Go Mag Issue 72

HEALTH REPORT

Struggling with stress and sleepless nights?

The evidence linking chronic stress with impaired sleep is so convincing that many experts view stress as a high-risk health hazard.

According to a 2021 study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nearly half (48 percent) of all Australian adults experience sleep problems and are not satisfied with their sleep. Sleep is fundamental to human health. Our bodies need a

However, when levels of the stress hormone cortisol are high, melatonin production is suppressed. This means that suddenly the hormone that makes you feel pleasantly drowsy in the evening is replaced by cortisol, making you feel wide awake, and possibly even anxious and irritable. Sleep, the healer

chance to rest to repair and restore, as well as to consolidate information from the day. However, the ‘fight or flight’ stress response has a negative impact on our ability to fall asleep, have a restful sleep and wake up in a normal, healthy way. Paving the way to insomnia Stress is a natural response that helps us to manage everyday challenges, from meeting deadlines to getting through a tough gym workout. Short-term or acute stress can even be beneficial, helping us stay alert and focused. However, when stress becomes chronic it takes a toll on our health, particularly our sleep. In chronic stress, the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline, chemicals that naturally fluctuate throughout the day, start being over-produced and spiking at the wrong times of day. You may have heard of melatonin,

Sleep is essential to every process in the body. It affects our physical and mental health, impacts our ability to fight disease and develop immunity, and influences our metabolism and our risk of developing chronic diseases. Lack of sleep is known to increase the risk of developing heart problems, low mood and blood sugar imbalances. If you need help winding down at night, try taking the herb passionflower. This is traditionally used in Western herbal medicine for the relief of sleeplessness and to promote refreshing sleep; you can find passionflower in Fusion Sleep. Other traditional uses of passionflower in Western herbal medicine include relieving symptoms of stress and mild anxiety, irritability, excess

According to a 2021 study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, nearly half of all Australian adults experience sleep problems and are not satisfied with their sleep.

the ‘happy sleep hormone’ that the pituitary gland produces in response to the lowered light of dusk, which in turn tells your body that it is time to go to sleep. This, along with cortisol rising in the morning, is part of the ‘sleep-wake cycle’, or Circadian rhythm.

nervous energy and supporting muscle relaxation. In Fusion Sleep, passionflower is paired with the herb zizyphus, which is known to relieve disturbed sleep and reduce the time it takes to fall asleep, based on its use in traditional Chinese medicine.

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ISSUE 72 • 2024

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