Beating Anxiety

Overcoming anxiety without medications involves making lifestyle changes, and that includes changing your diet. There are foods that will help cure anxiety, and foods that will contribute to anxiety, and by choosing the right foods, you can drastically cut down on the amount of anxiety you experience – and possibly improve your mood.

Healthy eating is one of the best ways to control anxiety and stress. In fact, one of the best things you can add to your diet is to drink more water. Many studies have found that dehydration affects as many as 25% of those with persistent stress or more, and dehydration is known to cause more anxiety.

As for foods, anything with magnesium, vitamin B12 (and other B vitamins), zinc, and antioxidants can be beneficial for helping you deal with stress. There are also herbal supplements like kava and passionflower that may be valuable for anxiety.

Some of the top foods to relax your mind are:

Cashews - two handfuls a day (works like Prozac!). Blueberries, Acai Berries and Peaches have a calming effect. Almonds are high in zinc (a nutrient for maintaining a balanced mood) and iron (low iron levels have been known to cause brain fatigue, which can contribute to both anxiety and a lack of energy). Chocolate (Cacao especially) reduces cortisol – the stress hormone that causes anxiety symptoms. And one that might not be easy to find, but is loaded with magnesium and iron (more than every other type of fruit and vegetable) Maca Root, found in health food stores. 

All of the above foods are beneficial for dealing with your anxiety. They provide vitamins and nutrients that are known to calm the mind and body while also increasing energy and stabilizing your mood. Combine those foods with a balanced diet that is free of fried foods and harmful ingredients and you should see a marked difference in your anxiety levels.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep is deeply interconnected with your health in a myriad of ways.

• Recent research shows that your brain has a unique waste management system, similar to the lymphatic system in your body. This system, dubbed the glymphatic system, is activated during sleep.
• Research has found that sleep deprivation has the same effect on your immune system as physical stress or illness.
• By pumping cerebral spinal fluid through your brain’s tissues, the glymphatic system flushes the waste from your brain back into your body’s circulatory system and into your liver, where it’s ultimately eliminated.
• During sleep, your brain cells also shrink by about 60 percent, which allows for more efficient waste removal.
• Amyloid-beta, for example—proteins that form the notorious plaque found in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients—is removed in significantly greater quantities during sleep.
• Lack of sleep can impair your ability to lose excess pounds or maintain your ideal weight. When you are sleep deprived, leptin (the hormone that signals satiety) falls, while ghrelin (which signals hunger) rises.
• Accelerate tumor growth, primarily due to disrupted melatonin production. Melatonin inhibits the proliferation of a wide range of cancer cell types, as well as tiggering cancer cell self destruction. The hormone also interferes with the new blood supply tumors require for their rapid growth.
• Contribute to premature aging by interfering with your growth hormone production, normally released by your pituitary gland during deep sleep. And who doesn’t want to slow down aging?             

Can't sleep? There are a few simple things you can do to help. #1 shut off your computer at least one hour before bedtime. Don't have your computer sitting on your lap. The radiation from your laptop will continue to disrupt your sleep long after it is off.  Don't sleep with electronics near your bed (i.e. cell phone) Soak your feet in Epsom salts before bedtime or a whole bath. Take Valerian Root and Magnesium to relax the muscles. Get plenty of exercise during the day. 

Sleep is so important to our health. Make good sleep a priority in your life. Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite..........