Hi. Just wondering if anyone has had any improvement in anxiety and sleep problems by following the diet suggestions?

I have a number of chronic mental health conditions, including anxiety and insomnia. My work background is healthcare: first allied to medicine (pharmacy/ research labs), later retraining in lifestyle modification (physical activity/ nutrition).

The wholefood diet I planned for myself was not dissimilar to Clever Guts, tho there was more emphasis on foods supplying micronutrients lacking in the western diet and key in mental health. In particular long chain omega-3s and vitamin D (oily fish, organic eggs) and magnesium (various seeds, very dark chocolate/ cocoa).

The similarities included being moderate carbohydrate/ low grain/ no added sugars, nine servings of low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables each day, plenty of other fibre and mineral rich foods (certain nuts, seeds, beans, lentils), live yoghurt and a freeze dried probiotic supplement (Lactobacillus, Bifida sp).

I enjoy traditional aged cheeses but was minimising saturated animal fats at that time, so not daily. No other fermented foods that I can remember. So overall a prebiotic rich but not probiotic rich diet.

Alongside that daily physical activity (easy pace walking) *very slowly* working up to four hours a week of moderate to intense formal exercise (various gym classes) I improved my physical and mental health enough to be able to work and study again.

I had many clients improve their mental health (most often depression and stress/ anxiety) through targeted diet and lifestyle modification, tho much less ‘hardcore’ than mine ended up!

I am convinced some of the improvements are to do with taking control/ ownership of our health, and gaining confidence/ self belief.

Thanks Firefox7275. Do you take antidepressants in addition to the lifestyle and diet approach? I have been very well on antidepressants for 4 years since my first anxiety/depressive episode but they seem to have suddenly stopped working. I exercise every day and have a reasonable diet, but wondering if taking the biome approach will help me in the long term.

Yes I take a sedating antidepressant: currently amitriptyline (100mg at night), but previously mirtazepine (45mg at night).

At times of great stress/ anxiety I am prescrined a very low dose beta blocker (propranolol 20mg as needed).

Depending on intensity daily formal exercise can be counter productive. The body needs time to repair and regenerate; failure to do this can lead to overreaching and even overtraining syndrome. Interestingly the symptoms may include sleep problems and low mood.

In addition exercise can substantially increase the need for every nutrient (vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, protein etc). Lastly we sweat out minerals/ electrolytes, including magnesium.

So a properly balanced, very varied, nutrient dense diet is key in exercising for health.

The starting point is your detailed food and symptom diary (Clever Guts book p.187). Weigh and measure everything, or you cannot assess your true intake of any individual foodstuff, food type/ group or nutrient.

Supplements may also be of benefit, but any regime should be personalised and carefully targeted. Please discuss with a health professional who has access to your food diary and medical history.

Hope that helps!

Thanks for responding Firefox7275 – appreciate your input.

I have problems getting to sleep and quality of sleep. I’ve read all the usual stuff about not using computers, exercising etc in the hours before bed.
I did 5:2 for a few months and lost weight, but my total cholesterol rose, so I have now altered things a bit.
I now follow the 16:8 fasting option starting late morning, as I am never hungry in the early mornings.
I need to further tweak this as I am an evening eater without an “off” switch. I am going to try really hard not to eat or drink, especially alcohol, after 7 p.m. That gives me several hours before bed. I will be interested to see if it improves my quality of sleep.

I’ll be interested in hearing how you go with the 16:8 optionMeredithAnne. I think it would be a better option for me than the 5:2.

Hi MeredithAnne if you are happy posting a fair amount of detail on your health status, diet, exercise status and any ongoing prescribed meds I might be able to make a few suggestions. Almost always in these cases the devil is in the detail..

Hey, I agree with you, diet plays a very important role in balancing the body and give adequate sleep. The tips given here about the healthy diet are very useful. Lack of sleep result into anxiety, depression and stress, which affects the body and mind. It becomes really important to get the peace of mind in order to come out of such situation. Consuming pills can give a temporary relief, but there are other ways like healthy diet, exercise and talking to some experts like the http://www.martine-voyance.com who help in getting positivity in life.

You know marijuana can cure some of the illness including my depressive disorder and anxiety, I am suffering it for almost 2 yrs now since my 1st born child past away. By the way, it happened when I am 16 yrs old. Yes, I am very young at that time. That’s why i don’t know what will happen to me that time. I can’t really imagine why she left me that fast. I know its kinda weird but I try to use MJ as my relief for what happens to me and I think it helps me a lot just what I read on this article https://www.greenmed.io/blog/cbd-treat-anxiety-new-study-aims-find/.

Hi @kinemeperut, I understand it must have been so distressing and painful to lose your baby. As a psychologist who treats people with substance use disorder, I would like to encourage you to seek professional help as research shows marijuana doesn’t cure depression or anxiety but ultimately makes the symptoms worse and creates other health problems. Most people develop a tolerance for the amount they are using and have to keep using more and more to obtain the same results. Many people smoke marijuana mixed with tobacco and this has well-known impacts on your health. There is also the risk of drug-induced psychosis. Your GP can refer you to a service to help you with your substance use, grief, depression and anxiety. Good luck.

Hi! I’ve experience anxiety and those sleepless night but I’ve tried to include matcha green tea to my die. For the first cups of tea, I needed to adjust since that I’m not a fan of tea. But after I visited one site I learn different kinds of recipe and I found the right one for me, to know different kinds of recipe visit this link https://blog.piquetea.com/matcha-green-tea/

I just wanna share my experience in medical marijuana and it helps me deal with my health conditions. I’ve been suffering from chronic pain for how many years, but then when I learned that medical marijuana can help and cure sickness such mine like this article about a marijuana kylekushman.com/topic/still-getting-yellowing-around-week-4-5/ CBD and THC are also new to me and I don’t even smoke. If this is true I can’t find any solid conclusive evidence that speaks to its efficacy.

Yes, anxiety and sleeping disorders are such a nuisance. They affect our lives and work. Magnesium plays a vital role in primary insomnia, for those who are suffering from it can try it as a night time regime.

Hello, your thanks for sharing your post. According to researches, data shows the effects of sleep deprivation which is a link to weight. There is a variety of food intake that should be followed which is helpful and improve your sleeping habits.