Latest news with #MentalHealthUK
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
East Lothian man 'knew he was different growing up' and diagnosis made perfect sense
An East Lothian dad of two who was diagnosed with autism late in life found community at a "life-changing" men's group. Owen Siddalls, 48, always knew he was different from other kids growing up but it wasn't until decades later when another family member was diagnosed with autism that Owen realised he was neurodivergent. He received a formal diagnosis at age 44 and opened up to Edinburgh Live about his journey building a community. READ MORE: Edinburgh firefighters rush to scene of incident on residential street READ MORE: Film crew descends on Edinburgh city centre for 90s classic movie remake Owen said: "My late diagnosis came as a result of a diagnosis of someone close to me and at that point I then learned about it being hereditary. "The diagnosis itself was enlightening in many ways but didn't change who I was and how my mind was wired, it just allowed me to understand more." Owen, who lives in Pentcaitland, noticed his fitness and mental health were deteriorating after as he and his wife started a family and his role as a husband and new father began to change. However, things changed after Owen discovered a community group aimed at boosting men's mental health and fitness. Dads and Dudes was formed by Alan Nash in Longniddry in 2022 and has grown into a large community of men who meet regularly to improve their health and fitness. According to Mental Health UK, men are more likely than women to experience substance abuse, exhibit violence, and to die by suicide. Societal pressures often deter men from seeking help and instead encourage them to "man up", says the charity. The group offers a safe space for men to vent, talk about problems, and find community. Owen added: "The self-social exclusion that I've created in my mind, I came to realise that what Dads and Dudes allows for is all sorts of people and all sorts of mannerisms. It offers a group of guys to put aside having to watch what they're saying in front of their partners and kids and get stuff out of their system. "It's like therapy, it's just to vocalize what's going on. It's to help us share frustrations in safe group where if you wanted to say something, it's not going to be overanalyzed. 'I think I am a happier person. It has improved my mental health and my ability to handle things thrown at me which I previously would have squandered under. 'It helps demystify the concept of men and mental health and not talking about things. There is a degree go collectiveness that the sessions offer. We don't all need to be social butterflies.' Dads and Dudes meets weekly across East Lothian and Edinburgh, offering physical training sessions where men can make social connections. Founder Alan Nash told Edinburgh Live the community was "life changing" for him. He launched the group after he realised he was lonely training on his own. It began with just a few men meeting in Alan's garden and has grown to a group of 50 to 100 members per session. He said: "There is a bit of demand for men to have place to feel confortable and turn up and talk without judgement. It's been life changing to the point of new friends I've got. "We've found role models in the community for the kids, people who can look after each other. It's something I'm proud to have started and keep going." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.
Edinburgh Live
6 days ago
- General
- Edinburgh Live
East Lothian man 'knew he was different growing up' and diagnosis made perfect sense
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info An East Lothian dad of two who was diagnosed with autism late in life found community at a "life-changing" men's group. Owen Siddalls, 48, always knew he was different from other kids growing up but it wasn't until decades later when another family member was diagnosed with autism that Owen realised he was neurodivergent. He received a formal diagnosis at age 44 and opened up to Edinburgh Live about his journey building a community. Owen said: "My late diagnosis came as a result of a diagnosis of someone close to me and at that point I then learned about it being hereditary. "The diagnosis itself was enlightening in many ways but didn't change who I was and how my mind was wired, it just allowed me to understand more." Owen, who lives in Pentcaitland, noticed his fitness and mental health were deteriorating after as he and his wife started a family and his role as a husband and new father began to change. (Image: Supplied) However, things changed after Owen discovered a community group aimed at boosting men's mental health and fitness. Dads and Dudes was formed by Alan Nash in Longniddry in 2022 and has grown into a large community of men who meet regularly to improve their health and fitness. According to Mental Health UK, men are more likely than women to experience substance abuse, exhibit violence, and to die by suicide. Societal pressures often deter men from seeking help and instead encourage them to "man up", says the charity. The group offers a safe space for men to vent, talk about problems, and find community. Owen added: "The self-social exclusion that I've created in my mind, I came to realise that what Dads and Dudes allows for is all sorts of people and all sorts of mannerisms. It offers a group of guys to put aside having to watch what they're saying in front of their partners and kids and get stuff out of their system. (Image: Alan Nash) "It's like therapy, it's just to vocalize what's going on. It's to help us share frustrations in safe group where if you wanted to say something, it's not going to be overanalyzed. 'I think I am a happier person. It has improved my mental health and my ability to handle things thrown at me which I previously would have squandered under. 'It helps demystify the concept of men and mental health and not talking about things. There is a degree go collectiveness that the sessions offer. We don't all need to be social butterflies.' Dads and Dudes meets weekly across East Lothian and Edinburgh, offering physical training sessions where men can make social connections. Founder Alan Nash told Edinburgh Live the community was "life changing" for him. He launched the group after he realised he was lonely training on his own. It began with just a few men meeting in Alan's garden and has grown to a group of 50 to 100 members per session. He said: "There is a bit of demand for men to have place to feel confortable and turn up and talk without judgement. It's been life changing to the point of new friends I've got. "We've found role models in the community for the kids, people who can look after each other. It's something I'm proud to have started and keep going."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Neuropsychopharmacologist says one natural pill helps you sleep
As people struggle with the hot summer nights, a scientist who specialises in brain chemistry has explained how ingredients like ashwagandha and lemon balm can help with a more restful sleep. One in five people in the UK - 13.5million of us, are not getting enough sleep, according to Mental Health UK. 63% report their sleep is disrupted by hot weather, meaning sleep is worse in warm, weather Studies have shown that organic ingredients like ashwagandha, lemon balm, l-theanine and reishi mushrooms can help people sleep better. Dr Rayyan Zafar, a Scientist at Imperial College London and the Chief Scientific Officer of Moodeys, said: . 'The key to good sleep is REM sleep. It's like hitting the reset button for your brain—it keeps you sharp, balanced, and ready to take on the day. But stress and restlessness can get in the way so it helps to find ingredients that can combat it. That's where natural sleep boosters like ashwagandha, lemon balm, reishi mushroom and l-theanine can help. READ MORE: One thing treats depression 'better than drugs or talking therapy' READ MORE: Eating this 20p fruit could help prevent wrinkles and ease arthritis pain 'Ashwagandha can help to lower cortisol (the 'stress hormone') so your body can relax. Lemon Balm can be useful in reducing anxiety and quieting a racing mind. Reishi Mushroom is a fungus that has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to reduce inflammation and relax our central and peripheral nervous system. And L-Theanine? It has been found to induce relaxation and rest. These are all organic compounds found in nature that will help you drift into sleep smoothly and help you to stay there. 'These powerful ingredients work best in capsules as they are fast absorbing and have high bioavailability. The result? A calmer nervous system, less stress, and deep REM sleep that leaves you feeling amazing in the morning.' Ashwagandha, lemon balm, reishi mushroom and L-Theanine are all sold separately and are available in pharmacies and supermarkets, however, combining the ingredients in supplements could be the ultimate sleepmaxxing hack. The supplements are available in a combined pill.
The Independent
10-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Essentialism: how the disciplined pursuit of less changed my life
As a society we're busier and more overwhelmed than ever. According to Mental Health UK's 2025 burnout report, 91 per cent of adults have experienced high levels of stress in the last year. Seemingly less of a priority though, is asking ourselves why we continue to pile unsustainable pressure on the way we live our daily lives. Particularly when the outcomes are generally more detrimental to our physical and mental health than positive. It was a question I was forced to ask myself, after years of negative behavioural patterns affected my own ability to make any real dent in the game of life. The answer eventually led me to essentialism – a guiding set of 'less is more' type principles that have had a profoundly positive impact on the way I choose to live. What is Essentialism? The roots of essentialism can be traced back to Ancient Greece. It was however, a far more recent version of the philosophy that gripped my attention. Originally published in 2014, with an updated planner edition released last November, Greg McKeown 's book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less encourages us to minimise the external noise in life and focus on what truly matters by following three core principles. Explore: identify what is most important to you, aligning with your goals and values. Eliminate: cut out distractions and say 'no' to tasks that don't align with your priorities. Execute: focus your efforts on the vital few tasks, making them easier to achieve by creating systems and routines. McKeown's modernised concept of essentialism grew out of his Stanford University course – Designing Life, Essentially. Today, he teaches business leaders around the world the principles of living with less. I discovered his books and online content after a therapist recommended them to me – more on that later. Similarly to following the tenets of minimalism, living the life of an essentialist is fixed around the simple and disciplined pursuit of less. It's an informed choice that has greatly enhanced the quality of my own life – a life that was entirely structureless and undisciplined when I first discovered essentialism. In my early thirties, the battle between my true inner self and the reality of the life I was living had hit a resounding stalemate. From flip-flopping between jobs with no real career path, to extended periods of unemployment, I moved back and forth from pokey, overpriced London flat shares to the spare bedroom (or sofa) of my old man's council flat more times than I care to remember. Then of course there was the regular 'recreational' drug use, followed by the post-weekend comedown to put any thoughts of self-starting on the back burner. It hadn't always been like that. As a once bright-eyed teenager obsessed with music and writing, the pursuit of a wholesome, creative life was my only goal. In many ways, I'd already nailed how to live a meaningful existence by the ripe old age of sixteen. Fellow minimalists and essentialists would have been proud. But when my first proper relationship, and my band of five years broke up the same week I graduated my English degree, I vividly remember feeling heartbroken. And that being skint and ancient at twenty three meant I had better bite the bullet and get a proper job. Any kind of job. Looking back now, it's clear this was a traumatic period for me and thus a pivotal moment in the trajectory of the next chapter of my life. The problem was I'd yet to develop the mental tools to deal with such matters. So, rather than earn a living and then write or play music in the evenings like millions do around the world, I cut the cord completely on my creative self – or as McKeown would describe it, my 'essential intent'. In its place, I went out drinking four nights a week, and remained skint at the end of each month. Sure, it was my twenties and it wasn't all doom and gloom. Sandwiched between the financial uncertainty and growing dread about the future, were some genuinely great times and life-affirming experiences. But underneath it all, I was moving further away from the person I really was. To compensate for this, I'd keep myself busy doing all sorts of different jobs and extra-curricular activities – most of which I never had any great interest in and so remained uncommitted. Why we overwhelm and distract ourselves Mindfulness expert and Associate Fellow at the University of Oxford Megan Reitz, explains that, 'the constant pursuit of doing and getting things done, without the guidance of spacious attention, leads to a lack of insight into what we should be doing in the first place.' Reitz's concept of 'spaciousness' goes some way to explain why we overcompensate and overload ourselves and why by McKeown's simple rules and stripped back approach, I was able to feel lighter, more focussed and more like my true self. 'The risk is that we end up being 'busy fools' because our brain's default network – the narrative network – goes into overdrive, focusing narrowly on threats, control, and prediction.' says Reitz. 'The 'doing' mode isn't wrong – we wouldn't survive without it. The problem arises when we solely rely on it. This leaves us unable to access the 'spacious' mode, which is where we gain insights and possibilities.' The gold medal winner of my own type of 'keep busy' behaviour was the three or four years I half-dedicated to stand-up comedy. Looking back, this was clearly me trying to access some kind of middle ground between pushing myself to do something creative, while still not having the courage to get back to my true passion of writing and making music. It all came to a head at the Edinburgh Festival in 2017. After clearing out an entire room of people four nights in a row in the profusely hot basement of an Edinburgh nightclub – I woke up the next morning to discover I'd also lost my wallet. Whatever rock bottom is, I'd hit my version of it. Driving back down the A1 at the end of that August, somewhere underneath the desire to crawl into a hole and never come out again surfaced that golden nugget of clarity I'd previously been unwilling to face head on. My life's stagnation was entirely self-inflicted and I therefore had the wherewithal to change it. My journey to a more simplified life had begun. The 90/10 rule On my return to London I sought the expertise of a therapist. They initially proposed I may have ADHD, which didn't seem out of the question. But as we talked more about my backstory and went deeper, I also mentioned I possessed lots of physical 'stuff', none of which bore any real meaning to me. As we finished the session, the therapist recommended McKeown's book. Applying McKeown's 90/10 rule immediately helped me separate what was absolutely necessary from what was not in order to move towards living a more meaningful life. The 90/10 rule is a decision-making framework whereby you evaluate and then score any decision (or item) according to its importance to you at that time. Anything that falls below 90 per cent can be deemed not important enough to hold onto. Needless to say, most of my physical possessions were abruptly binned or sold. I also said goodbye to the not-so-successful comedy career – I think comedy was as relieved as I was. Simplicity expert Chris Lovett explains that, 'there's a natural transitionary period when decluttering. Then when you finally let go of your possessions, within 24 hours you tend to forget you even had them.' It's one thing getting rid of stuff. It's quite another to get serious about what you really want in life, and how you're going to go about achieving it. But it was in this area where my newfound essentialist mindset really delivered. In removing much of the external noise that previously surrounded me, including taking myself off social media for over four years, I was able to approach important decisions with far more clarity. Within two months of applying the 90/10 rule to my client work, I was contracted to work on a large project for a healthcare company dedicated to saving and improving people's lives everyday. I also started to write individual pieces for consultants. I was earning and saving considerably more money than I'd thought possible just a few months before and in less than 18 months I'd managed to pay off credit card debt and save enough to buy my first property, all while renting on my own in London. 'Many people I coach have never said no to work before,' explains Lovett. 'They fear questioning authority because they've been conditioned not to. But when they experiment, like declining unnecessary meetings to focus purely on high-impact work, they soon realise nothing bad happens. In fact, their work improves and they see the benefits of genuinely working smarter, not harder.' Returning to my essential intent From an essentialist standpoint, McKeown describes how being clear on your essential intent provides you with clarity and focus on attaining what you want while remaining true to yourself. Conversely, this clarity also helps you eliminate what isn't essential. Finally feeling more stable, I began paying closer attention to matters of the heart. Living in London, like most singletons I'd embraced online dating up to a point. I'd been clear for some time that once I'd gotten back on two feet professionally and financially, I wanted my next romantic relationship to be for the long-term and completely free of chaos. Five years on and I've never felt more content. My girlfriend is my best friend and I'm grateful for every day we spend with one another. The same is true for how focusing on my essential intent spurred my return to a more creative life. I'd come to realise that I'd always attached a level of monetary or outcome anxiety to my creative endeavours. That anxiety had adversely affected my ability to just enjoy the process. It was ironic that during the external madness of the Covid lockdowns, with the encouragement of my girlfriend, I started to think about recording music again. This time I felt no burden of expectation – I simply wanted to record songs and create an album I could be proud of. I've since played festivals and shows around the UK. I'm not sure that I can thank essentialism, or minimalism, for every positive turn my life has taken over the last few years. I'd imagine simply growing up and making more mature decisions has equally played its part. But one thing is undeniable. 'The disciplined pursuit of less' is a design for life that works for many and it's worked for me. In a world where the external noise gets louder by the day, I'm grateful to essentialism for helping me turn down the volume and focus on what really matters.
Telegraph
06-04-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
All the reasons you wake up at night – and how to fix it
Do you struggle to sleep through the night without disruptions? If so, you're far from alone. Sleep disturbances are something of an epidemic in the UK, with almost one in five people in the country getting insufficient sleep, according to the charity Mental Health UK. But it isn't just nodding off which is the problem but actually staying asleep. According to the not-for-profit Benenden Health, which recently commissioned a sleep survey of 2,000 adults across the country, half of those aged 55 and over are woken in the night by the need to go to the toilet; while either ambient noise, snoring, job stress or general anxiety led to sleep disruptions in anywhere between 13 and 30 per cent of the respondents. Unsurprisingly, this isn't good for our long-term health, with sleep quality being just as important as the number of hours we spend in bed. Last year, a major study published in the scientific journal Neurology, found that people who experience disrupted sleep during their 30s and 40s, a time when many are either juggling young families or busy work-life patterns, are more likely to suffer from memory loss or cognitive decline later in life. So why do so many of us struggle to get adequate shut-eye? According to Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, lifestyle and physical lead for the Royal College of GPs, sleep is complex: during the night, we repeatedly cycle between various phases, from light to deep and finally to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep where most dreaming occurs. 'When we sleep, each 90-minute cycle moves through various stages and depths in terms of how unconscious we are,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. 'If you manage to get into the deeper phases of sleep, not much will wake you up. But it's between the sleep cycles [or in the lighter phases] that you're more likely to be disturbed.' So, assuming that you go to bed at 10pm, what are some of the common disruptors which can affect you at various times of the night? Why you wake up in the first two hours (10pm to midnight) Dr Al-Zubaidi points out that the beginning of the night is actually the most critical, because at this point each sleep cycle is quite short, making you more susceptible to being woken up again. '[During] the first early cycles, you only get brief moments in deep sleep, around 10 to 15 minutes,' he says. 'It's only if your sleep stays uninterrupted that you can get to cycles four or five, where you start getting those much longer periods of deep sleep. But if you're woken up in that early stage, then everything resets again.' Too much screen time before bed According to Dr Virginia Skiba, a sleep medicine specialist at Henry Ford Health and spokesperson for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, research suggests that blue light emitted from our phones, tablets or laptops can suppress levels of melatonin, the sleep hormone, making it both harder to drift off in the early part of the night and harder to stay asleep when you do. ' Disconnect from electronics at least 30 minutes to an hour before bed,' advises Dr Skiba. 'Instead of using your phone before bed, I recommend finding something that helps you relax and wind down, such as reading a book, colouring or listening to relaxing music. Wearing blue light glasses in the evening [while watching TV or on your phone] may help regulate melatonin production in some individuals, but the findings are mixed.' Feeling too hot Something else which can wake us during the first hour or two in bed is simply being too hot. 'The body uses temperature as a sleep-triggering signal,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. 'When it notices a drop in temperature, it will release hormones which make you feel sleepy. And so it can be very difficult to try to go to sleep or maintain sleep if you're feeling quite warm.' This is why the old trick of accessing the cold side of the pillow can help you nod off, because it gives the body the cooling trigger it needs to access deeper sleep. 'Another trick is to open the window before going to bed, or spraying a little bit of cold water on your bedsheets, just to bring the temperature down,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. Why you don't sleep well between midnight and 6am At the start of each 90-minute sleep cycle, the body returns to lighter phases where you're more aware or you might move around. 'You're technically asleep, but you're still feeling things, you've got active control of what's going on, your brain's just in a lighter activity mode,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. 'So it's in those moments that you'll notice that painful shoulder, or the need to wee which might trigger you to wake up.' Needing to wee As we get older, more and more of us start to experience the call of nature in the middle of the night. But Dr Skiba says that this can be exacerbated by drinking too much fluid in the evening. 'I recommend reducing fluid intake around one to two hours before bedtime,' she says. If you're not consuming excess fluid in the evening, but still waking up to use the bathroom multiple times a night, Dr Skiba suggests getting checked for obstructive sleep apnoea. This is when your breathing stops and starts, causing you to wake up momentarily, which then makes you aware that your bladder needs emptying. According to the NHS, waking up multiple times per night to urinate can be a sign of obstructive sleep apnoea. Eating too late at night Studies have shown that eating dinner late in the evening can make you more vulnerable to sleep disruption as the body's digestive processes will be interfering with your circadian rhythms. 'This can lead to heartburn or acid reflux since stomach acid can flow back into the oesophagus when you lay down too soon after eating,' says Dr Skiba. 'Try and have your last meal around two to three hours before bed. If you're still hungry late at night, avoid eating a large, unhealthy meal and grab a light snack like a banana, yogurt or a handful of nuts.' Drinking alcohol Alcohol is great for relaxation and sometimes makes it easier to fall asleep quicker, but research has shown that it causes problems later in the night as it reduces the duration of the REM sleep phase, meaning that our sleep tends to be lighter and more prone to disruption. 'As a diuretic, alcohol also increases the need to urinate, leading to more trips to the bathroom during the night,' says Dr Cheryl Lythgoe, advanced nurse practitioner at Benenden Health. 'To allow your body enough time to metabolise the alcohol and reduce its detrimental effect on sleep, it's best to avoid alcohol at least three hours before bedtime.' Vitamin deficiencies According to Dr Lythgoe, persistent sleep disruptions in the middle of the night can also be a sign of various nutritional deficiencies, including magnesium, iron, calcium and vitamin D. ' Magnesium is crucial for muscle relaxation and neurotransmitter function, and a deficiency can cause restless sleep,' she says. 'Similarly, low levels of vitamin D are linked to poor sleep quality and quantity. Iron deficiency may cause restless leg syndrome, while calcium helps the brain produce melatonin and its deficiency can affect sleep quality.' To address this, she recommends trying to follow a more nutrient-rich diet. 'The Mediterranean diet for example, which is rich in magnesium, calcium and tryptophan, has been linked to better sleep quality and fewer insomnia symptoms,' she says. Sleep apnoea Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), where breathing repeatedly stops and starts, sometimes dozens or hundreds of times, is one of the few things which can wake you up during the deepest sleep phases. It occurs because the muscles in the back of the throat relax too much, causing the airway to either narrow or collapse. Snoring can be a telltale sign, but not everyone with OSA snores, and not everyone who snores has OSA. 'People often wake up in the middle of the night, puffing or choking,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. 'As a result, people with OSA have terrible sleep and they often need to use CPAP [continuous positive air pressure] machines to recreate the pressure in the airway, which is normally there when they're awake.' However, if you're suffering from sleep apnoea, Dr Lythgoe says that addressing congestion in your sinuses through nasal sprays, losing weight or simply changing your sleeping position can make a big difference. 'It's more prevalent in those who are overweight and have a neck size greater than 40.6cm,' she says. 'It's also more common in older men, smokers, regular alcohol drinkers and people who sleep on their backs. Maintaining a healthy weight and regular movement is the first thing I'd recommend. I'd then suggest avoiding alcohol, cigarettes, vapes or sedative type medications as these can all relax the muscles in the throat, increasing the likelihood of airway obstructions [during sleep].' Why you can't sleep after 4 or 5am Low mood Researchers have found that people who suffer from anxiety or depression, have a greater tendency to wake at an abnormally early time in the morning, curtailing their sleep. 'We know this is a very clear symptom of depression and there are lots of theories as to why this happens,' says Dr Al-Zubaidi. 'One idea is that for most of human existence, if you were depressed, that would be associated with a survival risk – you couldn't find food, you were under threat from another tribe – and so waking early was a way to help you mitigate that threat.' If you're repeatedly waking two or three hours earlier than normal with symptoms of anxiety or low mood, Dr Al-Zubaidi recommends trying to find different ways to manage or compartmentalise your thoughts. 'It could be setting aside time for journaling or writing down the things that you're worried or nervous about to try and 'time-box' all of that to a different part of the day,' he says. 'So for example, maybe at 8 or 9am, you set aside 15 minutes for jotting down those anxieties and giving yourself the space to ruminate, but at a time which isn't at night. And of course it's also important to try and support the depression symptoms by maybe getting active and trying to improve nutrition.'
