However, I think there is still a misconception that Psychologists are seen only when there is a serious mental health problem, overwhelming feelings, and disruption to life.

It is true that many Psychologists are trained in the assessment and treatment of Mental Disorders, in treating trauma, substance use issues, in supporting individuals and families dealing with grief and loss; issues that are serious, disrupt life and cause immense pain and suffering.

However, the specific set of skills Psychologists have can be used effectively to support change in people who want to simply shift their life and take better care of themselves.

It does not necessarily mean there is trauma or chaos.

It means someone has identified a gap in their life and wants to make a change that matters.

This can sometimes be difficult because of many reasons: poor insight, old habits, self-limiting beliefs, past history, or a limited set of coping strategies, can all get in the way.

A psychologist can help you change that, identify why this change matters to motivate you further, explore what behaviors you may be engaging in that keep you stuck, what skills do you need to develop, and what behaviors need to shift or be replaced with more self-serving ones.

This can be applied to many areas of one’s life, like lifestyle choices, health matters, nutrition, physical activity, relationships, parenting, employment, life goals, and also retirement.

I usually look for what life “gap” is the person experiencing.

What important aspect of who they want to be is not being fulfilled, and from there, we look at what thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are getting in the way of value-driven action.

All of this can take time and practice for the person developing his new ways.

The Psychologist helps by bringing all the evidence-based knowledge into practice with tips on new habit formation, on how to effectively deal with the inevitable hurdles of change, whilst supporting the refinement of new effective behavioral skills.

So if you have tried to make changes but “it was too hard”, have old “unchangeable habits”, find “change too stressful”  and yet you are keen to shift your life for the better, I encourage you to consider reaching out to a Psychologist who may just be the right support for you.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to psychology, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• VIDEO: Is your MIND getting in the way of YOUR life? (4 Minutes)
• Can STRESS be good for us?
• How to move past thoughts of negativity
• Why use Mindfulness Self Compassion?

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– Daniel Gartenberg

Sleeping seems like the most unproductive thing that we do.

We spend almost of a third of our lives motionless when we could be getting stuff done.

But, if you could see what your brain is doing while you sleep, you will soon realize that sleep is possibly the most productive thing you did all day.

It turns out that sleep is not only vital for many functions of the brain, but also for the effective and efficient functioning of most of our body systems.

All our body systems require long periods of sleep to restore and rejuvenate, to grow muscle, repair tissue, and synthesise hormones.

One of the vital roles of sleep is to help us solidify and consolidate memories, a process which involves the transfer of pieces of information from more tentative, short-term memory to stronger, long-term memory.

Research shows that after sleep, people tend to retain information and perform better on memory, attention and problem-solving tasks.

New research suggests that sleep at any age, especially from midlife onwards, is important for brain health.

During sleep and especially during deep sleep, the brain’s cleaning system (AKA the Glymphatic system) is operating to remove waste products, which if accumulated, can lead to cognitive decline and dementia in the aging brain.

Sleep problems, especially those associated with snoring and irregular breathing, are a major risk factor for developing dementia.

Lack of sleep can lead to impaired cognitive performance, mood changes (i.e., distress, anxiety and depression), accidents, elevated blood pressure, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, dementia, cancer and decreased immunity (susceptibility to infections).

So if you’re fond of saying, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”, well, that may be happening a lot faster than you anticipated.

How Much Sleep Do We Need?

Adults usually need 7-9 hours of sleep per night, but young adults and children may require more (8-11 hours).

Research shows that a person can’t just accumulate sleep deprivation and then log many hours of sleep to make up for it.

The best sleep habits are consistent, healthy routines that allow us, regardless of our age, to meet our sleep needs every night and keep on top of life’s challenges every day.

But sleep duration is not all, as sleep quality is just as important, and relates to the stages of sleep.

“Sleep is not a bank; you can’t store it up.”

Sleep quality or the stages of sleep

Based on the electrical activity in the brain (using an electroencephalogram, or EEG, which records electrical brain waves or currents), we can identify four distinct sleep stages.

The first two stages involve drowsiness, when someone just begins to fall asleep, and light sleep.

Stage 3 sleep is also known as slow-wave sleep or deep sleep, and it is the most restorative stage of sleep, considered to be especially important to overall restfulness.

The fourth stage is REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, which involves the eyeballs moving rapidly, and the body muscles are completely relaxed and limp. This is the time of sleep when our most vivid dreams are likely to occur.

These stages progress cyclically from 1 through REM then begin again with stage 1.

A complete sleep cycle takes an average of 90 to 110 minutes, with each stage lasting between 5 to 15 minutes.

The first sleep cycles each night have relatively short REM sleeps and long periods of a deep sleep, but later in the night, REM periods lengthen and deep sleep time decreases.

Sleeping less with age

Changes to our sleep patterns are a part of the normal aging process.

As people age, they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep than when they were younger.

Older people wake up an average of 2 or 3 times each night and earlier in the morning.

Total sleep time stays the same or is slightly decreased (6.5 to 7 hours per night), but less time is spent in deep, regenerating stage 3 sleep.

This may explain why many older adults also report being less satisfied with sleep and more tired during the day.

Sleep problems: Insomnia, SDB, and OSA?

Insomnia is defined as insufficient sleep duration or quality, resulting from disturbance of sleep onset or sleep maintenance.

Insomnia varies in how long it lasts and how often it occurs. It can be short-term (acute insomnia) or can last for several months (chronic insomnia). It can also come and go, with periods when a person has no sleep problems.

Acute insomnia can last from one night to a few weeks and is only considered chronic when a person has insomnia at least three nights a week for three months or longer.

People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep (takes longer than 30 min to fall asleep)
• Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep (staying awake for at least 30 min after falling asleep)
• Waking up too early in the morning
• A high degree of suffering
• Feeling tired upon waking
• Impairment in daily activities (difficulty concentrating, mood disturbances, decreased performance in work or at school)

In 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than a third of adults fail to get the recommended seven hours of sleep every day.

After 65 years of age, the incidence of insomnia may rise to 50%!

Snoring

Snoring is the primary cause of sleep disruption for many older adults, it is commonly associated with overweight and obesity, and it often becomes worse with age.

Snoring may be associated with an irregular breathing pattern, commonly known as “Sleep Disordered Breathing” (SDB).

In its more severe form, SDB is characterized by periods of not breathing at all, for as long as 10-60 seconds and it is called Obstructive Sleep Apnea, or OSA.

During periods of breathing stoppage (apneas) the amount of oxygen in the blood drops, causing brief arousal (awakening) and breathing resumes (sometimes with a loud gasping).

OSA causes multiple sleep disruptions throughout the night and results in excessive daytime sleepiness and impaired daytime function.

If untreated, it significantly increases your risk for chronic headaches, memory loss, cognitive decline, dementia, depression, and cardiovascular diseases.

Causes of sleep problems

Acute insomnia is brief and often happens because of life circumstances (for example, when you can’t fall asleep the night before an exam, or after receiving stressful or bad news).

It may also arise due to an acute illness or physical discomfort (i.e., pain).

Many people may have experienced this passing sleep disruption, and it tends to resolve without any treatment.

Chronic insomnia (i.e., disrupted sleep that occurs at least three nights per week and lasts at least three months) can have many causes, including unhealthy sleep habits, shift work, family and job stresses, anxiety disorders, depression, and environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures.

People with chronic insomnia may benefit from some form of treatment to help them get back to healthy sleep patterns.

Chronic insomnia can be a manifestation of another medical or psychiatric issue, which needs to be ruled out or addressed.

Diagnosis and treatment of sleep problems

Sleep problems are usually diagnosed by obtaining a good history of sleeping habits and lifestyle.

It is important to determine if it is acute or chronic and if chronic, to explore whether there are coexisting medical or psychiatric issues.

In some cases and especially for SDB’s and OSA’s, a study in a sleep laboratory (where EEG, eye movements, breathing rate, and oxygen saturation are measured) is advisable.

Nowadays, there are some new ways (wearable devices which monitor your heart rate, body movements and even your oxygen saturation) to get insights on your sleep habits, stages and wakefulness periods throughout the night.

However, caution should be applied when interpreting results from these devices, as they are prone to large inaccuracies.

It is worthwhile to speak to your doctor about insomnia symptoms and about any effects these symptoms may have.

Your doctor can help assess how serious a problem it is and what to do about it.

Treatment for chronic insomnia includes first treating any underlying conditions or health problems that are causing insomnia.

Both behavioral therapies and prescription medications singly or in combination are considered effective means to treat insomnia, but the former are recommended as the first-line treatment.

Behavioral approaches (i.e., meditation and relaxation exercises) help you to change behaviors that may worsen insomnia and to learn new behaviors to promote sleep.

If insomnia continues, your health care provider may suggest short term treatment of sleeping pills, however chronic use of some sleeping pills has been associated with sleepiness during daytime, memory problems and decline in other cognitive functions.

Good Sleep hygiene

Here are some tips for good sleep habits and beating insomnia (adapted from WebMD):

• Try to go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Try not to take naps during the day, because naps may make you less sleepy at night.
• Before bedtime or falling asleep, avoid exposure to screens of television sets, smart-phones or reading devices (“e-books”) that give off (blue) light. This can make it harder to fall asleep.
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol late in the day. Caffeine and nicotine are stimulants and can keep you from falling asleep. Alcohol can cause waking in the night and interferes with sleep quality.
• Get regular exercise. Try not to exercise close to bedtime, because it may stimulate you and make it hard to fall asleep. Experts suggest not exercising for at least three to four hours before the time you go to sleep.
• Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day. A light snack before bedtime, however, may help you sleep.
• Make your bedroom comfortable. Be sure that it is dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold. If light is a problem, try a sleeping mask. If noise is a problem, try earplugs, a fan, or a “white noise” machine to cover up the sounds.
• Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep. Read a book, listen to music, or take a bath.
• If you can’t fall asleep and don’t feel drowsy, get up and read or do something that is not overly stimulating until you feel sleepy.
• If you find yourself lying awake worrying about things, try making a to-do list before you go to bed. This may help you to not focus on those worries overnight.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain-healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• Change The Story Of Your Inner Critic
• How To Move Past Thoughts Of Negativity
• How Your Mindset Can Impact Your Everyday Life
• How To Better Handle Stress and Anxiety

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you videos, blogs, and articles just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Lastly, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.

We’ve discussed in many of our articles and videos what can trigger stress and ways in which we can more effectively manage it physically, but could it be possible, for us to change our perception of what our stress actually is?

You see, our beliefs can shape our reality.
The way we appraise an event can trigger a myriad of behavioral responses that can affect the way we act and experience our whole life.

This can also affect us at the physiological level.

For example, in one of our previous articles, I mentioned how our belief of aging can affect whether we age healthily or not.

Simply by holding a strong enough belief that we can age with healthy minds, bodies, and spirits, and acting accordingly, can be the difference as to whether it becomes a reality or not.

This also applies to how we experience stress, and, how it might similarly impact our health.

But what if then, there was a simple approach to stress that would alter our whole experience and physiological response?

Research shows that what we believe of stress has a lot to do with its impact on us.

If we believe stress to be toxic, this will trigger physiological responses that can predefine serious health issues even ten years from now.

However, in people who see stress as “energizing” their biology is different: they feel better, there is less inflammation, lower blood pressure, decreased stress hormones and they handle the stressful tasks more successfully.

They use the stress response to harness the energy and address what needs to be done.

Author and researcher Kelly McGonical describes three responses to stress:

• The flight and fight response
• The challenge response; and
• The tend and befriend response.

These three responses are all triggered by stress but have different physiological effects in the body.

Let’s explore them in more detail:

The flight and fight response:

A person perceives stress as a situation that is overwhelming. This leads to increased inflammation, high levels of cortisol and adrenalin, and strain on the cardiovascular system.

The challenge response:

A person perceives the stress as a challenge to master. The body is energized into action with less inflammation, lower blood pressure, decreased stress hormones.

The tend and befriend response:

A more socially connected response where the person reaches out for support has more compassion for himself and others. This generates a more parasympathetic system response in the body, where blood pressure is normal, and vasopressin and oxytocin are released (these are the connecting “love” hormones). In fact, this response appears to be protective of overall health, healthy aging, and brain health.

Let’s look at this in more practical terms.

• Thinking stress is bad, will make us try to avoid it, causing more stress and more harm (i.e. I will drink to make these feelings go away). This happens usually in flight/fight response.
• Thinking stress is a challenge we can sustain, that the feelings are excitement and energy, will activate the challenge response which is physiologically less damaging.
• And reaching out and helping and connecting to others in a similar struggle is protective and physiologically not damaging at all (and this is the tend and befriend response).

So how does this work in the real world?

Let’s look at some examples.

Tommy has a big swimming race and his heart is pounding.
He is stressed but reminds himself “This energy will fuel my body during this challenge”.
He uses the energy to compete and does well in the race.

Leila has a newborn baby who does not sleep at night.
She joins a support group for mothers and finds herself understood, supported and supporting other mums in a similar situation.
She feels that she is not alone, and she can handle this challenge.

So from this, we can see that in order to activate more beneficial physiological responses when stress occurs, it is helpful to keep our beliefs of stress in check.

Accepting stress as a normal body response, rather than trying to avoid it or believe it is toxic), might help activate a “challenge stress response”.

Looking out for beliefs like “I cannot handle these feelings of stress” and reminding oneself “this is energy my body is producing to help me handle this situation” will also help us move from flight/fight to challenge response.

Finally, reaching out to your own community of family and friends, and connecting to others in similar situations, will help activate the tend and befriend response.

This is a bit like that feeling of connection that arises when big tragedies strike (i.e. after a natural disaster) and communities come together for support and care.

Rather than going within and shutting down, reaching out and connecting produces powerful healing, and generates a healthier response in the minds and bodies of all.

Applying this simple information to how you respond to a stressful situation may be helping the brain to shift from a Flight and Fight response to a Challenge, Tend and Befriend reaction.

This is not only better for the body, but this simple mind reset may generate a cascade of new and positive actions that could impact your life and brain health for the better.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to nutrition and brain healthy foods, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• Change The Story Of Your Inner Critic
• How To Move Past Thoughts Of Negativity
• How Your Mindset Can Impact Your Everyday Life
• How To Better Handle Stress and Anxiety

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you videos, blogs, and articles just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

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It is a total mind-body workout that combines strengthening and stretching poses with deep breathing and meditation or relaxation.

Over the years, Yoga has accumulated a vast amount of evidence indicating its health benefits for both body and mind.

Yoga has been shown to help lower blood pressure, lower the risk of heart disease, promote strength and flexibility and improve bones density.

In fact, it has a number of benefits that can support us aging well, healthily and can protect our brain.

What Are The Other Benefits Of Yoga?

Yoga is highly therapeutic.

Some of the ailments that can be relieved through the practice of Yoga include:

• Allergies
• Alzheimer’s Disease
• Stress and Anxiety
• Arthritis
• Back pain
• Bronchitis
• Carpal Tunnel syndrome
• The Common Cold
• Constipation
• Depression
• Gastrointestinal disorders
• Headaches and Migraines
• High blood pressure
• Hypertension
• Weak immune system
• Menstrual cramps
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

We know that there are a number of risk factors for our aging minds that increase the risk of cognitive decline.

These may include, stress, anxiety and depression, medical risk factors like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and sedentary and socially isolated lifestyles.

Yoga can help address many of these issues.

Attending classes can help with reducing sedentary tendencies and offer opportunities for social engagement, as well as the health benefits described above.

Below are three reasons why Yoga can be a protection towards some of the risk factors for aging poorly.

Slow breathing is helpful for stress and relaxation, anxiety and depression

Recent studies have indicated that a risk factor for Dementia is the experience of mental health issues like anxiety, depression, and Yoga has been shown to be helpful in the reduction of their symptoms.

How?

There are possibly many answers but one explanation could relate to learning to breathe well.

Central to the practice of Yoga is attention to the breath. Breathing exercises (both in yoga and in clinical psychology therapeutic practices) are helpful in aiding people to reduce stress levels and alleviate the flight fight response when it is triggered.

When we slow down the breath we send a signal to our brain that says “everything is fine” “I am safe”. This calms the body (releases muscle tension, slows down the heart rate) and the mind,

Balance

Yoga also helps with the practice of balance (a skill that declines with aging).

Balance is a component of many yoga poses like the Warrior, the Triangle, and the Tree Pose.

Balance is a very important and often overlooked skill, which is essential for everyday activities.

To keep our balance we use sensory input from vision and space location, process it in the brain and quickly activate our muscles to change our posture accordingly.

As we age this process may slow down and become less responsive. Practicing balance not only prevents possible accidental falls but also stimulates the brain with new learning, which improves health and contributes to neuroplasticity.

The ongoing practice of Yoga as we age will not only prevent balance-related issues like accidental falls, but it will also stimulate the brain and promote neuroplasticity, which keeps our brain young and adaptive.

Mindfulness and Concentration

Finally, yoga helps us focus on the present by providing both physical and mental anchors to the here and now during our practice.

Mindfulness is the act of paying attention to the present moment with awareness and without judgment.  During the practice of yoga, we are encouraged to notice our postures, our movements, and our breath, bringing mindfulness to the whole experience.

These activities strengthen our memory and improve concentration, cognitive skills that may decline with aging.

A fantastic plus is that Yoga has been shown to release endorphins in our brains; these are “feel good” chemicals that are released when a person is happy.

Yoga and Scoliosis

By combining the yoga postures with breathing awareness, one can also develop symmetrical alignment of the body.

This is accomplished by stretching muscles that have tightened and have become weak from asymmetrical imbalance.

With good structural balance, the body will create a more effortless posture using the bone structure, rather than overworking the muscles to hold itself up.

As a result, yoga practitioners also claim that the practice of the ancient exercise system is good therapy for Scoliosis.

Through Yoga, one can find that balance point which allows the scoliosis curve to coexist with gravity and activates the body’s natural plumb line.

The result for most people is better posture and less pain.

What IS Scoliosis?

Scoliosis is a medical term taken from a Greek word meaning ‘curvature.’

This disease often develops during childhood and causes the spine to curve laterally (to the side) to the left or right.

The spine’s normal curves occur at the cervical (neck), thoracic (chest), and lumbar regions (lower back).

These natural curves position the head over the pelvis and work as shock absorbers to distribute mechanical stress during movement.

Scoliosis only affects a small percentage of the population or approximately two percent (2%) of the entire U.S. population.

However, it has been found that scoliosis may be hereditary.

If someone in the family has scoliosis, the likelihood of an incidence of another case in another family member is approximately 20 percent.

Scoliosis Treatment Options

The traditional medical management of scoliosis is determined by the severity of the curvature, skeletal maturity, and likelihood of progression.

The conventional options are initially through observation, followed by bracing and surgery, and these procedures cost a lot.

Although many exercises help in reducing the scoliosis-related problems, yoga immediately helps improve the problem of uneven curves and is now considered to be the best scoliosis exercise.

Yoga postures are helpful for providing relief from scoliosis because they enable us to stretch our body and help regain the normal shape of the spine.

Yoga Benefits Everyone.

In any application, doing yoga is very empowering.

It gives hope that we can do something to improve our condition and our quality of living.

At BrainFit Resorts, yoga practice forms a large part of our programs.

We create an environment of peace and tranquility for seasoned practitioners and first-timers alike, to really feel the benefits of this age-old practice.

To give them the tools they need to return home and continue to build on the foundations of balance, stability, strength, and clear mental state.

Click HERE to find out more about our program.

We hope these tips provide you with some insights and assistance to living your most brain healthy life.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, and want to see more of our articles relating to physical activity, check out the links to some of our other articles and videos below:

• Healthy Bodies Make Healthy Minds
• Cognitive Decline: Can It Be Prevented? – Video
• Brain Aging… Can We Slow It Down? – Video

Be sure to hit the SUBSCRIBE button below so we can send you new feature articles and videos just like this one, as we release them.

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If you would like us to feature a particular topic or interest in one of our upcoming articles or videos, leave a comment below with the details or alternatively, send us an email to info@brainfitresorts.com.

We’d love to hear what’s on your mind.

Finally, if you know someone who may benefit from this article or any of our other features, please SHARE this article with them using the icons below, and help us to better enrich the lives of those who need it.

Until next time… Live Strong. Live Well. Live BrainFit.