#the brain fog is on high alert and my memory is at -50 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

stuck-in-hawkins · 4 years

Text

When He Left- October 29th 1993

Stranger Things Fanfic

Pairing: Will Byers/ Mike Wheeler

Read on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24656785/chapters/69920109

Will jolted awake, drenched in a cold sweat. The dream was forgotten as soon as he woke, but the fear lingered like smoke. The way his heart was pounding he knew enough to tell it had been a nightmare of the mind flayer sort. Running… that was all he could remember. The air seemed denser and harder to breathe. He had to concentrate on each breath. His body didn’t feel like his own, it felt like a puppet he was trying to command. And a new sensation prickled at his spine: Cold.

He froze, straining his ears for a sound, anything that resembled the guttural, animal sounds of the demon who had haunted his nights for the past 10 years. He heard something out in the living room.

Mike. He was sleeping on the couch. He would be able to shake Will out of this in-between state. He’d go out, see Mike, and reality would set in again.

He opened the door quietly, or at least, he opened it slowly. He couldn’t hear much over the pounding in his ears and the gnawing sounds that he knew was just the remains of the night terror. It was just the normal sounds of the fan blades spinning mixed with all the chattering noise of the city. They would be familiar again once he’d shaken off the lingering fears. They would stop sounding like the chewing of flesh.

He couldn’t trust his senses. He just had to speak to someone who could shake him out of it. He didn’t feel embarrassment in that moment, he could feel nothing else but the fear and cold. He walked down the hallway. He could see the back of the couch and Mike’s shadow as he moved. Will was trying to make it out in the dark. Mike must have unplugged the night light in the hallway. Will could only see by what the street lights illuminated from the window.

It looked like Mike’s back was arched. Will’s stomach dropped as he saw the taut gray skin stretched over sinew. The sounds of chewing. He stepped on a board and the creak drew the attention of the demogorgon, who looked at him with its blood stained rows of teeth and screeched.

Will gasped and opened his eyes. He was still in his room, he could breathe again. He took in every sense he could: the smell of his sweat soaked sheets, the wind on his skin as the fan circulated the air, the click of the clock as the numbers flipped from 4:49 to 4:50, the warm glow from the night light in his room. He whipped off the sheets and took in breath after breath, trying to slow them down, to hold onto the air in his lungs and stave off hyperventilation. With every sense, he distanced himself from the sensories of the dream. Upon waking, he’d realized how many of these things had been missing from the dream but… it all felt so real.

He put his head in his hands and sobbed. His brain had played with the cruelest of scenarios… losing Mike. He had to see. He knew it had been a dream but he had to see Mike and make sure he was still there.

He opened his door without caring for the sound now. He didn’t want to play into the fear. He listened to each step echo as he padded his way into the living room. He got to the couch and looked over to see Mike sleeping soundly. His long curls scattered across the pillow, the gentle breeze of air through his lips.

Will clutched his chest, his heart was still thumping against the inside of his rib cage. Slow breaths. Come back down, he coached himself. Mike was okay. He was sleeping peacefully, untouched.

His own mind had betrayed him. To have twisted reality into such a cruel form. To let him think he was dead...

Would it do this to him every night that Mike was here?

There was a stirring on the couch and Will wiped his eyes. Mike had turned to lie on his back. Will watched Mike’s chest rise and fall. He knew he shouldn’t be out here, hovering over Mike. God forbid he woke up and saw him. He’d think Will was a creep, or Will would have to tell him his dream. Both were equally awful scenarios. So, he turned back towards his room to wait for daylight, knowing there was no way he’d be able to sleep.

As he made his way to the hall, his foot caught the strap of Mike’s backpack and nearly toppled him over.

“Fuck!” He hissed, catching himself.

“Will?” Came that beautiful, groggy voice. He remembered a time, however brief, when it had been the first sound he heard in the morning.

“Sorry… I just came out for some water.” He didn’t look back.

“Are you okay?” Mike sat up on the couch, dazed and concerned.

“Y-yeah.” And Will heard his voice waver. It gave him away. He turned to Mike, he’d have to face him after a failed attempt like that. He faked a smile and gave a thumbs up. Another pathetic attempt, he chided himself.

He could see the worry in Mike’s brow, in those big brown eyes. He wordlessly pleaded Will not to go.

Will hesitated and Mike took the opportunity, “Can you show me how to work the TV? I kind of like to have background noise while I sleep.”

Will knew what it was. Mike was coaxing him to the couch, bringing him in, the way he used to after an episode. Mike had learned over the years not to expect an honest answer from the question, ‘Are you okay?’

Will made his way over, “What? You aren’t lulled to sleep by the serene sounds of the city?” Will played it off with sarcasm but he was still shaken. He grabbed the remotes. “This one is for the TV and this one is for the VCR. We don’t have a lot of channels but I can get out a movie if you want.”

“Just the TV’s fine.”

Will turned it on. There were lions stalking in tall grass. National Geographic.

Mike said, “This is good.”

Will nodded, and forced a smile. “Remind you of home?”

“Oh, yeah. The wilderness of Indiana.”

Mike reached over Will’s hand and took the remote, their fingers touched for a moment. Nothing felt more tempting in the whole world. To just take Mike’s hand, to fall into him, to lose himself in those arms. But knowing now why Mike was there, he couldn’t. He had wanted to tell Mike; to be upfront about his feelings, but how could he? Mike, Lucas, and Max were all coming out of concern for Will, to wait out the anniversary. He didn’t want to put Mike in a position of having to turn him down.

Still, Will was weak and wishing for comfort. He ought to leave. He had been about to get up when he saw the lion tear at the flesh of a gazelle and he jerked his head away. The image of blood dripping from the demon’s mouth was still fresh from the dream. Mike changed the channel quickly. Will put his head in his hands. So much for playing it off.

Mike’s hand was on his arm. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But you don’t have to pretend either.”

Will couldn’t look at him. “Dustin told you.”

“About the night terrors? Yeah, he did.”

“What did he say?”

“Not much. Just that they were coming back.”

“That’s it?” Will brought his hands down and searched Mike’s face for the truth.

“Yeah. I swear, Will. I was worried and kept asking him what was up but he said that if I wanted to know… I could come here, and ask you myself.”

Will looked ahead and nodded. Dustin really was a good friend.

Mike said, “I’m sorry I haven’t been here.”

“What are you talking about? We talk on the phone all the time.”

“But I’m not here.”

Will shrugged, “You’re here when it matters.”

Will didn’t say it in so many words, but Mike knew what he’d meant. The last time he’d come to California had been for June’s funeral. Will and June hadn’t dated since high school there but they had still been close. Will took care of him at the end. When it was all hospital visits, talking with nurses, and a long goodbye that stretched over days. After his death, Will’s grief had pulled a fog over those days and they all seemed to blur together. But Mike had been there for him, like a lighthouse in a storm.

Mike’s voice was soft, “Do you want to talk about what you saw?”

Will shook his head, “Not really…”

“Okay. Do you want to watch something out here for a bit?”

“I don’t want to keep you up.”

“You won’t. Look.” He plopped his head down on Will’s shoulder and slumped over, “I’m already asleep.”

Will could feel his senses ignite under the touch with an all too pleasant warmth. It was a welcome feeling that shook away the memory of the all encompassing cold from his dream. He wondered if Mike was doing it on purpose. If he knew how the touch was sweeping away the terror.

He playfully smooshed his hand into Mike’s face, “Oh yeah? Fast asleep, right?’

Mike laughed and sat up. He flicked through the few channels between the static noise. The gray crackle alerting them when he’d reached the last channel. In the early hours, the only things that seemed to be on were infomercials and televangelists. Mike avoided the National Geographic channel and as he was flicking back, he heard the familiar notes, ‘-beautiful day in the neighborhood.” He clicked back to it and looked at Will with a wry smile.

“We are not watching this.” Will said.

“What’s wrong with Mr. Rogers?”

“We are two grown-”

“Don’t pretend you didn’t have a Daniel the Tiger stuffed animal. You smothered that thing for all of Kindergarten and brought it over to most sleepovers until you were 10.”

Will fired back, “What about you? Remember that library questionnaire in 2nd grade? When you were scared to put it down as your favorite show?”

“I’ve grown past my denial stage unlike you. Besides, if there is any show that will help us fall back asleep, it’s this one.”

“I don’t know. QVC could do the job just fine.”

Mike handed Will the remote and sat back so that their arms were touching. The sensation echoed through Will’s every nerve ending. He left the show on and laid back, leaning into the touch ever so slightly.

Will didn’t know what he was doing. It was a bad idea to be this close to Mike after an episode. Everything in him longed to curl up into him, to let himself be held. And Mike was just there, toeing the line. Offering enough touch to make it all confusing, to send him into the stars wishing and hoping for something that he knew couldn’t happen. Mike would never leave Hawkins. And Will wouldn’t leave California.

All the same, Will didn’t want to go back to bed. He’d rather stay in the uncertainty, absorbing every kindness, gesture, and touch. He was scared to close his eyes in that dark room lest he return to the same hellish visions.

They watched through the episode and made jibes at the ridiculousness but then a moment came on and both of them got kind of quiet. The man named Clemmons sang, “There Are Many Ways to Say I Love You,” and Will caught Mike staring intently, the way he did when he was looking for meaning in a movie scene.

Mike caught Will’s quizzical look and answered it, “I never realized how profound this show was. I mean it’s a little hokey. But, no one… talks about love like that. Just so openly.” He shrugged, “Two guys sitting with their feet in a pool singing about love… who does that? It feels embarrassing to watch, but I wish it wasn’t.” He said quietly, “I wish it was more normal to do that.”

Will responded, “I think, it doesn’t feel normal because it’s for kids, so everything is said out loud and in the open, so it can be explained. Things that aren’t usually talked about.”

“I guess. I don’t know. I… there have been moments with you guys, where I just-” he shrugged, “When you guys all flew back home to see El after we found her… I went to bring in El’s lunch and everyone was around her bed, trying to comfort her. I remember just wishing I could have said it right then. That there was some way to tell you all…” ____________________________________________________________________

Will remembered that day. How eerie and unfamiliar El was. The last time he had seen her, she had been all rage, hell bent on finding Brenner. She had left a hole in their lives, all to destroy the man who had once been a nightmare but had come to haunt her days. When Hopper found El, wandering the streets of New York, they all thought she had lost, that Brenner had scrambled her brain the way he had with her mother.

It was months later that they pieced it all together: the CAT scans that showed the scarred tissue in her brain, the article of a burned down government facility in Montauk, New York written by a familiar journalist. She had pushed herself too far. She sacrificed everything to make sure that there was never a 012.

Will stood in the room with this shell of their former friend. The girl who had whispered words of hope all those years ago, who had shut out the demons from the other world, was silent and stared like she was looking beyond the people gathered around her, somewhere far off.

Will remembered the heavy sinking feeling in his gut, wondering how long Mike would still be chasing her. Mike finally had El back, but only in body. Her mind, her personality, everything else that Mike had loved about her once was gone. What if Mike was hoping for something that El was no longer capable of?

When Mike had come back into the room, holding the tray of waffles, he looked so uncertain, like he was afraid to hope. But then he had looked up at his friends, and his eyes looked glassy, and a small, grateful smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. ___________________________________________________________

Will pondered about the moment and about the song, “I think that's exactly what they are saying. Love doesn’t have to be said to be felt. I remember that moment, by the way, you coming into the room. You had this look and you were saying it, even if you didn’t know you were.”

And there was this soulful look in Mike’s eyes, of genuine love and gratitude. It made Will want to melt.

It was quiet for a moment. And suddenly Will didn’t trust himself. Talking about love with Mike, being so weak after an episode, it all made him just want to pull Mike in close. To have their lips crash in a sensation that was only a faded memory now.

So, Will redirected their focus, “How’s El been? Has there been any progress with her talking?”

Mike shook his head. “The doctors say that she probably won’t be able to talk again. They’re calling it global aphasia but they can’t explain the scar tissue. Global aphasia is normally something that happens after a stroke… affects all the areas of that part of the brain, not only speaking language but understanding it. The scar tissue wasn’t just from Montauk. It was built up over time. Everytime she used her powers… she was using that part of her brain… communicating and it was all hurting her. The only way the doctor could really explain her condition was to compare it with concussions. Just recurring injury overtime. Never being given the chance to heal…”

“Maybe… maybe he has it wrong. I mean he doesn’t know the whole story, right?”

Mike shook his head, “He may not have all the pieces. But everything he’s saying makes sense. So, we’re going to stop trying to rebuild her language. It's only been frustrating and... in all likelihood... it can't come back. It makes no sense to push her. So, we’ve been using sign language and there’s been a lot more progress. She can sign basic functions, hunger, bathroom, hot, cold, tired. She doesn’t have as many outbursts now. She still can get overwhelmed at times and then the signs go out the window but… yeah.” Mike could hear his own frustration and apologized, “Sorry. I don't mean to complain.”

“It’s not complaining, Mike. You’re allowed to talk about the tough parts, you don’t have to gloss it over.”

Mike sighed, “I know. I just hate sounding like a downer. I am happy to have her back. And this is improvement.”

“It is.” Will had to make every effort to keep the concern out of his voice. He knew the toll it was all taking on Mike and Hopper.

“And, she has really started to join the space a little more. She’s mostly in her own world but she’ll come to the dinner table, sit with us for TV. And I’ve been taking her out places lately, just around town. A little at a time. She actually seems to look forward to them now. It’s nice.”

Will faked a smile, “That’s great.” He wanted to be happy for Mike that he’d found a way to be content but an old worry crept, wanting a foothold in the conversation.

Mike turned toward the TV and fell silent, having read some sign in Will’s face. “Don’t pity me, Will, please. Not you.”

The comment shot through Will. All those times he hated when people had done the very same to him, “I don’t!”

“Then, say what you actually were thinking. Please.”

Will averted his eyes, his fingers fiddling with the throw pillow. “You… you do things for yourself too, right?”

“What do you mean?”

Will instantly wanted to recoil, to backtrack the conversation. But it had been weighing on him for months.

“It’s just… over this past year… just…” Why couldn’t he get the words out? He breathed and tried to make the thoughts coherent. He hated how the words would just get stuck inside him.

He finally shoved the words out. “You used to volunteer for IYG. You used to go to game nights at the comic book store. You used to go on dates… but since El started living with you… one by one. All those things have stopped.” He took the risk of looking Mike’s way and he could see it. The way his brow crinkled when he was about to get defensive. But he also saw him trying to hold it back.

“Look, I get why- why you’re concerned. But I’m okay. My life has just- it’s changed. It’s changed a lot. I can’t do a lot of the same stuff: volunteering at the youth group, those game nights- they would take up several hours. They were commitments. And I just don’t have that kind of time, anymore.”

“And the dating?”

Mike shook his head. “It was more stressful and aggravating than it was worth. It felt like I was constantly feeling either rejected or disappointed. And once I stopped chasing, once I just decided to stop, I felt so much better. Like the pressure was off. So now, I do the domestic stuff. The cooking, maintaining the house, taking care of El, and I enjoy it, Will. Maybe it’s not the type of life you or Dustin would want, but I’m content with it.”

That last part had hurt. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I worry is all. You give too much of yourself, Mike. You give your all until there’s nothing left.”

Mike took in Will’s words, considered them. “I have Hopper and your mom. They give me a break when I need it. And I do things for myself, too. I’ve been reading a lot more. And, while I don’t have a novel planned out, I’m getting ideas. I want to write again. When my coworkers get together on lunch break, I will usually go out with them, as long as it’s not in a bar. I do things. I promise I am okay.”

Will nodded. “Okay. I’m sorry.”

Mike got up, “You don’t need to apologize, Will. I don't think you're the only one that's thought it, but you're the only one that's talked about it. It's sort of become the elephant in the room. I… I’m sort of glad you asked. Talking about it with you, I..." He stumbled over his words, "Just... Thank you for listening.” He threw a smile over his shoulder as walked over to his suitcase.

Will’s heart jumped like it was catching the smile. Mike's sincere words nestled themselves in Will's rib cage. Mike had been so open. Will knew what was coming. They were unloading burdens from their mind and now the ball was in his court. He had just asked Mike something very personal. It was Will’s turn to offer something back, he’d have to tell him about the nightmare. But he’d wait to be asked.

Mike offered, “Let’s make breakfast.”

Will blinked. “What?”

“Breakfast. I am insanely hungry right now. I don’t know if it’s a jet lag but I’m wide awake and ready for the day.” He took out his clothes for the day from his suitcase and pulled out a grocer’s bag.

“But… it’s not even 5 in the morning. You’ll be exhausted.”

“Yeah. It’ll probably mean another early night for me.”

“But aren’t you going back to sleep?”

“Are you?” Mike looked up, eyebrows raised, taking the supplies into the kitchen and setting them out on the counter.

Will answered honestly, “Probably not.”

“Then might as well take the opportunity to make you my world famous chocolate peanut butter pancakes.”

“I’m sorry, your what?”

“Chocolate peanut butter pancakes.” He pulled out a jar of peanut butter from the bag.

“No. I mean ‘World Famous’. You can’t claim that status unless anyone else has tried them outside of Indiana.”

“Official title is pending.” He then took out some Reese’s Cups, cocoa, pancake mix, and chocolate chips.

Will laughed, “Did you pack those?”

“Nah. Dustin took me to the store yesterday. I knew I wanted to make them sometime this week. And turns out today’s the day.”

Will smiled as he watched Mike start getting things ready in the kitchen. He got up from the couch to help Mike find all the necessary supplies. Will couldn’t help the happiness floating up inside him. He knew he owed Mike a conversation but for now, he was just all smiles. Mike was giving up his sleep to be awake beside Will. He knew what Mike was doing. It was to distract him from the fear, to distract them both from the weights they carried. For the moment, it was all someplace far away. For this morning, they were just two friends stumbling around the kitchen, making a mess. Will watched Mike mix up the ingredients, his profile more gorgeous than ever as the early morning light began to come in through the windows. Although Will’s old wounds echoed their memories, warning him, Will couldn’t stop himself from falling in love all over again.

53 notes · View notes

sciencespies · 4 years

Text

Why PTSD May Plague Many Hospitalized Covid-19 Survivors

https://sciencespies.com/nature/why-ptsd-may-plague-many-hospitalized-covid-19-survivors/

Why PTSD May Plague Many Hospitalized Covid-19 Survivors

While neuropsychologists Erin Kaseda and Andrew Levine were researching the possibility of hospitalized Covid-19 patients developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they heard reports of patients experiencing vivid hallucinations. Restrained by ventilators and catheters, delirious from medication and sedatives and confused by the changing cast of medical professionals cycling through the ward, intensive care unit (ICU) patients are especially prone to trauma. For Covid-19 ICU patients, a combination of factors, including side effects of medication, oxygenation issues and possibly the virus itself, can cause delirium and semi-consciousness during their hospital stay. Kaseda says as these patients slip in and out of consciousness, they may visualize doctors wheeling their bodies to a morgue or see violent imagery of their families dying. Such instances, though imagined, can cause trauma that may lead to PTSD in patients long after they have physically recovered from Covid-19.

In addition to hallucinations during hospitalization, some Covid-19 survivors describe a persistent feeling of “brain fog” for weeks or months after recovery. “Brain fog” is an imprecise term for memory loss, confusion or mental fuzziness commonly associated with anxiety, depression or significant stress. As scientists grappled with whether such brain damage could be permanent, Kaseda and Levine warn that cognitive issues often attributed to “brain fog” may, in fact, be signs of PTSD. Kaseda, a graduate student at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in Chicago, and Levine, a professor of neurology at the University of California Los Angeles, co-authored a study published in Clinical Neuropsychologists in October intended to alert neuropsychologists to the possibility of PTSD as a treatable diagnosis for those who survived severe illness from Covid-19.

“You have this unknown illness: there’s no cure for it, there’s high mortality, you’re separated from your family, you’re alone,” Kaseda says. “If you’re hospitalized that means the illness is pretty severe, so there’s this absolute fear of death that even if you aren’t having the delirium or the other kind of atypical experiences, just the fear of death could absolutely constitute a trauma.”

How Post-Traumatic Stress Develops in Covid-19 Patients

PTSD arises from experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event, specifically exposure to actual or threatened death and serious injury, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Historically associated with combat veterans, PTSD was called “shell shock” or “combat fatigue” before it became a named disorder in 1980. But in 2013, the definition of PTSD broadened to include more common place traumatic experiences.

Psychiatrists are now increasingly seeing PTSD develop after traumatic stays in the ICU for any health problem, but researchers are still unsure of the scope of this issue. A paper published in 2019 in the Lancet reports that roughly a quarter of people admitted to the ICU for any health issue will develop PTSD. Another study found that between 10 and 50 percent of people develop PTSD after ICU discharge, and, in a 2016 study of 255 ICU survivors, one in ten reported PTSD within one year after discharge.

Before hospitalized patients are diagnosed with PTSD, their symptoms may be described as post intensive care syndrome (PICS). PICS can manifest as a number of physical, cognitive and mental health problems that a patient may experience in the weeks, months or years after being discharged from the ICU.

Kristina Pecora, a clinical psychologist at NVisionYou in Chicago, sees a variety of patients, including frontline medical professionals and Covid-19 survivors. Pecora was a contributing author of a brief submitted to the American Psychological Association in May describing the signs of PICS and urging psychologists to prioritize screening and referral for behavioral health problems related to hospitalization for Covid-19. At that time, some of Pecora’s patients showed signs of the lingering trauma typical of PICS within six months of their ICU discharge. Because a PTSD diagnosis can often only be made after this period, it was too early to tell then whether her patients’ PICS symptoms could be classified as PTSD. But the impact of the virus on their psychiatric health was clearly substantial.

“It becomes this gradual realization that what they’re experiencing is persisting week after week and ‘oh my goodness, this is a longer-term experience than what we thought it would be,’” Pecora says.

Restrained by ventilators and catheters, delirious from medication and sedatives and confused by the changing cast of medical professionals cycling through the ward, ICU patients are especially prone to trauma.

(Photo by Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images)

A “Delirium Factory”

One major factor in whether patients develop long-term psychological effects after ICU discharge is whether or not they experience delirium during their stay. Delirium is a state of severe confusion and disorientation, often characterized by poor memory, nonsensical speech, hallucinations and paranoia. Patients who experience delirium may not be able to differentiate between real and imagined humans or events.

Side effects of sedatives, prolonged ventilation and immobilization are common factors that put many ICU patients at-risk for delirium. A study from 2017 found that up to 80 percent of mechanically ventilated people enter a hallucinogenic state known as ICU delirium.

Add isolation and the unknown cognitive effects of the virus to the mix and an ICU becomes a “delirium factory” for Covid-19 patients, as authors of a study published in BMC Critical Care in April wrote. In a different study from June, which has not yet undergone peer review, 74 percent of Covid-19 patients admitted to the ICU reported experiencing delirium that lasted for a week.

“Any time anyone is in a fearful experience and they’re isolated—they can’t have anybody in their rooms—they wake up in a strange experience or a strange place, or they know already while they’re in there that they can’t have anyone hold them or be with them. All of that is going to attribute to the emotional impact,” Pecora says.

Such intense visions and confusion about the reality of hospitalization can be especially scarring, leaving patients with intrusive thoughts, flashbacks and vivid nightmares. If such responses persist for more than one month and cause functional impairment or distress, it may be diagnosed as PTSD.

To help reduce ICU-related trauma, doctors may keep a log of the patient’s treatment to help jog their memory once they have been discharged. Having a record of the real sequence of events can help a patient feel grounded if they have hallucinations and flashbacks to their hospitalization experience.

But even for patients experiencing Covid-19 symptoms that aren’t severe enough to warrant a hospital visit, the fear of death and isolation from loved ones can be sufficiently distressing to cause lasting trauma. They may experience shortness of breath and worsening symptoms, fueling a fear that their condition will quickly deteriorate. For several days, they may avoid sleeping for fear of dying.

“Some people are more resilient in the face of that sort of trauma and I would not expect them to develop lasting psychological symptoms associated with PTSD,” says Levine. “But other people are less resilient and more vulnerable to that.”

Learning from SARS and MERS

Covid-19 isn’t the first epidemic to cause a domino effect of persisting psychiatric health problems across a population. The current pandemic has been compared to the severe adult respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in 2003 and the Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak in 2014 in Saudi Arabia—both diseases caused by coronaviruses. In an analysis of international studies from the SARS and MERS outbreaks, researchers found that among recovered patients, the prevalence of PTSD was 32.2 percent, depression was 14.9 percent and anxiety disorders was 14.8 percent.

Much like those who fall ill with Covid-19, some patients sick with SARS and MERS developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which causes patients to experience similar feelings of suffocation and delirium during treatment in the ICU. Levine says that many of the people who developed PTSD during the SARS and MERS epidemics were hospitalized.

By contrast, Levine anticipates Covid-19 survivors with relatively mild symptoms may experience traumatic stress too, due to an inundation of distressing images, frightening media reports and a higher expectation of death.

For those who recover from Covid-19, their trauma may be compounded by social isolation and physical distancing practices after they are discharged from the hospital. “If you did experience a trauma, it can make it so much harder to naturally recover from that when you lack the social support from family and friends that maybe would be possible to receive in different circumstances,” Kaseda says.

Screening for PTSD in Covid-19 survivors soon after recuperation is important, Kaseda says, so that patients can receive the right treatment for their cognitive difficulties. If PTSD is treated early on, it can speed a person’s entire Covid-19 recovery.

“If we can treat the PTSD, we can see what parts of the cognition get better,” Kaseda says. “And that will give us more confidence that if problems persist even after the PTSD is alleviated, that there is something more organic going on in the brain.”

A Constantly Shifting Landscape

As more information about the traumatic effects of Covid-19 treatments become clear, neuropsychiatrists and psychologists can shift their approach to dealing with the cognitive effects of Covid-19. Scientists don’t yet have a full grasp on how Covid-19 directly affects the brain. But by maintaining an awareness of and treating PTSD in Covid-19 patients, psychiatrists and clinicians may be able to minimize some cognitive problems and focus on the unknowns.

“Part of the problem is that all of this is so new,” Pecora says. “We’ve only really been seeing this for six or seven months now and the amount of information we have gleaned, both in the medical and the psychological worlds has increased so exponentially that we have a hard time keeping up with what were supposed to be looking out for.”

Deeper understanding of which symptoms arise from brain damage and which are more psychological will help both clinicians and psychologists address patients’ needs in their practice.

“The social and emotional impact of Covid-19 hasn’t even dawned on us yet. We clinicians and doctors are certainly trying to prepare for it.,” Pecora says. “But the way this has impacted society and mental health is going to be so vast.”

#Nature

0 notes

supplementsprice · 5 years

Text

Neural Fusion for Brain? Shocking new up-to-date info released,

A long day at so much effort, dreadful traffic, lots of errands at home and the endless conferences. Our brain works 24×7. But with the frantic life and also rising age have the lack of concentration, unfortunate memory and also low IQ heights takes place that may effortlessly ruin your organized and happy lifespan. That is why I am here to talk around the Neural Fusion that upsurges your concentration and also assistance your brain to complete better. In today’s busy life it is significant for your brain to the occupation properly and also Neural Fusion is an ideal formula. This is the actual powerful product that originates with the natural focus factors and too makes the brain function vigorously. It works to encourage your reasoning systems boost the attentiveness and focus by 200% as healthy as it protects the subtle brain cells and also membranes. Neural Fusion is the new creation that has become almost impossible to find owing to its superior cognitive thinking possessions. It is known as the strong no tropic which is careful the smart product. No tropic by the description encourage mental meanings such as the cognition, intelligence, consideration, memory, motivation and attentiveness by the altering brains source of the neurochemicals. My knowledge of using Neural Fusion was just wonderful, unforgettable and fantastic after by means of this memory increasing produce it increases up my memory and become rid of my from the short term reminiscence loss and brain fatigue and also obliviousness and before using this Neural Fusion brain sharpening addition I was suffering from nervousness, short term memory loss, amnesia, brain fog and also a lot of the other glitches. When I reached to my major age of 50 to 60 years then as the normal my memory became very weak. I fair forgot the things names and occasionally of the address of my house. This was actual embarrassing situation for me. Then I had obvious to consult with the doctor to become the formula of this problematic. My doctor counseled me to use the almonds in that initial morning for the improving of the brain. I used this fake but all in that vein and there was just not some remarkable result got from it. Then I likewise used the locally and likewise ordinary manufactured reminiscence increaser products which are obtainable in the market but after expending them I also got lots of the side properties and also harmful possessions on my health. So I left with them all. By ensuring the truthfulness of your Neural Fusion membranes, you can style meaningful improvements to reasoning functioning and Neural Fusion communication. It consumes now become the tendency that all of the big extras and also companies provide the appropriate directions and also orders to their users. That is why people distinguish that how to use this addition.

What is Actually Neural Fusion ?

There are lots of the nearby and ordinary factory-made brain sharpening crops available in the market but they fix not provide any suitable principle and also directions to their operators to use them so that people usage those supplements rendering to their own will and that is get numerous of the side effects and damaging results from them. But Neural Fusion is quite change after those cheap additions. It specially references to the directions and too instruction about the supplement on the backbone side of the bottle and likewise on the official website of the complement. If you follow the guidelines and instructions prearranged by the creator then you get lots of the moral results. In these rules and the producer tells you that in what way to get these additions. Producer also advice’s you to not ever boost the dosage of the addition without doctor’s medicine otherwise your will surely get damaging results from this reminiscence increaser product. You have noticed recently that your reminiscence starting to fade. Whether it is somewhat like leaving the kiln on or the forgetting where you put your solutions this is sign of your mental decline. Other symptoms cover lack of focus and attentiveness and that is having the difficult time with material processing. This is the sign of receiving older, but it is no lengthier needs to be your authenticity. Start using Neural Fusion the proven all natural foodstuffs that will restore your concentration to functioning at its chief level. Most people twitch to notice memory loss, decline brain control or cognitive presentation as early. A strong memory hinge on on the health and energy of your brain. The brain’s unbelievable ability to reshape itself grasps true when it originates to learning and memory. You canister harness the natural power of Neural Fusion to increase your reasoning abilities, enhance your aptitude to learn new information, and recover your memory.

Ingredients of this Neural Fusion Supplement

Neural Fusion is a product counting phosphatidylcholine that has lots of dissimilar advantages for your common sense. This product compound promises to upsurge your memory improve intellectual skills, which is hearten the health of your brain and smooth to boost concentration. Its machineries have various rewards for the brain that augments your intellectual skills, absorption level increases in the reminiscence and improves the wellbeing of the brain. Neural Fusion also needs certain materials for the building of neurotransmitters and the rule of cognitive processes. If the dietetic intake of these materials is insufficient, concentration and reminiscence difficulties may be the consequence. It can be used to assistance balance out such inadequacies and to bring about a performance improvement.

How It Will Work Nicely For One’s Mind?

Treating your form well can enhance your aptitude to process and recall information. Neural Fusion increases oxygen to your intelligence and reduces the danger for disorders that principal to memory loss, such as diabetes and circulatory disease. It may also improve the effects of helpful brain substances and protect brain cells. Educations show that people who do not income care of their brain are fewer healthy and more individual to Alzheimer’s and other thoughtful health issues as they age. Your figure works based off of pardon your brain tells it. If you take care of your intellect your body will unsurprisingly follow. A higher level of education is related with better mental working in old age. Experts think that progressive education may help save memory strong by getting a being into the habit of being spiritually active. It will give you that much desirable energy boost that doesn’t go absent. Feel energized, fixated and confident. Also supports intellectual performance cumulative your memory recall and openhanded you crystal clear emphasis like you’ve never experienced beforehand. Instantly increase your energy heights.

What this Mind Booster Product Does?

People who trust that they are not in switch of their memory function are fewer likely to work at upholding or improving their memory services and therefore are additional likely to experience reasoning decline. If you trust you can improve and you translate that confidence into practice, you take a better chance of possession your mind sharp. Research expressions that spaced rehearsal progresses recall not only in healthy people but too in those with certain actually based cognitive problems, such as persons associated with manifold sclerosis. These Neural Fusion supplements defend your brain by freeing anti-oxidants, natural chemicals that disruption down harmful mixtures called oxidants that your body crops naturally. The ingredients in Neural Fusion have been proven to upsurge memory recall in men and women of impartial about all ages. It is similarly an herbal medicine for recollection recharge or shape ampleness. It have substances that keep your brain cells from damage. It’s one of a caring formula was caused to ensure your brain gets all of the fixings and vitamins it needs in the careful dosage it needs it to recover all areas of cognitive development, including focus, energy, small and long term memory, problematic solving capabilities and much more. Though, the brain needs additional than just energy.

Merits of Neural Fusion

Fortunately, there’s a share that you can do to measure down this process. A controlling memory can help you prosper in school, in your job, and in life. It assistances you learn faster, and debauched learners are always in request. And they make additional money. This Neural Fusion is focused on older persons who already presented signs of slight cognitive damage. But we now know Alzheimer’s is the result of years of accrued brain damage which means the previous you enact brain-healthy habits, the better. Neural Fusion plays an important person in helping you combine your memories, so you container recall them down the road. Variety getting enough sleep a precedence. Most adults essential seven to eight hours of snooze a day. It gradually and progressively increases your mental competence. Brain sharpening is not likely in one day. It needs everyday dose of supplement and inside few days you feel the change. It is actual important that our rational approach towards it should be passable and precise, which includes

Thinking about an idea at each angle.

Get into the depth of idea.

Serious thinking about an idea.

Alertness while work.

Boost your sleep mood.

Increased brain memory.

Gives you high performance in brain perception.

Made up with all natural elements.

You must analyze the idea, have too contradictory supposition, and think on together. When you do so you originate to know about it in full and you study it properly. Intelligent people consume such thinking approach. Study is an action which requires additional brain work because you detect things and pick up them which is entirely a brain work. While learning you have use brain on both idea in order to learn it effective and gain knowledge over it.

How Neural Fusion Does Exactly Works?

The more lively your brain is, the better your memory is probable to be, and the more dissimilar ways you use your mind, the informal you’ll find remembering. Neural Fusion will sharpen your awareness and boost capacity. Your brain needs essential greasy acids to work well. Essential fatty acids are called “indispensable” because your form cannot make them. These fatty acids necessity be eaten in the additions. Improvements to your knowledge abilities, memory, cerebral clarity, and mood. It assists in upholding higher energy levels, container help support a fit heart and may promote complete brain function. These supplements not only upsurge brain power, but countless of them fight the negative effects of pressure and anxiety for good measure. Neural Fusion will almost rapidly increase your alertness close and can help boost your focus and attentiveness. That mid-morning additions might be totally essential if you’re feeling sleepy. Start to take 1 pill every morning and improvement your energy scheme and improve mental level. We continuously aim to provide our workers with working games, so first we’ll try to grow your purchase salaried on your system. If we can’t get it salaried, we’ll get your money back. No qualms. We are so certain that you motivation be successful by our tested system. Buy online by its official website. This is careful to be expert strength brain creation that it is a supplement of Neural Fusion . It includes extremely concentrated answer that is also concentrated by mega-doses of the influential brain products and their co-factors. It is advertised to be an extremely real brain supplement for the long-term provision of your brain structures and indorse the healthy brain scheme.

When to Expect Results from this supplement?

There are no described side effects with this Neural Fusion brain supplement. But it is motionless important to take it with carefulness if you are taking medicines. You know those of instants when you have bouts of the amnesia poor memory and the attentiveness, difficulty in finding the right arguments or even the times that when you impartial space out. This can be positively frustrating, especially that we allied brain degeneration with the old time of life even if you are still at the chief of your youth. That is why powering your mind with the correct brain power to get it emotional up again of definitely significant. One supplement that you strength want to consider is Neural Fusion Brain Booster.

Doctors Point of View About this brain boosting supplement

The supplement is really very convincing especially through the how they presented their truths. It is good that they quoted clinical studies to back up their rights. With so many addition that line the market offering the identical action, it helps that there is one such as Brain booster that takings the time to give you the clients with pertinent details concerning its advantages and the actions. Neural Fusion is a good supplement to indorsing cognitive health because the previous that you take the time to safeguard this is the less likely determination you be exposed to wasting condition related to the intellect. That’s why common of doctors recommended this product Neural Fusion to their patients.

My Observation about Neural Fusion

If you are famine to ensure that you keep a good reminiscence and a good brain scheme, you can promote brain fitness by trying out this supplement. I reason this can be definitely be a good adding to your health regimen deliver that most of us paradoxically tend to forget in maintaining your brain fitness. I personally knowledgeable with this product Neural Fusion and believe me this supplement fair amazingly work in my body. I suggest all and sundry for this supplement. It is a normal memory booster that is established by the Nutrition Company that were dedicate yourself to on the brain pleasing to the eye supplements. It claims to improvement your memory by up to 44% as it covers to the jitters provides you the emphasis and the attentiveness oxygen to the brain and the cerebral flow in it. These benefits will let you to the over comes the cerebral fatigue restore the memory damage and to revitalize your attention. If you are one of those persons who have been experiencing older moments more frequently than usual, these potential brain welfares of it is certainly attractive.

Risk Free Trial Version

Company of Neural Fusion gives you a risk free trial offer. For the leading time users, that they mollify with its amazing results.

Is It Fear From Danger?

The nutrients originate in the components of Neural Fusion rejuvenates the cells of the brain. It reconstructs the old brain circuits recharge connections and smooth stimulate the manufacture of new ones. It is also redoes the brains relay switches. It is fundamentally recharges your brain cells interesting them to produce the ordinary chemical sources that allows the brain to work recovering easer, clarity and the efficiency. Phosphatidylserine is even recognized to boost up thousands of novel cells at any age. With that you determination be able to acquire and procedure information. Neural Fusion is a natural brain cumulative supplement that is usually healthy to use. But for those who are captivating the medications or is suffering after the chronic condition it is counseled that you consult with your doctor first. There is a coincidental that certain rudiments may result in adverse reactions.

Is Neural Fusion Having Any Risk?

This addition is for brain boosting. Neural Fusion is completely safe invention in use. It did not comprise any harsh chemical, plasters, binders or artificial rudiments that make harm to human well-being. It is the best supplement for brain. That is precisely what this supplement pursues to help you with to save your mind and brain attentive and in tip of top conditions. It pursues to the provider of you with the save of your mind and brain alert and in tip of top circumstances. It seeks to provide you with the next brain health benefits.

Where to Buy Neural Fusion ?

You can purchase this supplement only from its official website. For placing your order visit its official website…

The post Neural Fusion for Brain? Shocking new up-to-date info released, appeared first on Supplements Price.

from Supplements Price https://ift.tt/2Xt5eWP via IFTTT

#SupplementsPrice #Supplements Price

0 notes

gethealthy18-blog · 6 years

Text

How I Reduced My Cortisol Levels Naturally With Food & Light

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/how-i-reduced-my-cortisol-levels-naturally-with-food-light/

How I Reduced My Cortisol Levels Naturally With Food & Light

Oh, relaxation, that elusive activity that is often talked about and rarely achieved in today’s world. We all know we have too much stress and need to reduce it, but the execution is so elusive! Most of us probably know that our cortisol levels may be off, but fixing this takes more that just a spa day or some deep breathing.

The good (or bad) news is that even if we wanted to “relax” and schedule time for that purpose (scheduled relaxation?) we might not be able to actually relax, at least not in the strictly physical sense. True relaxation goes much deeper than the dishes getting done and no children crying.

I learned this lesson the hard way when for years I tried to “power through” the tough newborn years. Over time, my cortisol levels became elevated at the wrong time of day and I suffered the consequences for years. Here’s what I wish I’d known…

What Is Cortisol?

Many of us now understand that cortisol has ties to stress levels, aging, and belly fat. But, what is cortisol and how is it related to your health?

Cortisol is an adrenal hormone that manages your body’s daily rhythm. Think of it as your built-in coffee pot. You wake up in the morning because your adrenals just made a fresh batch of it. You fall asleep at night because they shut it off.

Besides just being awake or asleep, you’d be amazed at how much of the body is run on a 24-hour schedule. Regulation of fat, digestion, immunity, blood sugar regulation, hunger, mental focus, and upkeep on your skin, hair, and nails all are controlled by the rhythm of cortisol.

How Modern Life Alters Cortisol Levels

Before our modern way of life, we had lots of cues that kept our cortisol rhythms in sync. The most powerful were the bright bluish light of dawn and the orange light of sunset. Feeling cold at night was another cue as was having a larger meal in the evening. Today we have many fewer cues to correct our cortisol rhythm and many new factors that throw it off. These include:

sugars, especially fructose

emotional stressors

pollutants, including lead and plastic compounds

medications

insomnia

shift work

noise pollution

The Cortisol-Stress Connection

The good and the bad news is that cortisol is tied to many things besides just what we think of as mental stress. In today’s world, our bodies feel stress from all those sources in our environment and addressing them can help not just reduce the feeling of stress but improve our cortisol rhythms.

For me, this was a huge factor in regaining my health and has even helped my thyroid improve.

Research also shows poor cortisol rhythms may be contributing to some of the biggest health problems of our time. In fact, one study of British civil servants showed that bad cortisol rhythms killed more people than smoking, heart disease, diabetes, or obesity.

Never assume that sleep or stress levels are minor factors for health!

Symptoms of Cortisol Imbalance

Telltale signs that your cortisol balance may be off include:

sluggish in the morning (even with sufficient sleep)

tendency to want to sleep late

headaches

strong food cravings (especially for sugar and carbs, especially mid-morning and mid-afternoon)

low sex drive

weight gain around the abdomen

acne

depression

anxiety

increased energy after 6 p.m.

trouble winding down for bed (and a second wind of energy around 11 p.m.)

Of course these probably sound familiar and could overlap with other health issues, so if you want to know for sure, see a practitioner or get lab testing to confirm.

How I Improved My Cortisol Levels

The stress of life may be unavoidable, but bad cortisol patterns are not! When I first tested (here’s what I used), my cortisol patterns were exactly opposite of where they should be. My cortisol was low in the morning when it should be high, and high at night when it should naturally drop.

Steps as simple as timing my food strategically and being intentional with light exposure made a tremendous difference for me, and now my cortisol patterns are normal, my sleep is better, and I feel much less stressed, even though I’m still doing as much as I was (or more).

Food to Improve Cortisol Patterns

The body uses cortisol to rescue us from low blood sugar. This makes carbs a tool we can use to help regulate cortisol.

My doctor recommended that I start my day with 25-35 grams of protein and finish it with 20-50 grams of high-quality carbs from natural sources. Great options include paleo-friendly sources like sweet potatoes (yams), turnips, squash, beets, and rutabagas. Having them later in the day helps not only cortisol but a whole host of weight-regulating hormones like leptin, ghrelin, and adiponectin.

On a practical level, this means that breakfast for me is protein+ veggies and dinner is protein + healthy carbs like sweet potatoes or squash. (For anyone wondering, this can also fit with Bright Lines, I just choose high protein sources for breakfast and lunch like sardines, chicken, or lamb and make sure I get the healthy carbs at night. I essentially do the lunch plan at breakfast, the dinner plan at lunch, and the breakfast plan at dinner).

And research backs up my personal experience with cycling food to improve cortisol. In a study of 42 women with weight loss resistance, diet alone was shown to correct cortisol rhythm by over 50% in 30 days. The diet in the study used carb cycling and avoided fructose and indigestible proteins like gluten and soy.

How to Use Light to Balance Cortisol

Light also had a huge impact on my cortisol levels. I was skeptical at first but after dietary changes didn’t completely fix my levels, I tried the light changes and the results were dramatic. Here’s why…

High cortisol can cause weight gain but so can low cortisol or cortisol made at the wrong times. Light is often the cause of the cortisol at the wrong times. When we are exposed to blue light (phones, computers, TV etc.) after dark, the body is getting the message it is early afternoon and then produces cortisol and reduces melatonin. This is the opposite of what we should do at night to get an optimal night of sleep.

In the same way, when we spend a lot of time indoors and don’t get any bright outdoor light exposure during the day, our body never gets a clear signal of night and day.

Simple steps like getting one half-hour of sunlight within an hour of waking can help cortisol if it is too high or too low. If this is not possible during certain seasons, a light-box that generates 10,000 lux of light can work as a good substitute.

The three steps that made the biggest difference for me are:

Getting bright sunlight or exposure to a lightbox within an hour of waking up (great for fighting SAD as well)

Avoiding blue light at night by wearing orange sunglasses if I was going to use electronics after dark.

Having lamps with orange bulbs (such as salt lamps) in each room and turning those on instead of bright overhead lights after dark.

Addressing Environmental Stressors

Over time, I also addressed some of the other factors my body viewed as stress. These included environmental toxins, my sleep patterns, exercise, and my inability to say no. I found that light and food cycling were the critical factors for me, but these other changes helped me see continued improvement after I’d addressed the core problems with light and food.

Avoiding Environmental Toxins

This step goes along with the food step above, as unfortunately, our “food” supply can be a major source of unnecessary chemical exposure that the body views as stress. But we also encounter environmental stressors in the form of chemicals in toothpastes, personal care products, deodorants, medicines, and cleaning chemicals.

Our exposure to large amounts of plastic, especially plastics that have been heated in the microwave, can also cause a build-up of estrogenic compounds in the body and alter our hormones. If the body is in a state of stress, the liver and kidneys are also not functioning optimally, making toxin removal slow and ineffective.

I focused on:

Instead, I make my own (try it… you’ll save money too!):

If you don’t have time (or want) to take the DIY route, there are now plenty of awesome companies doing the world a favor and making health-conscious products (thanks I’m sure to the moms/consumers who demand them!).

I definitely did not make the changes above overnight, so a word of encouragement: any change is a good change! Be patient… and start with food and light!

(p.s…. In hopes it will help other moms walking the same path, I share everything I learned and all of my favorite recipes and products in this 5-Step Lifestyle Detox guide, available soon!)

Making Sleep a Priority

This is one of the most important steps in stress reduction, and the one we are worst at. Historically, the body is used to sleeping when it is dark and being awake when it is light. When we stay awake long after the sun has set and don’t get enough cumulative sleep, we interrupt the body’s natural time for restoration and removal of toxins. The optimal time for regeneration during sleep is roughly between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m. Many people don’t sleep during part or all of this time, causing a backup of toxins and hormones in the body.

The body also has a delicate balance of hormones and depends on serotonin and melatonin to regulate good sleep and alertness during the day. Lack of sleep or interrupted sleep can disrupt the balance of these hormones, making you groggy during the day and restless at night. Poor sleep can also (logically) lead to fatigue, brain fog, memory troubles, and additional stress on the body.

Things like earthing and using magnesium can help improve sleep quality and reduce stress while you sleep. I’ve also found that when I do have to work at night on the computer, using blue-blocking orange sunglasses can help keep proper melatonin levels and cortisol patterns. (See recommendations at the end of this post.)

But at the end of the day, we have to learn to prioritize sleep.

Learning to Say No

Another logical step that many of us are bad at (me especially) is saying “no.” I’m not just talking about saying no in a parenting sense (though that could be good too… I recommend “No, you may not eat that candy bar/happy meal/ding dong/fill in the blank”).

Many of us have a commitment list as long as our arms, and the stress level to prove it. It is wonderful to help out whenever we can, but make sure you make yourself a priority and realistically evaluate what you can handle while keeping stress low and quality family time high. (Confession: I am really bad at this step myself!)

Adrenal-Safe Exercise

Oddly enough, exercise is a type of stress. It can be really helpful in reducing stress in the body but it serves us best when it is challenging but not overwhelming. The biggest factors determining if it is good or bad include: how stable our adrenals are and how much exercise we are already used to.

My doctor explained that the most adrenal-friendly types of exercise are light exercises like stretching and pilates. Walking and swimming would also be good options. The least adrenal-friendly activities include triathlon training or back-to-back days of high-intensity interval training.

If you have an autoimmune imbalance (like I do) and want more advice about which type of exercise is best for your body, check out this podcast.

Up the Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Antioxidants can help counteract the damage done by free radicals and stress hormones in the body. I made a conscious effort to up my antioxidant consumption from real food sources. This meant lots of antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, but also natural sources of vitamin C and other antioxidants.

During my food/light experiment, I also noticed I felt better when supplementing with vitamin C.

Learning to Actually “Relax”

Many people are too tired after an exhausting day to engage their minds and prefer to “relax” by watching TV or some other form of electronic distraction. There are some theories about the sleep-disturbing ability of the blue light emitted by these electronics, but whether you believe them or not, all that time spent watching TV is time that our minds are actively disengaged. Studies repeatedly show that people who actively use their minds in activities like reading, puzzles, or learning languages/new hobbies are happier and less stressed.

Consider using your valuable time for an activity that improves your mind and reduces stress.

On the flip side of this coin, most people also don’t turn their minds off enough. Let your “relax” mean “relax” and don’t relax by watching TV or doing another activity that causes activity without engaging the mind. Take time to pray or meditate and try to focus on the positive aspects of your life and the things you are grateful for.

Bottom Line: Start Balancing Cortisol Today!

All in all, relaxation is easier said than done. Heck, I just gave you my own to-do list I had to use to learn to relax! But focusing on cortisol levels is a great way to reduce the physical impact of stress hormones on the body and improve sleep.

Here’s a quick recap of the steps you can take starting today, without spending a dime:

Start your day with:

Bright light/sunlight in the morning

Have high protein in the morning

Finish your day with:

Limited light in the evening (no screens and dim the lights after 7 p.m., for example)

Healthy carbs with dinner

Tools & Supplements That Help Reduce Cortisol:

If you think you need more help in addition to the above changes, these resources helped me: