Feb 25, 2020 | Company News, Recovery and Aftercare
Sleep is an incredibly important part of our daily life and plays a huge role in our well-being and general health. When we close our eyes and drift into sleep, our body begins to work to support a healthy brain function and maintain our physical health. After a good night sleep not only do we wake up feeling alert, refreshed and ready for the day ahead, our body is empowered to face any physical and mental challenges we might present it with.
The Power of Sleep
Sleep has amazing health benefits and super-powers. How much and how well you sleep has a big impact on how healthy you are now and in the future.
Sleep contributes to a healthy immune system; in fact, your immune system relies on sleep to remain healthy. Whilst sleeping, your body replenishes the white blood cells that attack bacteria and viruses, helping you fight off any illness and stay strong and healthy. If you are recovering from surgery your body is working hard to heal itself so your white blood cells are vitally important; if you are lacking in sleep this may compromise your body’s ability to fight infection or inflammation following your surgery and hinder a smooth recovery.
If you are preparing for surgery, it makes sense to be in the best possible shape pre-surgery so your body can face the physical challenge ahead; getting plenty of good quality sleep will empower your body to be surgery ready and make a great recovery.
Quality and Quantity
It’s important to not just sleep but sleep well.
During the various stages of sleep, different processes take place that all go towards strength building. One of which is your brain triggering the release of a hormone associated with increased levels of growth; aiding tissue regeneration and repair, this is so beneficial to wound recovery following surgery. Good sleep gives our body the energy it needs to heal and repair itself. During sleep our blood pressure dips, giving our heart muscle a rest, lowering the chance of high blood pressure or heart disease. When tired from not enough sleep, people tend to over-eat and over time this can have longer term effects on your health; sleep levels your hunger hormones and helps regulate eating habits.
We generally need 7-8 hours of regular sleep, but if our sleep is disrupted or cut short, then the body doesn’t get the opportunity to complete all the benefits gained from a good sleep and can hinder your ability recover. We talk to many patients about the importance of sleep and encourage you all to take as much care as possible prior to and after surgery. For you to get back to your pre-surgery routine and start to enjoy the long-term effect of your cosmetic surgery, taking the enough time to rest, recover and renew is essential; a smooth recovery process with plenty of rest and sleep will put you on the right path to start enjoying the new you.
Tricks to a Good Snooze
We all feel that we must keep up with life’s fast pace and keep going no matter how we may feel; slowing down can sometimes feel like a negative thing to do. With the distractions of modern life: social media, work and family pressures it can be hard to “switch off”. However, finding time for a regular rest and sleep pattern in your routine has incredible health benefits.
Here are 4 tips to help you enjoy the health benefits of a good sleep:
1. Stick to a regular sleep schedule and bedtime ritual; your body-clock will find it easier to wind down and sleep if you keep to regular sleep hours.
2. Exercise daily and keeping active can help you sleep well, gentle exercise like Yoga, Pilates or a gentle dog walk.
3. Creating a restful environment, for example, your bedroom temperature, sound and light should be calm, darker and warm. Invest in a good quality mattress and pillow to guarantee your comfort.
4. Avoid late night caffeine or alcohol and turn off all phones, tablets and other gadgets that make you up rather than settle you down.
A well-rested person is more likely to have a speedy healing process and be able to deal with the stresses of recovery. Feel refreshed and energised to start enjoying the new you at the start of a new year.
If you would like to find out about any of the cosmetic surgery procedures or which cosmetic procedure is right for you, please get in touch or visit our website click here.
Mar 7, 2019 | Your Surgery
We have all heard the saying ‘you are what you eat’ and research shows that by choosing to eat a healthy, balanced diet we can improve and optimise our weight, our mood and our health.
Post surgery, it becomes even more vital to make the right food choices to help with wound healing and recovery. The food choices that you make now can enhance or diminish your results and the time it takes to recover from your procedure. Post Surgery Nutrition is more important than you think.
Cosmetic surgery, even a minor procedure, is a stressful event for the body. Metabolic processes in the body are triggered and go into overdrive in an attempt to repair damaged tissue. Providing your body with the right nutrients to fuel repair is vital. Good nutrition will accelerate healing, improve the appearance of scars, prevent infection and reduce inflammation.
During your recovery it is important to focus on having a balanced, healthy diet to provide all of the varied nutrients that your body needs. This is not the time to go on a restrictive diet or weight loss plan. Nor is it necessary to eat excessive amounts of calories to fuel your body during the recovery process. Focus should be on a diet which consists of a balance of the different food groups, as each provides different beneficial nutrients.
We’ve teamed up with registered dietitian Mairi Wilcock, of Stanner Nutrition Clinic in Preston to ask her expert opinion on what constitutes a healthy post- surgery diet. Mairi says…
One of the most important nutrients to aid would healing is protein. People often overlook protein in normal day to day living, so it needs extra careful consideration in the post- operative period. Good sources of protein are eggs, fish, lean meats, pulses such as lentils and beans and also nuts. Protein foods are often high in Iron, which helps to develop red blood cell production and also zinc, which promotes good wound healing. Make sure you include a small amount of protein with every meal you eat to keep it balanced.
Everyone has heard that we should be eating our 5-a-day of fruits and vegetables, however many people overestimate the amounts that they eat and what a portion size really is. My top tip for meeting fruit and vegetable goals is to try to have a hand sized portion of fruits or vegetables with each meal, and have a couple as snacks. Try to get as wide a variety of fruits and vegetables as you possibly can- the nutrient content in fruits and vegetables is very varied and you will get the best nutrition from eating lots of different kinds. Do not eat 5 bananas a day and think that this is good enough!
Many people try to avoid fat as they think it will make them gain weight and that it is bad for your heart. However fats are important for absorption of some important vitamins, also some fats are anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce swelling and inflammation. Focus on including small amounts of healthy fats in your diet, such as those from olive or rapeseed oil, avocado, oily fish or nuts and seeds.
Many people are confused about whether they should be eating carbohydrate foods because of the increased popularity of low carb diets in recent years. While sugary foods such as sweets, cakes and fizzy drinks should be avoided, it is important to include wholegrain starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, rice, pasta and cereals in your diet. These are a rich source of B vitamins, calcium and iron. They also contain fibre, which will help prevent constipation, which can be a side effect of pain medication after surgery.
Dairy foods have also suffered from recent bad press and are frequently avoided. Dairy foods are a rich source of Calcium and vitamins as well as providing protein. If you choose to avoid dairy it is important to choose a replacement which provides these extra nutrients.
Drinking plenty of water is vital in the post op period, it will help your kidneys to flush out waste from your system, keeps your skin supple during wound healing, helps to prevent constipation and helps blood circulation, promoting good wound healing.
If you feel you would benefit from further detailed nutritional advice, don’t hesitate to contact Mairi at enquiries@stanner-nutrition.co.uk or check out the clinic website at; www.stanner-nutrition.co.uk
Your surgeon will provide you with recovery advice and information and will also recommend reduced activity. It is important to understand that nutrition combined with rest and healing time are the ideal way to recover and as always, your aftercare nurse and patient care team are available for help throughout your cosmetic surgery journey. You can call your nurse with the number provided or contact us here
