The Perks of Feeling Thankful
Let’s face it. There are times when thankfulness can be the last thing on your mind. Afterall, the brain is wired to problem-solve, not for appreciation. But making the effort to practice gratitude can yield big rewards for our mental and physical health. As Amanda Logan, APRN, C.N.P. points out in the Mayo Clinic’s Speaking Health series: “Behavior changes biology.” What’s more, gratitude has been shown to improve sleep, mood, and immunity. It is also known for decreasing anxiety and depression, while also helping to alleviate chronic pain and lowering your risk of disease.1
Sound too good to be true? Let’s have a look at what the science has to say.
Science-Backed Benefits
A study published in the journal Emotion involving 61 women between the ages of 35-50 were randomly given either a six-week gratitude practice or a simple writing activity.2 The gratitude group received weekly prompts to write about someone they were grateful for, whereas the control group were assigned a neutral writing topic, such as about the longest they had walked that day.
Each of the participants reported before and after the six weeks how much they offered or received support from others. They also gave a blood sample to measure the level of inflammatory cytokines (interleukin 6 and necrosis factor-α) that indicate chronic disease. What the researchers discovered after analyzing the data is surprising.
Those given the gratitude exercise were found to engage more in supportive care of others, but the team didn’t detect an overall drop in cytokine levels that would indicate a boost in immunity for the group. However, what they did find after digging deeper is that those participants who engaged in more supportive care had lower levels of interleukin 6 and better immune function regardless of if they were in the gratitude or the control group. This lead the researchers to conclude that “[g]ratitude could affect inflammation, perhaps, but only if it leads to more support for others.”3
Gratitude can also help you to sleep better. In one study involving 401 participants where 40 percent had clinical sleep disorders, those who expressed gratitude regularly reported they were able to fall asleep more quickly, sleep longer, had better quality of sleep, and were less sleepy during the day. The researchers note that those who were more grateful tended to have fewer negative thoughts at bedtime and more positive thinking, leading the researchers to conclude that gratitude was a key element for promoting healthier sleep patterns.5
Interested in learning more about the benefits of gratitude for relationships, career, and even living more sustainably? See these posts.
Simple Methods for Bringing More Gratitude Into Your Life
Logan suggests keeping your acts of gratitude simple so that it is something you can practice everyday. Take for example beginning your day by thinking about someone you are grateful for when you wake up. It could be anyone from a family member to a coworker or that friendly barista who serves up your morning coffee with a smile. When you cross paths with the person later on you then thank them with an appreciative text, note, or kind word. It’s that simple!
If you would like to take it up a notch, you can keep a daily gratitude journal by writing down 3 things you are grateful for at the beginning and end of each day. You can also use what is called the subtraction method to protect against taking aspects of your life for granted. This is a great technique to use when you aren’t feeling particularly thankful.
The essence of the practice is to pick something good in your life, such as a spouse, child, career, friendship, home, etc., and imagine what your life would be like without it. Once you have a clear picture, jump back to the present and savor that aspect for the blessing it truly is. Another practice is to look back on your life and write about what you are most grateful for.
Lastly, you can choose how you would like your day to unfold first thing when you wake up by asking yourself, “How do I want to live my life today? In a rush taking everything for granted or striving towards appreciation and contentment?”
While these ideas are helpful for getting the ball rolling, sometimes we need a solid support structure for our gratitude journey. As luck would have it, the Mayo Clinic offers a free self-guided virtual program called “Discover Gratitude”4 to improve mental well-being through journaling. It’s a great way to keep you motivated!
Plant-Based Solutions: Sleep, Anxiety, Stress, and Immunity
Even with the best of intentions, we can find ourselves still struggling with stress, anxiety, poor immune function, and sleep issues. If you need an extra level of support that goes hand-in-hand with your gratitude practice, three herbal medicines in my apothecary can help: Anxiety & Stress Blend, Eastern Blend, and Sleep Blend.
Our Anxiety & Stress Blend helps the body adapt to stress, calms the nervous system, and relieves anxiety, depression, and stress-related insomnia. It improves cognitive function and lowers inflammation for optimal brain health. It can be used up to 3x daily, including at night if anxious thoughts are keeping you awake. If you need a blend purely for sleep, please see our Sleep Blend below.
A NATURAL WAY TO RELAX
“So nice to have a natural way to relax without prescriptions! Love it!! I will be buying more!!” -Angeles
For powerful immune defense, there is no better option than our Eastern Blend. It is a potent formulation of Chinese skullcap, Japanese honeysuckle, Japanese knotweed, and cordyceps mushroom. These research-backed herbs address a wide-range of health concerns, including: viral and bacterial infections, respiratory illness, Lyme disease, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular issues and more. It is also anti-inflammatory and helps to boost/modulate the immune system.
THE BEST ANTI-VIRAL AROUND
“Best anti-viral I have found for today’s times. My entire family has been using this. Those of us who use it preventatively haven’t gotten sick (!) and those who got sick got well SOON. This is a hidden gem and we even got this for all of our employees to keep them healthy. Thank you!” -Tracy
If you struggle with poor sleep, our Sleep Blend is for you. Containing concentrated extracts of valerian root, hops, chamomile, and passion flower, it is formulated to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. This potent blend boosts production of GABA, a calming brain chemical that promotes quality sleep. It also assists in improving sleep issues connected with menopause.
A GAME-CHANGER
“I tired quickly, slept soundly and no tossing or turning. Very nice change compared to nights before without it. And without the side effects of man-made “treatments” called prescriptions.” -Lynn
There is no better time than now to address anxiety and stress, contagious illness, and poor sleep. Stop by the apothecary today to learn how these powerful, all-natural formulations can help!
Nicole Apelian
Nicole’s Apothecary Products in this Post
Anxiety & Stress Tincture
Eastern Blend Defense Tincture
Sleep Blend Tincture
References
- Kawamoto, Y., Ueno, Y., Nakahashi, E., Obayashi, M., Sugihara, K., Qiao, S., Iida, M., Kumasaka, M. Y., Yajima, I., Goto, Y., Ohgami, N., Kato, M., & Takeda, K. (2016). Prevention of allergic rhinitis by ginger and the molecular basis of immunosuppression by 6-gingerol through T cell inactivation. The Journal of nutritional biochemistry, 27, 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2015.08.025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26403321/
- “Can expressing gratitude improve your mental, physical health?” Speaking of Health, Mayo Clinic, December 6, 2022. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/can-expressing-gratitude-improve-health
- Moieni, M., Irwin, M. R., Haltom, K. E. B., Jevtic, I., Meyer, M. L., Breen, E. C., Cole, S. W., & Eisenberger, N. I. (2019). Exploring the role of gratitude and support-giving on inflammatory outcomes. Emotion, 19(6), 939–949. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000472
- “Does Practicing Gratitude Help Your Immune System?” by Jill Suttie, Greater Good Magazine: Science-Based Insights for a Meaningful Life, August 9th, 2021. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/does_practicing_gratitude_help_your_immune_system
- Mayo Clinic Health System: Discover Gratitude. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/wellness/gratitude
- Wood, A. M., Joseph, S., Lloyd, J., & Atkins, S. (2009). Gratitude influences sleep through the mechanism of pre-sleep cognitions. Journal of psychosomatic research, 66(1), 43–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2008.09.002
