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Hannah:
Welcome back Burn Pod listeners. Now we’re going to continue our look into stress and anxiety with our guest speaker, Laura Cini. So if you haven’t yet, jump back to our previous episode where we outlined that all consuming stress or overwhelm feeling, many of us have, or are having at this current time or have experienced before. What we did in that episode is we spoke about what causes this, the impact on the body, and strategies that we might be using currently that maybe are more self-soothing and aren’t such a good idea.
We also started to speak about some strategies that we can do, general strategies just to calm ourselves down. But in this episode, we’re going to dig a little deeper. We’re going to focus on the key flow on effects of anxiety and what we can do to actually reduce the impact or overcome or help this feeling. In particular, let’s look at evidence-based herbal medicine and nutritional medicine and some self-help strategies. Get my words out. So welcome back, Laura.
Laura Cini:
Thanks Hannah. Good to be here.
Hannah:
Well, let’s dive straight in. We labelled out five key areas that we know are impacted by this idea or this feeling of anxiety and stress. So let’s dig into each one and what we can do to assist this. And I guess the first one, a lot of us find is our sleep. When we’re stressed, when we’re anxious, it’s either you aren’t able to get to bed. You’re feeling tired, but you’re really wired up, so you lie there with your eyes closed, but your mind’s going a million miles an hour. You might be like me who I don’t have a problem falling asleep, but I seem to, when I’m really in that intense stress or got a lot going on, I’m waking up at 3:00 AM, wide awake and finding that I take two hours to get back to sleep. Finally, get back to sleep at five, the alarm goes off an hour and a half later and I feel worse. So yeah, what can we do to assist this feeling?
Laura Cini:
That’s so hard, isn’t it? I remember a period, years ago, where I started having a lot of sleep problems and for me, I could get to sleep okay, but then I’d wake up, I don’t know, around 2:00 AM, and then it just gradually got worse and I would lie there at 2:00 AM thinking, I’ve got to get back to sleep. And the stress of that made it worse, of course. And then I’d look at the clock and think, oh, now it’s three o’clock and then, oh, now it’s four o’clock. I’ve got to get some sleep. And it’s just awful. You’re lying there in the dark and it feels like everybody else is asleep, even though they’re probably not, but you just feel so lonely and just stressed and ah, it’s tough, isn’t it?
Hannah:
Yeah. It’s really tough. And yet, you are right. I mean, you lie there and then you get anxious that you’re not going to sleep, which makes it less likely you are going to sleep.
Laura Cini:
So look, what’s happening there, okay, so when you are in that, go, go, go mode through the day. So it’s hurry, worry money. It’s racing mind. It’s very long to do list. You are probably running in the adrenaline mode, which is obviously not meant to be used as a day in, day out energy mode. And so what happens there is the body doesn’t change gears quickly. So you get home and you’re still full of adrenaline and the body’s got to metabolise that adrenaline. So that takes [inaudible 00:03:50] to break all that down and get rid of it, so it’s not still circulating in the bloodstream.
What also happens when your adrenaline is elevated a lot, so it’s not just being used very short term, couple of minutes, type of emergency response, when it’s elevated a lot through the day, is it affects your cortisol levels. The body has to release cortisol to counteract the adrenaline. So what happens is your cortisol, which is in a normal daily rhythm gets disrupted. So your cortisol gets dysregulated and cortisol’s meant to drop at night, drop so you can get into a nice, deep, refreshing sleep. And so with this dysregulation, the cortisol doesn’t drop as much as it needs to at night. So you get that tired, wired feeling where it’s difficult to get to sleep. And once you do get to sleep, it’s difficult to get into a deep sleep because the cortisol isn’t low enough. So you end up waking, hard to get to sleep, and then in the morning, it’s hard to get up. And so that pattern then repeats and the cortisol becomes more out of its normal rhythm.
Hannah:
Mm. So are there, I guess, herbal medicine or nutritional medicine or any sort of self-help strategies we can do to assist this?
Laura Cini:
Yeah, for sure. Look, using evidence-based herbal medicine, there are a number of herbs that we can use to assist to regulate that cortisol level back to a healthier, more normal level. We use a number of herbs that are very good at relaxing the body at night. So they actually have an effect on what’s called the GABA system in the brain, which is the brake, the slow down system in the brain. That’s what yoga releases, when you do yoga. It’s very calming. So we have herbs that have a direct effect on that GABA system that are not addictive, don’t feel drowsy. Sometimes I know people that take pharmaceutical medications to help them sleep, often say that there’s a drowsy after effect in the morning. Well, these herbs don’t do that.
So they’re not addictive. They’re non-drowsy in the morning. They’re available as capsules or tablets. And that can help a person get into a deep sleep and improve that cortisol regulation, and also relax muscles as well, because tight muscles, there’s a nutritional medicine that we can use for that. Tight muscles often will also make it hard for the body to properly relax and get into a deep sleep. And muscle people say, “I get leg cramps or eye twitches or my muscles just don’t feel relaxed.” Do you ever get that cramping sensation or restless legs, some people say?
Hannah:
I did when I was younger. I called it growing pains because I hoped that I was growing. I’m more a racing mind style sleeper.
Laura Cini:
Yeah. So, that’s the adrenaline still cruising round in the system. Your body’s trying to power down from fifth or fourth gear, trying to power down.
Hannah:
Trying to calm that down. Yeah, exactly. So these herbs, you mentioned you can get them in capsules. Is it something that someone should grab out of the pharmacy or should they go to Goulds or a naturopath?
Laura Cini:
Yeah. So it’s best if they see a practitioner that is experienced and uses evidence-based quality herbal medicine, because firstly some herbal medicines can interact with pharmaceutical medication. So a practitioner needs to check what you’re taking and that it’s safe to take herbal medicines. And also there are an enormous number of herbal medicines on the market. Unfortunately, a lot of them in supermarkets and in pharmacies that are really poor quality, that don’t contain what they claim to contain on the label, that have lower than medicinal doses. They put the ingredient in there so they can put it on the label, but it’s not actually in a therapeutic dose level. So it’s something that a lot of people do try and self-prescribe, the Dr. Google type thing, with the best intentions, but often end up buying really poor quality supplements that actually don’t work so end up wasting their money. And then [inaudible 00:08:44] say, “Well, herbal medicine doesn’t work because I’ve tried it.”
So do see a practitioner, do [inaudible 00:08:49] appointment and get a proper health assessment because it may be that there’s other reasons that you’re not sleeping. And so you need to find out what the reason is and then find out what the most appropriate strategy is.
Hannah:
Mm. Are there nutritional things that we should either include or watch out for say, in the evening. I mean obviously coffee, not a great one. We talked about wine being a self-help strategy. That’s probably not really. I mean, it’s a depressant, so it will slow I guess, but it’s slowing in the wrong way. I guess, are there things that we can do at night time for example, particular herbal teas that might help?
Laura Cini:
Yeah, sure. So look, obviously, some people are really caffeine sensitive and you’ll probably know if you are, so try and avoid that, mid-afternoon onwards. And for some people that’s even dark chocolate and obviously energy drinks, full of caffeine. Some people eat a massive dinner at night because they have been rushing around all day and haven’t had much to eat during the day and they’re super hungry when they get home at night. That can affect sleep levels. The digestive system’s still working hard to try and break all that food down, when the body’s trying to rest. So eating too late, eating a really big meal will for some people be problematic. And then the alcohol, I know it’s instantly relaxing and soothing, but it actually inhibits REM sleep, which is one of the stages of sleep. So that will often mean people wake up after a few hours and find it hard to get back to sleep.
So yeah, try not to eat too much sugary stuff at night because that will affect blood sugar. And sometimes when people wake up at 2:00 AM or something, it is actually a blood sugar issue. Their blood sugar’s dropped and the body’s gone into that, oh my goodness response. I better wake this person up because their blood sugar’s too low. So yeah, and that’s another reason why it’s best not to self-medicate with herbal [inaudible 00:11:01] that you can buy yourself because that may not be the reason. It might be a blood glucose issue.
Hannah:
Yeah.
Laura Cini:
Yeah. All those, I mean there’s a load more things, but there’s a few things that you can start with.
Hannah:
Yeah. Well let’s move on to the next one then, which is digestion. So things like abdominal bloating, discomfort, poor nutrient absorption, which is an impact of this stress anxiety. What is it that we can do or not do, to help with digestion issues?
Laura Cini:
Yeah, definitely. So what I see a lot of is that people in that go, go, go mode all day with high stress levels and they’re doing their best to cope and they eat and they say, “Look, I get really bloated after I eat. I feel really uncomfortable.” Sometimes it’s indigestion or reflux and then there’s flow on further down the digestive system where their bowel movements are affected. And that’s often because the body needs to be [inaudible 00:12:01] rest and digest mode when you eat, the parasympathetic mode, to properly make digestive enzymes, to properly make stomach acid, so you can actually break down your food and absorb actually what’s in it. And so when you’re running around, and I’m guilty of this, eating at your desk, eating when you’re on the go, you don’t tend to digest food as well and you don’t absorb the nutrients in it. So you can be eating the best food, but you may not be able to absorb it very well.
So, there’s a few things you can do. I mean, there’s some we can help. As a practitioner, I can assist with that, assisting with a number of digestive aids that you can give people, but obviously you want them to try and be relaxing when they’re eating, to try and eat slowly. Your stomach doesn’t have teeth. So a lot of us just throw our food down because we’re busy and we’re on the go. You need to chew your food properly. And really, if you can sit down, even if it’s just for five minute away from your computer and just slow down, take a few deep breaths, try and get the body into that parasympathetic rest and digest state, and that can help enormously.
Hannah:
Yeah. Cool. And I guess it’s connected, but weight loss or weight gain. We have difficulty losing it. We talked about it in the first episode for our listeners at the moment, if you want to jump back. What is it that we can do to support healthy weight, which obviously it’s not as easy when we’re in that fight or flight mode?
Laura Cini:
Yeah, that’s right. As I mentioned, I have clients that come to see me that are doing great things with their exercise, they’re eating well, but there seems to be a roadblock to their weight loss. They can’t seem to lose weight or they can’t seem to keep it off. And often, not always, there are numerous reasons why this can happen, but often it’s the stress, chronic stress. So, they’re running on adrenaline. And as I mentioned, their cortisol is out of normal rhythm. So their cortisol is often a bit high and it will be more likely that you’ll put weight on around the abdominal area, around the middle, and it makes it much more difficult for the body to actually access those fat stores. So, your body wants to burn that fat as an energy source, but it’s much more difficult to actually access the fat stores, when the cortisol is dysregulated. And women, often, and it is mainly women that I see for this, are beating themselves up and trying to exercise harder and becoming more stressed, and then the problem becomes worse.
Hannah:
And it’s not really an easy fix. It’s not like you can just say to someone, stop being stressed, you can lose weight. So I guess, when it comes to what we can do about it, it’s all those little things around trying to take those little moments to slow down, trying to get into better sleeping patterns, supporting digestion, and all of that obviously ends up helping weight gain or difficulty losing weight.
Laura Cini:
Yeah, that’s right. And also, as I mentioned, there are some herbal medicines that an expert natural health practitioner will be able to use to help improve those cortisol levels and make it easier for the body to actually access the fat stores. Yeah, so there are things that we can [inaudible 00:15:43] to assist with that. But yeah, you’re right. It is a number of things that can help.
Hannah:
Yeah. Yeah. And we’ll combine these two together, because I feel like they’re probably quite similar, the energy levels and your mood. So burning out, feeling flat, loss of mojo versus actually having decent energy levels. What can we do to support those when we’re feeling anxious and having that being impacted?
Laura Cini:
Yeah. So look, what often happens is that when that cortisol is a bit high, it actually blocks serotonin’s action in the brain. And serotonin is a feel good hormone. When you’ve got lower levels of serotonin, you can feel really low, really sad, lower self esteem, very tired, and so that cortisol dysregulation and the adrenaline pumping out across the day has definite effects on your mood, effects on dopamine as well, which is another hormone that is a feel good wellbeing type hormone. So I suppose I always tell my clients that so they know, “Well actually there is a reason why I’m feeling low, tired, lacking motivation.” They’re beating themselves up, blaming themselves, but there’s a reason. So yeah, as a practitioner, then you look at ways to actually try and support serotonin synthesis and try and regulate the cortisol level, taking those small breaks across the day so that you’re able to drop into that calm, relaxed mode, improving your sleep, so the body has time to repair and regenerate and decrease any inflammation.
So it’s quite complex, but yeah, those basic steps, improving the sleep, trying to relax and sit down when you eat, trying to take a few mini breaks across the day to try and calm the nervous system, get it into the parasympathetic nervous mode instead of the go, go, go all the time. And look, seeking help from an experienced practitioner because this is quite complex. And it’s certainly not advisable to go and self- prescribe. “Oh, my friend says that she takes this and it really helps her sleep.” Yeah, it’s pretty complex, and you need to be careful if you’re on any pharmaceutical medicine with any supplements.
Hannah:
That you’re adding in. Yeah, exactly. Well, look, we better wrap up, but thank you so, so much for your time. So much value and they’re things that we can look out for and do, to support and look after ourselves. So, really, really appreciate your time with us, Laura. Now, just before we wrap up, how can listeners actually get in touch with you?
Laura Cini:
Sure. So my website is lauraciniwellness.com. So lauraciniwellness.com. And I’ve got an Instagram and Facebook page and I write articles for the Hobart magazine every month. So the Hobart magazine is online or you can also get a free copy at pharmacies, grocers, some cafes in Hobart. And yeah, I’ve done a few podcasts. We’ve done a few haven’t we, Hannah?
Hannah:
We have. Get in contact with me.
Laura Cini:
Yeah, yeah. Or I do a newsletter as well, a monthly newsletter, wellness newsletter so you can find out about that on my website. Yeah. I think that’s about it.
Hannah:
Awesome. Well, once again, Laura, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate your time.
Laura Cini:
No problem, Hannah. We’ll talk soon.
Hannah:
Sounds good. And thank you for joining us, listeners. It’s been, once again, a very informative couple of podcasts, and until next time, have a wonderful day.
