Winter is Coming - 3 Tips to Boost your Mood

As the days get colder and the hours of daylight are rapidly declining, a lot of people report that their mood is negatively impacted. The first thing to remember is that you are not alone in this feeling, there is nothing wrong with YOU, try not to give yourself a hard time. Now, there are a few things you can try, which might help.

Light it Up

As it gets colder and darker, we spend a lot more time inside than during the summer months. This reduces our exposure to natural light, which can have a huge impact on our serotonin production. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps to boost mood - we have receptors in our eyes that stimulate the production of serotonin in response to light exposure.

You might guess where I’m going with this…exposure to daylight in the early part of the day - as soon after waking as possible, can help to boost your mood. When it’s cloudy, you need to stay outside for longer. If you are put off by the weather at the moment or simply cannot get outside then another option is to try a SAD lamp (SAD stands for Seasonal Affective Disorder). Switching on your SAD lamp at a strength of 10 000 Luxe for 30 minutes per day helps the body to produce serotonin in the morning and helps to support the circadian rhythm of the body.

Deficient in The Sunshine Vitamin?

Get your vitamin D levels checked. One of vitamin D’s functions in the body is to support your mood. If you feel like you’re struggling, mention this to your GP and ask whether it’s possible to have a blood test to check.

There is a general guidance to take a vitamin D supplement of 400IU daily between October to March in the UK, for some people (a lot of people) this dose just isn’t going to cut it. The best thing to do is to check your levels and then get the support of a practitioner to make sure that you are taking an appropriate dose.

There is also a caveat here, which is that, just because something falls within a ‘normal’ reference range, doesn't always means optimal - feel free to get in touch if you have questions about this.

NB - it is also absolutely possible to overdo it with vitamin D - please remember more isn’t always better, dosage is important.

Food for Mood

What’s my next top tip? I’m glad you asked. This is another one to support our serotonin levels and that is to make sure you are getting enough roods rich in tryptophan. What the hell is that? Oh, sure, it’s an amino acid, which is the precursor to serotonin - that’s our mood boosting neurotransmitter from earlier. It is also the precursor to melatonin, our sleep hormone.

So what kind of foods are rich in tryptophan? As you can imagine, as an amino acid, protein-rich foods are a good source;

• Chicken

• Eggs

• Cheese

• Fish

• Milk

• Turkey

Veggie sources of tryptophan:

• Peanuts

• Pumpkin + Sesame Seeds

• Tofu + Soy

This isn’t an exhaustive list and if you’ve tried all of the above, why not take a look at my previous post on the microbiome - as this could be having a big impact on your mood <3

Period Problems - PCOS Symptom Management

Confidence in our bodies can vary day to day. Something that can very quickly erode body confidence is when we feel our body isn’t doing what it ‘should’. As September is PCOS awareness month, I wanted to dig into what’s going on with PCOS and what kind of lifestyle change you might want to put in place if you want to manage your symptoms. 

PCOS stands for polycystic ovarian syndrome – a condition that can include some or all of the following symptoms:

• Irregular menstrual cycles, 

• Weight gain and/or difficulty losing weight

• Decrease in breast size, 

• Hirsutism (aka dark, coarse hair growth on the face and body)

• Acne (especially along jaw line)

• Anovulatory cycles (lack of ovulation)

• Thinning hair on the scalp

• Fatigue and sleep issues

PCOS – where to begin.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome is a touch misunderstood. Essentially the problem is high androgen hormones and a lack of ovulation, which results in the characteristic symptoms we associate with the condition. What is less spoken about are the different contributing factors behind the condition, and the fact that the name of the condition could be considered a bit misleading. A very common problem is that individuals are told to lose weight and eat less (too simplistic, unsurprisingly) but if you are undernourished, especially not getting enough starchy carbs, you will also stop ovulating, so you’ve still got the issue of anovulation, only now it’s got a different cause.

 What’s in a name?

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome suggests cysts on the ovaries – wouldn’t you say? In fact, what shows up on scans is over developed ovarian follicles. Our follicles are what releases an egg during ovulation – it is normal for multiple to develop at the same time, my favourite analogy is that its a beauty pageant type situation, the winner releases the egg. However, in PCOS, the ovulation isn’t always happening, resulting in the ‘string of pearl’ appearance of the ovaries, a series of follicles. An ovarian cyst is a fluid filled sack that grows on an ovary, being diagnosed with an ovarian cyst does not technically mean you have polycystic ovaries.

Sub-Types of PCOS

In order to have PCOS, you need to have a susceptibility to it, however, there are different contributing factors that will be driving the symptoms. In order to effectively address your symptoms, you need to get to the bottom of what’s driving it. Technically, if you get to the point that you’re not showing symptoms, you’re not in a PCOS state anymore, however, you’ll still have a susceptibility to it. The 4 main drivers, or sub-types of PCOS, coined by Dr. Lara Briden, are insulin resistance, inflammation, adrenal androgens and post-pill PCOS. In order to determine your sub-type, you can work with a functional medicine doctor, nutritional therapist or naturopath who can support you to get to the root cause of your symptoms.

Insulin Resistant PCOS

Insulin resistance is a state of high insulin - your body isn’t responding to insulin and its feedback mechanism then produces MORE insulin.

High insulin drives up androgen levels. 

Symptoms of Insulin Resistance can include but aren’t limited to:

• extreme thirst or hunger

• feeling hungry even after a meal

• increased or frequent urination

• tingling sensations in hands or feet

• feeling more tired than usual

• frequent infections

Inflammatory PCOS

Inflammation can push up Testosterone levels (an androgen). If inflammation is a main driver it’s important to get to the cause of the inflammation and address it. 

Some symptoms that might suggest inflammatory PCOS are:

• Joint pain

• Digestive Issues

• Headaches

• Inflammatory Skin issues 

Adrenal PCOS

Best known for the stress response, the adrenals also produce some of our sex hormones and the precursors to them. If the only elevated androgen is DHEA-S, this suggests the adrenals are over-producing DHEA-S, this is normally determined by genetics but can be modified with lifestyle and supplements.

Signs and symptoms are all PCOS-type symptoms.

Post-pill PCOS

Some forms of the pill suppress androgens, the body then wants to produce more androgens, the pill then continues to suppress. The result when you come off can be a temporary increase in androgen production. 

If periods were regular before taking hormonal birth control, your PCOS could be post-pill.

Lifestyle factors to manage your symptoms:

Firstly, if you have symptoms of insulin resistance, it is really important to seek the support of your GP to help you manage this, alongside making lifestyle changes.

Insulin Resistant PCOS

• Avoid high sugar foods and drinks e.g. soft drinks, desserts (even with natural sugars) 

• Strength Training to increase insulin sensitivity

• Increase Magnesium-rich foods - Speak to a practitioner to consider supplementation 

Inflammatory PCOS

• Identify foods that drive inflammation for you

• Address digestive symptoms (you can work with a nutritional therapist or naturopath to support you)

• Zinc-rich foods - Speak to a practitioner to consider supplementation

Adrenal PCOS

• Address your stress levels - both perception of stress and implementing activities that help support your stress response

• Reduce food and drinks that put a strain on your stress response (caffeine, alcohol, excess sugar)

• Speak to a practitioner about supplements to support your stress response

Post Pill PCOS

• Patience (sorry, I know that one is annoying)

• Eat enough - under nourishing is a nightmare for healthy ovulation

• Zinc-rich foods - Speak to a practitioner to consider supplementation

The above are a starting point, if you have had a PCOS diagnosis and you’re struggling with seeing an improvement and you feel like you need support alongside what you’re getting from your GP then know that there is help available and you don’t need to do it alone.

Meddling with the Microbiome

I was recently asked some really interesting questions on the basics of gut health. If you’ve heard people talk about the gut microbiome but you feel a bit clueless, this article is for you:

The gut microbiome is the combination of bacteria, yeast and viruses that line our digestive tract. These organisms work in harmony with us and among other things play a key role in our immune function, support digestion and produce key vitamins. If we lack certain key strains or an overgrowth of others, this can result in issues regulating the immune response, being more vulnerable to pathogens (things that cause disease) in our food and environment, problems breaking down and getting spent hormones out of the body in a healthy way, uncomfortable digestive symptoms and ultimately the development of disease.

As well as physical symptoms of disease, the gut is also responsible for the production of a lot of neurotransmitters and is closely linked to our nervous system. There is a huge link between gut health and brain health. There is also a lot of 2-way communication between the gut and brain, via the vagus nerve, it is responsible for moving us between the stress response (sympathetic response) and our rest and digest (parasympathetic response). The gut - brain connection (gut-brain axis) is widely recognised and is why there is an understanding of the big link between mental health and gut symptoms.

One of the contributing factors to mood disorders is the gut-brain axis - the microbiome has a big impact on this communication system.

Lower levels of commensal (or beneficial) bacteria can have a detrimental impact on mood - this is because certain bacteria will have an impact on more serotonin or GABA production in the gut (neurotransmitters linked to more positive or calm responses)

In addition a compromised gut lining (resulting from but not limited to - a previous infection, low levels of commensal bacteria, an overgrowth of inflammatory bacteria) can result in higher levels of inflammatory chemicals circulating in the body, which can be a factor in depression and low mood.

Some other areas impacted by a disrupted microbiome (aka dysbiosis):

Sleep

Cognitive function

Period Pain

Glucose Regulation

Development of autoimmune conditions

Sex Hormone Imbalances

Other Microbiomes in the body (skin, vaginal, pulmonary etc)

Gut health is crucial in terms of understanding health and the body and I don't think we should underestimate its impact. As with everything, you can't look at the gut in isolation and you need to understand it in the context of the whole person, symptoms, health history. We are only at the tip of the iceberg in terms of fully understanding the impact the gut microbiome has on our health and ongoing research. 

If you’re looking for top tips to keep your microbiome tip top, here are my favourites. Make sure you focus on the basics before you start trying to biohack - chewing your food enough and staying hydrated are the absolute starting points when it comes to gut health.

Ensure that you have variety in your diet. A diverse range of foods in the diet will have a positive impact on the gut microbiome. Vary the grains you're eating, add nuts and seeds to your salads, choose different varieties of vegetables, use herbs and spices in your cooking. If you're in a food rut eating the same things every week, just challenge yourself to add in 1 or 2 new foods per week.

Also try and aim for more wholefoods and less processed foods. 

Burn Baby Burn - Taking my own Advice

For those of you familiar with burnout - you’ve skirted around it or your energy, motivation and/or  health has full-blown flatlined - you might have noticed that it can become your achilles heel.

You recognise that you need some recovery time but as soon as you start to pick up again you slam your foot back onto the accelerator and expect to get back to the top speed you were operating at before. I’m afraid I’m here to tell you something you might not want to hear. If the only thing you change is taking a short break from your commitments, spoiler alert - you haven’t addressed what is going on in your body. You could be right back to feeling frazzled before you know it.

My first experience of burnout was in my 20s - at 27 I didn’t know what was wrong, I was experiencing anxiety, depression, fatigue and a compromised immune system (2 kidney infections and a lung infection in the space of a year). I quit my job as I recognised that I wasn’t coping with the stress and I genuinely thought that would solve the problem. Unfortuantely - what I hadn’t accounted for is that the body’s response to chronic stress is that it down-regulates many other processes that are not required for immediate survival in a dangerous situation - bye bye effective digestion, ta ta tip top immune response and see you later sex drive. There is some work required to recalibrate these systems and support the physiological processes to power up to their former glory.

I am not going to lie to you - the stress management side of things was by far the trickiest thing for me to get right. It was only when I was in my third year of my nutrition qualification - working full-time during the week and studying at weekends, that I HAD to face up to the fact that I still had a BIG problem with stress management. There was a small disagreement at home and I had a full-on panic attack. Nothing like the body sending you a panic attack as a sign that something is awry. Essentially I was flirting with my old nemesis of burnout and I realised my adrenal glands (responsible for stress hormone production) deserved better. I resolved to learn how to put myself first and I am proud to say that I took this seriously and I made some big changes.

Cue pandemic…… In February of 2021 I did my health MOT with a blood test and my comprehensive hormone test. I. HAD. DONE. IT. AGAIN!!! I knew I was tired, I’d been working hard, I’d rushed to see family over that Christmas break. I was heading to burnout city once again - how did I know this?

The hormone test I use looks at your stress response (as well as oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone). The test results include daily cortisol production (cortisol is our main stress hormone), free cortisol and inactive cortisone. My test results were telling me that my energy levels (free cortisol) were a thin veneer that would soon crumble as I didn’t have much left in the tank (metabolised cortisol - total production). My body was about to put me into standby mode - this is how I like to think about it - the body can favour inactive stress hormones when you’re going through chronic stress as high levels of active stress hormones flying around aren’t desirable for the body in the long-term. When your body puts you into this mode - this is when you start experiencing the inability to get out of bed, the low mood, low motivation, low energy, sluggish digestion, sluggish immune system. 

To the untrained eye - this free cortisol pattern looks alright…

Given the 2020 experience - it was no huge surprise to me that I was almost in the burnout boat again. The Pandemic and the way the world and our lives have changed had a massive impact on me and my adrenal glands were really telling the tale. I had also taken on some big projects and had lost a lot of time for myself. Although I’d previously learned how to support my body to recover from burnout, I hadn’t acknowledged the impact of the pan-demo and my results were what really made it real for me. When you live on your own - there is no one to point out how many hours you’re at your desk, the fact that you haven't left the house that day or that hummus isn’t a good enough source of protein for your dinner - of course it is easier to slip into unhealthy habits.

Are you someone that needs to see some evidence on paper before you start to put yourself and your health first? Or have you learned to listen to the signs that your body is sending you?

Do reach out if you’d like to have a conversation about avoiding or recovering from burnout.

The Worst Period

Why oh why - when we’ve already got a case of the January blues is it that those of us who are hit with period problems, menstrual misery, hormonal horror shows -  often get hit the hardest in January?

As with any health related issues - there is never one single thing that contributes to this. In the words of Spike from Notting Hill (the 1999 Rom-com) ‘it’s a combination of factors really’.

Let’s consider some of the leading factors that lead to ‘period problems’

• nutrient deficiencies

• blood sugar imbalances

• digestive distress (the microbiome could be contributing to a lot of issues including painful periods and recurrent infections like thrush and BV)

• hormone haywire (this could be high oestrogen, recirculating oestrogen, low progesterone etc.)

• a dysregulated stress response

Period Problem Pie Chart

So if your December was a lot of mince pies and chocolate for breakfast and not quite the rainbow of fruits and vegetables you normally aim for - that could well contribute to lower levels of nutrients. That is also a recipe for a blood sugar rollercoaster aka blood sugar spikes and subsequent dips. This can lead to mood swings, inconsistent energy and sugar cravings throughout the day

What about if you indulged in a bit more alcohol than you normally would? That can definitely result in lower levels of B vitamins and Magnesium.

If the sprouts and veg were more garnish than the main part of the plate then you could well have been consuming less fibre than normal. Your poor gut bugs have been struggling through against all odds (less fibre, more alcohol, more sugar).

Higher levels of sugar and alcohol can contribute to higher levels of oestrogen circulating in the body - if our oestrogen is high relative to progesterone we can experience exaggerated symptoms of PMS like mood swings, pain and water retention to name a few.

What about stress? We can’t escape it, this time of year can be very stressful. Rushing around trying to find presents for everyone, making time to see everyone - all under the massive umbrella of potential restrictions changing meaning all plans get cancelled - nightmare.

Not to mention the sugar, alcohol and possibly less sleep than normal all contributing to stress in the body - note to self - coffee and mulled wine do not effectively hydrate so you might also have to add dehydration to the list of stressors on the body.

A combination of the above factors can combine into the perfect storm of a horrible January period.

A particularly miserable menstrual January experience for me was when I still worked in an office, I had just eaten lunch and then things took a turn for the worse and I ended up sweating profusely in the bathroom for 45 minutes with hideous cramps before proceeding to throw up the entire contents of my stomach.

I ended up lying partially clothed on the bathroom floor for a while in a vain attempt to cool down. It was horrible.

So how can we counteract the effects of a frivolous festive season and see an improvement in period pain, mood swings, fatigue, nausea and bloating? Here 5 easy to implement recommendations to get started:

• Opt for nutritionally dense foods - richly coloured vegetables and complex carbohydrates (rather than highly processed options that have been stripped of nutrients)

• Ensure that all your meals and snacks have a source of protein and healthy fat to slow down any blood sugar spikes after eating

• Support your microbiome with complex carbohydrates and remember that we should be aiming for 30g of fibre per day #fibreaudit

• Lots of people are aiming for Dry January this year - if that isn’t your style then you can aim to reduce the amount you are drinking - try swapping every other drink for an non-alcoholic or low alcohol alternative

• Commit to 10 minutes per day of a stress lowering activity - a walk in nature, colouring, or listening to a guided meditation

Would you like to get back on track with your hormone health?

Do you need more than just a January tune up?

Book in a call with me so that we can talk through your options on how to work out the best next steps for you.

Hormone Back to Basics - The Rhythm of the Night (Month)

Before we dig into symptoms that you have been told are “hormonal”, PMS or simply part of being a woman it is really helpful to do a very quick back to basics review of the menstrual cycle.

They key players being discussed today are oestrogen and progesterone and the main event of the cycle - OVULATION.

Oestrogen - we have 2 oestrogen surges as part of our monthly cycle - one just before we ovulate and one a few days before our period. This is significant because some of those dreaded cycle symptoms, particularly headaches, migraines and mood swings, can actually be linked to declining levels of oestrogen after a peak.

Progesterone - this is only produced in significant amounts after ovulation - because the follicle that releases the egg then becomes a little progesterone factory. Progesterone is a hormone that can be very calming and support sleep. It does also have it’s downsides and can be linked to the less desirable symptom of constipation.

Cycle Tracking:

Day 1 of your Cycle is the first day of your period - the first day of your proper bleed - spotting before that technically counts as your previous cycle.

The day before your next period is the last day of your cycle.

So if you’re tracking your cycle and counting the days you count from Day 1 up until the day before your next period.

Only 13% of women have the average cycle length of 28 days - according to a study using data from the Natural Cycles app.

The main event of the cycle is ovulation - the assumption that you ovulate on Day 14 of your cycle is based on that average cycle length of 28 days - your cycle is unique to YOU. You normally ovulate between 10 to 14 days before the onset of your period. So you can look at your previous cycles and count back to see when your ovulatory window is. If you have a longer cycle that is 35 days, you are going to ovulate somewhere between Day 21 and Day 25. If your cycle is much shorter - say 23 Days, then you will be ovulating somewhere between Day 9 and Day 13.

We also don’t necessarily ovulate every month - but that’s another post in itself as well.

So when you are noticing symptoms throughout the month - keep a note of what Day of your cycle you are noticing them and you may find that certain symptoms always happen around the same time in your cycle. The more information you have and can share with whoever you are working with (doctor, nutritionist etc) the more targeted the approach can be.

NB For anyone who is on hormonal birth control, you aren’t having a menstrual cycle as the hormonal birth control is disrupting the communication of the hormones in your body (more on this on another day)