Health is Wealth
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Alcohol is a Group-1 carcinogen—but one that happens to be woven into our daily lives and often viewed as a go-to way to cope with stress or disappointment. Here are 5 ways to change that mindset, writes
The Hidden Cost of an Evening Glass of Wine
“I need a stiff drink!” “Let’s drown our sorrows.” “I just need to unwind with a glass of wine.”
Phrases like these are so common, we barely think twice about them. Alcohol has become deeply woven into our daily lives and culture. It’s often seen as a go-to way to cope with stress, disappointment, or just the pressures of everyday life. Got bad news? Feeling overwhelmed? Need to relax? Society has taught us that it’s totally normal—even expected—to pour a big glass of wine, toss back a couple of tequila shots, or order a double whiskey.
In fact, using alcohol to handle stress is often not only accepted but actively encouraged by friends, coworkers, and the media. Movies and TV shows constantly show characters doing the same, reinforcing the idea that this is just how we deal with life.
But here’s the truth: alcohol is the one of the most widely used drugs in the world. And the way we’ve normalized it’s use as a coping mechanism deserves a closer look.
Alcohol is a toxic, psychoactive substance that can lead to dependence. It’s also been officially classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer—putting it in the same category as asbestos, radiation, and tobacco. Research shows that alcohol contributes to at least seven different types of cancer, including some of the most common, like colon cancer and breast cancer. In fact, earlier this year, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued a public health advisory warning about the clear link between alcohol use and cancer risk.
What’s concerning is that less than half of Americans are aware that drinking alcohol increases their risk of cancer. As a psychiatrist who often discusses alcohol use with patients, this lines up with what I see in practice. Many people simply don’t know that alcohol is a carcinogen. Even more common is the belief that low levels of alcohol—like a glass of wine a day—are actually good for your health, especially for the heart and brain. But that idea is being seriously questioned. In January 2023, the World Health Organization published a statement in The Lancet Public Health making it clear: When it comes to alcohol, there is no safe amount that doesn’t affect your health.
Facebook image: Just Life/Shutterstock
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: By the year 2020, depression is projected to be a leading social and economic burden worldwide — second only to coronary artery disease! Psychotherapy and antidepressants are effective but aren’t for everyone.
But there’s another treatment for depression that’s free and available to everyone: exercise. It will also lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol profile, help control blood sugar, and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and common cancers. And, of course, help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2016/03/get-happy-exercise-can-lift-mood-infographic/?
Here’s a fact that may surprise you: By the year 2020, depression is projected to be a leading social and economic burden worldwide — second only to coronary artery disease! Psychotherapy and antidepressants are effective but aren’t for everyone.
But there’s another treatment for depression that’s free and available to everyone: exercise. It will also lower your blood pressure, improve your cholesterol profile, help control blood sugar, and reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and common cancers. And, of course, help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2016/03/get-happy-exercise-can-lift-mood-infographic/?
Your bed should be a place of relaxation and rejuvenation. But if you’re having trouble sleeping, that’s likely not the case.
Not only can not sleeping be frustrating, but getting a good night’s sleep is vital to maintaining your overall health and mental well-being. Seven or more hours of quality sleep each night recharges your body physically, but can also help flush toxins from your brain and allow your mind to fully rest — which assist in your mental alertness, decision-making, and overall clarity the next day. And if you’re sick, your brain needs to be in tip-top shape to help you recover.
That’s why sleep expert Nancy Foldvary-Schaefer, DO, says you should do everything you can to address any sleep issues you’re experiencing.
Besides external influences like recurring noises (from a crying infant to a snoring partner) or travel-related time changes that keep you up at night, sleep deprivation may come in many other forms.
“For example, some people experience chronic insomnia — a sleep disorder in which you have trouble falling and/or staying asleep,” Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer says. “Others may experience cycles of waking up but not being able to get back to sleep.“
And sometimes, even if you’re able to fall asleep but were focused on unresolved issues or worries right before you closed your eyes — this may affect the quality of sleep you actually achieve. “You may find yourself groggy in the morning or feeling tired, cranky or unproductive,” Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer says. “Also, a lack of sleep can affect your judgement and emotional response to otherwise normal daily activities.”
Many of us tend to bring our daily stress to bed with us — which is exactly the place it doesn’t belong. It’s not easy to leave stress at the end of your day. But keeping these stressful thoughts in focus right before sleep can definitely prevent you from getting some good shuteye.
“This is something you should try to avoid whenever possible, as it can cause a variety of sleep problems,” Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer notes. “It may take practice, but committing to stress-reduction behaviors at the end of your day is very important. The more active you are in kicking stress out of bed each night, the more likely your overall sleep quality will improve.”
You may not be aware that bringing stress to bed could be causing a negative cycle to form. If you have trouble falling asleep, the longer you lie awake, the more aggravated you may become. Soon you may unknowingly associate your bed as a place of discomfort, rather than one of comfort. The key is to remove any negative association with your sleep space by forming healthy pre-sleep habits. Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer offers these tips for developing better pre-sleep practices:
If trying some of the strategies above to reduce or manage your stress aren’t helping your insomnia, cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT-i) might be a good option.
“CBTi is a structured program that helps you identify and replace thoughts and behaviors that cause (or worsen) sleep problems with new habits and thought patterns that promote healthy sleep,” explains sleep expert Michelle Drerup, PsyD.
“CBTi is offered by trained specialists nationwide, including at many larger hospitals or academic medical centers,” Dr. Drerup adds. “There are also several online programs, such as Cleveland Clinic’s Go! to Sleep program.”
A lack of sleep may also indicate a variety of sleep disorders or other health concerns that need to be addressed with proper medical diagnosis and treatment. Once your medical conditions are treated, you may eventually see your sleep improve.
Underlying medical conditions that may prevent you from sleeping include:
“If any of these are the case, you likely won’t sleep comfortably through the night until the problem is identified and properly treated by a knowledgeable primary care physician or specialist,” Dr. Foldvary-Schaefer says.
Make sure you keep track of symptoms you are experiencing, and tell your doctor about them as soon as possible. Your primary care physician may explore your sleep history and/or give you a physical examination. This could include examining your upper airway muscles, for example. If sleep apnea is suspected, you may be referred to a sleep disorders center for a comprehensive sleep study. Or you may be suffering from other conditions that could result in treatments like short-term hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants or other kinds of medicines — all which depend upon proper diagnosis.
Overall, the key to getting better sleep comes from first identifying your sleepless activity, reducing your stress before you hit your bed, and talking with your doctor if you notice other symptoms — so you can get back on track to a good night’s sleep.
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/what-to-do-if-you-cant-sleep
Learning to control stress is your best defense against these anxiety-ridden dreams
Contributors: Michelle Drerup, PsyD, DBSM and Alexa Kane, PsyD.
There are a lot of areas of sleep that science and medicine can understand and explain. But dreams are an entirely different territory, as the question ‘why we dream’ remains largely unanswered.
Vivid and frequent dreaming is often left open to interpretation through things like dream dictionaries and discussing with friends. Did that dream about your ex-boss really mean you have pent-up guilt and anxiety about your last job? Frequently having stress or anxiety-ridden dreams is usually a red flag for real life stress and the role it’s playing on your body. If you’re constantly waking up panicking in a cold sweat over a dream, it’s time to get your thoughts and stress in order.
Stress is an emotional, physical or mental tension that results from something that’s outside of us.
Some of the bigger stressors or stressful life events include moving to a new place, changing roles at school or work, relationship issues or losing a family member. Stress can cause sleep difficulties, including insomnia, by making it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. This impacts the quality of rest. Stress can also cause hyperarousal, which can upset the balance between sleep and wakefulness.
Being stressed is associated with poor sleep in general, and may trigger more frequent dreams. So it’s not uncommon to experience a distressing dream prior to a big event like a job interview, taking an exam or an important appointment.
And although there’s limited research about controlling the content of dreams, anxiety dreams can generally be a result of increased stress during our day-to-day lives. Daily stress can also increase the frequency of these dreams.
The good news? You have a great deal of control over your stress. If you learn to better manage stress in your life, you’ll likely decrease anxiety-ridden dreams and improve your sleep.
Here are four simple strategies to help your mind and body relax before turning in for the night:
We’ve all been there – a nightmare or stress dream causes you to wake up. The next thing you know you’re lying there overthinking your finances and everything you have to do the next day.
When this happens, what can you do to get back to sleep?
Since dreams obviously aren’t measurable, there’s no real answer to what meaning they hold in our day-to-day life. But we do know that we generally have control over daily stress, which can trigger weird or anxiety-clad dreams. Learning to control the crazy and manage your stress is your best defense to help you sleep peacefully
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