Day: 16 September 2019

If you yourself do not struggle with anxiety, you’re likely to know someone (or several people) who does. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA), “anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18.1% of the population every year”. Anxiety can affect anyone – from carers, to doctors, to nurses and patients – although women are twice as likely to be affected as men.

It’s difficult to determine whether the number of those affected by anxiety is rising or whether we are all just far more open about talking about it. However, the ADAA also say that researchers have found that using social media obsessively can cause anxiety, depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsive disorder, problems with mental functioning, paranoia, and loneliness. With social media use increasing daily across all age groups, this sparks fear for our anxious minds and raises questions about how we will all cope in the future.

So what exactly is anxiety? The NHS website explains that anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe. “Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life. For example, you may feel worried and anxious about sitting an exam, or having a medical test or job interview. During times like these, feeling anxious can be perfectly normal. But some people find it hard to control their worries. Their feelings of anxiety are more constant and can often affect their daily lives.”

It is when feelings of anxiety begin to affect your daily life and begin to cause you distress that you should go to talk to your GP about it and get some professional help. Symptoms for anxiety can include feeling restless or worried, having trouble concentrating or sleeping and dizziness or heart palpitations.

If you are hoping to develop ways to manage anxiety – whether you’ve been to see your GP yet or not – here are some tips that could help you:

1. Talk it out

Mind the Mental Health Charity suggest that talking to someone you trust about what’s making you anxious could be a relief. “It may be that just having someone listen to you and show they care can help in itself. If you aren’t able to open up to someone close to you, the Samaritans and Anxiety UK both run helplines that you can call to talk to someone.”

2. Breathe through it

The NHS advise that if you are feeling anxious, the best thing is not to fight it. “Stay where you are and simply feel the panic without trying to distract yourself. Place the palm of your hand on your stomach and breathe slowly and deeply. The goal is to help the mind get used to coping with panic, which takes the fear of fear away.”

3. Move more

When coping with anxiety, WebMD say that if you’re feeling anxious, you should try exercising. “Exercise is an important part of physical and mental health. It can ease your feelings of anxiety and boost your sense of well-being. Shoot for three to five 30-minute workout sessions a week. Be sure to choose exercises you enjoy so you look forward to them.”

4. Get a good night’s sleep

WebMD also say that if we are feeling anxious we should pay attention to our sleep. “Both quality and quantity are important for good sleep. Doctors recommend an average of 8 hours of shut-eye a night. If anxiety is making it hard for you to fall asleep, create a routine to help.”

5. Cut down on caffeine and alcohol

Another one from WebMD! “Both caffeine, which is an “upper,” and alcohol, which is a “downer,” can make anxiety kick into overdrive. Cut back or avoid them if you can. Remember, coffee and soda aren’t the only things with caffeine.” Watch out also for diet pills, tea, chocolate and some headache medicines.

6. Try to accept your anxious thoughts

The Priory Group suggest that a good way of coping with anxiety is to sit with it. They say that “anxiety, although uncomfortable, is a normal emotion and no matter how much you want to get rid of it, we all feel anxious from time to time. Accepting anxiety, can be just like accepting that sometimes we feel angry, or sometimes we feel sad and sometimes we feel happy, and just like those other emotions, anxiety will pass. However, if your anxiety is long term and affecting your day-to-day life you shouldn’t just accept it in order to feel better, you should seek support.”

Often incorrectly described at brittle bone disease, osteoporosis is something that many ageing people will have heard of and will likely be fearful of. Osteoporosis affects over 3 million people in the UK with more than 500,000 people receive hospital treatment for fragility fractures every year as a result of the disease.

Although ageing can lead to osteoporosis, there are ways that you can prevent the disease, and with the help of the NHS’s website here we will explain how.

But firstly, what is osteoporosis?

According to the NHS, “osteoporosis is a health condition that weakens bones, making them fragile and more likely to break. It develops slowly over several years and is often only diagnosed when a fall or sudden impact causes a bone to break (fracture)”.

The most common injuries associated with osteoporosis are a broken wrist, hip or spinal bones.
However, breaks can also happen in other bones, such as in the arm or pelvis.

What causes of osteoporosis?

The NHS explains: “Losing bone is a normal part of ageing, but some people lose bone much faster than normal. This can lead to osteoporosis and an increased risk of broken bones.

“Women also lose bone rapidly in the first few years after the menopause. Women are more at risk of osteoporosis than men, particularly if the menopause begins early (before the age of 45) or they’ve had their ovaries removed.”

Osteoporosis can also affect men, younger women and children and there are other factors that can also increase the risk of developing osteoporosis too. These include taking high-dose steroid tablets, a family history of osteoporosis, having or having had an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia, not exercising regularly and heavy drinking and smoking.

How can we prevent osteoporosis?

Getting older is hard enough. You are more likely to develop diseases and certain health conditions, you may become unable to get around and do the things you used to do and you may feel isolated and lonely because of this. It is therefore a good idea to work towards prevention of osteoporosis before it’s too late to make life as an older adult a little easier.

Exercising regularly can go a long way to preventing osteoporosis. The NHS recommends that adults aged 19 to 64 should do at least 2 hours and 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, such as cycling or fast walking, every week. As well as aerobic exercise, adults aged 19 to 64 should also do muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week by working all the major muscle groups, including the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, arms and shoulders.

Weight-bearing exercise and resistance exercise are particularly important for improving bone density and helping to prevent osteoporosis. People over the age of 60 can also benefit from regular weight-bearing exercise. This can include brisk walking, keep-fit classes or a game of tennis.

As well as exercising regularly, the NHS says that “eating a healthy, balanced diet is recommended for everyone. It can help prevent many serious health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and many forms of cancer, as well as osteoporosis. Calcium is important for maintaining strong bones. Adults need 700mg a day, which you should be able to get from your daily diet.”

If you would like to get more calcium into your diet, try eating more leafy green vegetables, dried fruit, tofu and yoghurt.

The NHS adds that “vitamin D is important for healthy bones and teeth because it helps your body absorb calcium. All adults should consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day.”

To get more vitamin D into your diet, try eating more oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and mackerel, red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals.

If you are finding it difficult to get enough vitamin D from foods alone, you could consider taking a daily supplement, but consult your GP first.

Lastly, to give yourself the best chance of avoiding osteoporosis, you should consider quitting smoking, as smoking is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and limiting your alcohol intake to no more than 14 units of alcohol a week.