As I have been learning more about how different things impact our health and what things benefits or harms us, I have started to develop a sense of some repeating notions and ideas which have time and time again shown to positively impact our health. I have called these the “5 pillars of health”, because they act as foundational pillars which impact our wellbeing.

With this post, I hope to offer a summative overview to these 5 aspects which our health depends on, in order to create clarity and simplicity.

I hope you enjoy this one :)

THE 5 PILLARS OF HEALTH

😴 Deep Sleep

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The reasons as to why sleep is so crucial for our wellbeing are many, where there are three main factors when it comes to sleeping well: How long we sleep for, the quality of our sleep, and the consistency of our sleeping schedule.
Overall, scientists are uncovering more and more functions which sleep does for our body, which explains why it is so crucial in the first place.
Here is a list of some of the most common functions which sleep has:
- Energy conservation: We have all felt tired at some points after not having sleep well. This is because sleep is essential for reenergizing us, by producing enough ATP (energy) molecules as well as slowing down our metabolism in order to fully recharge for the next day.
- Cleaning of waste: It appears that our brain naturally has a cleaning system integrated within it, with which it flushes out toxic waste that has accumulated during the day. It is proposed that the cerebrospinal fluid found within our brains is responsible for this flushing of waste.
- Repair of our body: During sleep, our brain can attend to areas of our body which are in pain or need to heal, which it does so by sending the appropriate hormones and chemicals which speed up healing processes. Furthermore, sleep is also needed for the proper repair of tissues and blood vessels which we rely on every day. Lastly if you are someone who is frequently active, sleep actually also helps with muscle recovery and decreasing muscle soreness, which helps to strengthen our muscles.
- Memory consolidation: If you were ever experiencing issues with something and someone has told you to simply “sleep on the problem”, that person does actually have reasoning behind saying that. Science is showing that during good quality sleep, our brain is actually active in a variety of different ways, during which time, our brains analyze all of the new information we have taken in during the day. Through this method, it strengthens new memories we have formed by storing them into our long term memory and also links different pieces of information together, helping us to get a new perspective or idea about something.
- Regulating immune responses: You might have noticed that you were more likely to catch a cold during periods of poor sleep, which has been proven to be due to your body producing lower levels of beneficial cytokines and antibodies because of sleeping less. With sleep, our adaptive immunity is strengthened and our reactions to vaccines are also less severe.
- Growth and general development: This is especially important for young children and teens whose bodies and brains are still growing and developing rapidly. Sleep is crucial not only for physical growth of our body or different body organs, but also for the general development of our cognitions, emotions and regulation of our energy levels.
Additionally, several studies have shown that consistently getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night, greatly increases your risk for the following medical conditions:
- Obesity
- Diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
- Immune infections and colds

🥦 Balanced Nutrition

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The reasons for including nutrition in this list are plenty, where food is the core fuel with which we supply our body for its proper and optimal functioning.
Here is a list of all of the aspects that nutrition is essential for:
- Weight management: By making the appropriate food choices, we can prevent ourselves from gaining unnecessary weight.
- Immune system: Eating adequate levels of micro nutrients such as vitamins and minerals is crucial for supporting our immune system and generating enough antibodies to fight off infections.
- Protecting against chronic conditions: Scientists are recognizing more and more beneficial ways for how nutrition can help managing and decreasing levels of serious chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes or hypertension.
- Mental wellbeing: There are certain foods which are recognized as being especially brain beneficial and even have neuro-protective properties. Some of these foods are high omega 3 fish such as salmon, blue/ purple colored fruits like blueberries and dark leafy greens such as spinach.
- General growth: For children and young adults who are still growing, nutrition and adequate calories are instrumental in making them grow tall and develop properly.
- Having good energy levels: Of course it is also crucial to mention that food provides us not only with nutrients, but also with calories which gives us energy to continue living, functioning and developing as human beings.
Below is a condensed list of general ****guidelines for good nutrition:
- Include a variety of high fibre whole foods (fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds etc.)
- Eat high quality protein sources like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy foods and also add in plant based sources of protein. Avoid eating very fatty meats frequently**.**
- Reduce intake of saturated and especially trans fats and include more healthy fats and oils
- Drink lots of water
- Don't over do it with salt
- Avoid excessive alcohol consumption
- Limit intake of processed sugars and fizzy drinks

💪🏼 Regular Movement

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At at least some point in our lives, we have all heard that regular exercise is beneficial for us and that we should strive to be more active individuals. Science has found many proven health benefits experienced by those who make physical activity a core component of their life.
Cognitive benefits:
- Improved thinking abilities and memory retention
- Increased mental agility and sharpness as you age
- Boosts your mood and energy levels, helping to improve your mental wellbeing
- Helping with stress management and anxiety relief
Physical benefits:
- Directly improving weight loss or weight management
- Decreasing your chances of developing heart disease and type II diabetes
- Protecting against a variety of common cancers such as bladder, breast, colon, and kidney
- Exercise especially weight training is known for increasing muscle mass but also for improving bone density, which for older people is helpful for preventing osteoporosis and bone injuries
- Boosting your skin health, due to alleviating stress levels which could otherwise cause breakouts
- Helping to deepen and improve your sleep at night, by making your more tired by nightfall from having expended energy
- Increasing our longevity and lifespan, while also improving the quality of our life, by keeping our health in check

In the case that you want to start a new exercise routine or have trouble keeping up with your current one, here are some tips to help you out:

Choose to do an activity which you enjoy (This will help keep you consistent)
Start small and build up
Set up environmental cues and reminders (This will make it a effortless part of your routine)
Join exercise challenges or find a exercise buddy for keeping yourself accountable
Track your progress and results (This will provide motivation in times of need)

😌 Effective Stress Management

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Stress is a normal a part of life and everyone experiences it in some respect. The issue with stress is once it becomes chronic and we find that we can not mentally “switch off”, which causes a variety of health issues for us, both mental and physical.

Below are some physical and mental health issues associated with chronic stress:

Physical:

Weight gain
Problems sleeping and general insomnia
Digestive issues
Muscle tension and pain
Increased incidence of chronic diseases (heart conditions, high blood, pressure, stroke, type II diabetes)
Poor immune system defense
Loss in libido

Mental health

Depression
Headaches and migraines
Anxiety and constant worrying
Forgetfulness and disorganization
Lack of focus and concentration
Being more prone to viewing things pessimistically
Low energy levels

However, the good thing is that you have the option to lower and regulate your stress levels and having the option to choose how you will respond to a stressful event. If you are struggling with how to calm yourself down, below are some ideas for how you can alleviate some stress:

Physical activity (genuinely helps)
Meditation
Listening to your favorite music
Journaling and writing down your worries (Allows you to put it in perspective)
Taking a bath or shower
Reading a book you like
Doing a hobby you enjoy
Spend time with people or family members which elevates your mood
Spend time in nature
Focus on your breathing
Taking a nap if that is what you need

👭 Supportive Social Life

Although a rather underestimated aspect of health science, having a good and sportive social life, which includes our friends, family, colleagues and romantic partners is crucial to our wellbeing and feelings of general life satisfaction.
Having a good social life helps with the following aspects:
- Improved mental health by making you feel happier
- Increase levels of self esteem which can further increase your social connections and opportunities
- Promotes a sense of safety and belonging, which can ease anxiety
- People give a sense of meaning and purpose to the work you do, helping to keep you motivated
- People who have more vibrant social lives score lower in likeliness to develop dementia
- Lowering our stress levels by having a good laugh with others
- Others around you can help to encourage you to change or avoid unhealthy lifestyle habits such as a poor diet or drinking too much
- People can also help us with coping and dealing with past traumas and difficult situations

If you are someone who wants to increase their social circle of friends, try out some of the following ideas for how you can attract more fun social opportunities into your life:

Asking a friend to meet up for coffee or a meal
Hosting a small lunch or dinner for people
Joining an activity club with people who have common interests
Joining a class/ course/ workshop
Doing volunteering work
Going to parties and nightlife
Focus on the quality of your relations instead of having hundreds of friends, most of which don't know you very well
Turning off your computer and saying yes to more social opportunities
Being the one who reaches out to others (don't wait and expect others to always contact you)
Set respectful boundaries in relationships
Be honest and supportive of to others, as people will reciprocate that behavior back to you