Stress harms your memory too

If you find yourself struggling to recall facts that you know you made a point to put into your head, you may be under stress.Being stressed makes one forgetful regardless of their age- this has been a well- known fact.however researches have now indicated that even short term stress can harm memory and make individuals forgetful.

In their study on laboratory rodents,researchers at the university of California found that instead of cortisol, corticotrophin releasing hormone seemed to play a vital role in blocking memory after short stressful periods.
Basically memory & learning occurs at synapses,which are junctions of brain cells called neurons.These synapses occur on dendritic spines, which are structures that are specialized protutions on neurons.In their study ,they found out that the corticotrophin releasing hormone played havoc on the dendritic spines when an animal was stressed.
''stress is constant in our lives.Our findings can play an important role in the current development of drugs that might prevent these undesirable effects and offer insights into why some people are forgetful or have difficulty retaining information during stressful situations."said lead researcher Dr.TZBaram.

Benefits of exercise for depression and stress

Exercise has many psychological and emotional benefits when you have depression or anxiety. These include:

• Confidence. Being physically active gives you a sense of accomplishment. Meeting goals or challenges, no matter how small, can boost self-confidence at times when you need it most. Exercise can also make you feel better about your appearance and your self-worth.
• Distraction. When you have depression or anxiety, it's easy to dwell on how badly you feel. But dwelling interferes with your ability to problem solve and cope in a healthy way. Dwelling can also make depression more severe and longer lasting. Exercise can shift the focus away from unpleasant thoughts to something more pleasant, such as your surroundings or the music you enjoy listening to while you exercise.
• Interactions. Depression and anxiety can lead to isolation. That, in turn, can worsen your condition. Exercise may give you the chance to meet or socialize with others, even if it's just exchanging a friendly smile or greeting as you walk around your neighborhood.
• Healthy coping. Doing something positive to manage depression or anxiety is a healthy coping strategy. Trying to feel better by drinking alcohol excessively, dwelling on how badly you feel, or hoping depression and anxiety will go away on their own aren't helpful coping strategies.

Chronic stress causes depression

The cause of depression is not entirely clear. However, it's believed that both genetic and environmental factors, such as stress, may play a role.

Some people are more vulnerable to stress because of their personality characteristics or temperament. Persistent or chronic stress has the potential to put vulnerable individuals at a substantially increased risk of depression, anxiety and many other emotional difficulties. Scientists have noted that changes in brain function — in the areas of the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland — may play a key role in stress-induced emotional problems.

Many factors contribute to maintaining good mental health, including getting enough sleep, eating sensibly, exercising appropriately, avoiding use of harmful substances such as alcohol, and effectively managing stress. If you have chronic stress, consult a doctor or therapist to discuss ways to minimize stress and its negative impact on your physical and emotional health. He or she may recommend relaxation exercises, such as deep breathing or visualization, soothing activities, such as yoga or massage, or professional therapy.

Stress & Diabetes:

Get To Know Yourself A Little Better

Is there a relationship between stress and diabetes? Does stress affect a person with diabetes in a negative way that might contribute to further complications or symptoms?
Researchers have not yet determined if there is an exact connection between stress and the development of complications that arise from diabetes. However, with a little research and some common sense, it is pretty sensible to assume that the less stress that a person has then the healthier that person will be. And this is especially true if you have diabetes.
The good news is that you do not have to wait for scientists to tell you that answer. You can use your own self as a testing ground to determine how stress affects your diabetes. This is probably more important than any other group study that can be had because every individual has different ways of handling stress.
You can start by taking note of stressful situations or any distressing news that you experience. Write down your results and how you relate to these situations. Ask yourself the following questions in order to help determine just how stress is affecting your diabetes:

1. Is there any affect on your blood sugar levels after experiencing a stressful situation? If there is an affect, make note whether your blood sugar levels increased or decreased.

2. Did you notice any difference between shorter, more intense stressful situations, as opposed to longer, more drawn out stressful experiences? Did you experience a negative situation that lasted for days or even weeks? If so, then what difference did it make in your overall energy as well as your blood glucose levels?

3. If you undergo a moment of anger or being upset at somebody, test your blood glucose levels. It's important to also record your blood glucose levels once you have the experience of letting that anger go. Did your levels go back to normal or did they increase? In other words, by resolving a stressful situation with another person, did this cause any improvement in your levels?

4. Does your progress and treatment become sidetracked as a result of the way you try to cope with stress? In other words, do you resort to self gratification in order to make yourself feel better, such as drinking, smoking, or eating too much? And if so, than how did this behavior sidetrack your treatments, if at all?

Fight Stress With Healthy Eating

Whenever we get too busy or stressed, we all tend to make poor food choices that will actually increase stress and cause other problems. To get the most of your healthy eating and avoid stress, follow these simple tips.

Always eat breakfast - Even though you may think you aren't hungry, you need to eat something. Skipping breakfast makes it harder to maintain the proper blood and sugar levels during the day, so you should always eat something.

Carry a snack - Keeping some protein rich snacks in your car, office, or pocket book will help you avoid blood sugar level dips, the accompanying mood swings, and the fatigue. Trail mix, granola bars, and energy bars all have the nutrients you need.

Healthy munchies - If you like to munch when you're stressed out, you can replace chips or other non healthy foods with carrot sticks, celery sticks, or even sunflower seeds.

Bring your lunch - Although a lot of people prefer to eat fast food for lunch, you can save a lot of money and actually eat healthier if you take a few minutes and pack a lunch at home. Even if you only do this a few times a week, you'll see a much better improvement over eating out.

Stock your home - As important as it is to get the bad food out of your house, it's even more important to get the good food in! The best way to do this is to plan a menu of healthy meals at snacks at the beginning of the week, list the ingedients you need, then go shop for it. This way, you'll know what you want when you need it and you won't have to stress over what to eat.

Rolfing Therapy:

Modern type of Stress Relief

Rolfing therapy is a physical technique that involves the manipulation of a body's soft tissues. Another term for this technique is structural integration. Rolfing organizes the relationships of soft tissues to each other in order to bring about a harmonious body structure and freer movement patterns. This is said to enhance s person's well being. It is currently being used in many circles of alternative medicine and is thought to be an excellent process for helping a person relieve stress and move more freely.

Ida Pauline Rolf is the woman responsible for creating this technique, which has been rightly named after her. In the 1950's Rolf used her knowledge in biochemistry to develop a method which involves a body's structural realignment in relation to gravity. She called this process Structural Integration of the Human Body. Ever since the 1970's, Rolfing therapy has been used as a technique to realign the body and create a more harmonious state of well-being.

The process of Rolfing involves touching the skin of a person in order to find any imbalances in the tissue structure of a body and to separate what Ida Rolf called fascial layers that adhere and muscles that have been pulled out of position due to strain or energy. Rolfing therapy is a massage-like technique that works to alleviate these tissues of any stress that may have caused them harm. Also, according to Rolfing, all parts of the body aligned, including ankles, pelvis, hips, knees, shoulders, etc. It is only in this way that the body will be balanced with gravity and thus in a state of deep relaxation and happiness. When a body is aligned, gravity is supposed to enhance a person's personal energy and bring about happiness and health.

Learning these techniques is hard to do, and a certified Rolfing therapist spends a few years studying the technique, which costs about $10,000. There is only one school, in Colorado, which teaches this technique, although there a couple other schools that teach similar techniques called structural integration rather than Rolfing. Although they are different in name, the techniques are generally the same.

There is some skepticism given to Rolfing, though therapists using the technique have found it to be successful and many clients have said to be relaxed and happy when they leave a Rolfing session. Using tissue therapy and the natural force of gravity, Rolfing therapy is continuing to grow and is becoming a more commonly used technique throughout the world.

Yoga: Feel Good, Look Good

Yoga is a philosophy and spiritual practice derived from Hindu theism, its aim is to suppress all activities of the mind and body, and separate them from one another to achieve liberation. In simpler terms, Yoga makes people feel better while loosing weight. It improves the posture, breathing, etc. Other than its physical effect, Yoga has proven to be a powerful tool in managing or controlling anxiety, back pain, blood pressure, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, headache, stress, and heart disease. Needless to say, it’s worth trying.

Most people try Yoga to improve their muscle tone, stamina, flexibility, and strength; but some do it to reduce stress and tension, improve circulation, and lower fat. Whatever the reason, it leads to one ultimate goal and that is to improve their appearance.

Yoga is defined as “union” in the classical Indian language. Based on the principles of the original yogis; practicing Yoga helps a person to achieve true happiness, enlightenment, and liberation. It was designed to take away the negative factors that make people unhappy or grouchy in their every day lives. In effect, people are placed in a position to better manage their reactions, emotions, and responses when dealing with everyday stress and problems.

The Following Are Basic Yoga Practices That Must Be Done On A Daily Basis:

1. Sun Salutations.

People who are too busy to exercise can spend only a few minutes performing this ritual. It stimulates the muscles and joints. It is a series of 12 non-stop poses that go together with proper breathing. This may be done twice a day or more.

2. Breath Control.

This is the most popular part of Yoga. It is done by sitting erect in the place chosen by the person for Yoga meditation alone. It is usually a place that is free from noise and preferably close to nature.

3. Meditation.

Refers to mentally repeating ‘So” and “Ham” with every inhale and exhale respectively. It is one of the simplest practices in Yoga and works for everyone.

4. Sun Salutation, Breath Control, And Meditation Combined.

Combining these simple practices is great for beginners. This can be done for at least 3 minutes every morning or late afternoon. Doing this regularly can naturally expand the Yoga practices.

Perhaps losing weight and attaining inner peace is the most sensible goal a person can achieve. It not only guarantees a positive aura and great appearance, it also offers psychological benefits that cause people to feel good about themselves