Peak Health Wellness Insights Issue 33
Op Ed: The New Normal
Written by Rose Davis
A series to discuss new lifestyle changes brought about by the effects of a global pandemic
I am overwhelmed by how quickly a community can be derailed. We are stubborn creatures of habit, routine, and predictability. This is not to say we do not adapt and change as a society, we do. However, when these changes threaten our habits, routines and life's predictability, instability ensues quite quickly. Coronavirus is just one example of this.
What might the impact of this ultimately be? What is going to change and will it cause forever change? This situation currently calls to question how we eat, sleep, socialise, work, interact with others, exercise, and more....
Focus: Art
To view art at the many museums globally (of which there are approximately 55,000) takes both time and money. However, during the midst of this pandemic, the collection of virtual art has accelerated. We can now tour museums online and view global collections all from the comfort of our sofa. While the digitisation of art makes it more accessible, does it simultaneously minimise art’s grandeur?
From an aesthetic perspective, although viewing art on a two-dimensional screen cannot capture all of the three-dimensional intricacies of layered paint or brush strokes for example, museum and curatorial experts claim that the use of ultra-high resolution cameras are able to pick up details the naked eye alone cannot detect. However, viewing art on a computer screen, no matter the degree of detail, will inherently obscure the scale of a painting, which is crucial to its presence.
From an emotional perspective - does the atmosphere of a museum influence our perception of the painting? If we entirely remove the atmosphere by offering a digital form of the painting, is it as impactful and is your emotional response to viewing it the same?
Ultimately this question boils down to one that has greater implications: can we ‘feel’ the same things online as we do in the real world?
Mental Resilience
The heart affects our perception
A new study demonstrates how our heartbeat cycle changes our brain activity. Specifically, during heart contraction (systole), the brain suppresses mental activity associated with consciousness. This automatic mechanism is in place so that you don't feel disrupted by your own pulse, but it also means any weak stimuli that occurs at the same time as systole may not be perceived by the brain.
Sleep
Sleep disturbances impact heart health
Research has found that sleep disturbances, the most common being insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea, negatively impact cardio metabolic health. Findings demonstrate that, independently of sleep apnea, getting less REM sleep as a result of disrupted sleep puts you at a higher risk for atrial fibrillation (the leading cause of stroke).
Nutrition
High fat diet may result in mental fatigue (abstract here)
A new study in mice is the first to demonstrate that eating a high-fat diet results in poorer performance on mental exhaustion test. These findings suggest that not only does a high-fat diet lead to obesity and an increased risk of diabetes, but also impacts mental processing speed.
Fitness
High intensity exercise improves memory and combats dementia in older adults
This study demonstrates that short bursts of high intensity exercise had up to 30% improvement in memory performance, but in contrast, those who exercised at a moderate steady state experienced no memory improvement. This work is helpful in the battle against dementia, which impacts approximately 50 million people worldwide.
Productivity Tip
Prioritise items on your to-do list with a 1, 2, or 3
The 1s are the items that will have the most pay-off in achieving your long-term goals (whether that be career progression, personal development, financial success, or mental success). The 2s and 3s are items that you enjoy but make less of an impact on your long-term goals.
Habit Hack of the week
Start your day by writing down your life goals
This will help motivate your actions throughout the day in a way that aligns with goal attainment