef, organic poultry, eggs, lentils and quinoa
• Leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables and fresh fruits

5. Seek Professional Support

If you’re dealing with chronic, uncontrolled anger, then seeking professional support is recommended. A licensed mental health professional can help you identity triggers and use anger management techniques to deal with them in a healthy, sustainable way.

Conclusion

• Anger is an expression of displacement and frustration. We instinctively express anger with aggression, although the intensity of the response varies from mild irritation to full-on rage.
• Anger management is when you use techniques to deal with feelings of anger and express them in a healthy, productive way.
• You don’t want to suppress anger, but confront the trigger in a calm way. When you are dealing with a situation that contributes to anger, take a break, and relax your mind. Perhaps take a walk outdoors ,or restructure the situation in your mind so it feels more approachable.
• Other ways to practice anger management for the long term are to get enough rest, exercise daily, eat a healthy diet and meditate.

The post How Anger Management Techniques Benefit Mental and Physical Health appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you’ve reached out to a therapist for help dealing with difficult emotions, there’s a chance that dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) may be recommended.

What is DBT used to treat? DBT therapy was originally introduced in the 1980s as a form of psychotherapy suited best for people with borderline personality disorder, which is characterized by intense and difficult emotions, mood instability, and a distorted view of oneself.

People with borderline personality disorder often struggle with feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, depression, impulsivity and stressful relationships.

As DBT has gained more attention — and has been shown in many studies to improve self-esteem, emotional control and coping skills when faced with stress — it’s been adapted to treat other mental health conditions, such as bipolar disorder, substance abuse and suicidal behaviors.

What Is Dialectical Behavior Therapy?

What does DBT mean? It stands for dialectical behavior therapy, which is a type of psychotherapy in which people learn to manage negative emotions and conflicts.

“Dialectical” means “relating to the logical discussion of opposing ideas and opinions.” In other words, dialectical behavior therapy involves conversations about contradicting beliefs.

The underlying notion of DBT is that two opposing ideas can both be true at the same time, meaning there are different ways to view any situation.

During DBT sessions, patients and therapists discuss how the patient is feeling and what types of thoughts the patient is having that are contributing to behaviors and problems. Then, the discussion turns to looking at different perspectives.

The goal isn’t to completely change someone’s point of view, but to open the person up to the idea that there’s both positive and negative aspects associated with every person and every life event. This mindset is helpful for getting unstuck from extreme moods and also brings more balance into people’s lives.

DBT Focus and Techniques

DBT therapy is simultaneously about both acceptance and change. Self-acceptance is a big component, since this is the basis of positive behavioral change.

What are the four focuses of DBT?

Dialectical behavior therapy focuses on four key areas:

1. Mindfulness and Acceptance

The first step is gaining self-awareness about the present situation and then working on acceptance. This can include acceptance of oneself, others in one’s life and the current circumstances.

The idea is that a problem cannot be solved until it is first accepted. This step combined with the next one requires someone to acknowledge and feel feelings, rather than denying or escaping them.

2. Distress Tolerance

The second step is all about improving how one handles difficulties and negative feelings, including stress, anger, sadness, disappointment, hurt and so on. This is done with help from stress-relieving techniques, such as mind-body practices like deep breathing, journaling, etc., that are useful for calming down racing thoughts and physical tension.

While getting rid of all stress isn’t realistic, it’s possible to learn to cope better with stress and still be productive despite it.

3. Emotion Regulation

Next, the goal is to learn to adjust one’s emotions that are disrupting the patient’s life. A focus here is on broadening one’s perspective and also avoiding black and white thinking (also called “all-or-nothing thinking”), instead staying open to different points of view.

One way to remain open to new opinions and possibilities is to replace the word BUT with AND, such as: “This conversation is tough AND helpful.”

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness

This step involves learning communication techniques that help improve and strengthen relationships, rather than escalating conflicts.

What’s the difference between CBT and DBT?

CBT, which stands for cognitive behavioral therapy, is one of the most popular types of psychotherapy. It’s used to help treat anxiety, depression, substance abuse and many other mental health problems.

DBT is actually one form of CBT. The main difference is that with DBT there’s more emphasis on acceptance strategies and self-acceptance before trying to change behaviors.

DBT essentially adds on another layer to CBT: the need for self-validation and accepting oneself just the way he or she is. While behavioral change is one goal of DBT (just like CBT), acceptance needs to happen first in order to stabilize one’s extreme emotions/moods.

How and When It Works

Today, DBT is used to help treat those with:

• Borderline personality disorder
• Bipolar disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety disorders
• Eating disorders, including bulimia and binge eating
• Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Substance abuse disorders, which commonly occur with other mental health issues
• Suicidal thoughts and behaviors

In many cases, if someone works with a DBT therapist that person will attend both individual therapy sessions and group therapy sessions. DBT skills are practiced one-on-one between a therapist and client, as well as with a group setting that helps participants learn how to communicate effectively.

Homework and phone calls between sessions are also commonly involved.

In terms of how long it takes to see progress, most people require at least six months of regular outpatient therapy to see substantial improvements in their moods and quality of life. If someone attends an inpatient program, about five to six weeks is enough time to benefit considerably.

Consistency is very important, meaning attending regular weekly meetings and sessions, since this helps build skills most effectively.

Benefits

According to psychotherapists, DBT therapy offers patients some of the following benefits:

• Builds self-esteem and self-trust.
• Decreases emotional volatility (such as extreme mood swings).
• Improves coping skills in difficult situations, such as by lowering one’s “fight or flight” stress response and physical arousal.
• Reduces conflict in relationships by improving communication and respect, even when people need to assert themself.
• May help decrease substance abuse and suicidal thoughts.

How to Do It (Plus Other Considerations)

If you want to start using DBT to improve your mental health and outlook, it’s best to first work with a licensed and trained mental health professional, such as a psychologist, psychotherapist or social worker.

Look for a therapist who has been trained specifically in DBT, since this type of therapy requires certain skills. You also need to feel connected with the therapist and trust him or her.

A comfortable and trusting client-patient relationship is very important for DBT, so be sure to work with someone whom you feel you can open up to and who sees you in the best light possible.

Can you practice DBT on your own at home?

Yes. Much like with CBT, you can use DBT techniques on your own to change your mindset, improve your outlook on life, and gain skills that help you deal with stress and conflict.

Here are some ways to focus on both acceptance and change (the basis of DBT) and go about building your tolerance to stress:

• Guided meditation, which helps you learn to acknowledge and accept the present moment. Meditation is all about observing what’s happening both inside and outside of yourself, experiencing sensations in your body that are tied to emotions, and allowing your thoughts and feelings to come and go instead of judging or fighting them.
• Journaling about what you can and can’t change. This helps you recognize that some things are just out of your control and not worth stressing over, but you do usually have some choices (including how you react in any situation).
• Cold temperature exposure, such as cold showers, splashing your face with cold water or holding ice cubes in your hand. This gives you something physical to focus on when your mind is racing and can give you a shot of adrenaline, which lifts your mood.
• Intense exercise, which releases “feel good”chemicals, including endorphins. Yoga can also be helpful if you find gentler exercises to be a better fit for you.
• Deep breathing exercises, such as diaphragmatic breathing or box breathing. (Breathe in for four seconds and out for six to eight seconds.)
• Progressive muscle relaxation (similar to body scan meditations), in which you release tense muscles throughout your body.
• Visualization, in which you picture yourself somewhere calm doing something relaxing.
• Taking care of your body, including by sleeping enough, eating a healthy diet, taking any medications that you’ve been prescribed and avoiding mood-altering drugs (like alcohol and others) that can lead to anxiety and depression.

Risks and Side Effects

Like any other type of therapy, DBT is not guaranteed to help everyone. It’s generally not recommended for individuals with intellectual disabilities or uncontrolled schizophrenia.

For those who have experienced trauma, such as people with PTSD, it’s recommended that DBT be combined with other treatment approaches that involve trauma processing. If substance abuse is an issue, other techniques might also be used to help the patient deal with withdrawal symptoms.

The best way to know if DBT therapy can be helpful for you is to contact a therapist who is trained in DBT. The therapist can evaluate your situation.

Remember to discuss any medications you’re taking or have been prescribed with your therapist, and never stop taking prescribed medications without guidance, since this can alter your mood and potentially lead to issues, such as depression.

Conclusion

• DBT stands for dialectical behavior therapy, which is a type of psychotherapy in which people learn to manage negative emotions and conflicts.
• DBT therapy was first created for people with borderline personality disorder but is now used to help treat many issues, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and PTSD.
• There are four focuses in DBT: acceptance of the present moment, distress tolerance, emotional regulation and respectful communication with others.
• Benefits of this type of therapy include improving self-esteem, self-reliance, relationships, communications skills, and the ability to function even when stressed or upset.

The post How Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Works + Benefits appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Wind rustling through the leaves of a mighty white oak. The pretty, thin whistle of the white-throated sparrow. The trickle of a stream as it ripples by.

These are the woodland sounds that bring me peace, and now there’s evidence proving what many of us already suspect — nature sounds prime our bodies for better health.

(In some cases, even more so than a meditation app!)

Study Findings: Woodland Sounds Boost Well-Being

In 2019, British researchers set out to see if common noises you can hear in a forest actually improve a person’s well-being.

They exposed 600 study participants to silence, woodland sounds and a meditation app.

Here are some of the key findings:

• When people listened to nature sounds, they experienced a 30% increase in relaxation.
• Those listening to a meditation app reported no boost in relaxation.
• Woodland sounds also elicited a 24% reduction in stress and a 19% lower rate of anxiety.

Here’s how study participants ranked their preference for sounds in the woods:

1. Birdsong
2. A running stream
3. Wind rustling tree leaves
4. Silence
5. Twigs snapping underfoot
6. Animal noises
7. Wind whistling through trees
8. Rain falling on leaves
9. Tree seeds hitting the ground
10. Squelching of mud

“There is a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating that experience of nature can benefit health and wellbeing, including recovery from everyday psychological stress,” sys Eleanor Ratcliffe, Ph.D., lecturer in environmental psychology at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.

“Much of this research has focused on visual experiences, but more recent work has shown that the sounds of the outdoors, such as birdsong, wind, and water, can also improve mood and reduce stress. These sounds offer a way to connect with nature no matter where you are.”

Maybe it’s time we all carved out more time to listen to nature.

Other Benefits of Being Outdoors in Nature

Forest bathing, the act of mindfully immersing yourself in a forest setting, has been shown to elicit a host of positive benefits, including:

• Boosted immune function
• Lower blood pressure
• A more balanced nervous system
• Stress reduction
• Improved creativity
• Reduced neural activity in an area of the brain linked to risk for mental illness

More and more conservation biologists are discovering the potent benefits of natural acoustic soundscapes, and there’s a big push underway to preserve the sounds of the national parks and beyond.

Whether you want to hear noises of a forest or other soundscapes, let the sounds of nature affect your well-being by visiting the National Park Foundation’s and Natural Park Service’s soundscapes resource, PARKTRACKS. For many of us, it’s one of the few ways to enjoy natural sounds for stress relief without the constant hum of manmade noises in the background.

If you want to do more on a collective local level, support land preservation groups, and work with city and town mangers to bring green infrastructure to your neighborhood. Who knows, maybe before you know it, you’ll be falling asleep to nighttime woodland sounds through an open window, no app required!

Conclusion

• Hearing woodland sounds boosts well-being even better than a meditation app, according to 2019 research.
• Study participants listed birdsong, a running stream and winds rustling in the wind as their top three nature sounds.
• The health benefits of green spaces often focuses on visual aspects, but emerging research suggests hearing songs from the natural environment reduces anxiety and induces relaxation, too.

The post Woodland Sounds Boost Well-Being (Even Better Than a Meditation App!) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

If you spend a decent amount of time on social media or platforms like Reddit, you may have across the unusual trend called ASMR, or “autonomous sensory meridian response.” What does ASMR seen on things like TikTok and YouTube mean?

People report experiencing ASMR — which is described as “tingling sensations” down the scalp, neck and spine, as well as feelings of relaxation and well-being — when watching calming videos or doing things that involve role playing (however they aren’t sexual in nature).

While it’s still not entirely understood how it works and how effective it might be, ASMR “triggers” (mostly videos or audio recordings) can potentially function as natural anxiety remedies for people who find it to be pleasurable. Research shows that ASMR is also potentially linked to less depression, stress, insomnia and pain.

What Is ASMR?

What exactly is ASMR? Autonomous sensory meridian response is a sensory phenomenon that is still being studied. The term is used to describe tingly sensations and other forms of pleasure that originate near the neck and extend down the body.

Autonomous sensory meridian response might sound like a complicated bodily process, but it’s actually not. It’s not even a real scientific term but instead was made up by someone on Facebook in 2010 to describe sensations that people experience when watching certain things, especially videos.

Anything that sparks ASMR sensations is known as a “trigger.” Most popular ASMR triggers/videos feature people doing ordinary things, such as:

• Whispering stories
• Repetitive movements
• Meditating and giving massages
• Making swooshing sounds
• Stirring or pouring something
• Giving people personal attention, such as by grooming or examining
• Playing with objects like paper or utensils
• Watering plants or doing other household chores
• Making crisp sounds
• Laughing
• Creating white noise, such as with a blow dryer, airline noises or vacuums
• Doing activities with slow movements

ASMR can be experienced without videos, such as by doing something creative or tactile with other people, but videos are currently the most popular trigger and way that people experiment with autonomous sensory meridian response. Popular creators of ASMR videos on YouTube even describe their work as a “form of art” and themselves as “ASMR artists.”

How Does It Work?

There hasn’t been much research specifically focused on ASMR, so it’s hard to say how it works exactly. However, we can relate the sensations that people describe, such as feeling soothed or comforted, to other types of relaxing or engaging experiences.

We can also rely on anecdotal evidence (people’s explanations of why they enjoy ASMR).

One neurologist explained to the news website Vox that ASMR most likely works via several mechanisms:

• ASMR is likely a way of activating the brain’s pleasure response. In other words, watching certain types of videos makes us feel good, so we keep doing it, which reinforces the pleasurable feelings.
• It can put people into a “flow state,” meaning they are fully engaged in the activity and focused on the present moment, which helps calm down negative thoughts. This makes ASMR similar to mindfulness practices, which have been shown in many studies to have positive effects on mental and physical health.
• It may be similar to a type of mild seizure. Believe it or not, seizures can sometime feel pleasurable and are not always damaging to the brain.
• Other research suggests ASMR triggers may promote synaesthesia, which is a neurological condition that results in a joining or merging of senses that aren’t normally connected. For example, someone experiencing synaesthesia may “hear colors” or “see sounds.”
• Additionally, it can help people feel connected to others, which is naturally comforting. The New York Times has reported: “A.S.M.R. might have something to do with socially bonding ‘affiliative behaviors,’ known to release feel-good hormones like oxytocin.”

Some evidence also points to people who experience ASMR as being highly sensitive. ASMR response has been associated with heightened external sensitivity and greater control over one’s attention toward the body and emotional state.

In other words, studies suggest that those who experience autonomous sensory meridian response may have subtle brain differences from those who don’t.

Potential Benefits

Based on what ASMR enthusiasts have shared, the greatest benefit associated with ASMR videos is that they can have mood-enhancing effects, including by being relaxing and uplifting.

A 2015 study focused on the effects of ASMR that included over 260 people found that it’s similar to a “flow-like mental state.”  Researchers found that ASMR triggers can potentially help:

• Improve people’s moods
• Reduce stress, anxiety and depression
• Potentially decrease chronic pain
• Enhance focus
• Improve sleep

Another possible benefit is that it makes people feel seen and connected to others who enjoy the same types of triggers/videos. This might decrease feelings of loneliness and serve as an outlet for stress.

As the Vox article mentioned above put it: “It’s only with the internet that people can stumble into one another and suddenly realize they’re not alone in experiencing this strange sensation.”

How to Do It

There isn’t necessarily just one way to experience ASMR, since it seems to come down to individual preferences.

In the study mentioned above, the vast majority of people who reported experiencing ASMR regularly said they preferred watching triggers/videos at night before bed in a quiet, relaxed place. This can be a part of a calming nighttime routine that can help you feel more drowsy and less alert. (Just be aware that too much screen time and blue light exposure close to bed may interfere with sleep.)

You’ll likely need to use the internet/social media to achieve autonomous sensory meridian response, such as with help from YouTube videos or recordings. You can also try using binaural headphones to improve the quality of sound. Binaural headphones play two similar tones in each ear, which seems to affect brain waves in a way that has a soothing response.

If you want to experience ASMR-like effects without using devices, try listening to audio recordings of repetitive sounds and white noise, such as wind, ocean waves, airplanes, rain, etc.

You might also choose to use ASMR triggers at other times of the day when you’re feeling stressed or distracted, such as when working out or taking a break from focusing on tasks at work.

Risks and Side Effects

Is ASMR safe? Overall, yes it is.

If someone uses autonomous sensory meridian response as a relaxation tool, it’s unlikely to cause any side effects or problems. That said, it probably won’t work for everyone.

Why is ASMR so annoying to certain people? Because everyone has different preferences, likes and dislikes (known as “neurodiversity”), not everyone responds to the same ASMR triggers or videos similarly.

This means to experience ASMR, you probably need to do some experimenting to see which types of themes you resonate with you most (if at all).

People also report that they “grow tolerant to triggers” if they listen or watch them too much. You might find ASMR videos to be somewhat appealing at first but then very annoying if you keep watching them, so try switching it up to see if this helps.

Conclusion

• Why is ASMR a thing? Autonomous sensory meridian response is a type of sensory phenomenon that researchers are still learning about. It’s gained popularity on social media and platforms like Reddit over the past decade.
• People describe ASMR as feeling like tingling, static-like sensation across the scalp and back of the neck. Many find it relaxing and capable of improving their moods.
• It is triggered by certain types of audio and visual stimuli, as well as role playing.
• Some research suggests that ASMR triggers/videos may help lower depression, stress and chronic pain.

The post ASMR: What Is Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response & Does It Work? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

What is a fear of being alone called? When a fear of being alone is intense enough, it can be called “autophobia,” which describes someone who is irrationally afraid of solitude, isolation, and being ignored or abandoned, especially during an emergency.

If you consider yourself to be an extroverted type of person, you probably prefer to be in the company of others rather than by yourself. There’s isn’t necessarily anything wrong with this mindset, unless your dislike of alone time starts to stand in the way of your mental health and happiness.

While it’s not quite the same as loneliness, autophobia and loneliness can both increase symptoms tied to chronic stress, which is why both are important to manage and treat.

What Is Autophobia? (Autophobia vs. Loneliness)

Autophobia, also sometimes called monophobia or isolophobia, is a strong fear (or phobia) of isolation and solitude.

This type of fear can kick in both when someone is actually physically alone and also when someone dreads and anticipates being left all by her or himself. (In other words, it can be an imagined fear.)

It’s not entirely known why some people develop autophobia, but experts believe it’s related to deep unconscious panic over being ignored, unloved or unsafe.

It often occurs with a history of trauma and with other anxiety symptoms and disorders. Autophobia can also overlap with other phobias, such as agoraphobia, which is extreme or irrational fear of entering open or crowded places.

What is the difference between autophobia and monophobia? Do I have monophobia?

The terms autophobia, monophobia, isolophobia and eremophobia are mostly used to describe the same type of fear: that of being abandoned and left alone.

Sometimes the term eremophobia is used to describe a deep fear of being isolated, while autophobia is an intense fear of solitude or one’s self. But overall these terms point to the same type of mental health issue and are treated in the same ways.

Autophobia vs. Loneliness:

Is autophobia basically the same thing as intense loneliness? Not exactly.

Loneliness can be uncomfortable to deal with, cause sadness or even depression, and often increases symptoms tied to stress. However, loneliness does not usually trigger extreme feelings of danger with regard to being alone. When someone is lonely, that person is not normally scared but more so sad.

Loneliness is considered a universal human emotion that is normal and common when someone is alone a lot. It’s only when the fear of being alone starts to become irrational and disrupts someone’s life that intervention is needed (although too much loneliness can be problematic for someone’s mental health, t00).

Symptoms

Autophobia has many of the same symptoms and characteristics as other related anxiety disorders — including panic attacks, hyperventilation disorders, social anxiety, PTSD, generalized anxiety, borderline personality disorder and agoraphobia.

Symptoms of autophobia can include both mental and physical symptoms. They typically include:

• Being scared of being stranded and alone. This can include intense anxiety when thinking about being alone or secluded.
• Self-hatred, low self-esteem and sometimes depression. This can be tied to fear of judgment and abandonment.
• Being afraid of not getting help in case of an emergency. This can result in fear of going out in public, crowded places where the person blends into the crowd and is ignored or overlooked.
• Fear of anything uncomfortable or unfamiliar.
• Imaging worst-case scenarios, including irrational fear of death, injury or impending disasters if someone is to become isolated (a symptom tied to generalized anxiety disorder).
• Fear of strangers, burglars, intruders or strange noises while at home.
• Going to extreme lengths to avoid being isolated.
• Fear of fainting and losing one’s mind and sense of judgment.
• Panic attacks and strong desire to flee from home.
• Physical symptoms tied to increased stress and anxiety, such as lightheadedness, sweating, shaking, nausea, loss of appetite, dry mouth, increased heart rate and trouble sleeping.
• Higher risk for substance abuse disorders (such as alcohol or marijuana to cope with stress and anxiety).
• In children, symptoms also tend to include tantrums, clinging, crying or refusing to leave a parent’s side.

Causes

Psychologists believe that phobias can stem from childhood issues such as abandonment or abuse, low self-esteem and sometimes genetic factors.

Risk factors for developing authphobia include:

• Children being abandoned by their parents when they are very young, which causes trauma and anxiety. This can result in adults being afraid that all of the important people in their lives are going to leave or abandon them.
• Being emotionally neglected or rejected by important people in one’s life.
• History of PTSD and significant life-altering experiences.
• Death of a loved one or ending of an important relationship, especially early in life (which causes fear of being without one specific and important person).
• History of poverty or financial problems.
• Unhealthy intimate relationships.
• Recent stressful event that exceeds one’s ability to cope.

Diagnosis

Is autophobia a mental illness? It’s a type of phobia, which is a form of anxiety disorder.

A psychologist or psychiatrist can diagnose someone with autophobia if the person has one or more symptoms experienced mentioned above for at least six months — such as intense fear of staying home alone, being scared to go in public, fleeing from home, etc. A diagnosis is usually made after a therapist has a lengthy conversation with the patient about symptoms, history and beliefs.

There aren’t necessarily permanent “cures” for phobias, however they can be managed with help from therapy and other interventions. This is especially important if someone’s symptoms are intense enough to disrupt general health, the ability to work and relationships.

Treatment

Autophobia is treated in much the same ways as other phobias and types of anxiety. For example, anxiety remedies like therapy, exposure, exercise and stress-relieving activities can all help.

Here’s more about treatment options for managing autophobia/fear of being alone:

1. Therapy (Usually Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

Psychotherapy is the first line of defense for most phobias. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy for people with phobias to admit they have a problem or to seek professional help, but this step is usually key for overcoming phobias.

One tool commonly used in therapy to help people overcome phobias is exposure therapy, in which someone faces fear head on in small increments so that person can gradually gain confidence in dealing with the source of fear.

Among people with autophobia, a therapist helps the client increase the amount of time alone slowly until it becomes less scary. Exposure therapy can be done in real-life situations (in vivo exposure) or using imagined situations.

Systematic desensitization is one type of exposure therapy that happens very slowly and is effective for dealing with phobias because it doesn’t worsen anxiety.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is also used to help change the client’s thought patterns and pinpoint irrational beliefs that contribute to the phobia. With help from a CBT professional, the client can improve how she perceives to fears and react by replacing irrational thoughts with more realistic and empowering ones.

If someone with a phobia experiences intense anxiety that is interfering with his quality of life, he might also be prescribed medications (such as antidepressants or benzodiazepines) to help get symptoms under control while also attending therapy.

2. Feeling More Connected When Alone

Just about everyone feels lonely and isolated at times. When someone experiences normal amounts of loneliness and mild autophobia symptoms, it can be helpful to simply add more connection to the person’s life, even when alone.

Ways to feel more connected include:

• calling others on the phone or using video chats
• listening to music or playing “background noise” to avoid prolonged silence
• listening to podcasts or watching videos online
• watching TV
• reading

3. Reaching Out to Others More

It’s not realistic or possible for most people to be surrounded by others 24/7. However, fostering more meaningful relationships and gaining social support can help dull anxiety and loneliness.

Ways to prioritize healthy relationships include:

• joining clubs or teams
• volunteering
• asking friends or family to join you for dinner or other activities
• going to a church or religious place of worship
• enrolling in a gym or fitness center

4. Establishing a Regular Self-Care Schedule to Reduce Stress

Sticking to a predictable routine can help people with anxiety reduce their fear of the unknown.

You can create a routine that helps you stay productive and limits stress by waking up and sleeping at the same times each day, exercising consistently, eating regular meals, and filling your day with other tasks and habits that fill your time and give you purpose and a sense of accomplishment.

Ideally, someone who deals with phobias should include these types of activities in their day:

• Regular exercise, especially daily walks outside if possible
• Eating an anti-inflammatory diet
• Getting enough sleep (seven to nine hours every night)
• Avoiding stimulants, including caffeine and nicotine, plus limiting use of alcohol and other drugs

5. Meditation and Mindfulness Exercises

Meditation, mindfulness exercises, deep breathing exercises, physical exercise, aromatherapy and other relaxation practices (like progressive muscle relaxation, journaling, yoga and reading) are all highly recommended for people with phobias and anxiety.

These help form a better mind-body connection, increase your ability to cope with stress, and can help you sleep and focus better so you think more clearly and feel more confident.

Conclusion

• Autophobia (also called monophobia) is an intense fear of being alone that can interfere with someone’s ability to function, relationships and quality of life.
• It’s considered a phobia because it’s irrational and not based on realistic events. It often occurs with other anxiety symptoms or disorders, such as social anxiety, depression or panic attacks.
• Treatment for autophobia usually involves therapy/counseling, exposure to the fear, managing stress by including more relaxing activities in one’s day and connecting to others more to increase self-esteem.

The post What Is Autophobia? How to Treat the Fear of Being Alone appeared first on Dr. Axe.

As we get older, our brains get a little slower just like our muscles, right? Maybe not by our 30s, but certainly by our 40s and 50s, yes?

Surprisingly, and wonderfully, a new study declares that mental speed can remain high until age 60. If simple decision-making tasks seem to take longer, it’s not because of slower cognitive processing speed; rather, it’s more to do with caution about decisions and their consequences, for example.

Let’s take a look at this study along with tips to stay mentally sharp into our twilight years.

What Is Cognitive Processing Speed?

Cognitive processing speed is the demonstrated ability to process information rapidly. As discussed in a Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience study, it’s closely related to the ability to perform high-level cognitive tasks. It’s also “often assumed to be the core issue responsible for deficits in performance on complex cognitive measures in aging populations.”

Many theories about processing speed and its relation to age persist, most of which consider there to be a definite age-induced interaction between certain decreased sensory function (such as vision and audition) and a noticeable slowing in cognitive processing speed. Some scientists have even explained that such a supposed decline in cognition and sensory function is due to the aging brain.

Simple as that, right? Not so fast.

Study Finding: Mental Speed Doesn’t Decline Until After 60

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, 1.2 million participants were analyzed to examine age differences in cognitive function, including so-called mental speed. Mental speed can be defined as the speed at which we can deal with issues requiring rapid decision-making.

The study showed that response speed in simple decision-making tasks began to decrease in early as well as middle adulthood. However, authors posit that “response times are not pure measures of mental speed but instead represent the sum of multiple processes.”

After all, our response time begins to slow as early as age 20! But this slowing of processing speed is due to increased “decision caution” and “slower non-decisional processes” rather than simple cognition issues. Decision caution sounds like wisdom, frankly, such as weighing the consequences of different answers you may give.

After the age of 60, some slowing of mental speed was observed. Regardless, this study challenged the common held belief that our mental acuity is a downward slope from an early middle age.

Tips for Staying Mentally Sharp

After that bit of good news, you probably want to know how to increase your mental speed. Remember that processing speed has nothing to do with IQ or intelligence. For example, someone with ADHD may process information more slowly but can be highly intelligent. Same story with someone who may not be a fluid speaker but can still possess high processing speed.

First, let’s first do a mental speed test to see where you’re at. A mental speed test helps measure cognitive processing speed as well as attention, with a focus on “working memory capacity.” The idea is that working on some of these mental challenges can speed up your processing speed over time.

Mental speed tests:

• Psychology Today test
• Memory Health Check test
• 4 tests from the YouTube channel Bright Side

Not so easy, eh?

Besides doing such mental speed drills (and maybe some puzzles along the way), here are some other tips to help you stay mentally sharp:

1. Consume so-called “brain foods” to boost your focus and memory

Brain foods are those that are rich in antioxidants, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. They provide your brain with energy and aid in protecting brain cells, which helps ward off development of brain diseases. Avocados, beets, berries, bone broth and broccoli make up the top five foods.

2. Keep learning new things

Challenging yourself with new tasks and “breaking out of your comfort zone” is a great way to encourage neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to form and reorganize synaptic connections in response to learning and experiences.

3. Exercise more often — ideally daily

Getting regular exercise has been shown in studies to help protect both short- and long-term memory. It helps your brain stay sharp by increasing circulation and oxygen to your brain. Plus, like the above, it boosts neuroplasticity by stimulating growth factors and neuronal connections.

4. Get more sleep

Sleep affects your focus, memory, problem-solving abilities, emotion regulation and creativity. Researchers have even found that getting enough sleep plays in a role in memory consolidation, which takes place during the deepest stages of sleep.

5. Consider taking a nootropic

Nootropics are supplements that often contain caffeine or other stimulating ingredients to help with focus. They can include adaptogen herbs, like ginseng and rhodiola, medicinal mushrooms like cordyceps, amino acids like L-carnitine, DHA/fish oil, vitamin B12, gingko biloba, and coffee or green tea extract.

6. Stop trying to multitask

Multitasking just slows the brain down and often results in less productivity. As Clifford Nass, a psychology professor at Stanford University, states, “People who multitask all the time can’t filter out irrelevancy. They can’t manage a working memory. They’re chronically distracted.” Does that describe you? Stop trying to multitask.

The post Mental Speed: Zero Slowdown to Age 60? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

With the past two years posing a whole new set of stressors that an already chronically stressed society has had to adapt to, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and emotional at any given time. Unfortunately, those emotions can often turn ugly when we’re behind the wheel, and as new research shows, sadly, road rage is on the rise in the United States.

In fact, according to a survey conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, “nearly 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the previous 30 days [of the time of the survey].”

Here’s what else the survey revealed. Drivers engaged in:

• Aggressive driving by switching lanes quickly/or very close behind another car:  26 percent (57 million drivers)
• Made rude gestures or honked at other drivers: 32 percent (71 million drivers)
• Driven 15 mph over the speed limit on a freeway: 48 percent (106 million drivers)
• Driven through a red light: 31 percent (68 million drivers)
• Passed in front of a vehicle at less than a car length: 22 percent (49 million drivers)
• Sped up when another vehicle tried to overtake you: 25 percent (55 million drivers)
• Followed vehicle in front of you closely to prevent another vehicle from merging in front of you: 34 percent (75 million drivers)
• Merged into traffic even when another driver tries to close the gap between vehicles: 28 percent (62 million drivers)

Even worse, violent road rage incidents that involve a gun have risen dramatically since the calendar flipped to the year 2020, making an already dangerous situation that much more scary and potentially even lethal.

Study Findings: Road Rage on the Rise

Gun violence has continued to be a major issue in the U.S., and added stress has only escalated the situation. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization dedicated to gun safety, set out to see how gun violence has infiltrated the roadways, particularly in the past two years.

With that, study authors Sarah Burd-Sharps, Everytown’s director of research, and Kathryn Bistline, the organization’s principal research scientist, analyzed the Gun Violence Archive’s database relating to road rage incidents involving a gun. What they found was alarming:

• From 2020-21, there has been an average of 42 people per month shot and killed or wounded in road rage shootings.
• A person was shot and injured or killed in a road rage incident about every 18 hours in 2021, up from about 22 deaths and injuries from such incidents the four years prior.
• From 2016-19, about a third of road rage incidents involving a gun ending in injury or death. From 2020-21, that rose to half of such incidents resulting in injury or death.

Ultimately, Burd-Sharps and Bistline concluded, “There’s still more research to be done on road rage shooting incidents, but one thing is clear: These trends don’t seem to be slowing. That’s why action from policymakers to prevent gun violence is more urgent now than ever.”

How to Stay Calm Behind the Wheel

It’s vitally important to remain composed while driving, and one of the best ways to do that is to keep stress in check before getting behind the wheel.

Here are some stress relievers and other natural ways to relieve stress:

• Practice yoga.
• Spend time in nature.
• Meditate.
• Exercise.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Try stress-busting supplements, such as modified citrus pectin and honokiol.
• Get acupuncture.
• Keep a journal.
• Use essential oils and adaptogen herbs.
• Utilize other forms of therapy.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety also provides the following tips for avoiding aggressive driving and road rage:

1. Don’t offend. Avoid cutting people off, driving slowly in the left lane, tailgating and making gestures toward other drivers.
2. Don’t engage. When someone else is raging at you, give them room, avoid eye contact and call the authorities if someone is antagonizing you on the road.
3. Adjust your attitude. Don’t try to “out-rage” another driver on the road in order to “win” the spat. Be empathetic, putting yourself in the other person’s shoes, and if you think you have a road rage problem, ask for help and seek anger management treatment.

Conclusion

• Research from AAA and Everytown for Gun Safety shows aggressive driving and road rage are on the rise.
• Worse yet, road rage resulting in gun violence has risen since 2020, with an average of 42 people getting shot and wounded or killed per month in road rage incidents.
• It’s best not to get behind the wheel when you’re overly stress. Try to relieve stress and calm your nerves before driving.
• In order to avoid road rage incidents, AAA suggests you don’t offend, don’t engage and adjust your attitude while driving.

The post Study: Violent Road Rage Is on the Rise appeared first on Dr. Axe.

It’s indisputable. The amount of time the average human spends outdoors is greatly reduced compared to previous generations. Did you know that nearly half of the U.S. population doesn’t participate in any outdoor recreation at all? And that 90 percent of our time is spent indoors?

Why? It’s largely because, at the end of the day, electronics dominate our days (and evenings). And during the pandemic, many (particularly in dense cities) spent even more time indoors, to the detriment of their mental and physical health — this included higher depression and anxiety .

But no matter how many studies show us that time in nature can lead to a range of health benefits, including better physical health and less stress, we are stubborn creatures and find bad habits hard to break.

Maybe a “doctor’s order” will snap us out of it? That’s the hope of a group of Canadian doctors who are now issuing a prescription for a national parks pass. You heard that right.

A new partnership between Park Prescriptions (Canada’s first national nature prescription program) and Parks Canada, prescriptions are now given to Canadians to spend more time in a national park, national historic site, or national marine conservation area.

National Park Prescriptions

Canada’s Park Prescriptions (PaRx) campaign began in 2019 and was inspired by Park Rx America (PRA) in the U.S., which began with the simple belief that nature-rich areas should be accessible to all and incorporated into our daily routines.

Spending time in and around nature is the single most important first-step to improving both human and planetary health. PRA is committed to educating healthcare professionals and the public, and to providing the tools to meet each individual’s unique needs.

Rather than resorting to only pharmaceutical prescriptions, the goal of the Canadian program was to arm health-care professionals with new tools to encourage their patients to get out in nature much more often, to the benefit of their mental and physical health. The standard recommendation is around two hours of time in nature per week, with at least 20 minute bouts. It can be something rigorous such as a bike ride or hike, but also even gardening or sitting on a park bench.

Since the park pass prescription was added, the PaRx network more than doubled to over 2,500 possible prescribers.

Health Benefits of Being Outdoors

We’ve written articles about both forest bathing (aka shinrin-yoku) and ecotherapy (aka nature therapy), as both promise health benefits. A Japanese concept, forest bathing involves you immersing yourself in naturally beautiful and health-boosting forest surroundings by using your various senses of sight, hearing, smell, etc.

Ecotherapy, also called ecopsychology, is a mental health approach that utilizes the positive effects of nature to lift one’s sense of well-being. It involves spending time outdoors in various ways, such as gardening, exercising outside, or simply laying on the beach or chilling in a park.

You also breath better air, as indoor air pollution is very real and often at levels significantly higher than what you’d find outside.

Too often we don’t get outside time into our schedule because we’re “too busy” and maybe the weather isn’t conducive, but if only we knew how profound the health benefits were. Here are just a few promoted by Park Rx America that hopefully will convince you to make going outside, including visiting a national park, much more of a priority as well as more frequent.

Physical health benefits include:

• Increasing outdoor play in preschoolers decreases BMI.
• Exercising outside confers greater physical and mental health benefits than exercising indoors.
• Several studies show that forest bathing sessions decrease blood pressure.
• Individuals living in areas with more greenspace have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Time outdoors is directly related to improved sleep.
• Forest bathing significantly improved immune function and decreased stress.

Mental health benefits include:

• People with depression who regularly walk in nature exhibit an improved mood.
• Time in nature significantly decreases anxiety and stress in children.
• Nature can majorly reduce cortisol levels, a physiologic measure of stress — as shown by those who participated in forest bathing sessions.
• Time in nature appears to significantly reduce ADHD symptoms.

Lastly, consider these benefits from hiking or even camping:

• Not only does hiking help improve aerobic fitness and endurance, but it’s also a natural stress reliever.
• Benefits of hiking can include improved resilience against anxiety and depression, strength, bone density, balance, heart health, and weight management.
• Sleeping outside with the natural light helped study participants wake up two hours earlier and synced their sleep cycles with their natural internal clocks.
• Camping also benefits your health and happiness in other ways by reducing symptoms of depression, minimizing negative thinking and increasing levels of vitamin D in the body.

Conclusion

On top of how this park prescription movement can assist individual health, it also can boost climate health. People who spend more time in nature are much more prone to appreciate it as well as protect it.

The Wellness Coordinator for the Salt Lake County Health Department, Sadie May, reported that the PRA was a great success for the employees after they decided to participate in this national park prescription program.

[With the pandemic], employees were in desperate need of a wellness activity to help them boost their mental health, physical wellness and spiritual well-being. PRA was an extremely delightful program for our participants with 84 percent reporting they are very likely or likely to complete their Park Rx after the program’s completion.

So it’s time for you to ask your own healthcare provider for a nature prescription. Even better, write your own nature prescription!

The post “Nature Prescription”: Doctors in Canada Prescribe National Park Passes appeared first on Dr. Axe.

As we age, it’s not uncommon to experience memory challenges. You may think this is due to a decline in brain function, but recent research suggests that in many cases, it’s actually a result of data overload. Your working memory doesn’t lack information but has too much of it to sift through, which is called “brain clutter.”

Accumulating information over time can make detail retrieval more difficult, according to these findings, but mental clutter isn’t always a bad thing — it’s a sign of wisdom and enables deeper, more creative thoughts.

Study: Mental Clutter Shapes Cognition

A March 2022 review published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences indicates that among older adults, episodic memory, or the representations of events, is more cluttered than it is for younger adults. This brain clutter can also be described as a richness of memory, with layers of information that are built up over time.

According to researchers, “cluttered representations” might include target information, recently activated but no-longer-relevant information, prior knowledge and irrelevant information — all working together to address a current environment. These representations are bits of data or memory that can interfere with the retrieval of information that’s needed in the moment, thereby causing mental clutter.

These findings highlight that, for older adults, it’s not too little information being stored in their brains, but too much. Their memories are so rich that it can be hard to decipher needed vs. irrelevant information when it comes time to retrieve it.

Effects of Cluttered Memory

Cluttered memory means that a person has acquired so much information that it becomes different to retrieve a specific memory when it’s needed in the moment. The effects of brain clutter may include the following:

• trouble controlling your attention
• impaired memory
• brain fog
• trouble finding target information

On the other hand, a cluttered memory isn’t always a bad thing. The accumulation of information can be useful in many circumstances. Plus, it enhances creativity and allows for deeper thinking.

How to Clear Brain Clutter

This recent research shows that mental clutter can affect your ability to use relevant information in the moment and control your attention, but there are ways to improve your memory naturally.

1. Avoid Excess Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners

Eating foods that are high in sugar or artificial sweeteners will make it much harder to stay focused and maintain healthy energy levels. It’s also important to avoid refined carbohydrates that are often found in packaged foods and baked goods.

Instead, focus on eating fruits, vegetables and ancient grains, which are all nutrient-rich, boost energy and reduce inflammation.

2. Eat High-Quality Protein and Healthy Fats

The amino acids in protein foods and essential fatty acids in healthy sources of fat support the proper function of brain chemicals. Essential fatty acids also promote the production of happiness hormones, support cognitive function and reduce inflammation.

Add high-quality sources of protein and healthy fats to your diet, including grass-fed beef, organic poultry, eggs, wild fish, nuts, seeds, avocado and coconut oil.

3. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep is one of the most reliable ways to improve brain function. Getting adequate rest supports hormone balance and healthy energy levels.

4. Reduce Stress

Increased stress, especially when it’s chronic, can be detrimental to cognitive health. Stress increases cortisol levels, which impacts your mood, energy, appetite, sleep and more. It also reduces your ability to produce enough dopamine, which helps keep you focused and motivated.

5. Move Your Body

Daily movement or exercise helps to reduce stress, increase energy, improve sleep, balance hormones and reduce inflammation. Engaging in physical activity daily, especially as you get older, boosts cognitive function and memory, helping you clear mental clutter.

Conclusion

• Recent research suggests that older adults may experience brain clutter, which occurs when they are attempting to retrieve specific information but can’t sift through their stored memories.
• Although mental clutter makes it harder to use specific memories when you need them, it also enhances deeper thinking and creativity.
• To boost your memory, focus on eating nutrient-dense foods that boost energy and support cognitive function. It’s also important to get enough sleep, exercise daily and reduce stress.

The post Brain Clutter Impacts Working Memory Among Older Adults appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Light therapy has been shown to improve sleep quality and lift your mood, including by potentially fighting depression. One type of light therapy is the use of “sun lamps.” A sun lamp is typically a small device you can use at home daily for about 30 minutes.

Why is a sun lamp good for you?

Use of sun lamps is most popular during the winter months, when there’s fewer hours of daytime light. For some people, the darkness that accompanies winter can contribute to seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a type of depression triggered when people do not get enough natural light exposure.

SAD is thought to affect about 6% of adults in the U.S., while another 14% experience mild SAD-like symptoms. Surprisingly, symptoms can last for about 40% of the year in some people, spanning the fall and winter.

Even if you don’t have SAD, you can still probably benefit from a sun lamp if you tend to experience the “winter blues” and drops in energy, sleep quality and productivity when you’re not outdoors in the sun enough.

What Is a Sun Lamp?

A sun lamp is an intense artificial light that affects your circadian rhythm, also known as your “internal clock.” Sun lamps are also sometimes called “light therapy” or “SAD lamps.”

Most indoor light is not bright enough to cause any measurable changes in human circadian rhythms, but sun lamps are different because they emit a specific type and intensity of light that has effects on the human brain and hormone production.

Sun lamps have been used since about the 1980s to treat SAD, and today they are still the first-line treatment option for people with this condition. (Medication, therapy and exercise are also sometimes used.)

These lamps have been been shown in many clinical studies conducted over the past several decades to reduce SAD symptoms like:

• fatigue
• insomnia
• hopelessness
• anxiety
• loneliness
• loss of interest
• poor concentration
• and others

Uses and Benefits

Sun lamps can help treat some of the following symptoms:

• SAD symptoms (hopelessness, social withdrawal, etc.)
• Insomnia and other sleep issues
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Fatigue
• Brain fog
• Low motivation
• Weight and appetite changes
• Mood swings

How do sun lamps work for sleep and your mood?

Sun lamps work by mimicking the natural effects of sunlight. Bright light helps regulate our circadian rhythms by making us alert in the morning after waking up and then sleepy at night when it’s dark. This is due to the effects of hormones, including melatonin, serotonin and cortisol, of which circadian rhythm helps control production.

It’s thought that sun lamps can help counteract the effects of increased darkness in the winter.

Researchers believe that shorter days of light in the winter can cause people’s circadian rhythms to become out of sync and to “drift later,” messing with their sleep-wake cycles. This drift can make it harder to fall asleep and then cause morning/daytime drowsiness.

Being exposed to bright light early in the day can help push the circadian rhythm cycle back earlier, which can help with sleep and daytime functioning.

Sun lamps can also help people who are struggling to stay awake at night and often fall asleep too early. (This is common among the elderly.) They may find that light exposure in the afternoon can help mitigate this problem.

How well do sun lamps work for SAD?

It’s estimated by some experts that between 60% and 80% of SAD sufferers benefit from light therapy. Improvements in SAD symptoms can often start to be felt within just two to five days of using a sun lamp.

Can you get vitamin D from a sun lamp?

Some sun lamps emit UVB light that helps the body produce vitamin D — although not all sun lamps feature this type of light. This is one way to increase vitamin D levels among people with vitamin D deficiency. (Sunlight exposure outside, supplements and eating vitamin D foods can also help.)

Vitamin D is an important vitamin that also acts like a hormone in some ways, since it influences the nervous system, as well as the skeletal, cardiovascular and immune systems. People who spend most of their time indoors and who do not get enough exposure to sunlight are likely to be lacking in vitamin D, so light therapy may be a good option.

One downside is that UVB light can potentially harm the skin if you’re exposed to it too much.

The fact that some sun lamps increase vitamin D levels makes this type of light therapy different than red light therapy. Red light therapy, which features wavelengths between 630–700nm, does not provide vitamin D but does have other benefits related to tissue healing and reducing inflammation and pain.

Do sun lamps help skin?

Sun lamps won’t tan your skin like sunlight does. In fact, many lamps have filters that remove UVA light, the type of light that damages the skin and results in sunburns and tans.

Light therapy can support skin health in other ways, however, by increasing vitamin D levels and supporting your immune system. This might result in less inflammation that can cause various skin issues.

Risks and Side Effects

Light therapy using sun lamps is generally safe if you use a lamp made from a reputable manufacturer. It’s important to note, however, that SAD lamps and light boxes are not usually tested or regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so make sure to do your research and buy a lamp that has many strong reviews and testimonials.

Can you use a SAD light too much? Yes, which is why you should always follow recommendations depending on the specific light.

It’s possible to experience mild symptoms from sun lamp use, such as eyestrain and headaches, or potentially more serious mood, skin and sleep issues (since these lights affect hormone levels). Side effects tend to be more noticeable in people with existing eye and skin issues (if UVB light is emitted) and those who have migraines or mental health disorders.

If you do have diagnosed SAD, speak to your doctor about using specific types of sun lamps as you would a medical device. It’s recommended that you treat SAD with your physician’s help and guidance, which may mean also using therapy, medications and other treatment approaches.

Do not begin light therapy if you have any of the following health conditions without working with a doctor:

• Bipolar disorder
• Macular degeneration
• Connective tissue damage
• Existing skin cancer
• Diabetes
• Lupus

How to Use

According to experts, the standard light therapy regimen is 10,000 lux of light exposure in 30-minute sessions, shortly after waking up.

Thirty minutes is considered the minimum length of time that experts recommend to experience physiological benefits from sun lamps. The time needed depends on the type of light and someone’s goals. That can range from 30 to 90 minutes (of about 10,000 lux) of light therapy per day.

Mornings are generally considered the best time for light therapy, since this helps regulate the circadian rhythm. (It’s also why experts recommend people go outdoors in the morning and expose their eyes to natural light if possible.) In some cases, light treatments can be divided during the day.

In terms of where to use your sun lamp, this depends on the adjustability of the lamp that you purchase. With most devices you’ll need to stand or sit about two to three feet away.

An adjustable lamp is best if you plan to use it while looking down, such as while doing something like reading or writing. Other lamps need to be propped up on a desk and can’t be adjusted, so these are a bit less convenient.

Where to Buy/What to Look For

No prescription is necessary to buy a sun lamp, so look for one in retail stores or online. Lamps range from about $40 to $250+ depending on the size, strength and features.

There are a few things to consider when shopping for a sun lamp:

• Size
• Power
• Color temperature
• Type of light (remember, for vitamin D you need a light that emits UVB light)
• Whether it’s adjustable (which will affect how close to the lamp you need to sit for the treatment, plus where you can use it)
• Price

When writers at the New York Times tested 50 different sun lamps and spoke to experts about their top picks, they found that the most highly recommended sun lamps are those that offer “UV-free” LED light with about 7,000 to 10,000 lux of light intensity. Ideally the lamp should also be large, adjustable and have a UV light filter.

Most sun lamps deliver between 2,500 and 10,000 lux. The more lux a light delivers, the less time you need to spend positioned in front of it to reap benefits.

When deciding if a light is intense enough for you, consider how it feels: You’re looking for light that feels comfortable and like sitting outside on a sunny day, but you shouldn’t feel hot or overstimulated.

In terms of size, the best light therapy units are usually about a foot by 1.5 feet in surface area or larger. Bigger lights emit more light and can be easier to use — plus this cuts down on the time needed to sit on from of them.

Most experts strongly recommend light boxes with the largest surface you can afford.

Most lamps use white fluorescent lights behind a plastic diffusing screen, which filters out ultraviolet rays. This is highly recommended to protect the eyes from damage.

The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that full-spectrum light and blue light are not the best options since these may be damaging, so opt for white light.

Lights vary in terms of their “color temperature,” which is measured by units of Kelvin. Color temperatures can range from 3,000 to 4,000 and 5,000 Kelvin, which will impact the color of the light and how “warm” it appears.

Conclusion

• Sun lamps are intense artificial lights that are particularly effective for people suffering from seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
• They can also benefit anyone who doesn’t get enough natural light exposure, especially during the winter.
• They help regulate your circadian rhythm and can improve your sleep, energy and mood.
• Experts recommend a lamp with about 10,000 lux brightness, a large screen and a UV-free, LED light source. Use your lamp for about 30+ minutes daily, ideally in the morning, for the best results.

The post Sun Lamp Uses and Benefits (Plus How to Buy One) appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Just when the weather is warming and things are opening, an invasion of Ukraine by Russia has prolonged stress and anxiety among adults and children alike. Many parents are left questioning how to explain war to a child.

Parents naturally want to protect their children from scary things, especially when the outcome is very much out of their control. Sometimes the unknown can be even scarier, and children of a certain age need their adults to explain things they are aware of but don’t understand.

When it comes to young children, who are unaware of the situation, it’s OK to keep quiet on it unless they ask, but refrain from watching the news in front of them or discussing the issue when they’re present. Of course, if they hear about the conflict somewhere else and come to you with questions, it’s OK to talk it out.

How to Talk to Your Children About War

1. Have a Plan

Before talking to your children about war, think it through individually or with your partner first. You need to take time to work through your own emotions before being able to work through your child’s needs.

Research shows that parental distress is associated with adverse child mental health outcomes, so take care of your mental health first and foremost.

There are some questions you should ask yourself before beginning a discussion with a child on the subject, such as:

• What are your feelings about the war, and how are you dealing with it emotionally?
• What facts about the war do you want to share with your child?
• What comforting measures or actions will you offer to your child as part of your discussion?

While it’s important to have a plan for this discussion, you don’t have to have all the answers. In fact, acknowledging your own vulnerability and uncertainties will show your child that he/she isn’t alone, and you can think through the issue together.

2. Bring It Back to Everyday Lessons

As parents, we spend every day teaching and reiterating life lessons. Kindness, respect and decency are all traits that we teach and show through our actions so our children can see them play out in day-to-day experiences.

While the thought of war may be impossible for a child to imagine in his/her young life, the reasons why it’s wrong and causes tough feelings can be connected to lessons the child has already learned. We don’t take things that aren’t ours, for example, is a lesson that a child can connect with to understand the big picture.

We protect people who are being unjustly hurt or bullied is another common lesson.

3. Share What They Need to Know

While it’s important to be truthful when talking to your child about war or tragedy, avoid going into more detail than what’s appropriate for her age. Don’t offer more information than what’s needed for your child to better understand the situation and how to cope with it.

Let her ask questions, and be an open listener. If you don’t know how to answer a question, research it together, and show your child how you work through uncertainties by getting more information and processing it. This may be more suitable for older children who are able to explore news sources with you and dive deeper into a topic for clarity.

4. Share Your Feelings and Reassurance

An article published by the American Psychological Association states that “it is OK to acknowledge your feelings with children.” Children think of parents as role models, and while it may hurt them to see you upset, you will also show that it’s completely normal and you are able to cope with these feelings in a healthy way.

A major part of talking to your children about war is providing reassurance. Make sure you end the conversation with a promise that you will always protect them and be honest with them.

You will be much better able to cope with these big, confusing feelings if they know they can come to you with questions or concerns.

5. Take Action

It may be helpful for your children to put time and effort into doing something good for the people of Ukraine or even their own local community. Studies show that acts of kindness can boost happiness, which is exactly what our children need right now.

Consider collecting donations that can be sent to Ukraine families and soldiers, or children can donate their time by cleaning up a local park, writing letters to nursing home residents or making donations to the local food pantry. These seemingly small acts can show children that they are not helpless and have the power to do their own good in the community and world.

6. Check In

Even after you’ve talked to your children about war, keep checking in on how they are feeling. You may need to reiterate that your family is safe and explain again how this conflict will affect their lives.

It’s also a good idea to set limits on exposure to the news or social media apps that share information on the war. While staying informed is important, too much exposure to the news can cause anxiety and fear.

If your children do want to watch the news, consider doing it together so you can better gauge if it’s appropriate for their age and when to turn it off.

During this difficult time, look out for signs of stress or anxiety. If your child shows behavioral changes like acting out, eating less or having trouble sleeping, talk about it, and reach out for professional help if it persists.

How to Practice Self-Care Yet Remain Engaged and Informed

While it’s important to stay engaged and informed, prioritizing self-care is critical. Set a limit on how much news and social media you consume during this conflict, and stick to news sources that you trust.

If reading or watching the news is impacting you or affecting your mood, take a break for your own mental and emotional health. During this difficult time in world history, pay special attention to these important actions on your self-care checklist:

• Eat a well-balanced diet with fresh, colorful foods
• Get enough sleep
• Move your body daily
• Engage in face-to-face interactions
• Nurture positive relationships
• Practice small acts of kindness and engage in the community
• Limit smartphone and social media use
• Avoid doomscrolling
• Spend time outdoors
• Find an emotional outlet
• Take time for prayer or meditation

The post How to Explain War to Children and Protect Mental Health appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Though there’s always the risk of another nasty variant coming along, for many of us, we consider the pandemic behind us. Many have returned to normal life, including returning to the office, dining outdoors, seeing friends and relatives in person (!), and even traveling by airplane.

But what’s not behind us? Some of those self-destructive pandemic habits, including poor eating habits, exercising less and, for some, even problem drinking.

Did you know that online sales of alcohol increased 262 percent in 2020 from 2019? And that there was a 41 percent increase in heavy drinking days among women since onset of the pandemic? Let’s take a look at the factors at work here and how to cut back on alcohol consumption.

What Is Problem Drinking?

Problem drinking doesn’t equate to alcoholism, which is characterized by uncontrolled drinking and preoccupation with alcohol. Problem drinking is used to describe people who drink heavily or experience occasional problems from drinking — but who do not have a history of severe physical dependence on alcohol.

Study Findings

In a Journal of the American Medical Association study, 1,540 adults participated in 2020, and 57 percent were women. Frequency of alcohol consumption increased by an average of 14 percent compared to 2019.

For women, it was an increase of 14 percent. And one in five adults ages 30 to 59 increased drinking frequency.

On average, 75 percent of all participants increased their drinking by at least one day per month. Among women, there was a stunning 41 percent increase in heavy drinking days.

Study authors noted these changes in alcohol use and the unfortunate health consequences during the pandemic, including leading to or worsening mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression. As a result, they recommended that adults become aware of increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic and identify factors that make people susceptible to such habitual problem drinking.

Backing up these findings is a study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health that included 832 people, 84 percent of which were female. During the pandemic, over one-third reported binge drinking, and 60 percent reported increased drinking.

Top reasons for increased alcohol consumption? More stress (46 percent), easier availability of alcohol (34 percent) and boredom (30 percent). Those who indicated that the pandemic caused them more stress were more likely to drink more frequently as well as more in volume, a significant concern from a public health perspective.

Problem Drinking Signs

How many drinks is a drinking problem? The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines the guidelines for “low-risk drinking” as follows:

• Men: Four or fewer standard drinks on any single day and fewer than 14 drinks during a given week
• Women: Three or fewer standard drinks a day and no more than seven drinks per week for women

Frankly, that’s still a lot of alcohol. The CDC recommends that in order to reduce the risk of alcohol-related harms, adults of legal drinking age can either choose not to drink or to drink in moderation. Drinking in moderation is limiting yourself to two drinks or less in a day and one drink or less for women.

How do you know if your problem drinking may have progressed to alcohol use disorder (AUD)? Consider whether or not you exhibit these symptoms:

• You occasionally drink more or longer than you intended.
• You tried to cut down or stop drinking but failed.
• You often get sick from drinking and/or it takes a while to get over aftereffects.
• You desperately want a drink, to the point you can’t think of anything else.
• You’ve discovered that drinking interferes with your ability to take care of your home and/or family. Or it’s caused job or school problems.
• You either gave up or cut back activities that you enjoyed previously in order to drink.
• While or after drinking, you got into a dangerous situation that you normally would have avoided, such as driving, swimming, using machinery, engaging in unsafe sexual behavior, engaging in a physical confrontation, etc.

How to Cut Back on Drinking

Alcohol can also affect the brain in damaging ways. The truth is the damage goes far beyond a headache and brain fog you experience the morning after drinking too much. The effects of alcohol on the brain are profound, and heavy drinking can set you up for some of the most dreaded brain diseases, including dementia.

In order to avoid such issues, consider cutting back on your drinking by employing these strategies:

1. Plan it

Don’t go over your limit, whether that’s one or two. Personally, I rarely go over one beer, even if a pal calls me a wimp for stopping there.

2. Budget it

For some, money talks more than words. Cocktails are $15? Just have one!

3. Include food

Don’t drink on an empty stomach. Even better, don’t drink until you’ve eaten some food.

4. Give your family and buddies a head’s up

Tell them you’re cutting down, so they can support you rather than buying another round.

5. Avoid trigger places and people

Are there locations (such as a favorite bar) or people where you often overconsume alcohol? Avoid those places and stay alcohol-free with those people, or avoid them altogether.

6. Downsize your drinks

Use smaller wine glasses rather than those monster-sized glasses; have a small bottle of beer rather than a pint.

7. Check out the alcohol percentage

Some beer, such as IPAs, can be very high in alcohol percentage. Go for lower amounts in beer, and also try to avoid hard alcohol.

8. Drink-free days

If you’re drinking every day, then you possibly have a drinking problem. Have a few days per week without any alcohol.

Conclusion

Remember, there are profound benefits to cutting back on your alcohol consumption. They include:

• Immediate benefits can be more energy, improved skin, easier weight management, less fatigue during the day and better mornings!
• Long-term benefits include improved mood, better sleep, improved behavior, healthier heart and liver, and improved immune system (as drinking can impede your body’s ability to fight infections).

Concerned that your problem drinking may have morphed into alcohol use disorder? Contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357 for information on support and treatment facilities in your area.

The post Pandemic Problem Drinking Still A Thing — How to Cut Back appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Psychiatric comorbidity is known to have a huge impact on someone’s overall well-being. It can even increase the risk of early death (mortality), including from suicide.

Comorbidities describes two disorders that occur together in the same person at the same time (also known as co-occurring conditions). It’s common for people to be affected by more than one illness at once, including both physical and mental heath issues.

Recently, researchers have investigated how the combination of noncommunicable diseases — meaning chronic conditions that do not result from an acute infectious— occurring along with psychiatric comorbitities can affects someone’s life span. Noncommunicable diseases include chronic respiratory diseases like COPD, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, which are extremely common in many developed countries.

Study: Psychiatric Comorbidity and Risk of Premature Mortality

A large 2022 study conducted in Sweden that included data from over 1 million people sought to determine if there’s a link between psychiatric comorbidity, noncommunicable diseases and increased risk of premature mortality. In this study, premature mortality was defined as death before the age of 65 years old.

Researchers followed participants born between 1932 and 1995 who had noncommunicable diseases either with or without psychiatric conditions to determine their risks of premature mortality and suicide. In this longitudinal study, it was observed that there’s increased risk of all-cause death and suicide in individuals with chronic diseases plus psychiatric comorbidities.

Here’s some of the key findings that the study uncovered:

• Within five years of diagnosis of a noncommunicable disease, at least 7% of people with respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases or diabetes died from any cause and 0.3% died from suicide.
• Mortality rates ranged between 15% to 21% in people with chronic health plus psychiatric disorders. Risks ranged from 6% to 9% in patients without such comorbidities. This means that risk of death was more than doubled in patients with psychiatric comorbidities compared to those without such comorbidities.
• 25% to 32% of people with these medical conditions had co-occurring lifetime diagnoses of a psychiatric disorder.
• Comorbid psychiatric disorders were associated with higher all-cause mortality when compared to those without these conditions.
• Suicide mortality was also higher among comorbid patients versus those without comorbidity. Those with multiple diseases were found to be over five times as likely to die from suicide during the study.
• Comorbid substance use disorders were associated with a higher mortality rate than depression, but risks of suicide were similar for these two psychiatric comorbidities.

Researchers compared the risk of early death among the participants with comorbidities to their siblings without noncommunicable diseases and psychiatric disorders. This was done to account for genetic and environmental risk factors that are shared between siblings.

Comparisons showed that comorbidity with any psychiatric disorder was associated with substantially increased mortality rates.

What It Means

Experts believe that if people with noncommunicable diseases and psychiatric comorbidities were assessed and treated better, it could potentially save millions of lives each year. When someone is checked in to the hospital with a chronic disease or diagnosed by a doctor, ideally that person should be screened for depression, substance abuse and other mental health problems at the same time.

It’s thought that by treating mental health issues among those with chronic diseases, people would better adhere to their treatment plans, such as medication use and lifestyle changes, and lower their risk for complications and early death.

What are types of psychiatric comorbidities? How do they contribute to death or disease?

The most frequent comorbid psychiatric disorders are depression, generalized anxiety disorder and substance abuse disorders. Depression is thought to be especially common among people with other chronic diseases or mental health problems.

Other comorbid psychiatric disorders can include personality disorders, eating disorders, PTSD and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

Experts believe there are several possible ways in which psychiatric comorbidity might increase mortality risk:

• Mental health problems increase the likelihood of someone smoking, eating a poor diet, using drugs and being sedentary (lacking enough exercise).
• Substance use disorders are linked with unhealthy lifestyles and can lead people to put off getting care for health problems. Once someone is diagnosed with a chronic disease, that person is more likely to get poor care or not follow the doctor’s recommendations if that person has a substance abuse problem.
• Depression is known to increase inflammatory biomarkers, including C-reactive protein, which could further contribute to poor physical health.
• Taking medications for mental health issues, such as of certain antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs, can cause metabolic side effects that may increase the risk for type 2 diabetes, obesity and other problems.
• The psychological effects of living with a chronic condition is also associated with low moods, which increases risks of depression, drug use and poor mental health.
• Suicide is thought to be more common among people with more than one health condition because poor health can cause feelings of hopelessness, cognitive distortions, negative thinking and impulsivity.

Ways to Prevent/Manage Noncommunicable Diseases

It’s estimated that noncommunicable diseases account for an estimated 40 million deaths each year worldwide. To help manage and prevent these disease, experts recommend these lifestyle habits:

• Maintain a healthy weight and body mass index
• Avoid tobacco and drug use
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Regularly get enough exercise
• Eat a healthy, Mediterranean-type diet that’s low in sugar, refined grains, unhealthy fats and ultra-processed foods
• Get enough sleep
• Manage stress to avoid complications such as increased inflammation
• If needed, speak with a therapist for help managing any mental health issues

Conclusion

• Comorbid psychiatric disorders have been identified as potential risk markers for premature mortality in adults with noncommunicable diseases (heart disease, respiratory diseases and diabetes).
• What are the most common comorbid psychological disorders? Depression, substance abuse and anxiety disorders commonly affect people with other health issues.
• A large 2022 study found that people with multiple physical/mental health issues had double the risk of early death and five times the risk of committing suicide.

The post What’s the Link Between Psychiatric Comorbidity and Risk of Premature Mortality? appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia have long been portrayed as being mostly “feminine problems,” considering they affect girls and women much more often than males. In fact, most research has shown that females are twice as likely as males to develop eating disorders.

That said, emerging studies suggest that a growing proportion of boys and men are struggling with body dysmorphia, low self-esteem regarding their appearance and even eating disorders.

Experts believe that due to factors like increased social media use and the rise of “fitness culture,” men are now susceptible to the same types of obsessions with food, body weight and shape that women have been for many decades, and now eating disorders in men are on the rise.

Study Findings: Eating Disorders in Men on the Rise

According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), about one in three people struggling with an eating disorder is male.

There’s a range of eating disorders in existence, with some of the most common types being:

• orthorexia, or a preoccupation with eating only “clean” foods
• anorexia, focused on restrictive eating and severe calorie deprivation
• bulimia, which involves purging foods via vomiting, laxative use or excessive exercise
• binge eating disorder, in which people consume large quantities of food in a brief period

What do males with eating disorders tend to focus on?

A 2021 study published in Current Opinions in Pediatrics found that eating disorders usually affect boys and men a bit differently than they do girls and women, specifically by being focused more on muscularity and muscle-enhancing goals.

While women with eating disorders tend to want to make their bodies smaller, men with eating disorders typically want to appear more defined, lean, muscular and strong. Case in point: NEDA reports that “25% of normal weight males perceive themselves to be underweight and 90% of teenage boys exercise with the goal of bulking up.”

A 2019 study even found that about 22% of young men turn to dangerous means to bulk up, suggesting that almost one in four young men displays disordered eating behaviors.

Which eating disorder is most commonly found in males?

Research shows that men are most likely to suffer from binge eating disorder, in which someone eats a large amount of food almost compulsively within a short time, such as over hours or the course of one day. A full 40% of people with binge eating disorders are male.

Over-exercising, restricting food intake, purging, laxative abuse and fasting for weight loss are also thought to be relatively common among men.

Muscle dysmorphia is another subtype of body dysmorphic disorder that usually occurs in men, especially bodybuilders. Signs that a man has this condition can include:

• spending many hours in the gym
• spending lots of money on fitness equipment and supplements geared toward muscle gains
• having abnormal eating patterns
• using steroids that can potentially be dangerous

What It Means: Risks and Side Effects

Symptoms and side effects caused by eating disorders can affect all organ systems in both males and females, leading to a number of mental and physical health problems. NEDA even states that “studies suggest that risk of mortality for males with eating disorders is higher than it is for females.”

What factors put males at risk for developing eating disorders? Boys and men are more likely to develop eating disorders if they fall into one or more of these categories:

• Being an athlete, which can lead to excessive exercise and pressure to perform well
• Being a bodybuilder
• Being a racial/ethnic minority
• Being a gender minority in a given situation or homosexual
• Having another mood disorder or mental health disorder, such as OCD, anxiety or depression, or substance abuse problem
• Experiencing lots of exposure to unattainable body images in the media or from social media
• They were abused as children

Risks and Side Effects of Eating Disorders in Men:

Men who lose a lot of weight, especially if it’s lost rapidly and they wind up being underweight, can develop medical complications that can sometimes be serious. Severe calorie deprivation, binging and purging can also negatively affect a man’s health even if he appears normal or above average in weight.

Some side effects and health problems that can develop due to eating disorders in men include:

• Low appetite and lack of interest in eating or food, which results in nutritional deficiencies
• Low testosterone levels
• Low sex drive and infertility
• Low vitamin D status
• Tooth decay
• Bone density loss and higher risk for fractures
• Anxiety due to concerns about consequences of eating
• Interference with social functioning (such as inability to eat with others)
• Digestive issues, including bloating and constipation
• Higher risk for health complications, including obesity, diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases if the man binges

Tips to Overcome Eating Disorders

Sadly, less than half of people with eating disorders typically seek professional help. To make matters worse, many eating disorder treatment programs focus more on treating women and feminine issues, so treatment guidance may lack specificity to boys and men.

There’s also concern that cultural bias leads many men who are affected by eating issues to avoid seeking treatment and help.

Experts recommend that anyone with an eating disorder, whether male or female, try the steps below to help treat disordered eating patterns:

• Work with a cognitive behavioral therapist, ideally one trained in eating disorders in men. Trained psychotherapists can help people suffering from a range of eating disorders, in addition to other mental health problems, by targeting negative thought patterns. Interpersonal therapy is another type of therapy has been shown to be effective for body image issues.
• Generally speaking, seeing a therapist is a great place to start because he/she can help you decide if you also need help from a registered dietitian, nutritionist or other food specialist who can help you form a healthy eating plan to overcome deficiencies.
• In some cases, antidepressant or anti-anxiety medications may also be helpful. You can ask your doctor about his or her opinion regarding medication use.

Conclusion

• Eating disorders in men are on the rise, including binge eating disorder, purging and restriction.
• About 22% of people diagnosed with an eating disorder are male. Young men, athletes, minorities and homosexual men are at though to be at an increased risk.
• Why do so many men have eating disorders? Social media and media exposure to unattainable body images are thought to a play a role. So is the rise in gym/fitness culture, which promotes masculine, muscular body ideals.

The post Eating Disorders in Men on the Rise, Studies Show appeared first on Dr. Axe.

This is part two in Casey Hersch’s articles series about how to defeat chronic illness. Part one was Using Integrative Approaches for Living with Chronic Illness.

During my childhood, I suffered from one illness after another. My parents believed that doctors had all of the answers to our life and health problems. Their perspective, though well-intended, created a dangerous situation for me.

This complete acceptance of physician recommendations rapidly sent me into a downward health spiral. We didn’t realize there were other alternatives for healing beyond the conventional Western medical model that focuses on symptom reduction, pharmaceuticals and diagnostics.

Now, decades later, most of what we learn about our bodies still comes from the media, educational institutions, doctors, elders and the community that reinforce that our bodies are merely physical beings. Sadly, we rarely consider questioning those powerful influences.

When Symptom Management Causes More Symptoms

When I was 15 years old and underweight, physicians insisted that I drink daily servings of Carnation Instant Breakfast to help me gain weight. Based on our observations, my mom and I knew that I was sensitive to dairy since I noticeably reacted every time I ate ice cream or drank milk.

We also knew another tip about my body: My body did not tolerate high sugar loads. Unlike my teenaged peers who indulged in their candy jars at Halloween, too much sugar made me vomit. I avoided sugar as much as possible.

However, because the doctors insisted that drinking milk with the high calorie and sugar dense powder would solve my weight problem, we complied and ignored what we already knew about my sensitive body. As my symptoms worsened, we never questioned the experts. Consequently, I developed two new diagnoses: irritable bowel syndrome and candida.

Candida, a result of imbalanced gut microbes, is one negative side effect of too many antibiotics. Sugar can also cause Candida to proliferate. Irritable Bowel Syndrome consists of a smorgasbord of miserable bowel symptoms often described as a “nervous stomach” and exacerbated by stress.

Although my worsening health was triggered by the instant breakfast, doctors responded by prescribing me more antibiotics to “fix” the new symptoms. The vicious cycle of illness continued because the experts failed to explore my history. A critical missing piece of my treatment was understanding how my past excessive antibiotic usage and my body’s sensitivity to stress influenced my symptoms.

Including Your History in Treatment is Crucial

Despite the fact that one of our most important relationships is with our physicians, our physicians rarely ask us to share about ourselves.

In all of our other close relationships, we talk about our thoughts, feelings, life events and stresses. But physicians rarely, if ever, routinely inquire about our childhoods, life histories, stresses or ask for our intuitive theories about the causes of our illnesses.

This patient care model does not serve us well. Every one of us has a theory for why we have symptoms. However, we rarely acknowledge our “gut instincts” and, therefore, we miss crucial pieces to our healing puzzles. Thankfully, once we recognize the gaps in conventional medical models, we can complement our healing with the many integrative models available to us.

Integrative Healing Models: Blending Emotional and Physical

Integrative models incorporate our histories, stress cycles, adverse childhood experiences, day-to-day life choices, beliefs and opinions into an individualized healing formula. Had my doctors inquired about my history, they would have learned important details that affected my symptom presentation.

Ideally, we should always seek physicians who embrace a team approach whereby the patient is also an expert on the team. This inclusive team approach eliminates the imbalances in power when physicians are the experts and patients are the passive recipients. Integrative models also acknowledge the intimate connection between emotions and physical symptoms. After all, we are whole beings, not parts. Our lifestyles are our greatest medicine!

Despite cultural messaging that emphasizes our physical existence, I always believed that my emotional world mattered. Throughout childhood, I experienced a lot of turmoil; especially when my parents argued, and I witnessed domestic violence. Sometimes I felt my emotions turn my stomach upside down and seemingly cause my body to spasm and hurt.

Since I did not know what my feelings meant, I could not use them as a guide to my body. Instead, I stuffed my feelings aside and succumbed to other’s impressions of my health.  I intuitively knew that the conflict in my home triggered many of my symptoms such as migraines, nausea and even fatigue.

However, as a child, I did not feel as though I could tell my parents what I really believed. My doctors never asked me about my home life, which further solidified beliefs that my theories were “crazy,” and I should not talk about my stress and feelings.

Sadly, my experience is commonplace in homes with abuse and violence. In abusive environments, emotional expression is dangerous. I silenced my inner voice as a survival technique: a necessary attempt to keep myself safe.  My physicians condoned my silence when they ignored the emotional dimensions of my illness.

Looking back, it is easy to identify ways my mom and I should have challenged the “milk and sugar” recommendation. One option would have been to share our knowledge about my body with the physicians and explore alternatives to the instant breakfast. Another option would have been to trust what we already knew about my body and reactions to food, and to use this wisdom as a guide for treatment options.

An even better solution would have been to have a real discussion about my life that happened outside of the doctor’s office. If someone would have asked me to share my theories for why I had so many gut problems, this inquiry could have opened a door to my feelings. Eventually I would have felt safe enough to share about my stress and fears. If someone really listened to me, they would have seen how my stress and home life contributed to my upset stomach or irritable bowel.

My weight loss was not merely a response to diet and restricting calories. My weight loss was also a response to the conflict in my household and my inability, as a child, to cope with overwhelming feelings of powerlessness. This information should have been a foundation from which my medical team brainstormed and considered alternatives for my sensitive and unique physical AND emotional needs.

Making the Shift Is Possible: You Are Not Alone

Decades later, when I became a psychotherapist, I still struggled to confront my physicians and assert my body expertise and needs. Surprisingly, even though I was trained to understand and explore emotions, my studies never connected the strong relationship between physical and emotional health. I didn’t know how to start a conversation with my physician about my traumatic childhood past in order to make connections to my current health problems.

Even as an expert trained to inquire about people’s emotional and personal lives, I felt insecure advocating for my own needs. Despite my professional credentials, I behaved the same as in childhood, indiscriminately listening to my “superiors” and doctors. I forged ahead on the quest to rid my physical body of symptoms, and I got sicker. I did not even know that I could learn to listen to my body’s subtle cues — the keys to my healing.

Fortunately, today, I am not the same patient. I have learned invaluable skills to further my healing journey. I advocate for myself and require that my medical teams listen to my history and incorporate my lived experiences into my treatment. Each day I trust my body wisdom more, and I don’t hesitate to question a treatment that is not helping me heal or is making me sicker. Most important, I require an individualized healing plan.

When we believe anyone holds more information and expertise about our bodies than we do, we close our minds to the healing potential our bodies already possess. Even more dangerous is when we do not question experts or filter recommendations through the knowledge we already know about ourselves.

Doctors do not have all the answers; in fact, sometimes they can be wrong and even harmful. After all, they are humans just like the rest of us who are guided by a perspective colored by their training and exposure. Fortunately, the culmination of expert knowledge with our own experiences can enhance our healing; especially, when we learn how to filter tailor, and individualize recommendations for our own unique needs.

There is no easy way to assume the role as empowered patient. For many of us, years of medical mishaps, medical debts, and humiliating and painful symptoms bring us to a breaking point where we say, “NO MORE!” For others, they stumble upon a kind healer who is truly curious about the root cause of illness and wants to help their patients heal from the inside out.

Once we experience a physician or healer who truly wants to understand the intricacies of our health and lived experience with illness, it is impossible to return to the health models that stifle patient voices. Finally, some patients have “ah-ha” moments as they become more educated about how the human body works as a whole system. This knowledge exposes their incomplete treatments and reinforces intuitions that their medical team has missed the mark.

The essence of empowerment is when patients open doors for themselves through their curiosities and open-mindedness. This sense of ownership keeps hope alive and fuels the belief that healing is possible no matter how many times science or statistics insist a condition is incurable.

Regardless of how you arrive, it is time to become an empowered patient NOW. Your health depends on this shift.

Steps to Becoming An Empowered Patient (Self-Advocate)

1. Recognize that you have other options.

2. Accept there is a way out of the vicious illness cycle.

3. Identify the components of an integrative health model and include in your treatment.

4. Get educated and informed. Research and become an expert on YOU!

Healing begins with you! Not only should your physicians inquire about past events in your life that laid a foundation for disease, but you should also begin to connect the dots of your life. Understand how events in your life paved the way for your current health problems. This selfinquiry holds the answers to your recovery.

 Steps to Begin Your Self-Inquiry:

• Find out your ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Score
• Begin thinking about how your past affects your present emotional and physical states
• Do you feel included on your medical treatment team?
• What are your theories for why you have an illness or symptoms?
• What aspects of your treatment are working? Are there recommendations you follow, even though you intuitively know the interventions are not in your best interest?

Ready to Do A Deeper Dive Into Self-Inquiry?

• Take a look at the Healing Wheel
• Do you have a balanced treatment plan that includes all aspects of the healing wheel?
• List interventions in each dimension. Are there any areas where you can fill in gaps?

Stay tuned for my next article about these integrative approaches that can help defeat chronic illness.

The post Integrative Healing & Becoming An Empowered Patient appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Did you know that anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S.? Over 40 million adults age 18 and older are affected; this equates to 18 percent of the population. In fact, one of every three teenagers reported suffering some sort of anxiety disorder in the past year.

Even if you’re fortunately to not suffer from anxiety, you probably know a loved one who does and perhaps have seen how damaging it can be. After all, it increases one’s risk for other psychiatric disorders like depression — half of those diagnosed with depression are also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder.

As a result, not only is traditional treatment such as cognitive behavioral therapy considered, certain natural ways to reduce anxiety are also under examination. One such natural way to deal with anxiety? Exercise.

If fact, some research demonstrates that just a single bout of exercise can help ease anxiety when it arises. But if it was only so simple. Let’s dive in.

The Anxiety-Exercise Conundrum

Among the damage that anxiety can inflict, it can impact how active a person is. A 2015 study showed that anxiety sufferers were, on average, more sedentary and less inclined to participate in challenging forms of physical activity. Study authors concluded that rather than focusing mostly on high-intensity exercises for alleviating anxiety, it might be more productive to simply increase light physical activity while decreasing the number of sedentary bouts.

In an article for Psychology Today, Alice Boyes, PhD, details why anxious people may avoid exercising:

• The sensations of exertion — raised heart rate, sweating, breathing heard — are similar to anxiety.
• Worry about getting injured or experiencing pain.
• Exercise can spike social anxiety, such as concern about how you look during exercise or even having to interact with people you normally wouldn’t.

New Study

In a recent Frontier In Psychiatry large-scale study of nearly 200,000 active adults, it showed that being physically active cuts the risk of developing clinical anxiety in half. The study was based in Sweden and focused on cross-country skiers, but researchers declared that nearly any kind of aerobic activity probably protects the individual from excessive anxiety.

In the 21-year study, skiers had a significantly lower risk of developing anxiety compared to non-skiers. Interestingly, among women, more demanding physical performance — such as faster finishing times, higher exercise doses, etc. — was linked with an increased risk of anxiety compared to slower skiing women. Nonetheless, the anxiety risk was still less compared to the control group. For men, there was no statistical difference in anxiety levels between fast vs. slow skiiers.

To the authors, it was clear: “Our results support the recommendations of engaging in physical activity to decrease the risk of anxiety in both men and women.”

Meanwhile, they admitted that the “physical performance level” for women and how it impacts anxiety risk requires further examination.

Benefits of Exercise for Anxiety

Regular physical activity helps to improve sleep quality, reduce inflammation, boost confidence, improve energy levels and ease stress and tension. People with anxiety can benefit from exercises like yoga and tai chi because they promote relaxation and involve deep breathing techniques that help to reduce stress and muscle tension.

A 2012 review published in Alternative Medicine Review found that of the 35 trials that addressed the effects of yoga on anxiety and stress, 25 of them noted a significant decrease in stress and anxiety symptoms as a result of practicing yoga.

Did you know that yoga changes your brain by impacting your GABA levels and suppressing neural activity? Besides yoga and tai chi, you can practice other exercises that help to calm the body. For example, running, walking or hiking outdoors, lifting weights and even dancing can help to combat stress.

In fact, exercising outside during the winter where you’re exposed to sunlight is thought to be one effective strategy for helping ward off seasonal affective disorder, a type of mood disorder/depression that tends to affect people during the dark winter months. It may be another reason why the cross-country skiers in that above study fared so well.

Sunlight and exercise both have a positive impact on your mood for several reasons, including because they help release more “feel good” chemicals, including serotonin and endorphins. Similarly, walking in nature among the trees (forest bathing) has shown to have anti-depressive effects as well as serve as a cognitive booster: a win-win.

Additionally, a 2019 study indicated that exercising helped divert the participant from whatever he or she was anxious about. Anecdotally, this may seem logical to many of us who feel great relief from whatever we were anxious about before our workout, but it necessitates further study.

In a Journal of Neuroscience animal study, it seemed to resolve the contradictory findings that running can decrease anxiety while activating the frontal regions of the brain responsible for executive function. How so? “By increasing GABAergic inhibition in the hippocampus in response to stress, running may serve to calm excitatory circuitry that might otherwise produce an overly anxious state.”

Best Types of Exercise for Anxiety

What is the best type of exercise for anxiety? The general consensus is that any type of exercise will do well to lower anxiety levels, but of course, it depends on the individual. As the studies above demonstrate, tai chi and yoga rate very well … and now, so does cross-country skiing.

Here are some helpful tips for choosing the right kind of exercise for you:

• What exercise do you enjoy and can commit to? Do that! Maybe it’s lifting weights that you enjoy, talking walks in nature or the new sport of pickleball.
• Exercising with others may increase or decrease your anxiety. Go with whatever fits you. For some, working out with a friend or group can improve commitment level and provides social support.
• When possible, exercise outdoors. Researchers have found that just being outdoors in nature can improve your overall feelings of wellbeing and reduce anxiety.
• Make exercise a good habit by often doing it a similar time of day, so both your body and brain is not only ready for it but even looks forward to it. Often, morning time can work well for anxious individuals.

The post Can Exercise Reduce Anxiety? New Study Gives Us An Answer appeared first on Dr. Axe.

Silence is defined as “the complete absence of sound,” and believe it or not, there are some major benefits of silence. However, a world in which we’re surrounded by “information overload” and high levels of “noise pollution” — due to constant news streams, phone alerts, social media and more — silence can be pretty hard to come by today.

Unfortunately, psychologists think this is to our detriment, as quiet, reflective time has been shown to be good for overall well-being in a number of ways, especially those related to stress relief.

What is the power of silence? Silence and solitude pretty much go hand in hand, and both are linked to improved mental health when experienced in a balanced, moderate amount (as too much may increase feelings of loneliness).

According to many studies, benefits of silence are similar to those of meditation and include reduced anxiety symptoms, less ruminating thoughts, plus improved focus, creativity and even patience.

What Are the Benefits of Silence?

Silence is all about cultivating an intentional time of quiet stillness. Intentional is key here, since most of us don’t experience much silence these days unless we seek it out.

Even though our culture pushes us to constantly consume information and content (and it’s available 24/7 thanks to modern technology), silence remains an important part of cultivating a calm, focused mindset.

According to experts, here are some of the potential benefits of silence:

1. Improved Mental Clarity

Many studies show that we can think and process our emotions most clearly when we aren’t distracted by noise in our environments. With improved clarity comes the ability to make better decisions.

You might find that you come out of silence better understanding what you want and don’t want, how you feel, what needs your attention and what can be put aside for another day. Some psychologists also recommend contemplating your actions while in silence by asking yourself:

• Who does this benefit?
• Is this kind?
• Do I need to say it?

2. Enhanced Self-Awareness

Sitting in quiet stillness, much like mindfulness meditation, is one of the best known ways to increase awareness of your emotions and to practice self-reflection.

Many people find that solitude and silence allow them to get in touch with their “inner voice” and stop suppressing feelings or thoughts that normally get pushed aside.

Becoming more self-aware gives you numerous advantages in life, such as:

• identifying destructive patterns of your life
• aligning your values with your actions
• strengthening communication and your relationships
• improving overall happiness

3. Help with Productivity

Being calmer and more focused in general often leads to enhanced productivity when it does come time to work and make decisions. The opposite is also true: An overwhelmed and distracted mind finds it harder to concentrate and makes it difficult to make progress.

Some research even shows that silence can stimulate growth of new brain cells in parts of the brain responsible for learning and decision making.

Additionally, there have been links found in children between quiet environments and enhanced abilities to learn and achieve as students. Noisy school environments raise the risk for poor school performance, often due to difficulty concentrating and remembering information.

Children with language or attention disorders and second-language learners are even more impaired by overly noisy classrooms.

4. A Boost in Creativity

Day dreaming and brainstorming silently to yourself can be an important part of a creative process, since these are where ideas are born. It’s no wonder then that many creative individuals throughout history, including writers, artists and inventors, were known to work alone in silence for the majority of their working days.

An article published in Inc. magazine explains, “You can benefit from interacting and brainstorming with others, but awesome creative work can be achieved by shutting out the outside world, whilst you insanely focus on your craft.”

5. Physical Health Benefits Tied to Decreased Stress

Loud, noisy and “chaotic” environments are known to increase perceptions of stress, including by raising levels of “stress hormones,” such as cortisol and adrenaline.

Silence has the opposite effect on markers of stress: It naturally helps the body relax by increasing activity of the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps us “rest and digest.”

It’s even more impactful when combined with stress relievers like deep breathing, walking, meditating, yoga or visualization.

A peaceful mind and body are in better position to heal and more resilient against developing stress-related health issues, such as high blood pressure, indigestion, headaches and insomnia. Silence is also known to increase your tolerance against burnout, anger and impatience.

6. Better Sleep

While some people claim to fall asleep more easily with noise playing in the background, such as the TV or music, most people unwind and sleep best in silence. Doing a sleep meditation, reading quietly or praying/contemplating are all recommended prior to bedtime to enhance sleep and fight insomnia.

7. Improved Relationships

It might seem counterintuitive, but sitting with someone else in silence actually “speaks volumes.” Studies show that as a caregiving practice, silence is “perceived as being relevant in spiritual and existential dimensions of care when words may fail.”

In other words, it’s a way of offering support and understanding and “holds space for someone” even without the need to say anything,

How to Practice More Silence

Experts who have studied the connection between silence and mental health recommend building “pauses” into your day in order to benefit from silence’s healing effects.

While you can certainly do something like meditate for 15 or 20 minutes daily, if you don’t find this to be very helpful or practical then try slowing down throughout the day and giving yourself quiet breaks to relax instead. These “sacred pauses” have been described by some as “mini-meditations” because that’s essentially what they are.

Here are ways you can practice more silence and experience the benefits of silence:

• Carve out a short period of time each day to be free from interruptions. You might choose to use this time to meditate or just to lay down or sit somewhere comfortable and very quiet. Early in the morning or before bed are ideal times to do this.
• Take a deliberate break from the “noise of technology.” Avoid the temptation to fill silence by turning on the TV, YouTube videos, the radio or music, etc.
• Use your commute or when you’re doing errands to slow down and relax. Drive in silence, turn off music and podcasts, and simply contemplate your day.
• If you’re on an airplane or train, use noise-canceling headphones, close your eyes and focus on your breath.
• Instead of turning on music or other noise while you’re home cleaning and cooking, do these things in silence instead. Cooking or doing chores is the perfect time to let your mind wander and to get in touch with your feelings.
• If you tend to eat alone, such as when having lunch at work, don’t distract yourself with your phone, emails, videos, etc. Instead, enjoy a quiet meal, which also helps encourage mindful eating.
• Sit on the beach or in a park, and listen to just the gentle sounds of nature around you.
• Try a floating meditation in a sensory deprivation tank, which is silent, dark and the same temperature as your body.

Risks and Side Effects

While solitude and quietness can lead to a more peaceful life, too much of either also has some downsides, most notably that they can lead to loneliness and disconnection.

Brief periods of silence, ranging from 10 to 60 minutes at a time, seem to be the sweet spot when it comes to promoting better health.

Hours and hours of silence, on the other hand, may lead to ruminating and potentially worsened depression or anxiety. As one New York Times article put it, “most people can endure about 40 minutes before they start going batty.”

Check in with yourself  if you’re regularly exposed to lots of alone time and silence (for example, if you work at home alone most of the time). If you feel the effects of loneliness or find that you’re increasingly worrying about insignificant things, find more social outlets, such as calling a friend, working among others in a public place or even talking with a therapist.

Conclusion

• Does silence have power? You bet. Research suggests that benefits of silence include improving coping skills related to stress, self-awareness, creativity, productivity, focus and relationships.
• Brief periods of silence, ranging from 10 to 60 minutes at a time, seem to be the sweet spot for promoting improved health and achieving the benefits of silence.
• Build quiet stillness into your day by taking breaks from technology, driving without music on, meditating, doing chores quietly or spending unplugged time in nature.

The post Benefits of Silence + How to Practice It appeared first on Dr. Axe.