Warning - Here Comes Some Science Stuff

I was intrigued to know if the chemicals adrenalin and cortisol, which are produced in our body when we are stressed, were good or bad for us. If they are good then let’s get more of them in there, if they are bad (and we all know that they are bad) then what can I do to stop them from causing me harm.

When you are faced with danger or feel stressed, your sympathetic nervous system ignites your body's fight or flight response. Every organ, blood vessel, sweat gland, and other important functions are affected.

The release of adrenalin speeds up your heart rate, helps divert blood from non-essential organs and redirects the blood to the brain for thinking and into muscles for movement.

Your breathing rate increases to keep up with oxygen demand. You become alert and have a heightened sense of purpose. Essentially, adrenalin is produced so that you can stay and fight or run. If it is danger that you are facing, then adrenalin is a good thing. If it is stress (worry and anxiety) that causes adrenalin to be produced, then that is a bad thing because it will continue to be produced while you worry.

How do you get rid of adrenalin - exercise. A 30-minute medium to fast paced walk each day should be enough to burn up adrenalin that has been produced during the working day. If you don’t burn it off, you may have a runny bowel movement first thing in the morning.

Cortisol is a little different, cortisol is a poison to your body and is directly related to stress. When facing an 'emergency', cortisol performs a controlled shutdown of non-essential body systems that would otherwise drain our needed resources.  

For each minute that a stressor such as anxiety persists past when it is needed, cortisol keeps suppressing the body systems that digests food, stores energy, and helps cells in major organs to grow, repair and replenish. 

Cortisol promotes the release of glucose, fats and amino acids into the bloodstream thus making our blood thicker. In sum, Cortisol is a primary stress hormone.

Know that cortisol can cause obesity, heart disease, depression and anxiety, diabetes, osteoporosis and chronic fatigue syndrome amongst many other things.

So how do you get rid of cortisol - the same way that you should always strive to do each day regardless of your situation;

·       Sleep – 7 to 8 hours.

·       Exercise – 30-minutes of medium to fast paced walking every day.

·       Socialisation – Talking with people as much as you can, talk about anything and everything.

·       Diet – Eat a slow release carbo at the beginning of the day and protein at every meal.

Listening to music, meditation and laughter are also helpful ways to rid your body of cortisol.

Sun, Light, Heat and the Weather.

Not only does noise impact on us positively and negatively, the environment in which we operate can also have an impact. Here are some lesser known (useless) facts that may be of interest to you;

Sun - We know that too much sun can present a risk to your health, skin cancer can occur with too much exposure to the ‘rays’. We need sunlight to produce melatonin which allows us to sleep better at night. It has further benefits of increasing good hormone levels and is helpful for our neurotransmitters in the brain.

A lack of sunlight can create a condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

Light - Light can affect our mood, mental alertness and speed of thinking. When the light is dim, which we sometimes do to see our computer screens easier, melatonin engages and sends your brain to sleep. Instead, make your computer screen brighter.

If you want to be more alert, turn up the lights and ensure the light globes/tubes have full blue spectrum which is similar to the sun. Some globes/tubes have too much red and violet light.

Heat - When we get too hot, it lowers our intellectual and physical tasks. Pretty obvious really. But if you get too hot when asleep you will have bad dreams as your brain 'wakes up' while you are dreaming. Your brainhas to be cold to go to sleep.

A rise of just 1 degree in temperature disturbs cognitive functions. Higher temperatures can cause low mood and increase inter-group conflict at work.

If it is too cold at work, you will also go to sleep as your brain believes that it is night time.

Living in warmer climates will extend your life expectancy.

Weather - Wind can affect your mood. 

Exams aren't held in Southern Europe if the wind blows from the Sahara Desert because it changes the air pressure and students can't think.

Recent studies have shown that suicide happens more frequently in the Spring and early Summer, not in the Winter as previously thought.

Too Much Noise!

As someone who enjoys total silence, particularly when I am working or sleeping, I was surprised to read some researched facts on noise;

·        Noise above 75 decibels raises your blood pressure.

·        People who live close to airports have higher than average blood pressure levels. 

·        Loud intermittent noise is worse for you than loud constant noise.

·        In 2006, 3 percent of fatal heart attacks was caused by loud noises.

·        Noise in an open office often distracts others thus reducing their productivity.

·        Only 20 percent of people like complete silence when working. (I knew that I was special).

·        Benefits in concentration can be gained by listening to quiet music through personal headsets.

·        Apparently, if you listen to certain types of music it can impact on your mental ability;

·        Classical music it is great for learning new information.

·        Listening to Meat Loaf, Rolling Stones and Status Quo raises your energy levels.

·        Mozart is good if you are doing calculations or about to sit a test.

·        Creative thinking is increased if you listen to calming music such as Neil Diamond or Tubular Bells. (ugh!)

·        Listening to the radio or a player with varied types of music can decrease your learning abilities. 

Sometimes research is not always right!

Red Wine, Is It That Good For You?

You have all heard the mantra, drink red wine if you want to live longer. Is it really that simple, does drinking red wine truly have health benefits? What about the down side, how much harm is there to our body?

Let's find out if red wine is that beneficial for you. Here is what the experts are saying;

1.     Red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol which protects against some cell damage.

2.    Resveratrol also has heart-health benefits including improved physical performance and muscle strength. Note: the benefits are minimal so don’t go for cabernet instead of cardio.

3.    People who drink red wine have a 34% lower mortality rate than beer or vodka drinkers. Resveratrol is again the helpful substance.

4.    Resveratrol also helps to remove chemicals responsible for causing blood clots, which is the primary cause of coronary disease. A daily dose of red wine may reduce blood clot related stroke rates by 50%.

5.    Another active antioxidant in red wine called quercetin works against cancer cells, most often colon cancer.

6.    Tannins, which give red wine its colour, contain procyanidins which are known for protecting against heart disease. 

7.     Some studies have found that up to 7 glasses of red wine can reduce the onset of depression. (Warning: in some people alcohol can induce depression so read to the end of this post).

8.    Recent studies have shown a glass of red wine each day can reduce the onset of dementia.

9.    Lesser benefits include reducing the risk of lung cancer, preventing blindness, and preventing type-2 diabetes.

How much should you drink to get these benefits - Men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day. Women should not regularly drink more than 2-3 units a day. A 250ml (large) glass of 12% red wine has about 3 units of alcohol. A 175ml (medium) glass has about two units.

What are the down sides of drinking red wine (if you are still reading this post) and there are MANY. I will keep the list short so that you read the list to the very end; depression, mental health problems, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, stroke, hypertension, fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, several cancers, pancreatitis, and research is continuing to establish that drinking red wine may cause many other chronic diseases.

I am afraid to say that the negatives of consuming red wine outweigh the positives, it's just that we only want to hear the positive factors. 

Consuming any form of alcohol may have some benefits for some people. However, too much alcohol leads to a multitude of health and wellbeing problems, red wine included.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news!

Is Laughter Really The Best Medicine?

Most of us have heard that old adage, 'Laughter is the best medicine'. But is it really the best thing that you can do to lift your mood? Research confirms what most of us knew, that laughter may not be the best medicine but it does have many benefits such as;

·        Lowering stress hormones.

·        Augmenting whatever medication you are on.

·        Boosting your immune system.

·        Intercepting emotional messages from the hypothalamus to the frontal cortex enabling the logic brain to engage properly.

·        Releasing the 'feel-good' drug endorphin.

·        Lowering blood pressure.

·        A great workout for your abdominal muscles.

Here are some lesser known facts about laughter;

·        A consequence of laughing with others is that it brings people together for social support.

·        Laughter plays a part in attracting the opposite sex. Men like women who laugh.

·        Both sexes like to laugh, but females laugh more than men, by at least 126 percent more than men in fact. Men like to make others laugh.

·        Laughter is an important critical index of a healthy relationship

·        Laughter in a relationship declines as people age.

·        Just like yawning, laughter is contagious; the laughter of others encourages us to laugh.

·        Black humour is often used by those in emergency services to manage the negative impact of terrible events. 

Here are some ways to encourage laughter;

·       Watch funny movies and TV shows

·       Go to see a comedian live

·       Tell jokes

·       Spend time with funny people

·       Laugh at yourself when you make a mistake