YOUR TOOLBOX: HOW TO MANAGE STRESS

DR HARRY BARRY SAYS:

IT may sound strange, but first, you have to admit to yourself that toxic stress is a possibility for you. By now, you know the symptoms — fatigue, feeling constantly frazzled or wired, struggling to sleep and difficulties with motivation and concentration. If you’re worried there might be a physical health issue, visit your family doctor and have simple blood tests to rule out common conditions like anaemia, diabetes or thyroid disease. He or she can also eliminate any possibility that the symptoms are due to a bout of depression.

Once you’ve ticked those boxes, it’s time to honestly review your lifestyle, analysing negative behaviours that may have crept in as you struggle to cope with toxic stress.

Let’s begin with the holy triad of physical and mental health — exercise, diet and sleep. Even small changes to all three can dramatically reduce the symptoms and negative consequences of toxic stress.

As adults, writes, Dr Harry Barry, we need eight hours of sleep. During this time, we experience sequential 90-minute cycles of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) or deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) or dream sleep. The first four hours of night are mainly NREM and the second four REM. During NREM sleep, we consolidate memories of the day while our whole stress system relaxes, allowing the brain and body the opportunity to recover and repair. If we’re not getting enough sleep, both the mind and body become hyped up, increasing dramatically the risks of blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes. We also experience a reduction in our NK (natural killer) immune cells which punch holes in potential cancer cells, so the risk of cancer increases. Finally, we become cognitively impaired. During REM sleep, we strengthen memories of the day and decouple our emotions from them. If we’re not getting sufficient sleep, we become emotionally labile with higher risks of depression, anxiety impulsivity and self-harm. Toxic stress leading to and combining with lack of sleep is therefore a dangerous cocktail. If you’re struggling to achieve eight hours of sleep, go to bed at a consistent hour, preferably well before midnight. Avoid stimulants like coffee for at least 12 hours before sleep and steer clear of alcohol or sleeping tablets as they can interfere with sleep quality. Try to sleep in a well-aerated room with blackout blinds. Then calm your mind with Dr Nerina Ramlakhan’s tips.