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Tag: Mentalhealth

  • 5 Ultimate Health Benefits of Fasting

    What do scientists say about fasting?

    Image from Unsplash

    Fasting is an action taken by individuals to abstain from eating and drinking throughout a specific time. This act has more health benefits and is safe according to scientists. This page describes and explains the benefits of fasting, but it also shows the types and how to fast for better health.

    Types of Fasting

    There are different types of fasting, including intermittent fasting, water fasting, dry fasting, religious fasting, and medical fasting, as explained below.

    • Intermittent fasting involves patterns of eating and abstaining from foods. In other words, you choose when to eat and when to fast within a specific period of time. For example, you can choose to fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining 8 hours, or you can choose one day for fasting and another day for eating. Additionally, some people follow what is called the Warrior Diet, which involves eating some fruits and vegetables in the morning and evening, and one large meal at night, depending on your choice and needs.
    • Watery fasting: This kind of fasting involves consuming only water, meaning no food for a specified time. It can be done by drinking only water for two to three days. This is done purposely for detoxification and as a weight loss strategy.
    • Religious fasting: Many people fast for religious reasons, as directed in spiritual books. A good example is Islamic fasting, known as Ramadan fasting. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for an entire month without eating or drinking. There is also Christian fasting. Christians abstain from eating from morning to evening, or dry fasting, which involves no eating for three consecutive days. But also, Jewish fasting involves 25 hours in a day without eating or drinking anything, to mention a few.
    • Partial fasting, a good example of which is the Daniel fast practiced by Christians, involves abstaining from all kinds of foods except for plant-based options. It is also practiced by people who need to reduce their consumption of sugary foods or caffeine for health reasons.
    • And lastly, there is medical fasting. It is purposely done for medical reasons. Doctors may recommend that you fast for a specific time in order for your body to be tested during medical checkups, such as blood tests, ultrasound tests, and endoscopy tests. Additionally, medical fasting is essential in supporting surgery to prevent aspirations. This kind of fast is recommended by the doctor, and you are required to follow the directed instructions.

    After digesting the different types of fasting mentioned above, let us see how you can fast for good health. However, different types of fasts have their own advantages for human health. The following tips will guide you in fasting.

    • Commitment is very important if you need to fast, as it will allow you to stay focused while you are fasting. Before fasting, make sure you stay hydrated by taking 2 to 3 liters of water; this facilitates the maintenance of blood volume, supports metabolic processes, and prevents headaches during fasting. Eat a more fiber-rich diet that includes whole grains, legumes, and vegetables; this diet helps to slow down digestion and allows you to fast without feeling very hungry. Additionally, consider foods high in protein and fats, such as eggs, beans, avocados, and meat, to increase your energy levels. An important thing to remember is to avoid eating processed and sugary foods to prevent crashes and spikes in blood glucose, as these kinds of foods can lead to increased hunger.
    • During Fasting. Several important factors exist to maintain fitness while fasting because some effects from fasting might cause dangerous health consequences. It is recommended Intake of water or herbal teas to stop both dizziness and headaches from developing. Perform mindfulness activities through reading literature or meditation to stop hunger hormones from releasing. The preservation of energy levels calls for avoiding rigorous exercises but gentle physical actions such as strolling and doing stretching or practicing yoga are feasible for most people. The fast needs to be broken through light food when your body signals with discomfort or dizziness or weakness symptoms.
    • Breaking the fast, Yo need to be wise on selecting what first to enter in your body, it is recommended to start with warm water yo can add a slice of lemon because your body need to prepare for food so you need to be hydrated, after that choose to eat smooth digestible foods like fruits, dates, yogurt, and hot soup. After a minute you can eat a full well balanced diet meal with all nutrients.

    Things to Avoid While Breaking the Fast

    • Avoid overeating. Once you break the fast, do not rush to take a heavy meal at once. Instead, start with light, digestible foods like milk, fruit, and dates to prevent bloating, indigestion, and sluggishness. Then you can proceed with full meals.
    • Try to avoid processed foods and drinks because these kinds of foods have extra sugar, which facilitates a rapid spike in blood sugar and leads to fatigue and cravings. Instead of sweet cakes, white bread, and sugary drinks, try substituting them with fruits like oranges, mangoes, and bananas for natural sugar.
    • But also avoid foods with heavy oils; salty and spicy foods are not good for breaking the fast, as they may cause heartburn and bloating. Additionally, coffee is not recommended for breaking the fast because drinking coffee on an empty stomach can lead to increased acidity and, hence, difficult digestion.

    Advantage of fasting

    1. It enhances weight loss. During a fast, your body breaks down fats for energy, leading to fat loss. Additionally, when you fast, it means you limit calorie intake, which is good for weight loss. Fasting also reduces and lowers insulin levels, which makes your body use stored fats and calories, preventing weight gain. This is why you are encouraged to fast at least three times per month to maintain a standard weight.
    2. It boosts and strengthens the body’s immune system. Research has shown that if individuals fast for a long time, it facilitates the production of immune cells, which are essential for the human immune system to reduce cell damage, fight diseases and infections, and limit inflammation.
    3. Metabolism together with detoxification depends on fasting as its fundamental necessity. Autophagy functions as a natural process in the body that breaks down damaged cells when you fast according to scientific evidence. The removal of unwanted cells through this process enables new cell formations. The detoxification process of the body during fasting eliminates toxins so diseases caused by them cannot develop. The metabolic operations will strengthen gut health during this period..
    4. Fasting leads to the development of neurotrophic protein which improves mental clarity. Neurotrophic protein that develops in your body while fasting creates better memory function and improves learning capacity and supports continuous brain cell growth.
    5. Fasting helps to improve heart health. As we discussed, calories are burned during fasting, which reduces cholesterol levels in the blood, benefiting heart health. Additionally, it facilitates the easy flow of blood in the blood vessels, allowing the heart to function properly.

    Hence, fasting is good for our health, but it is recommended to seek professional advice from doctors if you encounter any health problems while fasting. The good thing is that even religious teachings encourage people to fast for spiritual purposes.

  • Meaning of Stress, Causes, Symptoms, and Prevention.

    What causes stress and how can we prevent it to stay stress-free for good health?

    What do you know about stress?
    No one can escape from stress; it is a matter of managing it. Stress is everywhere in our society because of the uncertainty that arises every day at our workplaces, at home, and on our streets where we live. Stress can be due to the loss of jobs, family disputes, discrimination in society, breakups in relationships, financial hardship, disability due to injury, chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as internal sources like feeling unloved, feeling disconnected, lack of self-esteem, and having responsibilities that you cannot control.

    Biologically, stress is a normal reaction to a person’s health, but it becomes harmful when it is mistreated and leads to alterations in chemical reactions that stimulate blood pressure to rise, tighten the muscles, and quicken breathing. This can cause the body to fail to perform its duties well, resulting in abnormalities such as low energy, pain in the chest area, loss of appetite, loss of sexual desire, lack of sleep or sleeping too much, anger, mood swings, trauma, headaches, and sometimes an upset stomach, which can eventually lead to a stroke and death. For example, a person who faces a car accident and becomes lame in the legs is likely to experience stress due to their situation.

    Types of Stress

    Stress appears in different ways and varies from one person to another. Everyone has their own stress, although sometimes it can be the same due to the situations they are experiencing. Situations like pandemics, when they arise, tend to affect a large number of people and bring stress to the entire community.

    1. Acute stress, It occurs and lasts for a short period. For example, a new employee may struggle to understand the duties, which helps him or her adapt to the new environment. This type of stress helps you achieve what you want and meet deadlines.
    2. Chronic stress, This kind of stress is termed “chronic” because it lasts for a long period and is harmful to your health. For example, a person who has a serious illness for an extended period may be a victim of this kind of stress.

    What are the differences between trauma, stressors, and anxiety?

    Many people are confused about trauma, stressors, and anxiety in the context of stress. The following are their views and differences:

    What is Trauma?

    Trauma is a disturbing experience or event that a person encounters in their lifetime and that affects their entire life. These events can include accidents that lead to the loss of loved ones, disappointment, severe business loss, divorce, relationship breakups, chronic diseases, and family disputes, to name a few. Most people who suffer from trauma are those affected by negative events that occurred in the past, and they have no resilience to cope with them. Military officers are victims of trauma due to the nature of their jobs on the battlefield, but many other people also face these traumatic situations.

    Example of Trauma

    Let us see the story of Jesca. It was midnight when her mother and father fell asleep in their room. At that time, Jesca was studying and making preparations for an exam. Suddenly, she heard the sound of a door breaking and a crying voice coming from her parents’ room. Without hesitation or fear, Jesca rushed to her parents’ room, where she found her father’s head severed by a giant man with a thick beard. The man was attempting to assault her mother. Jesca was shocked and ran away from the scene. This event became a traumatic experience for her. From that time on, Jesca harbored anger and hatred toward people with beards.

    What is Stressors?

    A stressor is a causative factor for stress to occur. It could be a psychological or physical situation that leads to stress. A negative mindset is a good example of a stressor. Sometimes, unexpected circumstances that an individual faces in daily life can cause stress to occur. There are different types of stressors categorized into time-based stressors, traumatic event stressors, socialization stressors, ensemble stressors, and behavioral stressors. A brief discussion of the types of stressors is provided below.

    • Time-based stressors involve time limitations. Individuals may have many things to accomplish within a specific timeframe, which can lead to stress.
    • Traumatic event stressors occur when individuals face uncertain situations that are hard to forget and affect psychological, physical, and behavioral well-being.
    • Socialization or Ensemble Stressors: Relationships and daily social interactions may cause stress to rise. Individuals may struggle to manage peer pressure, family issues, or workplace problems, leading them to experience discomfort, anxiety, and depression.
    • Behavioral Stressors: Individual actions or habits that are not controlled may lead to anxiety and depression. Poor time management, sleeping late at night, and delaying the completion of tasks may cause depression, anxiety, headaches, and a lack of focus. Additionally, the behavior of masturbation may cause guilt and, hence, mental illnesses.

    After understanding the above terminologies, I hope you discover their differences and how they affect our lifestyles. Mental health is very important for well-being; however, some risk factors can arise and cause prolonged stress. Let us see what the main causes of stress are.

    Understand the 3 main categories of causes of stress.

    In this article, we have tried to explain the causes of stress in three categories: events, health issues, and external factors.

    1. Events related to stress. As human beings, we undergo different stages and positions in life, and we also face various changes, which can make us more stressed. This is why we see suicides occurring in schools, the army, families, and workplaces due to prolonged trauma. Examples of this type of stress include divorce, retirement, starting college, starting a business, unemployment, financial hardship, pregnancy, and being dismissed from a job, to mention a few. All of these life events may cause stress.
    2. Health issues related to stress can lead to serious health problems, especially chronic diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, which are likely to affect mental health. Additionally, injuries can lead to prolonged stress. Most victims of this kind of stress feel loneliness, disconnectedness, depression, isolation, and emotional drain. Sometimes, they may even go so far as to harm themselves.
    3. Interpersonal and external factors related to stress include low self-esteem, under- or overconfidence, a negative mindset, internal conflict due to a lack of life fulfillment, stressful traits, and a lack of self-care and respect. All of these may disturb mental health and contribute to a stressful lifestyle. Additionally, social interactions with negative people may influence you to feel as they do.

    What are the symptoms of stress?

    Most people don’t know if they have stress; this is why it becomes more chronic and difficult to manage. Below are the signs of stress, and if you notice any of the following, you should take the initiative. These signs can be noticed physically and emotionally.

    • Physically, once your body feels uncertainty or discomfort, it leads to changes in bodily reactions; hence, you may experience poor sleep, pain in the chest area, digestive problems, loss of sexual desire, several headaches, hypertension due to increased heart rate, and fatigue.
    • Emotionally, the body also undergoes changes such as sadness, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, regret, and a lack of self-confidence.

    Those symptoms are not fixed; they can vary between individuals and are not limited. Be honest with your body if you notice any changes before the situation becomes worse.

    What are the preventive measures for stress?

    However, stress is unpredictable. Stress occurs due to various factors, including events, health issues, and interpersonal and external factors. These may contribute to the occurrence of stress, and individuals may not have control over their progression, which can lead to serious mental health issues. The following are preventive strategies to reduce the risk of chronic stress.

    • Firstly, you should prioritize your health over anything else by taking a well-balanced diet, exercising, and focusing on your goals.
    • Set clear goals that are achievable, and avoid goals that are difficult for you to achieve.
    • Stay connected with your family in any harmful circumstances you face, and find someone with whom you can share everything, even if it hurts you.
    • Prioritize your sleep schedule and make time to rest each day in order to allow for relaxation, body repair, and growth. Additionally, you can practice meditation or yoga exercises for more relaxation.
    • Try to be stronger in difficult times by telling yourself you are a hero and that you can make it while others cannot.
    • Do things that make you happy and ignore things that do not benefit you; thus, you have to learn to say NO if things are against you.
    • The difference between things that must be done and optional ones is important so that you can prioritize essential tasks within a given time.

    Conclusively, mental health is very crucial for overall well-being. Do not allow stress to ruin your life by prioritizing what you believe in and focusing on your personal development. Because once mental health is disrupted, the whole body becomes weak and fails to perform daily activities. It is true that there is no direct treatment for stress, so try to avoid unnecessary things that may risk your mental health.