The paper, published today in the International Journal of Obesity, was the result of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Nearly 500 participants from Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Washington took part in the study, which measured whether sleep, stress, depression, television viewing, and computer screen time were correlated with weight loss. Several previous studies have found an association between these factors and obesity, but few have looked at whether these factors predict weight loss.

“This study suggests that when people are trying to lose weight, they should try to get the right amount of sleep and reduce their stress,” said lead author Charles Elder, MD, MPH, an investigator with the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., who also leads Integrative Medicine at Kaiser Permanente Northwest. “Some people may just need to cut back on their schedules and get to bed earlier. Others may find that exercise can reduce stress and help them sleep. For some people, mind/body techniques such as meditation also might be helpful.”

The study involved two phases: during the first phase, participants were asked to lose at least 10 pounds over six months. If they succeeded, they moved to the second year-long phase of the study, which tested a complementary acupressure technique against more traditional weight-maintenance strategies. Findings from phase two are not yet available.

During the study’s first phase, all participants attended weekly meetings at which they were weighed and advised to reduce calorie intake by 500 calories per day, adopt a low-fat, low-sugar diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, increase physical activity to 180 minutes a week, and keep daily food records. People who kept more food records and attended more meetings were more likely to lose weight during this phase of the trial.

Participants also were asked to report levels of insomnia, stress and depression, and to record how much time they slept and spent watching television or using a computer. The research team found that sleep and stress levels were good predictors of weight loss, but depression and screen time were not.

People with the lowest stress levels who also got more than six hours, but not more than eight hours, of sleep were most likely to lose at least 10 pounds. In fact, nearly three-quarters of this group moved on to the second phase of the trial, and were twice as likely to be successful as those who reported the highest stress levels and got six or fewer hours of sleep per night.

Participants who qualified for the second phase were divided into two groups: one received monthly guided instruction in the Tapas Acupressure Technique, which involves lightly touching specific pressure points on the face and back of the head while focusing on a problem (i.e., maintaining weight loss). The other group also met monthly with a trained interventionist and a support group, but used more traditional nutrition and exercise techniques to keep weight off. Both groups met for six months and then were followed for another six months to see which group kept more weight off. Results of that phase of the trial should be available in late 2011 or early 2012.

The study authors caution that their findings may not apply to all groups trying to lose weight. The authors also noted that the participants were highly motivated, and that 90 percent had attended at least some college.

These studies are part of ongoing research at Kaiser Permanente to better understand weight loss and the key factors to maintaining optimum weight. Another Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research study last year found that the more people logged on to an interactive weight management website, the more weight they kept off. Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research also found that keeping a food diary can double a person’s weight loss and that both personal contact and web-based support can help with long-term weight management.

Study authors include: Charles R. Elder, MD, MPH, Christina M. Gullion, PhD, Kristine L. Funk, MS, Lynn L. DeBar, PhD, Nangel M. Lindberg, PhD, and Victor J. Stevens, PhD, all from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore.

Source:
Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research
Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness From Medical News Today

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com

If you experience any of these symptoms on a regular basis, chances are you have significant stress levels in your life. All of these symptoms have the potential to harm your health and emotional well-being. If you don’t implement a stress management program to reduce or relieve the stress in your life, eventually your health will certainly suffer. Can these signs of stress make you sick? Definitely.

Some common features of stress management programs are meditation, yoga, exercise, special breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, aromatherapy, light therapy, massages, crying, bubble baths and salt baths to name a few. Of course if you think that your stress is rooted in deeper issues like depression or psychological trauma, you should definitely get professional help. It will do you no good to begin a stress management program that treats the symptoms and not the cause of your stress issues.

One very helpful way to eliminate or reduce stress in foreseeable stressful situations, such as presentations, performances, or a particularly busy schedule, is to add a plan of action to your stress management program. This is a pre-prepared plan that helps you to effectively overcome any problems or distractions that may occur to accomplish your goals.

To prepare your plan of action, begin by making a list all of the steps you need to take from preparing for any task through to its conclusion. Start far enough in advance to sort out any possible equipment, transportation, or clothing problems etc.

Next, work through each of these steps. Think through everything that could reasonably go wrong at each step, and identify any distractions and negative thinking that could undermine your confidence or inhibit you from accomplishing your goals.

Work through all of the things that could go wrong. Look at the likelihood of the problem occurring. Many of the things you have listed may be extremely unlikely. Strike these out and ignore them from your planning.

Look at each of the remaining contingencies. These usually fall into three categories:

1. Things you can eliminate by appropriate preparation, including making back-up arrangements and acquiring appropriate additional or spare equipment;
2. Things you can manage by avoiding unnecessary risk; and
3. Things you can manage with appropriate planning, preparation, or a stress management technique.

Write your plan down on paper in an easy to read format. Keep it with you as you prepare for and implement your stress management plan of action. Refer to it whenever you need it in the time leading up to the event, and during it. Although not all complications in any plan are foreseeable, having a plan will eliminate most complications and give you a feeling of being organized and in control.

Properly using stress management techniques lifts your mood and enhances your overall quality of life, while benefiting your emotional and physical health. Find what works for you, and watch yourself transform into the happy, confident and under control person you’ve always wanted to be.

Stress management in women has become important because more women are emerging as career women. They have to face a lot like sexual harassment, pressure of work load, gender discrimination and on the top of that the responsibility to maintain a house. But, how to combat this stress, how to manage it?

Well, stress management in women becomes easier by following some simple steps.

First, as stress in women is both bodily and mentally, you are to go for exercises sometimes. In this connection, Yoga and meditations are discovered to be very much effective for stress management in women. Try music, if you are interested in it.

Also, you have to go round a routine of activities so organize your tasks so that you know what is that you have to do. If you plan in advance, you will be able to work better and reduce your stress levels. Everyday if you go through the same routine, after sometime, you will feel like doing things are easier. And, spend times out also like going for a dinner with your family or significant other every week-end.

Third, including relaxing scenes around your area be it kitchen or office. Soothing aromatherapy product use adds comfort often. Also, make your workstation comfortable-looking. Put a greenery around somewhere in the office and try the result. It is said that even looking at the greens sooths your eyes and mind.

Find time for yourself – that is exclusively yours. Women can reduce their stress effectively by taking warm and relaxing baths or joining a new activity. If there has been something you have always wanted to do, then go for it! Women should keep some time for themselves, everyday or every week, so that they can refresh themselves. Try it and there is a great possibility you will feel rejuvenated.

Women work very hard and this causes stress and anxiety in them. First you should dissect the problem and have to note how these psychological and emotional conditions make women’s lives more difficult. Stress management in women is necessary – they are the pivot, the centre force that keeps a family, work and their life together. Don’t neglect your stress, manage it and you will manage any challenge that comes your way!