Daily Express Tuesday, July 30, 2019 37DX1STMAIL ORDERyourhealth
as effective as antidepressants for
patients diagnosed with depression.
Try Healthspan High Strength
Omega 3 (£7.95 for 120 capsules;
healthspan.co.uk).THE PILL
While many millions of women
take the Pill without problems, a
significant minority say it has an
effect on their mental health.
Several studies, including a recent
one from the University of
Copenhagen of more than a million
women, found a clear link between
hormonal contraception and
subsequent diagnoses of depression.
Those using the combined pill
were 23 per cent more likely to be
diagnosed with depression and
those on the mini-pill 34 per cent
more likely.
Boost your mood: If you have
experienced (or have a family
history of) depression or anxiety,
speak to your GP about alternative
non-hormonal contraception
options.TOO MANY COFFEE BREAKS
In the same way that sugary and
fatty foods can leave you on a roller
coaster of emotion, so too cancoffee and high caffeine
energy drinks, warns
nutritionist Patrick
Holford, author of
The Feel Good Factor
(Piatkus, £12.99).
Consuming
caffeine sets off a
stress response to
your brain which then
stimulates production of
adrenaline, making you
more alert, he explains. “In the
long term, however, too much
caffeine throughout the day causes
constant adrenal overload.
“As a consequence, an increasing
number of people are suffering
from chronic anxiety, panic attacks,
low mood, stress-related weight
gain and insomnia.”
Boost your mood: Cut back on
caffeinated drinks and eliminate
them after 4pm. If you can’t go
without a hot drink in the evening,
try non-stimulating herbal teas such
as chamomile or peppermint.BEING INDECISIVE
The term The Paradox of Choice
was coined by Barry Schwartz, an
American psychologist and author
to describe the anxiety thatshoppers feel when they
are faced with too
many choices. Even
though we have
more choices than
ever we are actually
suffering more with
stress, anxiety,
depression,
loneliness and a lack
of happiness.
Boost your mood: By
all means research expensive
purchases, like cars, holidays and
appliances. But when it comes to
everyday items buy whatever’s on
offer or tried and tested brands.NIGHT LIGHTS
Whether it is from the street lights
outside or the dim glow of your TV,
being exposed to light while trying
to sleep can have a negative effect.
Lights can interfere with
secretion of the hormone
melatonin, which helps let the body
know it is time to sleep, found an
Ohio State University study.
Boost your mood:: Invest in
blackout blinds if you have a street
lamp outside your bedroom
window. Switch off all electrical
appliances and either turn yourelectrical alarm clock away from
you if it has a light-up display or
change to an old-fashioned one
with no lights.YOUR CLOTHES
Professor Karen Pine of the
University of Hertfordshire found
that what we choose to wear is
heavily dependent upon our
emotional state. She found that
when women were feeling
depressed, they were more likely to
wear jeans and a baggy top.
Boost your mood:Wear clothes
you associate with happiness, even
if you’re feeling low, because of the
strong link between clothing and
mood state.
Professor Pine’s study found that
“happy” clothes that make us feel
good are well-cut, figure-enhancing
and made from bright and beautiful
fabrics. The colour blue has a
positive impact on mood, lowering
blood pressure and instilling calm.YOUR CIGARETTE HABIT
Smoking increases your depression
risk by 41 per cent, according to
scientists who spent six years
monitoring 8,556 adults. Nicotine
sends the elation brain chemical
dopamine soaring, then
plummeting, leaving you down.
Boost your mood: Quit to revive
your health, mood and finances.
People using e-cigarettes to quit
smoking are about 95 per cent
more likely to report succeeding
than those trying without,
according to a large, University
College London-led survey of
smokers in England.you’re feeling blue
From what
you wear to
antibiotics,
MICHELE
O’CONNOR
discovers the
unexpected
things that
are making
you feel
depressed