health

 

Lack of sleep an wreak havoc on your mental, physical and emotional health. So, if you're struggle to get some shut eye, here are 11 tips to help you sleep better. 

 

1. Don’t try too hard to get to sleep or look at the clock. This tends to cause anxiety around getting to sleep, which can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

2. If you can’t sleep, rather than lying awake worrying about how you’ll feel tomorrow or letting your mind chase unpaid bills, get up, go to another room, read, watch TV or listen to music until you feel sleepy – at which point you can go back to bed and try again.

3. Exercise in the morning, afternoon or early evening. Evening workouts can make it hard to wind down as endorphins put your system in go mode.

4. Limit stimulants including tea, coffee and caffeine drinks for at least three hours before sleep. Ideally avoid caffeine after lunchtime. 

5. Even if you feel sleepy during the afternoon, resist the urge to nap as it will only mess up your cycle and make it harder to get to sleep at night. 

6. Do something relaxing before bed – think meditating or a warm bath.

7. Rise at the same time each morning to establish a consistent sleep pattern. Your body loves routine and will do its best to stick to a schedule.

» Shower before bed. Some sleep experts say a pre-bed shower can kick-start the cooling process necessary for sleep. Normally, a drop in body temperature precedes sleep according to UniSA’s Centre for Sleep Research. While in healthy sleepers the reduction is automatic, if you’re struggling to reach the land of nod, try giving it a thermic hand. 

8. Confine use of the bed to sleep and sex. Working, eating or reading in bed blurs the lines about what bed is for, diluting the brain’s association between being in bed and going to sleep.

9. Ban gadgets from the bedroom. Blue wavelengths from LED lights and screens are more deleterious to melatonin than standard white light according to a 2012 Harvard Health Letter. Even having a PC on standby can mess with shut-eye. 

10. Immerse yourself in daylight, even if it’s overcast. This helps with the body’s melatonin production. Then, before bedtime, dim the lights to let the body adjust to night-time and start producing melatonin rather than going from a bright room to a darkened space. You’re more likely to drift into sleep. 

11. Turn off hall and living room lights. Any light can inhibit the release of melatonin according to the National Sleep Foundation.

 

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Feeling the pressure of spring’s social calendar to look and feel photo-ready? The next time you open your beauty cabinet, check the ingredients list for these four skincare elements for flawless, healthy skin. 

1. Home in on natural ingredients

Many skin care products, including cleansers and moisturisers, contain harsh chemicals that could be doing your skin more harm than good. Look for a simple ingredient list containing primarily organic, natural and plant-based extracts. 

“It’s common sense that nature’s whole foods are the best choice for optimal health –and skin care is no different,” says holistic nutritionist and natural skincare expert Samantha Sargent.

“Some supermarket and chemist brands are made with cheap synthetics and naturally derived irritants that wreck havoc on your skin and internal organs. Read the full ingredient label, get to know the brand owner and manufacturer, and ask questions about the source of ingredients.”  

Ayla Cotterill from the botanical based skin-care brand Eaoron agrees. 

“I think people are becoming more aware of what they’re applying to their skin and are beginning to adopt a more natural approach. It’s really about creating a lifestyle that fights the effects of aging to create naturally beautiful skin,” she says.

 

2. Say yes to hyaluronic acid

Sourcing products that include hyaluronic acid – a natural structural component of the skin – helps to retain moisture and improve its beauty, according to Cotterill.

“As we begin to age, our skin loses moisture, firmness and elasticity,” says Cotterill, 

“The beauty of hyaluronic acid collagen essence is its ability to transport essential nutrients from the blood stream, via the capillaries, while also attracting and holding water to plump the skin. This smooths fine lines and wrinkles, and stimulates cell growth.”

WH&F Pick: try Eaoron’s Hyaluronic Acid Collagen. With its combination of fast-acting botanical and natural ingredients you may start to see results instantly. Apply just before bed or first thing in the morning.  

 

3. Look for anti-ageing properties

Botox and dermal fillers are a temporary fix and in some cases can cause nerve damage if not performed correctly. According to Cotterill, a better option is to select skin care products that prevent fine lines, dullness and wrinkles before they happen. 

“Wrinkles on the face are a natural result of a reduction in collagen, so finding products with ingredients aiming to restore the balance can help reduce their appearance,” says Cotterill.

“For example, peptides encourage the skin to replenish collagen production in the dermal layer, helping to improve its firmness and condition.” 

WH&F Pick: we love this Ultra Anti-Wrinkle Face Serum. Its potent ingredients are specifically designed to help reduce wrinkles and firm your skin for a youthful and radiant glow.

 

4. Skin superfoods

The rise of superfoods has seen us tipping copious goji berries into our smoothies, so why wouldn’t we use the same logic when it comes to our skin-care? 

Cotterill suggests looking for plant-based ingredients that are going to provide sufficient antioxidants for improved skin health, such as bearberry leaf and white mulberry extract.

“We use bearberry leaf extract in our products to brighten and even out skin tone. It’s so effective because it contains a high level of arbutin, which can help clear dark spots and blemishes from the skin,” she says.   

“White mulberry extract comes from the white mulberry tree, which is native to China, but is cultivated in Australia, North America, Europe and Japan. It’s the food of silk worms and is used to treat dry, sensitive and blotchy skin.” 

NEXT: Looking for more way to freshen up your skin? Here are three ingredients for healthy looking skin.

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Are you constantly battling fatigue? Here, David Goding explores the causes of fatigue and how you can combat it.

The wrong cure

In our endless hunt for the mysterious ‘edge’, fatigue is our number-one enemy. So how do we combat it? With a variety of ‘slap-yourself-in-the-face’ stimulants to keep us on track, of course. Coffee, energy drinks, chocolate, more coffee, rubbing the eyes, pulling the hair, another coffee. It works, in the short term, but it’s liable to put you more ‘on edge’ than give you any real edge to your focus or productivity.

When we finally get home we unwind with a couple of glasses of wine, which we think helps us sleep, and it can, but the quality of your sleep is usually compromised, leaving you drowsy and reaching for the snooze button, reaching for the snooze button, and just one more time before yet more coffee. And so on. It’s a cycle of your own doing, and one not so easy to jump off.

The cause 

We’re led to believe that fatigue is the great modern malaise spreading like an epidemic through office blocks and shopping malls, but what’s behind all this exhaustion? And are we, in fact, the main cause? 

Yes, often fatigue is brought on by pushing ourselves too hard, high stress levels, too much caffeine and too little quality sleep, but there may also be other factors at play.

“The thyroid and adrenal glands produce hormones that give you an extra energy boost; however, it can be an anxiety-producing, frenetic kind of energy that does not do a body good,” says Dr Eva Cwynar, endocrinologist and author of The Fatigue Solution.

“Yes, it will help you get through the day, but it will stress your mind and your body, which will eventually lead to more fatigue. Hormones send messages to your muscles, saying, ‘Emergency, give up your sugar or else.’ The muscles sacrifice the glucose and become depleted to save other cells throughout the body. And that’s when we crash, burn, and become exhausted.”

Dr Cwynar recommends an eight-step plan to combat fatigue and increase your energy.

The first step, she says, is to boost your protein levels. “A protein-based way of eating will get your eating habits on track and fuel your body’s energy needs.”

Next, make sure you implement a healthy, consistent sleep routine by practising a calming relaxation therapy, such as meditation, prior to going to bed (which should be at the same time every night). “A healthy sleeping schedule keeps your hormones balanced and your energy flowing,” says Dr Cwynar.

Get plenty of exercise, which not only provides you with more energy but aids in improved sleep and lessens the risk of anxiety and depression. Dr Cwynar also stresses the importance of a healthy sex life.

“A good sex life increases overall energy. It releases endorphins and revs up your metabolism. But as with sleep, it’s the quality of your sex life that makes the difference.”

If you’re still struggling to shake the fatigue, have your doctor run some tests, starting with the thyroid. 

“When women are rundown and overweight, many automatically assume they are having thyroid problems,” says Dr Cwynar. “For some women, that is indeed the case. For others it is not. But it’s important to know.

“Other tests will tell you if you are deficient in certain trace minerals and other micronutrients or if you have neurotransmitter imbalances that are contributing to the problems of energy depletion and fatigue.”

NEXT: Stressed? Discover how stress affects your metabolism.

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Hormones play an important role in our health and wellbeing, here, we take a look at how your hormones affect your period. 

As well as period cramps, ovulation bloating or swollen breasts during your menstrual cycle, hormone fluctuations can mess with brain chemistry. In a study at New York’s Cornell University, brain scans of women during peak PMS time showed much greater activity in the frontal lobes – the area that controls our emotions. After menstruation onset, the high activity in that area of their brain was no longer visible. It goes to show that premenstrual mood and behaviour changes are a response to a complex set of reactions and chain reactions involving neurotransmitters and hormones.

“Not only do hormones fluctuate throughout a woman’s cycle, the rise and fall is substantial,” says endocrinologist Sonia Davison. “At the start of the menstrual period, there is a very low level of oestrogen, but by mid cycle it has increased tenfold before falling down steeply again just before the next period. Meanwhile, as oestrogen levels are dipping, in the week before menstruation, there is a huge decline in progesterone as well.”

Lower oestrogen can wreak havoc on pre-menstrual emotions by dropping levels of mood-boosting hormones such as serotonin and dopamine. Lower levels of ‘feelgood’ hormones may explain why many women report feeling less calm and more aggro or sad at that time of the month. Compounding the issue, a concomitant fall in progesterone levels causes endorphin levels to nose-dive. Endorphins are the chemicals associated with a runner’s high because they elevate mood, so lower levels can also ramp up PMS-related depression.

Surprisingly, studies show no difference in the hormone levels between women who experience PMS and those who don’t. “Where the differences occur is in how these women respond to the hormone changes in their brain,” says Davison. “Some have bigger responses to changes in progesterone shifts while others respond oestrogen fluctuations.”

How to repair it

Habits native to PMS such as skipping meals and sleep exacerbate symptoms of PMS. Foods that help to stabilise blood sugar are a good start. “Grains that have a low glycaemic index, which means that they provide longer-lasting energy, can also help to increase the hormone serotonin in the brain, so try some chickpeas, brown rice or quinoa,” says dietitian Melanie McGrice. According to reproductive hormone specialist Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, supplements may help. “The two I suggest are vitamin B6 and evening primrose oil, which has healthy essential fatty acids. Both have been shown in studies to help alleviate some symptoms in women with PMS and many women benefit from them.” A 2010 study concluded that the combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 was particularly helpful for decreasing PMS symptoms. “Nuts are rich in both magnesium and B6, so I’d recommend eating 30 g of unsalted nuts daily in the week prior to your period,” says McGrice. If all else fails, newer contraceptive pills may help to establish a more stable hormonal pattern. An iron deficient diet has also been linked to increased risk of PMS. University of Massachusetts research found that women with higher non-heme iron, which comes from plant sources, are 30 to 40 per cent less likely to experience PMS. This is possibly because low iron affects levels of serotonin. Good sources of non-heme iron include silverbeet and spinach, broccoli, bok choy, soy beans and lentils.

NEXT: Discover why it's important to get enough sleep each night.

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There's no denying complementary therapies are on the rise. We've taken the guesswork out of discovering what these therapies mean and how they can be of benefit to you.

 

Osteopathy: Using observation and manipulation, the practitioner addresses any structural difficulties of movement which may affect the body and works towards realignment. May help with back or neck pain.

Acupuncture: Traditional Chinese therapy uses needles on specific meridian points, or ‘energy lines’, to address specific ailments and diseases. Based on the opposing forces of yin and yang. Can be used for a range of conditions including arthritis, allergies, asthma and insomnia.

Homoeopathy: Uses extremely diluted organic extracts. Based on the philosophy of ‘like cures like’ (not dissimilar to vaccines), homoeopathy is concerned with the underlying causes rather than the immediate symptoms. Has had good results in the treatment of colds, eczema, nausea and obesity.

Iridology: Analysing a person’s health by an examination of a person’s eye, specifically the iris. Often used by naturopaths and herbalists to identify the cause of a person’s illness.

Kinesiology: A system of muscle testing linked to the functions of organs and energy. Has been used in the treatment of allergies, depression, tiredness and back pain as well as identifying any vitamin or mineral deficiency.

Naturopathy: Looks at diet and lifestyle and may use numerous treatments including herbs, essential oil, extracts and natural supplements. The focus is on prevention and self-help.

Herbal Medicine: A sophisticated ‘complete’ medical approach that has many branches including traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as well as traditional Western methods. Has been popularly used in Australia to treat skin conditions such as eczema as well as treating digestive problems and sexual difficulties.

Chiropractic: Similar to osteopathy but uses more direct thrusting movements to realign the body rather than gentle manipulation. May also employ X-rays for diagnosis. Most commonly used for back and neck pain and sports injuries.

Hypnosis: The patient is placed in a ‘trance-like’ state where the practitioner is able to address any hidden problems. Has been used as part of an effective treatment for phobias and addiction, particularly smoking.

Looking for more natural ways to combat certain health issues? Discover how to reduce bloating naturally.

 

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Are you prone to dry skin? If you think your diet has nothing to do with it, your face may beg to differ.

The Suspects: Alcohol, Coffee, Poor Diet

In the short term, alcohol can cause dehydration, which can cause dry skin.

“For women, the recommendation is no more than two standard drinks a day on average,” says dermatologist Ann-Maree Kurzydlo, who recommends limiting consumption and alternating alcoholic drinks with water. “One or two alcohol-free days should be had per week.”

Caffeine is a diuretic and can also lead to dehydration of the skin - so steer clear of energy drinks as well as tea and coffee.

Meanwhile, dietitian Dr Joanna McMillan says diet can also play havoc with skin.

“A lack of fats in the diet can lead to dry skin, whereas good fats such as oily fish, avocado and olive oil deliver fat-soluble nutrients, are anti-inflammatory and promote skin health,” she says.

“Certain nutrients are important for the skin including vitamins A, C, E and many antioxidants. A diet rich in plant foods – veg, fruit, nuts, seeds, legumes and wholegrains – boosts intake of these factors.”

Discover more way to eat your way to healthy skin.

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Learn more about recognising anxiety symptoms and how to treat it. 

 

The Problem: You often feel anxious, with negative thoughts and a racing heart. Frequently, your stomach feels queasy and occasionally you stop in the middle of the room and can’t remember what you’re doing. More and more, you find yourself in tears over the smallest things.

Mental Diagnosis: Anxiety. If the problem is ongoing, you could be diagnosed with GAD – generalised anxiety disorder. Your doctor will probably be keen to establish whether or not there has been any event in your life that may have triggered the psychological change, a death, break-up or another tragic event. If so, a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder may be made.

Treatment for anxiety is wide ranging, from relaxation techniques and counselling to cognitive therapy and learning about what you are dealing with so you can problem-solve when anxiety arises. With anxiety, knowledge is definitely power.

Tranquilisers or antidepressants may be recommended by your GP, but usually only as a temporary measure while you’re getting your life back on track with other therapies.

Physical Diagnosis: Anxiety can have a dietary cause. Inadequate intake of B vitamins and calcium can promote anxiety and magnesium deficiency can certainly contribute towards anxiety, particularly noticeable when added to PMS. 

Anxiety can also potentially contribute towards bladder infections and, interestingly, a bladder infection can, in turn, trigger anxiety. The biochemical reaction can also work on the gut and bowel, leading to symptoms of IBS, bloating and diarrhoea.

Discover four breathing techniques that help reduce stress.

 

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