Posts Tagged ‘Stress’

Tips for a Good Night’s Rest

You can’t deny the benefits of a good nights rest. Most doctors recommend a good seven hours sleep a night, but for many people who suffer insomnia, stress or have a hard time falling asleep after a long, busy day, it is tough to get a good nights sleep. Especially for Americans who often work themselves to too hard it can be difficult to get a proper night’s sleep if you don’t mentally and physically prepare yourself. Here are some great tips to help you get the right amount of sleep to keep your mind and body healthy and prepared for another day.

1) Mentally prepare yourself for sleep. If possible, at least 30 minutes before you are planning on going to bed, start mentally preparing yourself for sleep. Turn the led lighting low, put on some soft music or read a book in bed. Preparing your mind for sleep will greatly increase our chances of falling asleep on schedule and not tossing and turning for hours when you finally do hop in bed. Many people make the mistake of mentally taxing themselves right up to the moment before they pull back the covers and hit the hay. It is popular nowadays to pop a sleeping pill instead of properly taking the time to mentally prepare oneself for a good night’s rest.

2) Physically prepare yourself for sleep. There are number of great things you can do to physically prepare yourself for sleep and each works different for certain people. Many people find that a good workout at the gym right before bed can help their body fatigue itself to help fall asleep easier. Others find a hot shower with the lights off good physical preparation. Another great tip is to stop drinking caffeine around 5pm to make sure it is out of your system when you are trying to fall asleep. A hot cup of herbal or sleep aid tea can also work wonders and act as a replacement to addicting sleeping pills. Try different things and find the one that works for you. Read more…

Is This a Panic Anxiety Attack Or Just Stress?

Many people believe that stress and anxiety are the same. But this is definitely not the case. Experiencing stress and having an actual anxiety attack are quite different. So what are the differences between the two?

Stress is caused from pressure that we experience in our day to day lives. We can experience stress at work, at home or just by keeping company with certain people. When the body experiences stress, the pressure that we are feeling in our mind and body causes adrenaline to be released and our blood pressure to rise. There is also a release of the hormone that causes one to be depressed.

Stress is caused by something existing. Any situation, thought or experience that makes us feel frustrated, upset, nervous or even anxious can cause a person to be stressed. A person who is under lots of stress can feel anxiety, but this anxiety will normally go away when the cause of the stress is eliminated. Read more…

Is There a Relationship Between Type 2 Diabetes and Depression?

Research has shown people who have stress and psychological strain, or suffer any mental condition with depression as a symptom, have high blood sugar levels as a result of the way different hormones respond to stress. Therefore, a person who suffers with depression has a high possibility of developing type 2 diabetes.

Although for years it was thought depression was a complication of type 2 diabetes, studies are now showing stress and depression are also a cause.

A study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) conducted by Dr. Sherita Hill Golden in 2008, on the association between depressive symptoms and type 2 diabetes, revealed:

* there is a modest relationship between depressive symptoms and type 2 diabetes
* there was no link with depression and untreated high blood sugar levels and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes
* with treated type 2 diabetes, there was definitely a positive association Read more…

Panic Attacks Causes – What Could Possibly Be the Cause of Your Panic Attacks?

Panic disorder is becoming quite common an is a growing concern for many people. The sudden onset of an overwhelming sense of fear and anxiety can be very scary and if it isn’t treated can result in complete isolation of a person. Often sufferers will be too scared to leave their home for the fear of having an attack while in public.

The good news is that there are treatments available and with a little help you can overcome panic disorder completely. The first step to overcome this problem is to find the source. You will need to think back or take note of things going on in your life and see if you can pinpoint the cause of your attacks.

Some of the possible causes for panic disorder include:

• Stress
• Depression
• Death of a family member
• Big change in your life Read more…

Panic Attacks, Anxiety, and Anger: The Dynamics of Defense

I’d like to discuss anger’s role in the generation and sustenance of panic attacks and anxiety. To give the matter its due, I’ve decided to present the information in two parts. In this edition, part one, we’ll review what anger is in the eyes of the psychoanalysts and cognitivists. And in part two we’ll have a closer look at how anger directly impacts panic and anxiety. Well, are you ready? Let’s get to work.

The French psychiatrist, Jacques Lacan, a 20th Century pioneer in psychoanalysis, believed aggression is generated as a psychological defense against the threat of something known as fragmentation; the mental and emotional sense of losing control over self-cohesion. Now, fragmentation may present in a feeling of low-grade distress, or it may manifest in all-out panic and terror, for fear of total annihilation. Lacan took the whole matter to infancy where a human is simply a mish-mash of biological functions well beyond internal management. And the only goal one could have is to at least make an effort to pull everything together into some semblance of cohesive identity. Read more…

Panic Attacks, Anxiety, and Somatic Experiencing: Part I

In my ongoing quest for knowledge pertaining to the contributors to panic attacks and anxiety, as well as treatment strategies and techniques, I came upon some very cool stuff several years ago. It’s called Somatic Experiencing (SE) and it’s the amazing work of Peter A. Levine, Ph.D. This will be the first in a series of two articles. Here we’ll have a look at SE within the context of a contributor to panic and anxiety. The article that follows will approach SE from a treatment perspective. Well, tune-in because I know you’re going to find the information fascinating, hopeful, and helpful.

SE came to life as Dr. Levine observed that though wild animals of prey are under constant threat and siege, they’re rarely traumatized. Well, I never really gave that much thought, but I suppose it’s true. So, just how in the heck do they pull that off? Well, credit is given to an innate regulating mechanism that very efficiently manages and discharges the energy that accumulates in their bodies as a result of self-preservation behaviors. Levine observed that when an animal of prey survives a potentially deadly chase, it actually takes time to physically shake-off unused energy before moving on with the herd. Well, Levine posits we humans are equipped with essentially the same mechanism; however, ours is greatly inhibited by our more advanced cognitive capabilities. Man, how many times does thinking mess things up for us? By the way, isn’t it interesting that we so often use the phrase, “Just shake it off,” when someone takes a relatively minor hit of some kind. Read more…

Panic Attacks and Anxiety: Treatment of Balance Issues In Childhood

In a previous article I discussed the importance of including balance issues in any discussion of the contributors to panic attacks and anxiety. Amazingly, this connection hasn’t received much attention, but it appears as though that’s changing. Yes, children with balance issues are being assessed for signs and symptoms of anxiety, and intervention strategies and techniques are being developed and implemented. This is great news, as it holds the potential to save millions from life-long suffering.

As you may know, in addition to our sense of hearing the inner ear is the headquarters of balance and equilibrium. Within the membranous labyrinth, a fluid-filled structure deep within the inner ear, is a relatively large area known as the vestibule. And it’s the “vestibular system” that monitors and manages balance and equilibrium by receiving and integrating input from the eyes, ears, and muscles of the trunk, neck, and limbs. Of course, the vestibular system gets a little help from its friends, one of which is the brain’s cerebellum. I guess it would make sense that the cerebellum is a major player in the integration of sensory perception, as well as motor control.

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Panic Attacks and Assorted Mind Variances: Pieces of a Greater Whole

The human brain is absolutely amazing. And as much as we’ve learned about it, it remains one incredibly mysterious three-pound mass of tissue and fluid. The brain’s functioning has certainly been a puzzle to me over the many years, as it’s facilitated a long bout with panic disorder, as well as dances with other distressing mental, emotional, and physical phenomena. Lately, I’ve become more and more fascinated with how a panic sufferer’s assorted pathological challenges present and interact. Here are just some of my thoughts.

I was nine-years-old when an episode of derealization struck me like a lightening bolt while I was sitting at a kitchen table with my parents and their friends. I panicked and ran from the scene. During that same timeframe it was often written on my report cards that I was seemingly unable to sit still and would occasionally wander around the classroom. As a junior in college intrusive thoughts entered my airspace. I was walking down the sidewalk in downtown East Lansing, MI. and saw a woman coming toward me pushing a stroller. Out of nowhere I wondered what would happen if I punched her baby right in the face. Wow!

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Panic Attacks: The "We Do It Intentionally Pardox"

One could write and talk for days about the potential contributors to panic attacks. So much so that I choose to use the term “contributors,” not “causes.” And that’s because I believe using the term “causes” throws a very unnecessary roadblock in the path toward relief, as it attempts to find solid and defined explanations for why panic attacks occur. Ultimately, that’s great; however, I find it limiting in the immediate. At any rate, I want to discuss a very common psychological contributor to panic attacks that I refer to as the “We Do It Intentionally Paradox.”

First, just what is a paradox? Well, it’s something that may appear to be incongruent with what’s accepted as common sense, yet it’s very likely true. That said, it’s my observation that many panic sufferers may consciously and/or unconsciously intentionally trigger their panic attacks. Is that paradoxical enough for you? Geez, don’t get angry at me now. If this notion is true, and it applies to you, it can serve to provide a lot of direction. So think about it. Before I go into detail, could it at least be possible?

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How to Curb the Anxiety Syndrome?

Anxiety disorders are a product of modern life. The amount of stress that we face daily may lead to serious anxiety disorders and panic disorders. Anxiety is characterized as extreme reactions to scary situations. Suppose someone follows you into a dark alley, those anxious feelings of a racing heartbeat and sweaty palms that you experience gives way to heightened senses and a rush of adrenalin that can save your life. Your body is preparing to run away or if that is not possible to fight till the end. This is called the fight or flight syndrome.

Each one of us has experienced at some time or the other panic or anxiety in small ways. Like the fight or flight example, it can save life. In new situations, a normal person gets panicky but when the outcome that he is afraid of fails to materialize, the anxiety stops. But for a person who is suffering from chronic anxiety, this is not the case.

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