At the start of a new year, one can’t help ask the question: How well have I coped with the load the past year has placed upon me? A large focus of this page has been dedicated to the thousands of questions I receive weekly.
Most issues are dipped in a lack of balanced lifestyle “sauce”. The truth is that we are hard pressed for answers and performance all round. The pace of our lives has become unbearable, with burnout syndrome no stranger in our midst.
Time races on, dragging us, and there seems to be a lack of control for many people – yet we strive for a better quality of life.
What exactly is this quality we so freely speak of? It is time for yourself and time for the people you care about. Being in a good head space helps with creativity, planning and decision making. Quality of life refers to the balance of mind, body and spirit being enriched which can only lead to growth.
The definition of health includes being physically and mentally prepared to handle your daily activities. Everyone has different thresholds for these parameters, but we can change our abilities.
How do we enhance performance? To optimise our ability we need to know the essentials of good health and balanced lifestyle – sleep, diet, exercise and stress reduction. I have summarised a few issues in our quest to reach excellence.
Sleep
* Sleep is an essential part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
* It promotes good brain performance and is vital for the basic survival functions of the human body. Blood pressure, heart rate and weight control are linked to sleep.
* Sleep influences chemical hormone and neurotransmitter levels in the body .
* A lack of sleep can lead to poor concentration, weight gain, and a decreased ability in dealing with stress.
* Without restful quality sleep we would not be able to store new memories and organise our emotions, as well as consolidate knowledge.
* The human brain requires between seven to nine hours of quality sleep a night for optimal performance.
* The normal adult sleeping cycle spans about 90 to 120 minutes; four to five cycles a night is optimal.
* The most common causes of insomnia are often the side effects of medication.
* There are many disorders of sleep involving difficulty in “falling” asleep or “staying” asleep. Obstructive sleep apnoea is a treatable condition, but if not dealt with could lead to hypertension and loss of brain cells.
Diet
The true meaning of diet refers to what you eat. The role of eating remains a crucial point of debate when asking “why do I eat?”.
The fuel you put in determines the mileage you get out of your body. The understanding of our behaviour around food is complex and has many facets buried in our childhood and self-esteem.
There is a distinct difference between weight management and weight loss. Many people are emotional eaters and their diet reflects poor discipline because of chronic stress. This is accentuated by fatigue and a lack of planning. Eating disorders are common and speak of dysfunctional relationship between food and body image.
The truth about food…
* Healthy eating breeds a strong immune system and assists in coping with stress.
* Well controlled blood sugar levels prevent mood slumps and energy dips during the day.
* Your brain requires energy in the form of glucose to function optimally.
* Antioxidants are useful in combating the toxic effects of metabolic products.
* Your diet affects the way you age.
* Diet should be viewed as a cheap way of staying healthy.
Exercise
This is a drug for some and a curse for others. Exercise is a tool for maintenance of body function – optimising and fine tuning the balance between power and endurance. Increased physical activity enhances the body’s potential to deal with stress.
* The benefits of exercise are multiple, including destressing, improving physical strength and agility and confidence in a healthy identity and body form. Exercise increases blood flow to all vital organs and aids the process of effective oxygenation.
* During exercise your core body temperature increases, and this promotes the release of the feel-good hormones called endorphins in the brain.
* Exercise builds muscles and character, through discipline.
* It is essential in preventing chronic lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
* Exercise remains one of the best methods of clearing the mind and reducing daily stressors.
The biggest issue is that stress can be a driving force that pushes us into action - however, too much too soon can harm you in many ways.
Stress comes in many shapes and sizes - it doesn’t discriminate between race, gender or social standing.
Everyone has different abilities when it comes to coping with stress. There are several stress-coping mechanisms you can learn and improve in dealing with stress. Breathing techniques, quality of sleep, exercise and diet are the cornerstones of stress reduction. Some facts to remember:
* Time management, communication and goal-centred living remain crucial in overcoming stress.
* Mild stress can be useful to kick-start action and provide the initial energy for tough tasks.
* Chronic stress can have detrimental physical and emotional outcomes – paralyses your ability and leads to underachieving.
* An inability to cope with stress steals potential and robs talented people of amazing capacity.
* Planning and setting boundaries are keys to becoming a winner.
* Stress is a treatable condition – not a life sentence.
* Cortisol is the stress hormone released by the body – too much can lead to many health issues such as obesity and peptic ulcer disease.
# Dr Darren Green, a trusted figure in the field of media medicine, is a University of Stellenbosch graduate who adds innovative spark to health and wellness issues.
He features on 567CapeTalk, and is a regular guest on SABC3 and the Expresso show. Dr Green works as an emergency medical practitioner at a leading Cape Town hospital and completed four years of training as a registrar in the specialisation of neurology.
If you’ve got medical problems, contact the doctor at [email protected], 021 930
0655 or Twitter @drdarrengreen. Catch him in Cape Town on 567 CapeTalk, most
Fridays at 1.30pm.
The advice in this column does not replace a consultation and clinical evaluation with a doctor.
Cape Argus