JustCare

Tag: Stress

  • Gray hair? It could be a thing of the past

    Gray hair? It could be a thing of the past

    If your hair is grey or would be grey if you didn’t color it, you are part of a club that includes nearly half of all people worldwide. Gray hair is generally unavoidable by the time you’re 50, and most people start graying at a far younger age, reports Erin Blakemore for National Geographic. But, before long, gray hair could be a thing of the past.

    Why does our hair turn gray? According to the National Institutes on Health, melanocyte stem cells, which give our hair color, produce new cells that enable us to retain our hair color. These stem cells occupy hair follicles at the base of each strand of hair. But, as we get older, the stem cells die off. When they do, our hair begins to lose its color and turns gray.  

    Stress also can cause our stem cells to die off. It can speed up the process of our hair losing its pigment and turning gray.

    Consequently, more than one in five people live with half a head of gray hair by the time they are 50.  A significant majority of women dye their hair in order to look younger. But, men do not dye their hair as much, likely in part because silver-haired men tend to “look good” as compared with silver-haired women, who are often seen as “old.”

    One study found that women who let their hair go gray, make up for the time and money they save from not dyeing it by investing in other ways to look good.

    The future of gray hair: It’s very possible that women will be able to keep their natural youthful hair color in the not too distant future. With melanocyte-producing stem cells, their hair color might not fade. 

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  • Get older, cope better

    Get older, cope better

    Benedict Carey reports some good news for older adults in the New York Times. Our emotional well-being improves as we grow older. And, the novel coronavirus pandemic confirms this scientific finding.

    The data show that people who are 50 and older fare better than younger people on a range of emotions. Older people are more positive, regardless of wealth or education. What’s the reason?

    Some might think that older people experience less stress than younger people because they have learned to accept life and all its quirks. Others might think that older people have figured out a way to dodge the negative stuff, at least mentally. Scientists tested the emotions of 1,000 adults in the context of the novel coronavirus.

    Here’s what they found. The threats of getting COVID-19 and dying from COVID-19 were far greater for older adults than for younger adults. But, older adults and younger adults reported the same stress levels in response to COVID-19. Older people, in fact, reported less distress than younger people.

    To be sure, people over 50 tend to have different daily routines than people under 50. They tend to have older children who are better able to fend for themselves. Older people also generally have more resources, making it easier for them to get help and to cope with COVID-19 and other stressors. In addition, older people are generally not as focused on self-improvement as younger people, spending their days doing things they enjoy rather than on taking risks or being challenged.

    In short, older people face fewer disruptions in the face of a pandemic than younger people. One result appears to be that older people experience less stress.

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  • How to strengthen your immune system

    How to strengthen your immune system

    Last week, I wrote about the risks of taking supplements as a way to strengthen your immune system and protect yourself against COVID-19. There is no silver bullet. That said, there are ways to build up your bodies’ defenses against the novel coronavirus and other viruses and bacteria. As you might expect, the best ways are through exercise, good nutrition, sleep and calm. 

    Our bodies are equipped with cells, cell products, tissues and organs that serve as a defense against infection. These immune systems develop based on both the environments in which we grow up and how we treat our bodies. Diet, exercise, sleep, stress all contribute to the functioning of our immune systems. 

    Reducing your stress level, sleeping well, eating well, having enough vitamin D in your system, keeping your alcohol consumption down, and exercising all help to keep your body armed against respiratory and other illnesses.

    • Stress: Studies show that your immune system works best when you are not feeling stress. One study found that people who said that they had less stress in their lives were not as likely to catch a cold after being exposed to the cold virus with nose drops as people who felt more stress. A second study found that marital conflict weakened people’s immune systems. The study mildly wounded the arms of married couples. Couples who then argued with each other tended to have wounds that took longer to heal than couples who exhibited less anger. Techniques for managing stress and strengthening your immune system, include meditation, talk therapy, and controlled breathing.
    • Sleep: Studies show that people who sleep more than seven hours a night are better at fighting off infection than people who sleep less than six hours. In one study conducted at UC San Francisco, people who slept less were more than four times as likely to get sick after being exposed to a cold virus than people who slept more. In fact, people who slept less than five hours were more likely to get sick than people who slept six hours.
    • Eat a balanced diet. Eating a healthy balanced diet helps keep your body functioning well. As much as possible, get your nutrition from unprocessed foods rich in vitamins, minerals and fibers, not from supplements. Whole fruits are better than fruit juice. In particular, blueberries, apples and grapes have been associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes. And, try to minimize eating foods and drinks with saturated fats, added sugar, high sodium content and that are high in calories. But, still eat modest amounts of foods with unsaturated fats, such as olive oil, nuts, and avocados.
    • Vitamin D: Vitamin D produces proteins that kill viruses and bacterial infections. If you eat fatty fish, such as salmon, tuna or mackerel, drink milk with vitamin D, eat cheese and mushrooms, or spend time in the sun, you should have a good vitamin D level.
    • Alcohol: Studies show that if you drink too much, you can compromise your immune system and are more likely to suffer from pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses. To live longer, a recent study published in  the Lancet finds that you should not drink more than five drinks a week. People who drank more than five alcoholic drinks a week had a higher risk of stroke, coronary disease, heart failure and death than people who drank five or fewer alcoholic drinks.
    • Exercise: To stay healthy, sit less and exercise. Two and a half hours a week of physical activity is important for a longer life and to deter all kinds of chronic conditions.  You should spend at least 20 minutes a day increasing your heart rate. That benefits your heart, your mind, your muscle, your skin and more. Also, avoid sitting too much. Sitting can increase your likelihood of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. It can lead to high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and extra body fat around the waist. And, it can hurt your cholesterol.

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