I'm stressed - and sleeping badly
Q. I have a very stressful job and sleep badly, waking between two and four a.m., feeling incredibly depressed. I feel better when I finally get up but have some low moments during the day too. Other women friends over 50 have the same problem. A. This type of insomnia is a common result of daytime anxiety, according to the late Dr David Servan-Schreiber, psychiatrist and author of Healing Without Freud or Prozac: Natural Approaches to Curing Stress, Anxiety and Depression (Rodale, £9.99 - buy here)
There's a vulnerable moment at the end of the first long period of deep sleep (about four hours into the sleep cycle) when we cross over into the lighter REM sleep (dreaming time). ‘Underlying anxiety of any kind manifests itself during that fragile transition and our brains find it hard to process thoughts and feelings,’ he said.
Sleep disturbance and anxiety leading to depression are interconnected, according to pharmacist Shabir Daya. ‘A relentless train of negative thoughts can begin with the tiniest kernel of reality then escalate out of proportion.’ Stress of any kind upsets the delicate balance of our hormones; it starts with the adrenal glands over-producing cortisol, which prevents calming, mood-lifting serotonin getting to the brain. At night, serotonin is normally converted to melatonin, the sleep hormone. With insufficient melatonin and a fractured mind, it’s very hard to sleep.
A natural supplement may help. Shabir Daya recommends Magnolia Rhodiola Complex/£26 for 60 capsules, one month’s supply - buy here. Magnolia extract helps to relax muscles and nerves as well as reducing cortisol levels. In small trials, eight out of ten people taking this form of magnolia also slept well. Rhodiola helps increase the uptake of serotonin. NB natural supplements are not magic bullets so do give it time to take effect.
Meanwhile, try these tips. Relax in the evening, with a warm milky drink. Caffeine has a half-life of at least six hours so avoid coffee, tea, cola and chocolate after lunch. Avoid sugary or fatty foods and excess alcohol, which your body has to process at night.
Practise calming your mind. When (or if) you wake at night, lie flat on your back and breathe slowly and deeply, allowing your mind simply to follow your breath. Visualise being somewhere peaceful. Repeat calming words in your mind (aloud if you’re on your own), such as ‘peaceful’, ‘tranquil’, even ‘joyful’.
Give your brain daily downtime with meditation; there’s a wonderful, funny, simple new book called Quiet The Mind: An Illustrated Guide on How To Meditate by Matthew Johnstone (Robinson, £7.99 - buy here)
NB if none of this helps, please consult your doctor.
THE LOWDON ON LANOLIPS
When Kirsten Carriol was a small blonde moppet growing up in Australia, her scientist father said the best skin treatment was pure medical grade lanolin and that’s what he put on her skin. (It comes from sheep’s wool, and no creature is harmed in the process.) Later Kirsten started her own award-winning brand called Lanolips. The multi-tasking hero product is Lanolips 101 Ointment for dry or inflamed skin anywhere, cracked heels, scuzzy cuticles, minor cuts, burns and sunburn, dry nasal passages – and even mixed with lipstick for a moisturising lip gloss. Find it at Victoria Health/£11 for 17.5 ml - buy here
WEBSITE OF THE WEEK: www.Xenicollection.com
Architect Ann Olivier was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1990. Two decades later, after recovering from acute depression and now wheelchair-bound, she had a revelation: ‘just because women are physically impaired doesn’t mean they forget about fashion’. When she went shopping, however, she found nothing. So, fired with determination, she went to college and learnt how to design ‘wonderful clothes for fashionable, disabled women’.
Now Ann has launched her own fashion line Xeni, a capsule collection for women with conditions such as MS and arthritis. Magnetic fastenings replace buttons and zips, trousers have extra length down the back line to avoid sagging when you’re sitting down, and there’s no clutter or tightness around the waist.
THREE OF THE BEST COCONUT PRODUCTS
Coconut products are generally health-giving and fantastic for anyone who is sensitive to dairy products.
Bessant & Drury’s fine ice cream: this dairy, gluten and soy-free range of ‘frozen desserts’ is creamy and delicious, according to our tester. In vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and lemon, about £4.99 for 400 ml tub at www.bessantanddrury.com
Kara Dairy-free Milk: testers loved both the Original and Chocolate versions, made from freshly pressed coconut milk with added calcium. It’s free of lactose, casein, soya and gluten, and great for drinking or cooking. About £1.39 at Waitrose and other supermarkets. www.karadairyfree.com
Tiana Organic Coconut Butter: this tasteless product is perfect for all frying, as it doesn’t create toxic chemicals when heated unlike most cooking oils. NB it’s solid so you need to scrape it out; don’t refrigerate. www.tiana.com