Three ‘pillars’ can boost your mental health
Study may be useful after year of COVID stress
Want to boost your mental health? Try the “three pillars of health.”
A new study by the University of Otago recently noted that three actions – getting quality sleep, exercising and eating more raw fruits and veggies, in that order – can predict “better mental health and well-being in young adults,” the Today Show reported.
The study found that quality of sleep was the most important booster – and quality really does matter.
Too much sleep and too little sleep were associated with higher depressive symptoms, Today reports.
“Just one sleepless night can trigger up to a 30% rise in anxiety levels, according to separate research from the University of California, Berkeley,” the Today Show reported.
After a year of pandemic life, we’re all looking to boost our mental health a bit. It’s top of mind right now, and an often-discussed subject in the news.
But let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. Americans weren’t great about mental health prior to the pandemic either.
Our lives were full of distractions that allowed us to put mental health on the back burner. It was easy to prioritize just about everything else before one wanted to tackle better mental health.
Then, the pandemic hit, and life as we knew it came to a tremendous halt. All those meetings and events we raced around to? Gone.
Hustling from work to school pickup to the kid’s soccer practice, then racing back home for a quick dinner, homework, a little TV time and then bedtime? That whole process hit a major snag when suddenly, school was at home and sports practices came to a screeching halt.
Here we are, one year later, and we’re feeling the toll of a year spent on pause. And because all the distractions are gone, we’re more aware of the need to take care of ourselves – mentally and physically.
This study brings up some interesting points, and they are all relatively attainable.
If you want to boost your sleep quality, exercise is a great way to do it, Today notes. Wear yourself out – take a walk or a run, go for a bike ride or do some laps in the pool. Right now, the weather in Yuma is great for a little outdoor exercise.
Then, come back home, and have some raw fruits and veggies. The study found five servings a day is the sweet spot, but don’t panic.
A small apple – about 2.5 inches in diameter – is a single serving. So too is a large banana, or 12 grapes, or seven large berries. On the veggies side, that’s two medium-sized carrots or celery stalks, or six small broccoli florets.
Start small, and work those raw fruits and veggies in.
The goal is a mental health boost, and that’s something we can all use – pandemic or no.
What do you think, readers? Are the three pillars – quality sleep, exercise and raw fruits and veggies – attainable or no?
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