A quick question: would you ever allow anyone to harm your mental strength? It is not hard to guess the answer. Of Corse no! How can you allow a temporary challenge or difficulty to remove any of your natural gifts? The desire to be happy often leads us to further stress and anxiety. Sometimes, we push ourselves too hard to get to the top that we ignore our health. Putting oneself online again and again mentally and physically is the worst trade-off a human can do.

The most delicate yet multifunctional organ of the body is the human brain. When we enter the phase of hopelessness or failure in any span of life, our brain suffers from the sheer intensity. Yet one can dodge any stone coming it's way. In her mind-blowing discussion about making stress ‘a friend', Kelly McGonigal built a new perception to deal with it. She talks about creating a positive outlook towards negative external factors. Just by altering your view of stress, you can change how your body responds to it.

One of the most horrifying realities of unrestricted stress is a depressive disorder. Clinical depression creates a 20% chance of forcing depressed people to commit suicide. Stephanie Adams.

Pratyusha Banerjee, Avicii, Singer Chester Bennington, politician Roh Moo-hyun from South Korea, and many more known personalities committed suicide due to various stressful situations.

Is this what a human life deserves? Shouldn't there be an end to this misery?

Hence, we will enlighten the worst possible scenarios that can arise due to stress and anxiety so you can prevent getting clawed up by it.

A CONSTANT FEELING OF SADNESS

Depress can bring along hopelessness, emptiness, or lasting guilt that will keep your energy drained throughout the period. The United States of America, a place that appears to be a magnet for dreamers, holds a high rate of suicide cases. Similarly, the place where we find a lot of hassles and happenings — depression SF becomes exceedingly common during holiday seasons. Thus, various experts and advisors have now decided to deal with and curtail the spread of the misery.

The person suffering from anxiety cannot settle down in peace and harmony. People tend to lose their minds and ignore other life-saving opportunities to add to the regret file.

PROLONGED SLEEPLESSNESS

Many of us will never predict how big of a blessing our sleeping habits will be. Only when you realize it's worth sleeping as a baby slips away. It depletes your mental capacities and jeopardizes overall physical health. Sleep deprivation has been related to various health issues, ranging from gaining weight to a compromised immune system. Let's see how chronic-sleep-deprivation can affect us:

• High blood pressure
• Heart failure
• Heart attack
• Strokes
• Diabetes
• Troubled concentration
• Memory loss
• Weakened immunity
• Weight gain

Your brain and body processes will not work properly if you don't get enough sleep. It can also have significant negative impacts on quality of life.

TROUBLED MEMORY-BASED ACTIVITIES

Depressed people could not recognize objects on a screen that were identical or comparable to those they had lost. Memory issues, such as forgetfulness or confusion, seem to have an old strong bond with depression. It may not be easy to concentrate on your day-to-day activities or duties, make judgments, or analyze. Memory loss can also be caused by stress and worry.

WEIGHT FLUCTUATIONS

What would you like to take first as a complementary feature of stress: obesity or depression? Here you must be wondering about the connection. Joseph Hullett, Senior MD of Clinical Strategy, explains that the limbic system controls the appetite and emotions. Hence both the elements undergo the effects of uninvited stress. Depression also leads to eating disorders — eating excessively to avoid depressive thoughts. Thus, being overweight would cause further negative emotions towards oneself.

DISTURBANCE IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

The side effects of depression are not easily detectable among adults because of the aging factor. As you get older, the symptoms might intertwin with those of depressive disorder. It can bring along body aches (chronic), headaches, and pain in weaker body parts that are vulnerable to any tension. Neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, epilepsy, and sclerosis are also evident among individuals who fail to control their emotional drive.

• Children unable to communicate their feelings may find it more challenging to diagnose depression. Parents need to look out for persistent clinginess, concern, and an unwillingness to attend a school that does not improve with time. Excessively irritated and negative behavior can also be an indicator of the issue.

DISTURBANCE IN THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

Depression is frequently regarded as a mental disorder affecting appetite and nutrition. Overeating or binging are two ways some individuals cope. Obesity-related disorders, such as type 2 diabetes, might result from this.

You could even lose appetite or consume insufficient amounts of healthful meals. Geriatric anorexia is characterized by a sudden decrease in appetite in older people. Stomachaches, cramps, constipation, and malnutrition are common concerns that one cannot eliminate with medicines every time.

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD)

SAD strikes individuals during winters. Fresh air, exercise, and lack of sunlight cause lethargy and irritability in people suffering from this disorder. It often starts and ends at the beginning or end of the year.

CAUSES:

• Circadian rhythm (Winter on-set SAD)
• Decreasing serotonin level
• Disturbed melatonin level

Women are diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder more frequently than males. SAD is more common in younger persons than it is in older adults.

CONCLUSION

Depression saps energy, hope, and motivation, making it difficult to take the efforts necessary to improve your mood. The first step has always been the most difficult. However, taking a stroll or dancing to one's favorite tunes are things you could do. You could be too tired to speak, ashamed of your condition, or guilty for ignoring particular connections. However, this is only the stress speaking. Keeping in touch with others and participating in social activities may greatly impact your attitude and outlook.

Remember to sleep, eat, relax, and repeat!

The post Seven Worst Things You Can Do to Your Body When You’re Depressed appeared first on Wellness Pitch.

When you are knackered, dehydrated, hungry, and stressed out, you will not be able to study well and achieve a good GPA. Whether you want to prepare for your upcoming exams, understand the complex anatomy of the human body, or memorize basic medical terminologies, keeping your brain healthy is the key to achieving your academic goals. Fortunately, there are many effective ways that medical students can follow to optimize their brain health and improve their memory and concentration. Let’s explore.

• Eat Memory Boosting Foods

• Practice Relaxing Techniques 

• Hydrate Yourself

• Sleep Well

• Exercise Daily

Eat Memory Boosting Foods

Eating a balanced diet is important to keep your mind and body fit. When you are active, you can better perform in medical school and improve your academic performance. By eating healthy foods, you can improve your energy levels, sharpen focus, improve your mood and optimize your brain health. Keep in mind that diet plays a significant role in your physical and mental wellbeing. Eating the right foods can increase your focus and make you sharper.

It is advised to add lean protein, healthy fats, leafy vegetables, and complex carbohydrates to your diet. A perfect blend of protein, fats, vitamins, and carbohydrates can make your mind and body strong. These are the right food choices that are scientifically proven to promote your brain health. Studying well in medical school will become easier if you provide your brain with the right nutrients. With the right foods, you can increase your ability to focus and retain information for a long. So, eat healthily and improve your ability to learn, and sharpen your memory.

Practice Relaxing Techniques

Medical school stress is common. A lot of course material, back-to-back classes, lab work, assignments, quizzes, and preparing for clinical clerkships can make medical school life intimidating. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to relax your mind and avoid stress.

For instance, going for a walk with your friend, meeting your loved ones, or anything that keeps your mind refreshed. A study shows that talking to your friend can lower your stress levels, resulting in better memory and improved mental performance. Furthermore, taking slow, deep breaths, listening to soothing music, practicing mindful meditation, and performing some muscle relaxation activities are a few best ways to control anxiety.

It is always great to identify a stress trigger to come up with a better strategy to cope with it. Believe in yourself that you have the power to control the situation and do your best. Stay calm and get ready for medical school challenges.

Hydrate Yourself

It is exciting to know that the human brain is composed of 73% of water. It clearly indicates that the human brain needs water to stay active and perform optimal functions. When your mind doesn’t get enough water, it will have a negative impact on your concentration and memory. A dehydrated body leads to brain fatigue, headaches, sleep problems, and brain fogs – to list a few.

Basically, a hydrated mind accelerates chemical reactions in the body and facilitates the smooth communication of neurotransmitters to convey messages from the brain and the body. Moreover, water improves the absorption of essential nutrients and keeps it nourished. It can also regulate body temperature. In short, hydrating your brain can make you perform better, physically and mentally. So, drink at least 8 to 10 glasses of water a day to fulfill the water requirements of your body and improve your mental performance.

Sleep Well

It’s no wonder that sleep is critically important for brain health and has a significant impact on brain functions. If you sleep inadequately, chances are your brain is unable to process what you learn during your lecture and find it difficult to retain information for long.

According to different studies, it has shown that sleep is important for your overall health. If you sleep too little, you will feel headachy, nauseous, and fatigued. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to sleep well and keep your brain and body fresh. Create a schedule and plan your tasks properly so that you can learn the course material efficiently and take out time for quality sleep.

Keep in mind, taking adequate sleep is the key to a healthy brain, which will eventually increase your mind’s ability to absorb important information.

Exercise Daily

Though it seems a bit difficult to set aside time for physical activities especially when you are in Caribbean medical school. You need to manage your time efficiently and take out time for exercise to improve your brain health. Many studies have shown that physical activities such as walking, running, swimming, cycling have a significant impact on your brain’s performance. Performing gentle to moderate aerobic exercises can optimize your brain health, improve alertness, increase focus and concentration. It is also linked to improved memory, longer attention spans, and more neurotransmitter production, which will eventually increase your ability to study effectively.

Concluding Note

Focusing on your brain health is important for medical students to increase concentration, boost memory and focus. By following the above-cited brain-promoting tips will sharpen your ability to stay focused and help you perform well in medical school and score a good GPA.

The post How Medical Students Improve their Brain Health to get Academic Success appeared first on Wellness Pitch.