1. Early morning snoozes can actually make you more tired. Have you ever hit the snooze button on the alarm clock at least a dozen times at the start of your day, vowing to sleep for five more minutes only? This technique of sleeping briefly will not give you more energy, but will actually make you drowsier. When the alarm clock goes off, sit up slowly, breathe deeply, and gradually get yourself out of bed. A stress-free day begins the moment you wake up, so don’t stress your body first thing in the morning.
2. Coffee, or any form of caffeine, will actually stress your body if you take too much at the beginning of your day. Research shows that coffee works in small, frequent doses, so if you must drink coffee, drink smaller servings every few hours. A large cup or two at breakfast will actually make you sluggish, and you may have a harder time keeping your concentration. You could try switching to apples. Eating apples at the beginning of your day can pep you up and keep you alert, and they are healthier fare than coffee, too.
3. Don’t skip meals. Stress can make your body more susceptible to illness, and skipping meals will make you sicker than ever. If you have a hard time staying awake at your desk, bring healthy snacks with you, such as carrot sticks or celery sticks, so that you can snack while you work. This tip works for dieters as well: studies show that smaller food portions taken at more frequent intervals can actually help you lose weight.
4. Don’t underestimate the power of exercise. If your office has a gym, take advantage of the proximity and do a few minutes of exercise at the end of each day. Exercise releases endorphins, which can increase your energy and makes you feel better about yourself. Stress will make you feel lethargic and dull, feelings that exercise can help ease.
5. Engage in as much human contact as you can. Don’t stress yourself out if people keep interrupting you: human contact can actually help you relax and get your mind off your tasks. It can also help you think out of the box, and allow you to find solutions to your problems or dilemmas.
6. Get a good night’s sleep: Sleep is essential to your health and wellbeing and your ability to cope with the stresses of daily life. Lack of sleep not only raises stress hormones but research shows that it also interferes with blood sugar levels and increases your risk of depression.
7. Vitamins and minerals: The adrenals rely on vitamin C, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium to make hormones and function well, and these are rapidly decreased when you’re under stress. So support your adrenal glands by eating a healthy balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and take a good multivitamin and mineral every day with an extra vitamin C supplement.
8. Deal with short term stress, such as sitting in heavy traffic, with simple relaxation techniques such as tensing your muscles and relaxing them or deep breathing to a count of ten. Other techniques for short term stress include stretching, talking with friends, drinking calming herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm, having a good laugh, stroking your pet, day dreaming about relaxing places you’ve been to or hugging some one you love.
9. Research has shown that massage can help lower blood pressure, improve breathing, boost mood and wellbeing and aid circulation. Some experts believe that massage helps the brain produce endorphins, the chemicals that act as natural painkillers. The sense of well-being you get from a massage can lower the amount of stress hormones circulating in your body. Yoga is also a great stress reducer with studies suggesting that it can help prevent depression. MIND, the UK’s leading mental health charity recommends yoga as the single most effective stress buster. Meditation is another good way to deal with mental and physical stress.
10. Set aside time to relax every day no matter what and try not to be a perfectionist. The housework can wait, the phone can ring without you always answering it and if the kids are screaming, putting them to bed half an hour earlier so you can get some much needed relaxation isn’t going to hurt. If you’re tired give yourself a break – you deserve it.

Remember, you can fight stress by keeping yourself healthy, and by allowing your body a bit of rest every time it gets tired. As long as you manage your time wisely, eat the right foods, and sleep well, you don’t need to be stressed out about the ill effects of stress.

A new study has found that dieting provokes cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods like chocolate.

Psychologists at Hertfordshire University found that dieting is counterproductive as it increases cravings for foods slimmers tend to avoid. So don’t diet but lose weight by eating healthily and also exercise.

Q: I quite often suffer from indigestion. I try to avoid fatty foods but wonder if there is anything you recommend for occasional indigestion?

I was taking antacids but have now stopped them. I realise it is probably best to avoid taking medication and so wonder if you know of any alternatives? I sometimes take slippery elm tablets and I often have peppermint tea and also try not to go to bed directly after eating.

A: The symptoms of indigestion can include pain or fullness in the chest area after eating, heartburn, burping and belching. The medical term for indigestion is dyspepsia.

As with any problem the most important thing is to try and find the cause, because if you can track down the cause the problem will be eliminated. At the same time, it is useful to have some natural remedies on hand when needed.

The main causes of indigestion are overeating, obesity, chocolate, fried foods, carbonated beverages, alcohol, stress, coffee, and cigarettes. The first thing is to see whether any of these are a trigger for you.

Also make sure that you are eating slowly. The first part of digestion is in the mouth so by mixing and breaking down your food well with saliva before it is swallowed the next part of your digestive system has less work to do. Don’t drink with meals as this dilutes the saliva while it is trying to do its job. Use fruit as a snack between meals and don’t have it straight after a meal.

Leave a couple of hours between eating and going to bed and try to sleep in a slightly more upright position so that gravity helps to prevent the stomach contents moving back into the food pipe (oesophagus).

Natural remedies can be helpful. Slippery elm helps to form a protective coating in the stomach and chamomile tea can have a calming effect on the digestive system. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) helps to soothe the tissue lining the digestive system and a good combination I use in the clinic contains DGL, cabbage and zinc (called Enteroplex). Also you can use an alkalising carbonate 30 minutes after eating for symptom relief (Bio-carbonate).

If the dietary recommendations do not make a difference then it is important to see your doctor to see whether there is another cause such as a hiatus hernia or helicobacter pylori. H. pylori is a bacteria that lives in the stomach and can cause symptoms like indigestion and heartburn. Up to 90% of people with a stomach ulcer have these bacteria. A simple breath test can show you whether you have an active H. pylori infection.