Added screen time due to online classes and stress from schoolwork or AP exams has made maintaining good health in quarantine increasingly difficult. Some ways to improve mental health include eating healthier, sleeping enough and exercising daily.
Healthy eating
Eating properly helps with mental health because certain foods provide nutrients for your brain. Consuming nutrient-rich food develops your brain; nutrients such as Omega-3s and zinc boosts connections between brain cells.
It is equally important to maintain a balanced diet. For example, constantly eating Omega-3s rich food can cause blood thinning or excessive bleeding in some people. It is important to eat in moderation so you have control over your weight loss and gain.
An example of good food to eat is salmon, which is rich in Omega-3 and vitamin B. Additionally, nuts, beans, vegetables and fruit are great for vitamins A and E. Bananas are also a good source of potassium, which can help with high blood pressure, preventing strokes and regulating fluid balance and muscle contractions.
Food with probiotics makes your gut healthier. It decreases inflammation, positively affects your mood and helps you absorb more information. Some examples of food with probiotics include yogurt, cottage cheese, pickles, sourdough and buttermilk. Remember to check the food label on cheese products because not all cheeses contain probiotics.
Balanced sleep schedule
The recommended amount of sleep per day depends on each person; however, teenagers should get around nine to 10 hours of sleep while adults and seniors need seven to eight hours.
Sleeping is important for mental health because your brain recovers and cleans out toxins while your body rests. This happens because there is a cerebrospinal fluid that removes toxic proteins that hinder the flow of information between neurons while a person is sleeping.
Sleeping less than seven hours may increase the risk of serious health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and an earlier death. Sleeping helps your brain retain memory and maintain your immune system, which keeps you healthy enough to exercise and manage hunger levels. However, that does not mean you should catch up on sleep; consistently sleeping for too long can be just as bad as not sleeping enough because they bring upon similar health issues including obesity.
It is important for you to limit screen time closer to when you intend to go to bed so you do not overstimulate your brain. The blue light emitting from devices hinders melatonin production, which is a sleep hormone that your body creates to help you sleep. To avoid overstimulation, turn off your devices about an hour before going to bed.
Reducing the number of caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, energy drinks, tea and soft drinks, will help you sleep better and keeps your body from absorbing too much sugar and caffeine. The half-life of caffeinated drinks is four to six hours so it would be healthier to stop drinking such beverages after 2 p.m. or six to seven hours before you intend to sleep. Consuming too much sugar and caffeine hinders your sleep cycle, making it much more difficult to get a good night’s rest.
Daily exercise
Exercise helps your body produce a chemical called endorphins, which interact with your brain’s receptors to decrease your pain perception. The chemical triggers a positive feeling which makes people feel happy. Ways to exercise at home include push-ups, squats, lunges, planks and jogging in place.
Walking around the neighborhood allows your body to naturally absorb vitamin D from the sunlight, which helps with exercising and receiving enough nutrients. Putting in enough effort to make a few lifestyle changes can help improve your mental health greatly.
Some more resources for maintaining good mental health provided by TCHS counselors include Social Emotional Support Resources, coping with stress from the outbreak and managing mental health.