The Impact of Lifestyle on Mental Health

The demands of the modern word definitively have been unreasonable. The daily requirements such as being strong, being a hard-worker, being totally professional, agile, creative, polite, humorous, nice, restless, focused (even when living problems, diseases, difficulties, etc). Being always healthy, willing, helpful and have a good looking and smile everyday. The modern man must to be a competent citizen, student, worker, friend, son, father, no matter what.

Constant stress also causes insomnia, headaches, allergic reactions, disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. If the first symptoms were skip and signals not observed, it can result in a vegetative-vascular dystonia, atherosclerosis, angina, myocardial infarction and other very unpleasant diseases. Stress is a major blow to the immune system, and therefore become easy prey to infectious diseases.

Some people are unable to cope with all the responsibilities connected with living in the modern world leading them react against the stress, tension, over-busy, over-urbanization, over-industrialization, over-information and over-pollution based on new habits, the modern lifestyle throw into moments of “relief”. Bad habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, lack of sleep, fast food, fat food, lack of fruits, vegetables and irregular eating leads to worsening of the man’s well being. The struggle with difficulties may end severe depression, alcohol abuse and drug addiction, suggesting that the physical and/or the mental health are affected.

The hope that the modern world with all of the technology and science would prevent and/or avoid the mental health issues is not yet a reality. Although there are better methods to treat mental health problems today, all of the factors cited above can't be ignored such as the most important causal agents of the mental disorders and their social consequences:

• Lack of value-education. 
• Unbalanced educational system; whose moral and ethical issues are not considered effective for the behavioral modification, resulting in the weakening of will-power and tolerance. 
• Disturbed family relations 
• Violence and cruelty 
• Corruption and immorality 
• Neglect of law and order 
• Drug addiction 
• Lack of compassion and spirit of service 
• Lack of discipline and self-control 
• Possessiveness 
• Selfishness 

Considering that all of us are living in these modern society and many of us are already feeling some effects of it in ourselves, in our relatives, friends, co-workers... It needed some more explanations to turn understandable that self character weakness it's not the responsible for that, although the self-confidence and knowledge are strong co-adjuvants during the recover period of the lifestyle diseases.      

The Brain Chemicals under influence of the Modern Life

Under the influence of the modern lifestyle, all human chemistry comes down. Fidgeting, concentration, sleep, energy, mood swings, behavior, etc are controlled by the human body chemicals. Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, melatonin, insulin, and prostaglandins are some of the most important of them and are strongly influenced by the stress, diet, exercise, sunlight, sleep... 

• Being indoors - lack of sunlight: melatonin reduced 
• Stress, anxiety, tension - lack of sleep: serotonin reduced 
• Current food processing, fast and fat food: fatty acid imbalances and chemical sensitivities 
• High sugar and low-fat diet: insulin increased; prostaglandin imbalance 
• Poor nutrition: serotonin reduced
• Lack of exercise: serotonin and dopamine reduced  
• Boring classes or job - lack of enjoyable activity: dopamine and norepinephrine reduced. 
• Deionized air: serotonin reduced 

Serotonin and dopamine reduced levels from stress, lack of sleep and exercise, poor nutrition, lack of concentration and lack of sunlight and enjoyable activities can be correlated with ADHD (attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder); Serotonin fluctuation levels from irritability, depression, aggression, anxiety, chronic pain, restlessness or fatigue, nausea, weight gain, fibromyalgia, impulsivity, mood swings usually  are connected with Bipolar Disorder. Reduced serotonin caused by emotional trauma, sadness, losses, boring surroundings, restlessness, lack of exercise, loss of pleasure, lack of concentration, weight gain or loss are correlated with Depression. Reduced melatonin from lack of sunlight may disturb the sleep cycle and cause seasonal depression, called SAD.

Dopamine and serotonin is the "feel good" chemical which illegal drugs mimic, such as cocaine, heroin, marijuana and others, as well as cigarettes, coffee and alcohol. 

Current food processing modify the types of fatty acids usually consumed. Since the brain is composed largely of fatty acids, they are needed to regular development and repair of the human brain.  

Lots of sugars and carbohydrates lead to increased insulin levels. High insulin level leads the body to store fat, thereby decrease the blood sugar concentration and the brain can just burn sugar, thus it results in a low concentration and Depression. Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) also can lead to the Diabetes. In addition, the low blood sugar causes hungry, which demands to eat more sugar or carbohydrates, and the cycle is repeated. Finally, insulin levels affect serotonin and many systems throughout the body. Poor nutrition can result as well in lower levels of chemicals like serotonin. Vitamins B6, C and E (the stress vitamins) are especially important.

ADHD patients, as a group, seems to be more sensitive in general and may therefore be more sensitive to the effects of modern lifestyles. Some people may be born with inherently lower serotonin levels, which become the neuro-receptors more sensitive, resulting in higher highs and lower lows, and an increased vulnerability to depression and other related syndromes. The same may be true of dopamine, insulin and other chemicals.

Helpful Suggestions to restore the modern lifestyle imbalance:

• Make lifestyles changes to decrease stress
• Meditation or yoga
• Stress reduction courses
• Diet change to restore fatty acid balance
• Go to bed on time, with a slow-down period each evening before bed and wake up at the same time each day. Those all-night sessions on the Internet put a strain on your serotonin system. Although you may feel good while you're "wired", you'll probably experience the fogs once you've had a good night of sleep.
• Expose yourself to early morning sunlight. Morning sunlight increases the level of melatonin in your bloodstream at night, which induces sleep, and also increases the level of serotonin 
• Balanced diet: 30% protein, 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates at each meal. 
• Stress vitamins: the B (B6), E, and C. B6 vitamin is used to increase serotonin
• Chromium is important for lowering insulin levels. 
• Minerals evolved in serotonin production are magnesium, zinc, copper, manganese, and iron 
• Regular exercise increases both serotonin and dopamine, and affects other important systems as well. 

If these suggestions were followed, it’ll be possible to maintain the body in a good physical state.The food became most effective, the stress will be under control and the life, full vitality. All of these will also contribute to built a successful career, improving personality and pleasure from life.