SUNDAY NIGHT SLIDES
An average adult human brain accounts for about ~2% of its body weight. Remarkably, though, despite its relatively small size, the brain takes up a significant chunk (~20%) of the body's energy and oxygen resources – therefore calories burned.
Now, some of you might be thinking that's a sure fire strategy to controlling weight management. And, you wouldn't be far wrong in thinking that either.
In a recent study, research has discovered that long-term control of body weight is largely dependent on the areas of the brain involved in emotional regulation. And as the mind perceives stress and reacts, the body's main stress hormone – cortisol – physically disrupts signals from the part of the brain involved in self-control: the lateral prefrontal cortex.
A perfect example of this in practice would be two people's different experiences of the same rollercoaster ride.
Approach Blackpool's Big Dipper with an expectation of excitement and a positive perception: the experience is one of pure enjoyment. Approach it filled with fear and anxious anticipation: the experience is a negative, uncomfortable one, most likely to avoid again.
Both people would have had similar physical responses to a rollercoaster ride like an increase in heart rate, increased sweating, breathing faster, lightheadedness etc. but their experiences depended entirely on their internal perceptions.
So what of it?
Symptoms of high cortisol
Influences like emotional trauma, a relentlessly busy lifestyle or even participating in regular high-intensity exercise can cause high cortisol levels. Finding out how these stressors may be impacting your body is the key to alleviation.
High cortisol symptoms include:
Excessive tiredness
Prolonged anxiety
Feeling depressed
Erratic weight control
Disrupted sleep patterns
Forth With Life stress hormone tests are available here »
Slowing your brainwaves
The mental exhaustion is real.
Whilst your brain sends messages between the ~120 billion neurons it houses, it produces equally as many little volts of electricity that use up energy resources more commonly known as brainwave activity.
The process of using energy actually produces energy too, which is why you can train yourself to run a marathon, improving your stamina, which is inadvertently what's happening when you're using too much mental energy by uncontrolled thoughts.
There are five different brainwaves that operate at different speeds depending on activity (frequencies measured in Hertz).
Ranked here from fastest to slowest:
Gamma – when you're concentrating hard (35Hz +)
Beta – when your mind is normally active (12-35Hz)
Alpha – pretty relaxed, passively attentive (8-12Hz)
Theta – very relaxed almost in sleep state (4-8Hz)
Delta – asleep in deepest restorative state (1-4Hz)
In order to make a smooth transition from awake to asleep, ensuring that 8 hours of rest are endured and energy resources are restored, we have to help the mind naturally slow down, going through the motions as such.
The key move is from Beta to Alpha.
Which is where most of the magic of meditation happens too.
In Alpha, the mind enters a relaxed and present state. As activity continues to slow, we begin to flush the unnecessary and allow the necessary to prevail, clarity of thought improves, retention of information is high (learning happens here which is probably why Einstein and Aristotle napped so much).
But above all, Alpha is where we experience positive, stable and balanced emotions. Any fears, worries and concerns alleviate and contentment naturally takes over.
A little festive giveaway
Whilst recovering from neurological issues, erratic sleep patterns and other uncomfortable symptoms of COVID19, I've been using the Calm app to ease my sleep transition by listening to colourfully imaginative Sleep Stories read by the likes of Matthew McConaughey, Kate Winslet and Idris Elba, or the educational trips along Dorset's Jurassic Coast and Switzerland's Glacier Express train, or soothing soundscapes of the woodlands and waves.
So with that in mind, I'd like to giveaway an annual Calm subscriptions to 10 readers who feel they would benefit from an improved sleep experience at this challenging Christmas time.
"The top rated app for mental fitness, designed to help manage stress, sleep better and live a happier, healthier life." – Mindful.org
If you're keen, simply click the thumbs up button near the bottom of this email and I'll run a draw with the entries and contact you directly on Friday with a gift voucher.
A hopefully Happy Christmas.
Charlie
FEATURED SLIDE
FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
In memory of Josh Taylor ❤️