Tag Archives: Insomnia

Introducing a 90-day SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme

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Leading menopause brand, Issviva and nutrition experts, PhenomX Health have collaborated to empower women from peri to post-menopause to take control when it comes to some the most common menopause symptoms – sleep and stress.  Many women report sleep disruption and increased stress levels to the extent that they struggle to live their best lives, stepping back from career aspirations, and finding relationships more difficult.  

By combining cutting-edge science with a holistic approach, Issviva and PhenomX have co-created a 90-day SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme that delivers the tools, personalised insights and support to transform your sleep.  Designed by a team of leading scientists, functional medicine dietitians and medical experts from PhenomX, The SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme has been spearheaded by Dr Colleen Fogarty Draper, PhD, RD Nutrition Scientist and Dr Jennifer 

Lovejoy, PhD Translational and Behavioural Sciences, specialist in personalised nutrition, behavioural sciences and lifestyle wellness. 

The SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme is made up of three phases: 

Understand, Evolve and Thrive.

Phase one:  Understand 

Transformation begins with understanding where you’re starting from. In the first two weeks of your journey, the programme enables a dive deep and see what’s going on – biologically and emotionally. A clever combination of state-of-the-art saliva testing and a guided self-evaluation shows you – and the programme facilitator – how you’re doing at the beginning of the programme so you can benchmark your start point.  

  •      State-of-the art cortisol testing analyses your stress hormones.  
  •      Guided self-assessment questionnaire for sleep and stress helps you understand your starting point.   

Personalised insights: The SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme contains a series of saliva tests, which you take at various points during the programme to measure your cortisol levels.  Cortisol is a key stress hormone and if elevated, can indicate chronic stress.  Cortisol levels follow a daily pattern and saliva testing helps assess whether cortisol patterns are disrupted and if so, when.  This provides personal insights which allow you to determine exactly when you need to prioritise stress management.   

Phase 2: Evolve 

The next phase is ‘active transformation’. For 90 days, you’ll learn more about lifestyle and nutrition changes that can help with sleep and stress and try them for yourself. You’ll also receive a premium daily supplement to support sleep.  

For 90 days, you will take a specialised nutritional supplement, Issviva ZZZZ’s, which have been designed to enhance relaxation and promote restful sleep.  Issviva ZZZZ’s, contain Vitamins B5, B6, ashwagandha and chamomile extracts. 

More than that, you’ll also track symptoms, learn more about yourself and your habits, and benefit from personalised insights, education, support and empowering tools tailored for improved sleep and stress management. 

It’s a guided process, devised by medical and functional nutrition experts and includes:  

– Issviva ZZZZ’s supplements – to help you relax and drift off into a restful sleep. 

– Expert nutrition and lifestyle advice based on your phenotype. 

– Tutorials and webinars to guide you with meditation and stress reduction.  

– Tracking app to help you understand how the changes you make affect your symptoms.  

– Monthly care packages with treats and motivation to keep you on track.  

Phase 3: Thrive 

After 90 days of transformation, learning and exploration, it’s time to test again and see how far you’ve come. As well as revisiting your initial baseline evaluation, the programme facilitators set you up for continuing long term success with expert advice for making lifestyle changes stick.  

Highlights of The SLEEP + STRESS RESET programme:

  • Daily premium supplements to improve sleep quality and quantity. 
  • Personalised insights in stress and sleep.  
  • Educational content on menopause, stress management, sleep optimisation 
  • and nutrition through webinars and blogs.  
  • Practical tools like meditation to reduce stress and enhance sleep quality.  
  • App-based self-monitoring of symptoms and visualisation of patterns.  
  • Access to exclusive app content. 
  • Support via WhatsApp and email
  • Access to a Facebook community group

The SLEEP + STRESS RESET 90 day programme costs £150.00 and can be purchased

from www.issviva.co.uk

Background: The Issviva brand was created specifically to support women going through the menopause by providing a ‘safe space’ where you can join a like-minded community, access educational blogs and advice from experts and find tailored, scientifically-backed products and solutions, especially formulated to help relieve perimenopausal, menopausal and post-menopausal symptoms. Issviva’s purpose is to create a better modern menopause, enabling every woman to take control and be ready for this new life phase.

For more information, please visit: https://www.issviva.com/

PhenomX Health uses precision nutrition, scientific wellness and smarter thinking to help 

women feel phenomenal. Its digital platform makes personalisation that honours your unique 

biochemistry more accessible than ever before. Currently focused on women in midlife, its 

exciting range of programmes combine easy access and innovative technology with advanced 

phenotyping and contemporary molecular nutrition.

Can’t Sleep? What’s Keeping You Up?

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Can’t sleep? What’s keeping us Brits awake at night?

Recent research has revealed the NHS is spending £50million a year on drugs to help combat insomnia. We take a look at what could be the cause of the nation’s unrest and what we you can do to help nod off naturally.

· The Reason: Restless legs

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) can vary in severity and causes an irresistible inclination to move your legs. RLS can cause discomfort in the feet, calves and thighs and in many cases, the condition can be distressing and disruptive and effect daily activities including sleep.

Acupuncturist Rachel Peckham notes: “Over 50% of people in the UK suffer with sleep disorders of some kind, generally attributed to a stressful lifestyle, RLS is a common problem. Traditional Acupuncture is known to be enormously beneficial for helping correct sleep problems. Most people find treatment wonderfully relaxing, as acupuncture is known to calm the nervous system and also affect hormonal outputs by increasing endorphin production.”

Try it: To find a practitioner in your area call the British Acupuncture Council on 020 8735 0400 or visit www.acupuncture.org.uk

· The Reason: Stress

“Stress is a collection of physiological, cognitive, affective and behavioural symptoms that are caused by difficult situations in our daily life. It can affect each individual in different ways ranging from less severe symptoms such as headaches all the way up to depression and anxiety.” Comments Dr David Edwards’, “exercise and a healthy diet are crucial to maintaining a relaxed mind and body. I would also recommend some of my patients take Rhodiola rosea as a short term option when suffering stressful periods. Taking 200mg, twice a day could help to control the release of stress hormones whilst helping to improve energy and concentration levels, which can help reduce symptoms of stress.” Rhodiola rosea is an ‘adaptogen’ – a substance of natural plant origin that is able to increase the body’s resistance to stress and normalise imbalances with minimal side effects.

Try it: Vitano® contains Rhodiola rosea root extract 200mg and is available from Boots, leading pharmacies and health-food stores priced at £13.27 for 30 tablets. Always read the label. For further information visit www.vitano.co.uk.

· The Reason: Caffeine

Drinking tea and coffee throughout the day can have a negative impact when it comes to bed time. Cutting down on caffeine by reducing the amount of tea/coffee/fizzy drinks really can make it easier to nod off, if you find it hard to get through the day without your caffeine hit try reducing the number of caffeine laden drinks and cut back on all caffeine after 3pm. Expert Nutritionist Kirsten Brooks notes “Camomile is a wonderful herb with sedative properties, helping us to relax and encourage sleep. As a warm drink, it’s a great way to unwind in the evening.”

Try it: Heath and Heather’s Camomile infusion has been finely crafted using the highest quality Camomile, perfect for relaxation and unwinding, this gentle and soothing infusion could also help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety.

. Naturally caffeine-free

. 100% Natural

. Available in packs of 20 & 50

. RRP from £1.49 & £2.89

· The Reason: Hot Flushes

It is estimated that 8 out of 10 women in the UK experience symptoms leading up to the menopause and of these, 45% find their symptoms difficult to deal with. Symptoms can be wide ranging from insomnia and anxiety to hot flushes and night sweats impacting lifestyle and relationships.

Kathy Abernethy, Chair of the UK Menopause Nurse Group and a member of the Medical Advisory Council of the British Menopause Society comments: “After years working in a busy NHS menopause clinic, advising women in consultation as well as running education programmes for nurses, I understand how the menopause affects women not only physically but also psychologically. I often give women lifestyle and diet advice and try to encourage women to look positively at this time of change and to take steps to ensure good health.”

Details of a new study in the Journal of Gynaecological Endocrinology note how red clover supplementation can provide a natural alternative to help reduce hot flushes.

Try it: Promensil Double Strength (80mg) dietary supplements have been specifically developed to help women manage symptoms of the menopause naturally and effectively without resorting to HRT. Promensil Double Strength has been proved to reduce hot flushes and night sweats by 75%. Available from Boots, Ocado, good independent chemists and health food shops. Visit www.promensil.co.uk for further information or call 01903 280 860.

· The Reason: Nocturnal Cramps

Nocturnal muscle cramp could well be the new snoring, causing distress and sleep disruption to more than 13 million people in the UK. 82 per cent of women have suffered with the complaint, with 12 per cent experiencing nocturnal cramps every night. It is an extremely painful and distressing condition with many people suffering in silence. Insomnia specialist and founder of the Sleep School, Dr Guy Meadows said: “Quality sleep is essential to ensure you feel regenerated and ready for the day ahead. Interruptions caused by emotional or health problems can be very detrimental to everyday life, making it harder to concentrate at work and affecting relationships. Frustration and anxiety about disturbed sleep can cause it to become even worse.

“People often aren’t aware that they could be suffering from a sleep condition that is easy to treat. Instead of worrying about the problem, it is important to trust your body’s ability to sleep, making lifestyle changes or taking appropriate treatments where appropriate.”

Try it: Crampex is the only product available without prescription for the prevention and treatment of night cramps and it doesn’t have any of the side effects associated with taking Quinine (which is regularly prescribed). Crampex costs from £4.29 for a pack of 24 tablets and is available over the counter from pharmacies. More tips and advice can be found on www.goodsleepadvice.com and the Good Night Guide consumer leaflet is also available on request.

· The Reason: Bloating

Much like the rest of your body, your digestive system needs time to rest. Going to bed and getting up at set(ish) hours each day can help our digestive system work more effectively and improve the regularity of our bowel movements. Waste material in the colon impairs our ability to absorb vitamins and minerals which can affect prevent the immune system from working at its optimum level.

Try it: Sun Chlorella® ‘A’ is a natural green algae whole food supplement from Japan – an excellent choice for bloating as it contains a staggering range of nutrients including around 10% fibre, to help move food through the system more effectively. Nutritionist and Natural Health expert Nadia Brydon explains “Sun Chlorella ‘A’ acts as an ‘intestinal broom’, cleansing the bowel by clinging on to toxins like mercury, lead or pesticides in your intestines and then eliminating them as waste.

Sun Chlorella is priced £21.95 for 300 tablets (a 20-30 day supply) and is available from www.SunChlorella.co.uk, free phone 0800 008 6166, www.victoriahealth.com, www.NutriCentre.com, www.bodykind.com, Revital stores, www.revital.co.uk and good health stores.

· The Reason: Not tired enough

If you haven’t burned enough energy throughout the day, it’s likely that you’ll find bedtime a struggle when it comes to nodding off, Justin Way, Personal Trainer from Pure Gym explains “There are a million ways you can give yourself a workout at home without spending a penny on expensive equipment. When hoovering standing on your left leg whilst pushing and pulling the hoover around with your right arm. Hop to move around the room and alternate legs every 2 mins. This will work the core massively whilst bringing great tone to the legs and bum.”

Try it: Pure Gym’s 24-hour, no contract membership starts from £17.99 a month. For more information, visit www.puregym.com

Too Much Light At Night May Lead to Obesity {Health}

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Research by the Ohio State University has found that persistent exposure to light at night may lead to weight gain, even without changing physical activity or eating more food.

By studying mice the researchers found that mice exposed to a relatively dim light at night over eight weeks had a body mass gain that was about 50 percent more than other mice that lived in a standard light-dark cycle.

“Although there were no differences in activity levels or daily consumption of food, the mice that lived with light at night were getting fatter than the others,” said Laura Fonken, lead author of the study and a doctoral student in neuroscience at Ohio State University.

The study appears this week in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

As they’re not less active or eating more, the results suggest that the weight gain is because the mice living with light at night eat at times they normally wouldn’t.

In one study, mice exposed to light at night – but that had food availability restricted to normal eating times – gained no more weight than did mice in a normal light-dark cycle.

“Something about light at night was making the mice in our study want to eat at the wrong times to properly metabolize their food,” said Randy Nelson, co-author of the study and professor of neuroscience and psychology at Ohio State.

If these results are confirmed in humans, it would suggest that late-night eating might be a particular risk factor for obesity, Nelson said.

Mice exposed to dim light-at-night showed higher levels of epididymal fat, and impaired glucose tolerance – a marker of pre-diabetes.

“When we restricted their food intake to times when they would normally eat, we didn’t see the weight gain,” Fonken said about the mice. “This adds to the evidence that the timing of eating is critical to weight gain.”

So how does light at night lead to changes in metabolism? The researchers believe the light could disrupt levels of the hormone melatonin, which is involved in metabolism. In addition, it may disrupt the expression of clock genes, which help control when animals feed and when they are active.

Overall, the findings show another possible reason for the obesity epidemic in Western countries.

Researchers have long associated prolonged computer use and television viewing as obesity risk factors, but have focused on how they are associated with a lack of physical activity.

“It may be that people who use the computer and watch the TV a lot at night may be eating at the wrong times, disrupting their metabolism,” Nelson said. “Clearly, maintaining body weight requires keeping caloric intake low and physical activity high, but this environmental factor may explain why some people who maintain good energy balance still gain weight.”

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation for the Ohio State University.