Stress is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome. General adaptation syndrome, or GAS, is simply a term used to describe the body's short-term and long-term reactions to stress.

 

Stressors can include physical stressors such as starvation, being hit by a car, or suffering through severe weather. Additionally, people can suffer such emotional or mental stressors like the loss of a loved one, the inability to solve a problem, or even having a difficult day at work. Concepts such as anxiety, antagonism, exhaustion, frustration, distress, despair, overwork, tension, over-focusing, confusion, mourning, and fear have all come together to be recognized under the general broad term, stress.

 

Erin O'Neill, LCSW-R

April 19-25 is National Infertility Awareness Week and we at Capital Counseling felt it was important to share information about some of the stressors that persons with Infertility might experience. With 1 in 8 couples (or 12% of married women) having trouble getting pregnant or sustaining a pregnancy, infertility is not uncommon. Moreover, studies have shown that more than half (53.8%) of women experiencing infertile issues also had depression.

One study of 200 couples seen consecutively at a fertility clinic, for example, found that half of the women and 15% of the men said that infertility was the most upsetting experience of their lives. Another study of 488 American women who filled out a standard psychological questionnaire before undergoing a stress reduction program concluded that women with infertility felt as anxious or depressed as those diagnosed with cancer, hypertension, or recovering from a heart attack.

 It has long been known that proper sleep and nutrition play a critical role in our mental health. What is often overlooked however, is the strong link between these two features of a healthy lifestyle.  

 

Yet, amounting evidence has shown that individuals who are able to get at least seven to eight hours of restful sleep, are more likely to consume a balanced diet and less likely to become overweight.  

 

But there is more to the nutrition-sleep link than just coffee and caffeine. In fact, not only does nutrition affect our sleep, but also our sleep can affect our nutrition. Just think of the last time you stayed up late or had a poor nights sleep, chances are you found yourself craving extra savory foods the next day?