Sometimes for those alcoholic drinkers grabbing for the bottle of their favorite drink of choice seems like a no brainer when the holidays come. Particularly when it involves the in-laws or meeting their babies significant others.
However that choice is not really a good one for your health or your stress. Alcoholic drinks have a host of negative side effects. One big on is it dehydrates you making it harder for your heart to pump blood, increasing your physical stress and in turn your mental stress. So this holiday to help with stress try some of these ideas instead:
Water- hydration is critical as it helps reduce pressure on your heart pumping your blood around in the body and bonus, lots of research showing a link between depression and dehydration.
Hot Tea- Any kind is good I recommend lavender, as long as it does not have caffeine in it. Caffeine will dehydrate and boost nerve output (thats why we love coffee for the energy) and make anxiety worse. Tea has anti oxidants that will help blood flow and better blood flow helps reduce stress and anxiety in the body.
Warm Cup of Milk- A old one but a good one. Why? Milk’s sleep-promoting properties might be due to the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan-enriched foods have been shown to improve sleep and mood in the elderly. Tryptophan plays an important role in the production of serotonin and melatonin. Bonus a little chocolate does not hurt much and might suit the sweet tooth more.
Cherry juice- You might say ewww but Cherries are naturally high in melatonin, the hormone that triggers sleep and regulates your internal clock. Look for tart cherries since they have especially high amounts of melatonin and steer clear from supermarket cherry juice which are loaded with sugar and will amp you up rather than calm you down.
If you or someone you love could benfit from this post or from therapy please have them contact us, or direct them to our therapist page or home page, where they can learn about what services we offer and insurances we accept.
David Linares, MHC and CEO of: Scshawaii.net and lifewiselearningcenter.com