Wellbeing is something we all aspire to, but it’s also something that we need to work at.

Fortunately, by simply being mindful and becoming attuned to our five senses, we can learn to improve our wellbeing in all manner of ways.

The link between wellbeing and our five senses

Our brains are responsible for processing the information fed to them by our five senses, and interpreting what we see, feel, hear, taste and smell can have a direct impact on our wellbeing:

Wellbeing and sight

Sight can be linked directly to one of the four main pillars of health – eating well. It’s often said that we eat with our eyes, which is why a plate of different coloured foods will be more appealing to most people than a plate containing just one coloured food.¹ A study even found that by using brightly coloured plates, older people were around 30% more likely to consume a little bit more food!²                    

Wellbeing and taste

Taste and smell are very much linked, with around 80% of what our brain interprets as a taste sensation actually coming from our sense of smell. We are capable of recognising millions of different odours, but when it comes to taste, without the added clues given to us by sight, smell and texture, we are only capable of distinguishing whether something is salty, sweet, bitter, sour or savoury. So how can taste by itself lead to better wellbeing? One way is that people who are sensitive to bitterness are likely to be more selective about what they eat and avoid things higher in sugars and fats, which often have a greater degree of bitterness. Another is that studies have shown that sweet tastes can distract against physical discomfort – think about giving a child a sweet to suck on before an injection, for example.³

Wellbeing and sound

Our ability to interpret sounds alerts us to danger – the beep of a car horn, the shrill of a fire alarm or the siren of an ambulance, for example. Sounds can also be used to assist in healing though, largely because music reduces stress and anxiety. Research has also shown that physical therapy patients recover better when certain sounds are played during various points of their therapy.⁴

Wellbeing and touch

Touch is one of the most powerful tools we have available to us in terms of our own wellbeing. Whether it’s the embrace of a loved one, or the stroke of a pet, the simple act of touch has been shown in studies to lead to a reduction in anxiety and to improve sleeping patterns.⁵

Wellbeing and smell

Smell is not just something that is associated with pleasure or displeasure but can be an early indication of the manifestation of certain health problems. For example, studies have shown that a decline in your ability to smell could be a predictor of Alzheimer’s.⁶ More recently, a loss of smell has been cited as an indication that you may have been infected with the Covid-19 virus.

The link between our senses, and the four pillars of health

We view health and wellbeing as something that can be broadly split into four pillars, with each of them needing to be balanced in order to keep us healthy – our senses are strongly influential in each of them:

Eating well

Sight, taste and smell are all important in ensuring we eat well. From being visually drawn towards colourful foods, to avoiding foods that have gone off and are smelling bad, our sense helps us to get the balanced diets our bodies need.

State of mind

Pleasure can be felt by experiencing human touch, but our state of mind is also influenced by our other senses. Smells can evoke happy memories, sounds can bring us joy and there is nothing better than the taste of a hot drink on a cold day to make us feel comforted.

Staying active

Staying active is important for all aspects of our wellbeing and relying on our senses can make it easier and more enjoyable. Rather than viewing a walk as a chore, you might instead stroll along a seafront or through a forest, allowing your eyes to take in the sights, your nose to take in the new smells and your ears to enjoy the sounds of the birds in the trees.

Nutritional supplementation

With good nutritional supplementation, you can make sure you are consuming everything you need for good health, taking an empowered approach to your nutritional needs.

By remembering the four pillars of good health and being mindful about how your senses can help us experience them to their fullest, you are putting yourself on the pathway to a balanced state of wellbeing.

1. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1068/p7040 [↩]
2. https://elemental.medium.com/want-to-get-healthier-hack-your-five-senses-ddc9e749c41b [↩]
3. https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=M1kNCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=taste+wellbeing&ots=QMOL9-QtnT&sig=ADjZWhgz6Pl0LfFC_g3CcCy2oQQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=taste%20wellbeing&f=false [↩]
4. https://journals.lww.com/hnpjournal/Abstract/2004/05000/Vibroacoustic_Sound_Therapy_Improves_Pain.2.aspx [↩]
5. https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/INFORMIT.421000020411926 [↩]
6. https://search.proquest.com/openview/9bb25f8aec2ed382fcdff8a9db42a32d/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=31252 [↩]

A crisp fall morning may call for a pumpkin spice coffee and a snowy winter afternoon can mean hot chocolate all around, but mindful hydration in cooler months should go beyond the occasional seasonal beverage.

Hydration is important all year long. Not only does it help your overall sense of wellbeing, but specific benefits include:

• washing out of waste
• transportation of more nutrients throughout the body
• flushing of kidneys and lymphs
• movement of blood through the cardiovascular system
• regulated elimination process with prevention of constipation
• supple skin for resistance to infection
• moist mucus membranes in the nose and mouth for less risk of sickness

Keep in mind that even though sweat may not be as apparent this time of year, hydration is just as important in cooler months as it is in hotter ones.

Ideally, daily hydration intake should be at least half of your body weight in ounces plus an additional 8 ounces for every 30 minutes of activity (such as a workout, walk, yoga session, etc.). 

This can include a variety of liquids, although filtered water and herbal tea are most optimal.

Here are five ways to properly hydrate in fall and winter, helping you to feel your best.

1. Hydrate first thing in the morning. As soon as the alarm clock goes off, enjoy a full glass of fresh water. This can help replenish the loss of liquids from sweating and detoxification that may have occurred during sleep.

2. Drink warm beverages. Opposite of the temperatures outside, cooler months beg for consumption of warmer liquids. Opt for herbal teas and coffee that bring cosy comfort to the body for an easy warm up.

3. Cook more broths and soups. Packed with nutrients as well as fluids, a cup of homemade bone broth or a bowl of your favourite soup can offer the body sustaining nourishment and hydration at the same time.

4. Keep popsicles on hand. Autumn and winter are cold and flu seasons, which makes hydration even more important. For when sickness hits, have herbal or electrolyte popsicles available in the freezer (particularly helpful for kids).

5. Eat water-based foods. Greens and apples in fall followed by citrus in winter are all examples of foods that provide hydration.

Although liquids can be enjoyed any time of the day, a few tips to keep in mind are:

• Drink most fluids outside of a meal; a small amount of liquid can be consumed with food, but not too much as it can dilute digestive acids and enzymes
• Reduce liquid intake 3 to 4 hours before bedtime if urination is disruptive during sleep
• Eliminate caffeinated beverages at least 6 to 11 hours prior to bedtime for less interrupted sleep

Hydration may seem like a simple concept – and in some ways it is – however, it is one that has a variety of positive effects on the body so conscious choices can make a big difference.

Are you thirsty yet?

REFERENCES:

https://www.sleep.org/how-much-caffeine-should-i-have/

https://frontlineerdallas.com/10-tips-for-staying-hydrated-during-fall

When COVID-19 was first discovered, its main symptoms were quickly learned – a persistent cough, a temperature and a loss of taste or smell being the main ones.

What isn’t as well-known though, are the symptoms associated with long term COVID.  

What is long COVID?

Long COVID is the term given for the series of symptoms you may continue suffering from once you have recovered from the initial COVID infection. Studies to date have shown that long COVID symptoms may be wide ranging and varied, often reappearing and then disappearing again in a series of waves. While symptoms can be new, many long COVID symptoms are similar to those you might experience during the initial infection and can include:

• Extreme tiredness (fatigue)
• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain or tightness
• Problems with memory and concentration (“brain fog”)
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Heart palpitations
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Pins and needles
• Joint pain
• Depression and anxiety
• Tinnitus, earaches
• Feeling sick, diarrhoea, stomach aches, loss of appetite
• A high temperature, cough, headaches, sore throat, changes to sense of smell or taste
• Rashes

How common is long COVID?

If you have had COVID-19, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to get long COVID too. Statistically, you are more likely to suffer if you are female and younger than 70, with symptoms five weeks after testing positive being the highest in the 35-49 age bracket. This still doesn’t mean that you will necessarily suffer from it though¹

Just how ‘long’ is long COVID?

With a relatively new virus, it’s understandable that the answer to this is not always clear. We are still learning how long it can take to recover from COVID-19, but if you have been experiencing symptoms for more than 4-weeks, or have started experiencing new symptoms, it’s possible that you have long term COVID.²

From statistics currently available, it seems that people may suffer from long COVID for as long as, and in some cases longer than, 6-months.³

In the UK, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that almost 700,000 people experienced long COVID for at least 12 weeks and of those, almost 475,000 experienced it for over 6 months. In fact, around 70,000 were still experiencing symptoms one year after the initial infection.⁴

What to do if you think you have long COVID

As there are multiple symptoms, it’s always wise to speak to a medical professional to rule out any other conditions before diagnosing yourself with long COVID. Depending on your symptoms you might be given blood tests, blood pressure and heart checks or x-rays.

There is no specific treatment for long COVID, but there are positive steps you can take to manage your symptoms. The NHS has launched a long COVID service which offers advice on where to find support.⁵

This recovery service recognises the importance of looking after your physical and mental wellbeing and helps with managing your symptoms, getting back into physical activity and focusing on your diet. It’s important to be kind to yourself and pace yourself physically, without feeling pressure to get back into things too quickly. Tell your friends and family how you are feeling and if you find some days harder than others, tell them that too. Recovery from COVID can be unpredictable but try to stay strong and positive. You beat the initial infection and given time; you will start to feel yourself again.

1. Prevalence of ongoing symptoms following coronavirus (COVID-19) infection in the UK: 1 April 2021 [↩]
2. Long Covid: the symptoms and tips for recovery [↩]
3. https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/themedreview/living-with-COVID19-second-review/ [↩]
4. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/prevalenceofongoingsymptomsfollowingcoronaviruscovid19infectionintheuk/1april2021 [↩]
5. https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/ [↩]