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Londonderry youth support worker Stephen Whoriskey (34) says anxiety and depression led him to suffer from insomnia. The father-of-four and stepfather of two says during bad bouts of sleeplessness he fears the severe depression — during a previous episode of which he almost took his life — will come back full force.
“I started suffering from anxiety and depression about six years ago,” he says. “I was living in Newcastle in England, went through a bad break-up and tried to take my own life.
“Thankfully someone got to me in time. The trouble sleeping started around then. But it was more restless sleep and waking up at night, not insomnia. Then two years ago the insomnia started. It began with restlessness and being up four times a night. But then after about four days it settled in to not sleeping any more than an hour or two every single night.
“I went through six months of not sleeping for more than two hours a night. My wife and friends said they couldn’t understand how I was surviving on so little sleep. It was having a really negative effect on my mental health and because of the dark place I had gone before, I didn’t want to go there again, and I sought help from a GP.
“I was put on antidepressants but the doctor told me the lack of sleep wasn’t going to kill me. I felt it was made light of. If I hadn’t have gone and asked for help, it could well have gotten to that point again, it could have sent me mad, it could have killed me.
“I was struggling because I was tired throughout the day, I was short with my wife, I was short with my kids and I was feeling really bad about how my attitude had changed.
“I had gotten to a good place mentally and the insomnia had sent me down a bad path again and it really scared me.”
Stephen says that he takes often finds himself walking the dog at 4am to combat the sleeplessness.
“I can go through two or three months were I can sleep and then it’s back into the same routine of not sleeping,” he says. “At my lowest ebb, after months of little sleep I really thought that my depression was going to come back to full effect. I could feel myself falling down a hole. “Your body needs to rest, it needs that downtime to recover and I wasn’t get- ting that. Even now I am awake at 4am. And at that time of the morning I get up and walk my dog. I don’t walk my dog during the day at all, it’s always in the early hours of the morning. That dog has been my escape for the last three years. I couldn’t be without him.”
Stephen says that after ‘trying everything’ to get a good night’s sleep he found meditation could sometimes alleviate the problem for him.
“Whenever I first was diagnosed with anxiety and depression my doctor gave me Diazepam to help me sleep at night,” he says. “Taking tablets made me feel awful. I was already taking antidepressants which left me feeling empty most days. I try to stay away from medication.
“I have done martial arts for 24 years and I do also find that meditation helps me. It’s all about the breathing techniques and trying to clear my head and concentrating on my breath. Some nights that does help me, other nights nothing works.”
And he has this advice for others battling crippling insomnia.
“If you go to a doctor and they tell you insomnia won’t kill you, don’t believe them,” he says. “Lack of sleep is a very dangerous thing. Because it puts you in a low mood and if you’re suffering from depression or anxiety which a lot of people do, lack of sleep gives you more time to dwell on the things that make you feel down.”
For more information and help with insomnia, log on to www.nhs. uk/conditions/insomnia/
Small, robust and teardrop-shaped, almonds might just be one of the most versatile snack foods going. They can add some crunch to your salad, give a nutty kick to a smoothie, form a healthy crumble topping and even be pulverised into a lactose-free milk alternative.
The first thing to know about these hardy brown objects is that they’re not actually nuts — almonds are seeds that are grown on a tree native to Mediterranean climate regions of the Middle East, from Syria and Turkey to Pakistan, although they’ve now been introduced elsewhere.
Packed with high levels of fibre, vitamin E and proteins, almonds are one of Mother Nature’s greatest snack foods — and since they’re easy to grab-on-the-go, there’s no messy preparation in the kitchen either.
Consultant dietitian Lucy Jones advises that we should snack on no more than a handful (around 28g) of almonds per day for a healthy summer snack, and suggests you also look for unsalted varieties, to make sure you’re keeping your blood pressure in check.
We spoke to her about some of the amazing health benefits you can reap from adding almonds into your diet...
1. They can help you to concentrate
Struggling to focus at your desk? Research has shown that almonds can help. “A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition that investigated the ‘post-lunch cognitive crash’ (when our memory and attention starts to dip in the afternoon) found that eating a high-fat lunch with almonds resulted in significantly smaller declines in memory scores, compared to a high-carb lunch without almonds,” says Jones.
This is because almonds are packed with nutrients that are important for brain health, including vitamin E, folate and unsaturated fatty acids, and L-carnitine — which has been found to have brain-boosting, neuroprotective benefits.
2. They’re good for your heart
The high fat content in almonds can seem alarming on first glance, but don’t panic; they’re mainly mono and polyunsaturated, aka the kinds that benefit your heart. Jones explains that almonds contain linoleic acid, an important fatty acid which contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of coronary heart disease.
3. They’re great for your skin
Forget expensive moisturisers and sheet masks; almonds are secretly the healthiest and cheapest way to get an A-lister glow. “Almonds are high in zinc and riboflavin, and a source of niacin, which all contribute to the maintenance of normal nails and skin,” explains Jones. “They’re are also rich in vitamin E, which can help to protect cells from the oxidative stress caused by pollution, UV rays from the sun, cigarette smoke and other environmental factors — all of which contribute to the skin ageing process.”
4. They can help you to lose weight
Planning to shed a few pounds before summer? “A 2014 study published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that a mid-morning, 42g snack of almonds, compared to no snack, helped to control appetite and resulted in a reduced calorie intake for participants, for lunch and dinner,” says Jones. She believes that rather than skipping a snack, keeping a pot of almonds by your desk may curb hunger pangs later in the day.
5. They’ll give you energy
Almonds make a great alternative to caffeine-loaded drinks, like tea and coffee. As natural energy-boosters, they come loaded with good nutrition that will power you through a long shift at the office. “Almonds are a source of energising plant protein,” says Jones. “There are around 6g per 28g portion.” As well as optimising brain function with proteins, they also contain a potent mix of fibre and healthy fats to help you to stay focused, no matter what the day may bring. So, next time you’re thinking of snacking on sugary sweets or chocolates, try tucking into a handful of nutrient-rich almonds instead.