Coming back FROM COVID

Refresh your health and immunity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by following this expert advice

- TANYA PEAREY

What a two-year period it’s been. We’ve been on emergency mode for much of it but now the pandemic appears to be retreating, it’s time to take stock of our health – and get it back on track.

Research suggests that many of us have found comfort in food – a third of us gained between one and two stone during lockdown, according to a recent report*. Many of us are drinking more, feeling more stressed, and experiencing more back pain and sleep problems. Our immune systems have taken a battering and need a reboot.

It all sounds like a tall order but it needn’t be, says clinical nutritionist Suzie Sawyer. ‘Simple strategies can make a difference to immune support, such as eating a healthy diet, using the right supplements and boosting gut health with a probiotic.’

And so bed...

Getting enough sleep is crucial to good health generally, and in terms of mental wellbeing and weight specifically.

‘Sleep deprivation affects brain function,’ says Suzie. ‘It also increases levels of the stress hormone cortisol by as much as 37% the next day.’ This not only means we feel more anxious but that we’re more likely to turn to comfort food to feel better. ‘Cortisol affects the production of our satiety hormones leptin and ghrelin,’ Suzie explains.

Make time for seven to eight hours’ sleep every night, and improve duration and quality by establishing a nightly no-screen wind-down routine, sticking to the same going-to-bed and getting-up time, and avoiding stimulants such as caffeine, alcohol and vigorous exercise in the three hours before bed.

TRY…