Tag: calmness

10 facts: Sleep wake cycle linked to cortisol πŸ‘

by drjurisharma, posted in antioxidant, Antioxidant,anti inflammatory, immune boosting, anti cancer, Blog, Blood sugar levels, diabetes, exercise insulin levels, insulin sensitivity, body, health, lifestyle, dietary, exercise, herbs, water, liver, stroke, cancer, hepatitis, brain, cognitive health, Cortisol, stressful, stress, sleep, sleep deprivation, anxiety, depression, wakefulness, hormones, melatonin, fear, pain, emotions, Food, Gut friendly, microbes, gut health, gut bacteria, hormones, Gastrointestinal, GI tract, healing, health, mental health, muscle, body, nature, self healing, spiritual, Supplement, wellness

1.Cortisol is a stress hormone released from the adrenal glands, which is ideally secreted during a fight-or-flight response. However, in today’s world, our daily lives are filled with stressful situations, such as competition, comparisons, peer pressure at work, negative people, and relationships stress. As a result, cortisol is released not just in short bursts but remains chronically elevated. This persistent high level of cortisol keeps the body in a constant state of stress, leading to chronic inflammation, sleep problems, and various diseases.

2.Cortisol plays essential role in the body for survival. But when cortisol is elevated for a longer period of time can lead to health issues like weakened immunity, metabolic syndrome and mental health issues. The functions of cortisol are :

– Maintaining blood pressure

– Elevating blood sugar levels

– Regulating the circadian rhythm

– Facilitating the utilisation of energy from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats

– Reducing inflammation

3. Sleep-wake cycle follows a synchronised rhythm with the night and daytime. During the sleep phase, the body goes through different stages, such as:

β€’ Non-REM stage: The phase where the body and mind, being awake, slowly move to a calmer state before falling asleep. Followed by a stage where the body’s core temperature drops, brain waves slow down. After this, a stage emerges where the heartbeat, breathing, and brainwaves slow down, entering a deep state of relaxation.

β€’ REM state: This stage occurs normally after the deep sleep phase. In this phase, people have vivid dreams, and intense dreaming appears. There is weakened muscle activity similar to temporary paralysis. This stage is important as the brain is cleaning out the buildup of waste and toxins.

4. HPA axis: The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is responsible for the neuroendocrine regulation. Hormones like melatonin and cortisol from the HPA axis modulate the sleep-wake cycle. When there is disruption of this axis disturb the sleep cycle. Studies show that there are reciprocal interactions between sleep regulation and the HPA axis. Stressful situations like PTSD, emotional trauma, and chronic workload can lead to long-standing sleep issues like insomnia, sleep deprivation, and lack of restorative sleep, which in turn lead to disruption of the HPA axis and vice versa.

Insomnia

5. The HPA axis and sleep have a significant interconnection. Good quality sleep, deep sleep causes an inhibitory effect on the HPA axis, whereas hyperactivation of the HPA axis leads to overload of glucocorticoids, wakefulness, and loss of sleep. Sleep disorders related to HPA dysfunction are:

β€’Insomnia is a common sleep disorder which is found to have a connection with an increase in ACTH and consistent cortisol levels and arousal of the central nervous system.

β€’Obstructive sleep apnea or daytime sleepiness has been associated with elevated pro- inflammatory cytokines, IL-6 and TNF.

Weight gain

6. Elevated cortisol level: Studies show that sleep deprivation has a direct connection to elevated cortisol levels, long hours of wakefulness in the daytime, glucocorticoid overload, and disruption in the HPA axis. These directly affect the well-being of the individual and increase the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Other symptoms of elevated cortisol levels are:

β€’ Weight gain

β€’ High blood pressure

β€’ Weakness of bones

β€’ Muscle weakness

Stressed

7. Cortisol level: Normally, there is a spike of cortisol level in the morning, known as the awakening response, and it continues for about 60 minutes thereafter. Then, gradually the level-starts dropping and reaches the lowest level towards the evening/midnight. The factors which can affect the cortisol levels are:

β€’ Stress

β€’ Disturbed routine sleep schedule

β€’ Morning light may cause the surge

β€’ Cushing’s syndrome

Overworked/ stressed

8. Stress and cortisol level: Cortisol is a steroid hormone which is released from the adrenal glands in the body’s response to stress. Cortisol also releases sugar from the liver to combat stress. In addition to this, sleep and stress are also closely linked. Prolonged stress can lead to sleep disorders like acute insomnia. The types of stress when cortisol is secreted are:

β€’Short-term stress

β€’Long-term stress

β€’Trauma, both psychological and physical.

Dark chocolate

9. Food and cortisol: Certain foods can support gut health, reduce stress and lower the cortisol level naturally:

β€’ Whole grains and natural fibres – Whole grains are rich in polyphenols, which can support gut health and reduce stress and cortisol. Fibrous foods like vegetables, fruits, and berries contain both polyphenols and antioxidants that help reduce cortisol levels.

β€’ Dark chocolate (70 – 80%) – Flavonoids in dark chocolate can lower the stress response and cortisol from the adrenal glands.

β€’ Green tea contains polyphenols, catechins, and L-theanine, which can lower stress reactivity.

β€’ Probiotics/Prebiotics are linked to healthy gut health, reduce stress and cortisols.

β€’ Healthy fats in nuts, fatty fish, and seeds rich in omega3-fatty acids reduce stress and support mental health.

β€’ Water – Consuming water throughout the day prevents dehydration and controls the cortisol level.

Meditation
Community/ kindness/ volunteer work

10. Natural habits that can keep the cortisol level under control:

β€’ Good sleep routine – Firstly, keep away from cell phone or any kind of distraction at least 1 hour before bedtime, avoiding alcohol, caffeine intake and nicotine 5-6 hours before bedtime, maintain a bedtime schedule; going to bed and waking up the same time every day is important for sleep hygiene.

β€’ Daily routine exercise, nature bathing, walking or any kind of physical activity.

β€’ Practise deep breathing techniques like Pranayama, mindfulness breathing, Meditation, yoga, tai-chi.

β€’ Maintaining your mental health by managing your personal relationships, staying away from negative people and a negative environment, cultivating hobbies, laughing, and listening to music.

β€’ Spirituality – believing in spiritual faith, attending spiritual workshops, meditation, community spirit, kindness /charity /voluntary works, helps maintain cortisol levels.

Thanks for reading.

Peace and love πŸ™

Post : Healing Nature πŸ’š

by drjurisharma, posted in life

Hello everyone ! Have a wonderful day πŸ™‹πŸ»

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Amidst Nature, there is always stillness, calmness, the kind of peace which reaches the deeper insight, the soul connection. Enough researches have been established which goes to show that you and I are genetically programmed to find nature scenes, trees, rivers, water, plants, flowers, birds chirping to be naturally engrossing. That is the reason, Nature has a great impact on both physical and mental wellbeing.

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When we are experiencing Nature, with our senses like seeing, hearing, touching, not just it charges our mood but also has an impact on all the systems of our body like the nervous, endocrine and immune system.
Therefore, the different ways by which Nature can have an impact on our physical and mental wellbeing are:

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Nature reverses: In an unpleasant environment in our day to day life, we build up stress, negative emotions like anger, fear, stress which elevates the stress hormones like cortisol, increases the heart rate, elevates the blood pressure. So, when the body is in fight or flight response, all our muscles become tensed up, the body goes in a defensive mood. Then, there is no energy left for growth and regeneration and the immune system gets suppressed. Therefore, we become vulnerable to disease. Spending time in Nature every day, heals this body’s unpleasant state, lowers the stress hormones level and bring out the calmness in us. The body’s heart rate, blood pressure get stabilised and the immune system starts working normally. Nature reverses our body back to the parasympathetic mood which is relaxation.

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Nature Relieves: Physician Robert Ulrich conducted a study, quite sometime back showed that patients who view Nature scenes, trees can get pain tolerated better, heals faster and leaves the hospital earlier. Similar results are also found by some very recent studies conducted on patients who viewed Nature scenes from hospital rooms.

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Mental Wellbeing: Studies carried out in Mind, has shown that majority of the people who were depressed, stressed out after spending time amid Nature, have dramatically improved their mood, became more calm and balanced. Even children with ADHD, have improved their attention time after spending time with Nature. Human finds Nature very engrossing and interesting, therefore, spending time in Nature also improves the power of concentration and focus.

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Connection: Spending too much time in front of computer, TV screen make us Nature deprived. Not only it increases the stress level but also lack of physical activity can cause a rise in mortality rate due to various chronic illnesses. According to Human-Environment Lab research, the people who have more trees, plants and green spaces around their buildings made a better connection with fellow beings, more unity, helping and supporting each other. Nature evolves the spirit of connection and empathy in human.

Thanks for reading.

Blessings and much love to all πŸ’

Post: Masking Personality 😎 3 interesting reasons why we should never mask our personality.

by drjurisharma, posted in healing, health, mental health, wellness

Masking is hiding our natural personality to deal with certain deep-rooted insecurities, fear, hurt, pain, sadness or sometimes social pressure/harassment.

You try to hide an emotion or insecurity behind a mask which completely contradicts your true feeling. Like, some examples, when you feel you are not loved, you try to hide behind the mask of being a bully. When you are in pain or hurt, you try to hide behind a mask of anger. In life scenarios too, if you are not happy with a job or in a relationship, you try sometimes to mask your true emotions and act as if everything is fine. But how long can you wear the mask and hide the true feeling? Is it right to live life with your trapped emotions?

3 interesting logical reasons for which you should never hide your emotions.

1.Potential: When you live with a mask, that means you have hidden a part of you. Maybe in that hidden part of your’s, you have a skill, talent or quality which would have helped you to utilise your full potential at work life or career. Just because of any fear or insecurity, you keep masking your true self, does not let you grow or progress as a full-fledged human being. So, in the process, you are unable to utilise your full potential, or you are wasting your potential in both personal and professional growth.

2.Calmness/comfort: Isn’t it discomforting to live with a fake personality? It is even worst to forged yourself to be someone else which you are not. To hide a part of your’s, you put up a mask, to hide another emotion, you put up a second mask and in the spurious process, you end up wearing many masks. After sometimes, you start forgetting your true self. All these are very exhausting which will affect both your mental and physical wellbeing in the long run. The day when you let out your emotion freely, you feel very calm, solace on that particular day. So, instead of masking yourself, when you start being true to yourself, not worry what other people think, you become much calmer and happy in life. The people who value you with your true self stick around you.

3.Healing: In any kind of healing, spiritual, mental or physical you need to surrender yourself completely. But when you hold back, masked your feeling, not only you are cheating yourself but also underutilizing your power of healing. In any kind of physical or mental healing to happen, you need a free, liberated mind. Scientific studies have shown, that healing, remission becomes quicker, when you free your mind with all sorts of trapped emotions.