The Exhaustion Epidemic and How to feel great again

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08 May 2009

According to Frank Lipman, medical doctor and author of Spent? End Exhaustion & Feel Great Again an exhaustion epidemic is spreading throughout the developed world. Frank Lipman, is the founder and director of the Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City, where his personal blend of Western and alternative medicine has helped thousands of people recover their energy and zest for life. Lipman suggests that people are not just a little run down from stress and overwork but are totally ‘spent’.

Deborah Agulnik, from The Guardian, met Lipman in New York. He claims that ‘spent’, is a result of "the way we live our lives today - it's our bodies saying, 'Enough, we can't do it any more.' Everyone who comes to me is exhausted. They often don't complain of exhaustion; they may come with back pain, headaches, insomnia, or no sex drive but, when you delve into their histories, they're all exhausted."
Lipman is using a holistic approach to help people to relax, sleep and banish the feeling of constant exhaustion that so many people suffer from.

Having a good night's sleep is key to Lipman's approach. He suggests an "electronic sundown" at 10pm at the end of the day whereby all computers, mobile phones and TVs are turned off so allow the transition into sleep to take place. ‘Keep your bedroom cool and totally dark - "like a cave," he says - with LED alarm clocks covered up or even disposed of, blackout blinds installed or eye-masks donned’. This is to help keep night-time melatonin production going. Lipman also advises not to turn the bathroom light on if you go to the toilet in the middle of the night as this will fool the body into thinking it's morning again and turn off the melatonin. Melatonin plays a key role in inducing sleep and regulating our body's internal body clocks or circadian rhythms.

Lipman likens the circadian cycle to Greenwich Mean Time: "Our body clocks are set precisely to these natural rhythms." Modern life, he says, is fatally disruptive; late nights, processed food, and sedentary living all contribute to a kind of lifestyle jet lag. But crucially, he says, "when prompted correctly, our genetic clocks can reset themselves." He thinks, for example, we should strive to return to a seasonally-oriented lifestyle, sleeping longer in the winter and shorter in the summer. Natural light is also vital. "I encourage all my patients, even in winter, to get outside. The light will help you sleep and definitely helps your body."

Diet is just as important as sleep and breakfast and lunch should be our largest meals in the day as human metabolism peaks around the middle of the day and dinner should be a light meal as our metabolism slows in the evening. We should also cut out sugar, caffeine, alcohol and processed foods.

Regular exercise is important too and Lipman promotes moderation, focusing on yoga and simple exercise programmes designed to retrain our bodies to rest and recover, such as half an hour of alternating a minute's brisk walking with three minutes of relaxed walking. Moderate exercise such as walking is therapeutic to ones wellbeing and helps aid sleep.

Work is the greatest factor which depletes people of energy and causes stress. Lipman suggests having five minutes of eyes-closed meditation throughout the working day to calm the mind. Music can also be a great calmer.

According to Lipman the greatest influence on people's wellbeing comes from "intangibles": community, friends, family, love and meaning. Humans are isolated in our so called ‘developed’ society – we have become more and more removed from the sense of community typical of the developing world such as in Africa and India and smaller communities such as those of the now depleted Amazonian tribes. We can learn from tribal communities – everyone is included in the community and people have a sense of belonging and purpose not always known in the developed world. Helping and caring for others can be a positive boost to our spirit and wellbeing and can help us to learn how to care for ourselves and be part of the community.