Peak Health Wellness Insights Issue 2
Mental Resilience
New research shows that "positive self statements" thought to be confidence-boosting, may not actually be effective for all and especially not for those who need it most. This study shows that when people with low self-esteem repeat positive self statements (such as, "I am a lovable person") they felt worse and less confident, the exact opposite to the desired outcome.
Sleep
Counter to all we know about the importance of enough sleep, this study discovered that disrupted sleep may have a neuroprotective effect. This research showed that in flies with Huntington disease, limited and disrupted sleep in fact resulted in less aggregated disease proteins and fewer dead neurons in the brain.
Nutrition
Do you fall victim to stress eating? This study sheds light on why it is especially detrimental to your health. This research suggests that consuming "comfort foods" (high fat, high calorie) under stress puts you at greater risk of weight gain and/or obesity, as compared to eating the same foods without stress.
(The details for the scientifically-inclined: This research identifies a molecule called NPY produced by the brain in response to stress that stimulates eating. NPY is influenced by the presence of insulin. When under chronic stress and consuming a high calorie foods, insulin levels spike 10 fold as compared to normal. This extreme amount of insulin, desensitises the nerve cells and as a result they overproduce NPY to prompt continued eating. This, as a result, induces weight gain that otherwise wouldn’t have been the case under non stress conditions and normal diets.)
Fitness
This new study (and here) demonstrates the positive effect that just a single session of exercise can have on memory. Results showed that 30 minutes of exercising induced greater activation in the memory centres of the brain when performing a memory-requiring task. This activation is considered to be a first step in training the brain for improved semantic memory (ability to recall general facts i.e. words, names, concepts, etc) in the long run.
This contributes to the greater body of research that underscores how the brain can continue to rewire and reshape well into adulthood.
Productivity Tip
Use your mind for thinking, not remembering.
Don’t fill up your mind with mental to-do lists, ideas or information to remember. Instead, write this down and focus your brain power on thinking about how to do things better, how to improve your business or your work, etc.
Habit Hack of the week
Drink more water. You will be less hungry, feel more energetic and alert, and even decrease your chances of contracting certain diseases. As a bonus.. you'll have to stand up more to use the restrooms, which ensures you are more active throughout the day and do not sit for extended periods of time.