If you’re anything like us, your diary between now and 2022 is probably starting to look pretty full. Office parties, family gatherings, ‘Friendsmas’ dinners, festive cocktails – the scramble to see everyone during the most wonderful time of the year is in full swing. And we are completely out of…
Expert sleep tips for people who have SAD
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can have a big impact on our ability to get enough sleep. As the nights grow darker, fewer hours of daylight and colder temperatures can have an impact on mood and mental health, and it can also mess with our sleep patterns, with symptoms including disturbed…
Depression and anxiety rife among doctors during first and second wave of COVID-19 pandemic, study finds
High levels of anxiety and depression among medical doctors have been recorded in a new cross-country study that finds Italian doctors most likely to have experienced mental health symptoms during the pandemic. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, measured the mental wellbeing of doctors in Catalonia (Spain),…
Depression and anxiety for IBD patients may be related to vascular barrier in the choroid plexus closing
A team of researchers affiliated with multiple institutions in Italy has found a possible connection between depression and anxiety for IBD patients and the vascular barrier in the brain choroid plexus closing. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes their study of the gut-brain axis response…
Feeling anxious about work tomorrow? Here’s why having a tidy could help
Welcome to Sleepless Nights, Stylist’s weekly series designed to help you swap your anxiety and worries for a good night’s sleep. This week, we’re exploring the surprising anxiety-reducing benefits of tidying up. If you’re someone who struggles with Sunday night anxiety, chances are you get a little restless as the…
Burnout cases 'on the rise' again as more people return to the office
The last few months have seen a return to some semblance of normality after the long disruption and upheaval of the pandemic. While returning to our regular routines is largely a good thing, there is one downside to the mass return to office culture and commuting – burnout is on…
We are facing a rise in mental health problems 'caused by poor sleep'
We all know a poor night’s sleep can make you feel groggy in the morning, but the long-term impacts of frequently sleeping badly could be much more serious. Experts have warned of an upcoming rise in mental health problems caused by sleep issues, in the results of a new study. The study, which surveyed 203 healthcare professionals and…
How to deal with “news anxiety”, according to experts
Do negative news stories and events tend to cause you anxiety long after you’ve finished reading? You could be dealing with a phenomenon psychologists call a “sticky mind”. From the IPCC’s damning report about the impact of climate change to the earthquake in Haiti and the crisis currently unfolding in…
Researchers link PTSD, anxiety fears in women with history of military sexual trauma
A new Veterans Affairs study finds a strong link between PTSD symptom severity and anxiety sensitivity among female Veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma. The researchers say treating the anxiety problem may be a way to ease core PTSD symptoms. Anxiety sensitivity reflects a fear of physical sensations that…
Smartphone-based augmented reality app helps tackle the fear of spiders
Researchers from the University of Basel have developed an augmented reality app for smartphones in order to help people reduce their fear of spiders. The app has already shown itself to be effective in a clinical trial, with subjects experiencing less fear of real spiders after completing just a few…
How to bring more gratitude into your life and improve your mental health
Gratitude is sometimes used as a stick with which to beat someone down. ‘Try to be grateful for how good your life is’, when thrown at someone talking about their experiences of depression, feels immensely dismissive, while ‘you should be grateful’ (whether that’s for a relationship or a job) can…