6 Signs You Might Have PTSD

The majority of people experience at least one traumatic event during their lifetime. Trauma affects everyone differently. When you hear the term post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, what do you think of? It is most commonly associated with military veterans. However, anyone can develop PTSD after a terrible event that they have trouble processing. The event could be anything from a car crash or abusive relationship to the death of a friend. The first step to getting help with the disorder is becoming familiar with the symptoms. 

Traumatic Flashbacks

Flashbacks and lingering thoughts of the trauma are signs you might be suffering from PTSD. In extreme cases, your flashbacks may be so vivid that they seem to pull you out of reality. Less intense intrusive thoughts may also occur. If you frequently find yourself anxious and stressed from unwelcome memories, you may have a disorder. Places like Rey Health can help you get to the bottom of these instances.

Changes in Emotions

Traumatic events obviously have an impact on your emotional state, but sometimes that effect lingers in unusual ways. Have you noticed that your distress is fading into numbness? When your brain becomes overwhelmed, you can enter a period where you do not feel much of anything. If you have been in that state for an extended amount of time, there might be an issue.

Being Overly Vigilant

Many who suffer trauma become more aware of risk factors around them. You may even become hypervigilant. Hypervigilance means that you are mentally on edge. That results in mental stress and physical jumpiness. Some aren't conscious of the change, so don't be afraid to talk to a trusted friend or family member about any differences that they've seen.

Increase in Nightmares

The thoughts that plague your mind during the day can present as recurring nightmares. You can have unpleasant dreams night after night that center around the traumatic event which you endured. Be especially aware of this symptom if it starts to interfere with your sleeping patterns. 

Trouble Concentrating

There are many reasons people have a hard time concentrating. You should consider what is causing your trouble. Is your mind wandering back to the event? Are you trying to distract yourself from sadness? Have bad dreams led to sleepiness? A lot of people with PTSD note that their concentration is impaired.

Facing Triggers

The word trigger is used in a variety of ways. If you have post-traumatic stress disorder, you may be all too familiar with the definition of emotional trigger. No matter how small they are, certain connections to your trauma can quickly send you into a downward spiral. You may find that there are places, people, shows, objects, or even holidays that affect you differently. Your triggers can lead to intense depression or panic attacks.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is more widespread than you may expect. If you identified with any of the signs of PTSD, be sure not to isolate, blame yourself, or become reckless. There is help available to those who seek it.

Effective Ways To Beat Depression While In Isolation

While there is still no real way of knowing when the pandemic will near its end, depression rates skyrocket; as a result of self-isolation, lockdown measures, and the many impacts of the viral outbreak, more people around the world are fighting depression. As social creatures tend to turn to others during stressful and emotional times, isolation and social distancing are fueling depression. However, there are several effective ways to overcome bouts of depression during the pandemic. While you should seek medical advice in instances of severe depressive episodes, we have listed a few practical ways to protect your mental health during the global crisis.

Keep Busy And Stay Connected

Procrastination is undeniably the thief of time, as the saying goes. However, it is also the thief of joy as procrastination often leads to feelings of overwhelming guilt and helplessness. While crafting a schedule and making use of time management apps can help you keep busy, you should also make a point of staying connected, not just with the world around you but also with your friends and family. A support system is a vital key in the treatment of even severe depression. Staying in touch via video calls and instant texting apps doesn’t have to be boring either because you can find a ton of fun virtual holiday party games and ideas on cityHUNT.

Get Sunlight And Fresh Air Everyday

It may seem like mundane advice, although fresh air and sunlight can aid depressive moods. The benefits of fresh air and sunlight are even backed by science, so even a short time spent outside each day really can improve your mood and help you overcome depression during the pandemic. Even if you don’t have a yard and only have access to a small balcony, merely enjoying the outside environment and being exposed to the elements can substantially lift your mood. The more time you spend outside, the lighter your spirit will be.

Search For A New Hobby

A new interest can make a massive difference to anybody as uncovering passions is often considered a self-discovery journey. While searching for a new hobby or interest can be as simple as thinking about what sparks curiosity and joy, it is essential to consider relaxing options. Some things may be out of the question due to the pandemic, although DIY arts and crafts, gardening, and countless other activities are still great options. You may even learn a new skill or discover a talent to be developed.

Get Quality Sleep

The effects of sleep deprivation are often driving forces in depressive moods, which is just one of the many reasons quality sleep is so important. Because even minor sleep deprivation can negatively impact your mood, it is crucial to ensure you can get a good night’s rest every night. If you aren’t entirely sure where to start, adjusting your sleep environment, opting for natural sleep remedies, and improving sleep hygiene are practical steps in improving sleep quality.

6 Life-Altering Health Effects of Divorce on Women

Divorces can be messy and chaotic, and seldom does it happen that spouses come out of a divorce without any pain. Unfortunately, there has been an unprecedented increase in divorces, and it is reported that women suffer from the after-effects of divorce more severely than men.

The common understanding is that women suffer both physically and mentally only if they are involved in an abusive relationship and get a divorce later. But, this understates the mental chaos that the whole process of divorce itself creates in the minds of women.

We have compiled a comprehensive list of the various health effects of divorce on women:

1. Anxiety Spikes:
The occurrence of significant life changes brings about anxiety, and no event is more significant than a divorce in the world of married people. Therefore, it is bound to bring anxiety, because the idea of living alone, the insecurity of being rejected, and conflicting feelings about your partner can be highly disturbing, especially for women.

2. Plunging into depression:
Anxiety should decrease once you get on with your life after being divorced, but you should consult a counselor if it persists for longer. Persistent anxiety turns to depression, which can significantly affect the quality of your life.

Moreover, engage a decent attorney like the ones available at the Divorce Matters law firm, because they will save you from the anxiety of dealing with the legal aspects of divorce.

Photo by Alex Boyd on Unsplash

3. Getting socially isolated:
Divorced women start judging themselves because they feel that they are somehow inadequate and do not deserve love. This could result in isolating themselves from other women and end up being even more depressed.

4. Becoming an insomniac:
Depressed people often forget about taking care of themselves and find it hard to sleep without prescribed drugs. Under-sleeping leads to several health issues, and statistically, the most common one is hypertension.

5. Aging quicker:
Many women religiously look for ways to keep their skin fresh and smooth for as long as they can, but divorce can take that away from them. It is reported that divorced women age quicker as compared to other women because of divorce-induced depression and insomnia.

Aging does not only mean wrinkly skin, but it also indicates that they are highly likely to face issues while engaging in everyday mobility activities like walking and climbing stairs.

6. Higher likelihood of experiencing cardiac incidents and diabetes:
According to a study conducted by researchers at Duke University, divorced women are more likely to experience cardiac events as compared to married or single women. On the other hand, this study states that divorced men do not see any such increase in the risk of experiencing cardiac incidents.

Moreover, it is stated by another study that divorced women are at least 20 percent more likely to experience diabetes at some point in their lives.

Photo by Engin Akyurt from Pexels

Losing Health Insurance
A significant portion of women depend on their husbands for health benefits. Therefore, a lot of women lose health insurance as a result of divorce, and that can lead up to looming medical conditions.

In a nutshell, divorces obviously must not be taken lightly, especially if you are a woman. It might not be a bad idea to start making plans or having things in place if you suspect you may end up divorcing your spouse.

How to Avoid Postpartum Depression

Having a baby can be one of the best experiences that you will have in life. The problem with pregnancy, however, is that it eventually ends when you have your baby. This shouldn’t be a problem when you are then presented with a baby to look after, but sadly all over the world, mothers experience postpartum depression. This type of depression is a very serious illness, and understanding the signs is very important. In this article, we are going to go through some of the ways that you can help yourself to avoid postpartum depression so keep reading if you’d like to find out more.

Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Get Some Exercise

One of the best things that you can do when you are going through your postpartum period is to get some exercise. Although you will be busy with a newborn, you’ll benefit from taking a short walk each day or doing something which requires you to lift your energy levels a little. You’ll find that your mood will slightly improve as you achieve these goals.

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Stay Healthy

We all know that sleeping properly can be very difficult when you have a newborn baby but if you are able to get a reasonable amount of sleep then you’ll likely feel a lot better about yourself. You should also make sure to keep up a healthy diet to avoid spiraling into a depressive state. If you can, take a break and cook yourself or your partner a nice meal while they look after the baby.

Talk to Someone

If you think that you are beginning to show signs of postpartum depression, you need to make sure that you talk to someone. Ignoring the problem can only make it worse so try your best to talk to a friend, a parent or a partner. If none of these things are working, try talking to an online therapist. Websites like AskaCoach offer great therapists that specialize in depression that can help you through this hard time.

Focus on Yourself

You need to focus on your baby and looking after it, but you should also make sure to spend some time focusing on yourself. If you can avoid it, don’t do anything that will take your attention away from recovering from childbirth. This involves making big life decisions such as moving house or getting yourself a new job. Focus on your family and what you need to do, and don’t let yourself get stressed out by other aspects of your life that can wait.

Research

Our final tip for preventing postpartum depression is to do your research. You should make sure that you know everything about this illness so that you can identify when you are starting to feel a bit down or depressed. There are plenty of resources that will help you to identify the signs and might even help you to understand when a friend is going through this illness.

Although these tips might not stop postpartum depression completely, they might be able to help along the way.

Why Sleep is Your Way to a Healthier Life

Who doesn’t love waking up in the morning feeling refreshed, alert and ready to face the day? Or am I dreaming to think that you can always get the sleep that you need?! The truth is that in today’s increasingly busy world, many people push sleep to the back of the queue - an added extra that’s nice if you can get it.

Scientists are always conducting new studies about just how important a good night’s sleep is, both for our physical and mental wellbeing. Just in case you needed any extra reasons to get your forty winks, here are just some of the health benefits that a good night’s sleep can bring.

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Improve Memory

Though it may seem like you are not doing all that much while you sleep, your mind is actually busy processing all the events of the day. In a process called ‘consolidation’, the memories or practice skills that you learnt during the day are reinforced in your mind. That means that if you are trying to learn something new, sleep can help cement the information that you need in your mind. There’s a reason people say it’s not a good idea to stay up all night before an exam cramming in all the information instead of getting valuable shut-eye! If you’ve got a big day ahead of you, the best way you can tackle it is with sleep.

Exercise Better

Many top performing athletes get upwards of 10 hours sleep a night in the build up to a big game. Though you’re probably not quite at this level, a good night’s sleep can still probably improve your performance! Studies have shown that a decent amount of sleep can improve stamina and reduce daytime fatigue. How many times have you decided not to get your exercise because you were too tired? And the truth is that it can become a vicious cycle. People who get a decent amount of exercise generally find it easier to drift off at night. If you are trying to hit a certain goal or personal best, it seems that sleep is your fast track to doing this.

Increase Attention Span

If you are trying to help your kids improve their grades at school, making sure they get an early night should be your first priority. Whereas adults tend to feel sluggish and lethargic when we don’t get the sleep we need, it generally has the opposite effect on kids. They tend to get overly hyperactive and find it very difficult to concentrate on any tasks. And also remember that kids tend to need more sleep than adults, so the definition of a good night’s sleep tends to vary between you and your children. When it comes to your own attention span, you certainly need that extra hour or two in bed to improve your alertness and therefore lengthen your own attention span.

Maintain A Healthy Weight

Many of us find that it is an ongoing battle to keep at a healthy weight. And it turns out that a huge amount of the battle is fought from the comfort of your own bed! A study was conducted at the University of Chicago which found that dieters who were more well rested lost a significantly bigger fat percentage than those who were sleep deprived. It was also found that those who weren’t getting enough sleep were losing muscle mass (so if you’re trying to tone up, getting your sleep is also hugely important!). During this study, dieters reported feeling hungrier when they weren’t getting as much sleep. It can be a very difficult balancing act to make sure you are getting enough sleep while also finding enough hours in the day to work out as well!

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Lower Stress

Reducing the amount of stress in our lives is something that many of us are looking to achieve. Both stress and sleep are intrinsically linked as they both impact our cardiovascular health. Sleep equips us with the mental tools that we need to keep our stress levels down. It has also been linked to blood pressure and cholesterol levels.   

However, if we feel extremely stressed, it can be difficult to make sure our bodies switch off to get the rest that we need. Try getting into a bedtime routine that prepares you for sleep. Spend some time destressing yourself in whatever way works best for you; whether this is a bubble bath, yoga or listening to music. Consider cutting back on your screen time when you are approaching bedtime. Watching TV or playing on a laptop has been found to disrupt melatonin production which is an important sleep hormone. This can be a particular problem for kids as they tend to want to stay connected to all their different devices as long as possible. It may be that you need to put some pretty strict rules in place in order to get them out of these bad habits. 

Getting your bedroom just right is important so find out how to choose the right down pillow for a restful sleep. Also think about how comfortable your mattress is and whether you have enough blankets to keep you warm during the night. Try to keep your bedtime routine the same every night so that your body naturally begins to prepare itself for sleep.

Avoid Accidents 

The link between tiredness and road accidents is clear which is why there are so many campaigns trying to stop people from driving when they feel tired. A lack of sleep tends reduce reaction time as well as impacting decision making. This means that numerous everyday tasks are affected by not getting enough sleep. If you work in a job that requires a high degree of concentration, getting a good night’s sleep should be your first priority.

Reduce Risk of Depression

Like stress, depression is another area of our mental wellbeing that is significantly affected by lack of sleep. People who are well rested tend to be more emotionally stable and feel more balanced. The chance of mood swings is significantly increased if you don’t get the sleep you need. We’ve all experienced a sudden rush of anger or sadness simply from not getting our eight hours at night. Anxiety can also be increased, making us feel uneasy about all sorts of aspects of our lives. 

Curb Inflammation

Linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and arthritis, inflammation can be extremely damaging to our health. Getting enough sleep has been found to curb this. On the other side of the coin, people who get fewer than six hours of sleep a night tend to have higher blood levels of inflammatory proteins.

Live Longer

Though there is still a lot of research that goes into this area, studies have started making the link between people who sleep more and people who live longer. Older people often tend to have different sleeping patterns that involve not getting as much during the night but needing to take naps during the day. Quality of life is also generally reduced by not getting enough sleep.

So, it’s pretty clear to see that getting enough sleep is hugely important. If you’ve considered pushing sleep to the back of your list of priorities, it may well be time to rethink! All the tasks that you have the next day are much more likely to be tacked well if you get the sleep that you need.    

Do You Think You're Depressed Or Crazy?

Have you ever felt like you are spiraling into depression or feel like you are going crazy? I think every person goes through this some time in their life and often times physicians will prescribe anti-depressants or sleep aids. I remember 3 years ago having feelings of sadness to the point where I would cry daily for hours and not know why. This went on for longer than I should have let it and I went in for a full physical. Long story short, the culprit was vitamin D deficiency. It was horribly low and I was placed on a high-dose supplement once a week, for 12 weeks. To my surprise, I felt so much better and had my life back!

This same problem has hit my entire family minus the little guy. It turns out that the darker your skin, the harder it is to absorb vitamin D from the sun. That really amazes me since we spend a good deal of time outdoors. I had labs done a month ago and my vitamin D levels have dropped again. The normal range is 30-100 and mine was at 19. I have been put back on a high-dose supplement and am due back to test my levels at the end of the twelve weeks. I really hope it works and I can find a way to get more vitamin D in my body naturally. The supplements are not good for long term since they can cause damage to your kidneys.

Image credit: The Mayo Clinic

I have noticed a lot of family and friends complaining of fatigue, exhaustion or depression and I mentioned having their vitamin D level checked. Turns out each and every one of them had the same issue. As a matter of fact, over 85% of people have low vitamin D levels and may not even know it. So before you get misdiagnosed or self-diagnose that you are depressed or anxious, get your vitamin D level checked by a simple blood test.

If you have ever had issues with vitamin D deficiency, what did you do to raise it? Please share any advice you have in the comments. Stay healthy! xo