Readers Digest NZ 11.2021

ART OF LIVING PHOTO: ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS

HOW TO

Find
Peace

ANYTIME,
A N Y PL AC E

Meditation is simpler than it sounds. Follow these
directions from a sceptic who tried and liked it

BY Dan Harris and Jeffrey Warren
WITH Carlye Adler

FROM THE BOOK MEDITATION FOR FIDGETY SKEPTICS

50 november 2021

readersdigest.co.nz 51

READER’S DIGEST

If you had told me as recently as a few
years ago that I would someday become a
travelling proponent for meditation, I would
have coughed my beer up through my nose.

In 2004, I had a panic attack at work. has been an explosion of research
Unfortunately for me, that meant I into meditation, which has been
was in front of millions of people, de- shown to reduce blood pressure,
livering the news, live, on the US tel- boost recovery after your body re-
evision show Good Morning America. leases the stress hormone cortisol,
In the wake of my nationally televised strengthen the immune system, slow
freak-out, I learned that I had undi- age-related atrophy of the brain, and
agnosed depression. For months, I’d mitigate the symptoms of depression
been having trouble getting out of bed and anxiety.
in the morning and felt as if I had a
permanent low-grade fever. Studies also show that medita-
tion can reduce violence in pris-
The panic attack ultimately led me ons, increase productivity in the
to embrace a practice I had always
dismissed as ridiculous. For most Sit and
of my life, to the extent that I’d chill
ever even considered meditation, for a
I ranked it right alongside aura while
readings and new age music.

Further, I figured my
racing type-A mind was
way too busy to ever be
able to commune with
the cosmos. And anyway,
if I got too happy, it would
probably render me com-
pletely ineffective at my
hypercompetitive job.

Two things changed my
mind. The first was the sci-
ence. In recent years, there

52 november 2021

How To Find Peace Anytime, Anyplace

PHOTO: © PE TER DA ZELE Y/GE T T Y IM AGE S workplace, and improve both the Meditation does get easier the
behaviour and the grades of school- longer you keep at it, but even after
children. doing it for years, I get lost all the
time. Here’s a random sample of
Things really get interesting when my mental chatter during a typical
you look at the neuroscience. In re- session:
cent years, researchers have been
peering into the heads of medita- In. Out.
tors, and they have found that the Man, I am feeling antsy.
practice can rewire key parts of the Words that always make me giggle:
brain involved with self-awareness, ointment, pianist.
compassion and resilience. For ex- Wait, what? Come on, man. Back to
ample, one study from the Harvard the breath.
Gazette found that just eight weeks In. Out.
of meditation resulted in measura- Likes: baked goods.
ble decreases in grey matter density Dislikes: fedoras, dream sequences,
in the area of the brain associated that part in techno songs where the
with stress. French accordion kicks in.
Dude. Come. On.
The second thing that changed In. Out.
my mind about meditation is that In.
it does not necessarily entail a lot Alternative jobs: papal nuncio, in-
of the ‘weird’ stuff I feared it might. terpretive dancer, working double
Contrary to popular belief, medita- time on the seduction line ...
tion does not have to involve fold- You get the idea.
ing yourself into a pretzel, joining To give you a sense of exactly how
a group, or wearing special outfits. simple it is, here are the three-step
The word meditation is a little bit like instructions for beginning medita-
the word sports; there are hundreds tion.
of varieties. The type of meditation
discussed here is called mindful- 1Sit comfortably
ness meditation, which is derived It’s best to have your spine rea-
from Buddhism but does not require sonably straight, which may help
adopting a belief system or declaring prevent an involuntary nap. If you
oneself to be a Buddhist. want to sit cross-legged on the floor,
go for it. If not, just sit in a chair, as I
I began my practise slowly, with do. You can close your eyes or, if you
just five to ten minutes a day, which prefer, leave them open and adjust
is what I recommend that everyone your gaze to a neutral point on the
aim for at the start. Frankly, if you ground.
find time for even one minute a day,
you can count that as a win.

readersdigest.co.nz 53

READER’S DIGEST

2Bring your full attention to the Do I need a haircut?
feeling of your breath coming What was Casper the Friendly
in and out Ghost before he died?
Pick a spot where it’s most prominent: This is totally normal. The whole
your chest, your belly or your nostrils. game is to notice when you’re dis-
You’re not thinking about your breath; tracted and begin again. And again.
you’re just feeling the physical sensa- And again.
tions. To help maintain focus, make a It is like a biceps curl for the brain.
quiet mental note on each in breath It is also a radical act: you’re break-
and out breath, like ‘in’ and ‘out.’ ing a lifetime’s habit of walk ing
around in a fog of rumination and
3Every time you catch yourself projection, and instead focusing on
wandering, escort your what’s happening right now.
attention back to the breath People assume they can never
This third step is the key. As soon meditate because they can’t stop
as you try to focus on your breath, thinking. I cannot say this enough:
you’ll start having all sorts of ran- the goal is not to clear your mind but
dom thoughts, such as: to focus your mind – for a few nano-
seconds at a time – and whenever
What’s for lunch?

WHEN YOU’RE READY TO TAKE IT FURTHER

•Count your breaths innumerable ways •Give guided audio PHOTO: LJUPCO/GETTY IMAGES
from one to ten, and the mind can cook up meditations a shot
then start over. Breathe that anything else is Some people wrongly
in, one, then out. supposed to be assume that guided
Breathe in, two, then happening – “just this meditations are a form
out, and so on. breath”. of training wheels – or
•Recite a short phrase •Recruit an image cheating. I disagree.
Some people like to do Sometimes I imagine Instructions are quickly
this to help them stay the in breath as a gentle forgotten, so having
focused. “Just this wave moving up the someone in your ear can
breath” is a good one to beach, pshhhh, and on be really helpful.
try. It reminds us not to the out breath, the wave My advice is to
start anticipating the recedes, sssssshh. experiment with both
next breath, or to think Back and forth. Find a audio and solo
about the last one, or to mental image that meditations and see
imagine in any of the works for you. what works best for you.

54 november 2021

How To Find Peace Anytime, Anyplace

you become distracted, just start me a wider perspective
again. Getting lost and starting and, at times, a taste of
over is not failing at meditation. It is a deep, ineffable un-
succeeding. clenching.

I have been meditating for eight In sum, medita-
years, and I am still plenty ambi- tion empowers you
tious. However, these days I’m not to tap into what lies
as sweaty, agitated and unpleasant beneath or beyond
about it as I used to be. Meditation the ego. Call it crea-
has helped me sort out my useless tivity. Call it your
rumination from what I call con- innate wisdom.
structive anguish. Some people call it
your heart. Ew.
I have learned that the less en-
chanted you are by the voice in FROM THE BOOK You’re
your head, the more you can make MEDITATION FOR FIDGETY done!
room for entirely new thoughts and SKEPTICS BY DAN HARRIS
feelings to emerge. It has enabled AND JEFF WARREN WITH
me to take even more delight in my CARLYE ADLER, © 2017
work, my wife and our son, Alexan- BY DAN HARRIS.
der, who suffuses me with warmth REPRINTED WITH
whether he’s offering me a chicken PERMISSION
nugget or wiping macerated muffin OF JANKLOW
on my sleeve. & NESBIT
ASSOCIATES.
I am less in thrall to my desires ALL
and aversions, which has given RIGHTS
RESERVED.

In Hot Water Over A Cold Treat

It may have been record-breaking heat, but desire for ice
cream still isn’t classed as an emergency, according to the
Canadian Mounties. A 34-year-old man was charged with
dangerous operation of an aircraft after illegallly landing his
bright red helicopter in a high school carpark in the centre of a
small town so his passenger could buy an ice cream cake from
a fast-food shop known for its frozen treats. Temperatures in

Saskatchewan were reaching up to 38°C.

NEWSER

readersdigest.co.nz 55

READER’S DIGEST

56 november 2021

SEE THE WORLD...
Turn the page ››
readersdigest.co.nz 57

READER’S DIGEST

...DIFFERENTLY

58 november 2021

TO KEEP THEIR FEET DRY, these
farmhands float in large boat-like

bowls near Huai‘an, China, to
harvest ‘water caltrop’ – or in the
local lingo, lingjiao. This method
has proven the best way to pick the
‘water chestnuts’, which are the
fruit of a type of aquatic plant that
grows in slow-moving marshes,
ponds or other shallow waters. A
sweet white seed is found in a pink
shell-like pod when freshly picked.
As the pod dries, it darkens and
starts to resemble a bat or a horned
bull’s head. Its sweet flavour makes
these water fruit popular snacks,

and a welcome ingredient in
casseroles – adding a rich autumn

profile to a well-prepared meal.

PHOTOS:ZHOU CHANGGUO/VCG
VIA GETTY IMAGES; (THIS PAGE) HE

JINGHUA/VCG VIA GETTY IMAGES

readersdigest.co.nz 59

READER’S DIGEST

SWEPT
OUT

TO SEA

60 november 2021

DRAMA IN REAL LIFE

A scuba dive on a wild, starless night
quickly descends into a fight to stay alive

BY Diane Godley
ILLUSTRATION BY Marcelo Baez

readersdigest.co.nz 61

READER’S DIGEST

hen the alarm woke Oksana Samkova
on January 12 this year, she rolled over
and looked out her bedroom window to

W check on the weather. That evening she
was heading out on a night dive at Port Noarlunga in
the St Vincent Gulf, 30 kilometres south of Adelaide,
as part of her advanced scuba diving course. Instead
of the calm, sunny day she had hoped for, what she
saw was grey, blustery weather – with the wind so
strong it was sending her outdoor furniture flying.

Oksana in her diving gear. Everything A little panicked, Ukrainian-born PHOTO: COURTESY OKSANA SAMKOVA
was black except for the fins Oksana called the diving company
to find out if the night dive had been
62 november 2021 called off. But they assured her that
the weather would settle down. The
dive would go ahead.

That evening at sunset, around
8.30pm, the group of eight divers
and two instructors gathered at the
Port Noarlunga carpark for the pre-
dive briefing. It was here where they
would be paired up into ‘buddies’, go
through their signals and make sure
everyone had all their equipment.

The wind had not died down, and
the ocean was wild and choppy.
It was high tide, and the reef that
runs parallel to the shore at the end
of the 300-metre long jetty – where
the group was to dive – was being
pounded by waves. On a normal
mid-summer’s evening, there would
be lots of people about; fishing off
the jetty and families eating dinner

Swept Out To Sea

on the beach. Tonight, the divers too heavy in the water and told her to
were all alone. remove some of the weights from the
pockets of her BCD.
The conditions made Oksana nerv-
ous, her skin tingling with apprehen- Tonight, before grabbing her snor-
sion, and her gut feeling told her not kel, mask and fins, and walking to the
to go ahead. Realising she only had end of the jetty, Oksana did some-
one torch instead of the required thing she’d never done before a dive.
two for a night dive, Oksana spoke to She took a selfie. If something happens
the instructors, who assured her she to me, this will be my last photo, she
would be fine as her buddy had two. thought. Then she did what any sane
person would do and dismissed her
Aware that she was nervous, they thoughts as rubbish.
assured her that once they had sub-

IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, THIS
WILL BE MY LAST PHOTO, SHE THOUGHT,

THEN INSTANTLY DISMISSED IT

merged, away from the choppy sur- With the wind still gusting, the di-
face, the water below would be calm. vers walked to the end of the jetty to
the steps, where they were to descend
OKSANA MOVED TO AUSTRALIA with by jumping into the churning black
her two sons five years ago to live her water below. Even with all her gear
dream, and scuba diving was part of weighing her down, the wind nearly
that dream. So she put on her new blew her off the jetty. At this point,
diving gear – a black 7 mm wetsuit Oksana realised with some alarm
to keep out the cold South Australi- that she had left her delayed surface
an water, a black buoyancy control marker buoy (DSMB) in the car – a
device (BCD) with integrated weight brightly coloured inflatable tube that
pockets, and a regulator and oxygen alerts rescuers to your position.
tank. She strapped the torch to her
leg. She’d only dived a few times in By the time they reached the end of
her new equipment, and was still the jetty, it was quite dark. I don’t like
modifying the amount of weight she this, Oksana said to herself. Some-
needed to descend. thing was telling her not to jump. But
seeing most of the group in the water,
On a previous dive, on a calm, sun- she pushed on. A few divers were still
ny day, her instructor thought she was on the jetty, and Oksana asked them

readersdigest.co.nz 63

READER’S DIGEST

to wait until she was in the water be- rip current was pulling her away from
fore they jumped in. She didn’t want the jetty – and the group of divers be-
to be last. low the surface. She tried descending
once more, but again, she couldn’t
With mask and fins on, regulator in get below the surface. Adrenaline was
her mouth, and a little air in her BCD, coursing through her veins, making
she descended the steps. I don’t want her tremble. Oksana was in full panic
to do this, she thought. But I have to. mode now and hyperventilating. The
The group in the water was waiting rip current was pulling her north-
for her to jump. So, she closed her wards, parallel to the shore.
eyes and dropped into the sea.
STILL STRUGGLING to descend and
When the whole group was in the escape the rip current, Oksana started
water, they gave the ‘OK’ signal and inhaling sea water. Gasping for air, she
each diver started releasing the air told herself not to panic, all the while
from their BCD to descend. Usually coughing up water.
they descended vertically, feet first,
but Oksana was having trouble. She Each time she bobbed back up
didn’t have enough weight in the to the surface after another failed
pockets of her BCD, and she couldn’t

UNABLE TO DESCEND OR SWIM OUT OF
THE RIP, SHE WAS STEADILY CARRIED

AROUND THE HEADLAND

get through the tumultuous surface attempt to descend, she noticed that
water. Again and again, she tried to as well as being pulled northwards,
descend, only to find herself bobbing she was being propelled towards the
around on the surface. Each time shore.
she resurfaced, she was more out of
breath and her heart was beating in- With no way to get back to the jet-
creasingly faster. ty, Oksana made a conscious decision
to head to shore. She could see the
Cloud obscured any moonlight, and shoreline and a little further ahead,
the water was jet black. The only light towards the end of the beach, the
came from the jetty. She reached for headland soaring above her.
her little torch; its light was just strong
enough to see fish and to identify her- Given the foul weather, no one was
self underwater. Then she realised a on the shore or jetty to see the faint
light flashing on the surface of the

64 november 2021

Swept Out To Sea

This is a caption this is a caption this is a
caption this is a caption

Port Noarlunga Reef runs parallel to the coast and is a popular spot for scuba divers. On
calm days, the 300-metre-long jetty provides easy access to underwater adventures

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES water. “I was about half a kilometre now about a kilometre-and-a-half
away from the jetty,” recalls Oksana. from the jetty. To save the little air left
“I was so scared.” Unable to descend, in her tank, she abandoned any more
and loaded up with all the heavy div- attempts to descend and let the rip
ing gear, she was unable to swim out take her. I’ll get out at Christies Beach,
of the rip and was steadily being car- she thought. With her faint torch shin-
ried around the headland. ing towards the shore, she hoped her
dive group was looking for her.
At first, she shone her torch towards
the jetty where her group was under- AS AN EMERGENCY OPERATING
water. However, once she was too far
away, she started pointing it towards nurse, Oksana is routinely exposed
the beach, hoping with all her heart to other people’s trauma. She also
that someone was out there on this teaches frontline workers how to
wild night and might see a light. She overcome secondary trauma. With-
had no idea how long she’d been in out even realising it, that night, all
the water. alone in a dark sea, she had begun
to put the strategies she teaches into
With the current still in full swing, practice.
she was carried past the headland
towards the next beach. Oksana was “I was in survival mode,” she says.

readersdigest.co.nz 65

READER’S DIGEST

“I was thinking strategically and Beach, five kilometres from where she
practically.” started.

But once Oksana made it around She pushed the on/off button and,
the headland, the swell was even big- fortuitously, it came back to life. To
ger. Two-metre waves reared up and preserve the battery, she turned it on
crashed over her, pummelling her to the lowest setting, which meant it
like a boxing bag. Swallowing water, gave off only the faintest of light.
coughing and spluttering, she was
terrified and totally exhausted. Oksana didn’t know how long the
torch would last. She’d practically run
Then the rip current changed tack out of air, and she was nowhere near
and was not only pulling her north- the beach. Any fight she had left was
wards, but also further out to sea. also draining away.

When Oksana realised her oxygen Then her thoughts turned to her
tank was close to empty, to preserve two sons, aged 15 and 12. She rallied
the remaining air for an ‘emergen- the last of her strength to keep going.
cy’, she took the regulator out of her All she wanted to do was survive and
mouth and put in the snorkel, then in- see her two boys.
flated her BCD to the max to keep her
afloat. With a black wetsuit and black Gasping for air, she told herself to
breathe steadily and shone her faint

SHE HEARD A BEEPING NOISE
AND REALISED HER TORCH HAD

STOPPED WORKING

BCD, the only chance Oksana had of light towards shore. The torch failed
being found on that very dark starless again. Panicked, Oksana pressed the
night was from her faint torchlight. button over and over until the faint
light reappeared.
Suddenly she heard a beeping
noise. She quickly realised her torch DRIFTING FURTHER OUT TO SEA,
had stopped working. Panicking, she
thought, This can’t be happening. Oksana saw a blue flashing light on
the shore. She had no idea what was
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS TO ME!” she happening there, but she desperately
screamed at the torch, the only thing hoped it was for her.
that could help her get spotted.
Then she saw a light on the water.
Oksana was now about one kilo- Maybe they are coming for me, she
metre from the shore at O’Sullivan

66 november 2021

Swept Out To Sea

“I asked what time it was,

and they said almost mid-

night. I’d been in the water

for over three hours.”

She learnt later that

when her dive group real-

ised she was missing, they

searched below the water,

the jetty, and the carpark.

When they couldn’t find

her, they rang emergency

services.

A police officer went to

the headland and, looking

out to sea, saw a faint light

being carried to the next

beach and radioed in the

Oksana was in hospital for two days where she new information.
received oxygen therapy for her weakened lungs The paramedics took

Oksana to hospital where

thought. Frantically she waved the an X-ray revealed that her lungs were

faint torch light. close to collapsing because of all the

Suddenly, a bright light appeared in water she’d swallowed. The reality of

the water. Turning her head, she saw a her ordeal really only hit her when she

boat. She had been found. She would was reunited with her sons. “I thought

get to see her kids again. I may never see them again,” says the

Volunteers with the South Austral- single mum.

ian Sea Rescue Squadron threw Ok- One month after her near-death

PHOTO: COURTESY OKSANA SAMKOVA sana a life ring, which she held on to experience, Oksana got back in the

with all her remaining strength, and water. “I wanted to dive again. I knew

they pulled her on board. “It was the if I didn’t do it soon, I never would,”

happiest moment of my life,” she says. she says.

The volunteers took her heavy gear “I dive with more weight on me

off in the boat, and helped her ashore. now – and the weather needs to be

“I could hardly walk. I was coughing perfect.”

and couldn’t breathe,” she says. Oksana Samkova is a registered nurse and
Then came a round of concerned expert in vicarious trauma and compassion
fatigue in frontline workers and first
questions. “They wanted to know how

long I’d been in the water,” she recalls. responders. www.oksanasamkova.com.

readersdigest.co.nz 67

READER’S DIGEST

LAUGHTER

The Best Medicine

High Roller So she whispers in his CARTOON: GUTO DIAS; ILLUSTRATIONS:
ear, “Sir, are you sure GETTY IMAGES
A frog appears in front of Patricia about this? I mean, not
Whack, a bank teller, and asks: “Ms considering the fact that
Whack, I’d like to obtain a bank he’s a frog, his collateral
loan, on consideration of this blue is a blue marble elephant.
marble elephant as collateral.” I mean, what the heck is a
blue marble elephant?”
Patricia goes to her manager,
who asks to see this talking frog in The bank manager
person. As it turns out, his name is replies: “It’s a knick-
Kermit Jagger, and he is the son of knack, Patti Whack. Give
Mick Jagger. the frog a loan. His old
man’s a Rolling Stone.”
The manager promptly nods
in approval, and Patricia cannot Upjoke.com
believe what she is witnessing.
Sounds Good
68 november 2021
Actors who could cure
my lisp? I’m pretty sure
Anne Hathaway but I’m going to ask
Colin Firth. OLAF FALAFEL, COMEDIAN

Clocked Out

A man’s grandfather clock stopped
working. He called a repair shop to
get it fixed, but they wanted $50 to
come and collect it.

“I’ll bring it to you,” he said. So he
strapped the clock to his back and
started walking down the big hill he
lived on. Halfway down, he slipped,
and slid down the hill into the town
just as a lady was crossing the street.

Laughter

He barrelled straight into her and BREWING THE DAY
knocked her over.
Two neighbours live side by
Dazed, disgruntled, and still on side. One is rich and the other
the ground, she asked, “Why can’t one is poor.
you just wear a wristwatch like
everyone else?!” The poor neighbour has a
magic lamp. Every morning, he
SUBMITTED BY ROGER REAKOFF rubs the lamp and a genie comes
out and intones, “Ask whatever
Feline Funny you want.” And the poor man
asks for a cup of tea.
Mum No. 1: How on earth do you
get your sleepyhead son to wake up The rich neighbour, envious
in the morning? of the magic lamp, offers the
Mum No. 2: I just put the cat on poor man his magnificent house
the bed. and flashy car in exchange for
Mum No. 1: How does that help? the lamp.
Mum No. 2: The dog’s already there.
Gleefully, the rich man takes
Scout Life Magazine the magic lamp home and rubs it.
Out pops the genie, who intones,
Crossing The Line “Ask whatever you want.”

I work as a customs officer and “Can I have an even bigger
yesterday was my yearly review. It house and an even better car?”
didn’t go very well, apparently they asks the rich man.
think I’m borderline incompetent.
“Sorry, sir, I only serve tea
Seen on Twitter and coffee,” replies the genie. RD

WAIT FOR IT!

People say being a waiter is a

bad job, but hey, it puts food

on the table! Seen online

readersdigest.co.nz 69

READER’S DIGEST

HUMOUR

This Is The Simple Life?

BY Patricia Pearson

Having lived my whole life gravelly, pot-holed roads. Also, it ILLUSTRATION: NISHANT CHOKSI
in the city, the countryside requires sufficient fuel.
takes some getting used to.
A couple of years ago, my In the city we mostly walked or
husband and I traded a city duplex took public transport. If we had to
for a 19th-century farmhouse, and drive, we would fill up at the pet-
soon discovered what happens when rol station at the end of our block.
you run out of milk for your coffee. But here, the nearest station is – ac-
Either you borrow your neighbour’s cording to Google Maps – precisely
cows, literally, or you drive 15 kilo- 30.2 kilometres in the opposite di-
metres to the ‘corner store’ over rection from the corner store. Either
you make a habit of keeping the

70 november 2021

Is This The Simple Life?

tank filled, or you drink your coffee new rural community who promise

black. to give you an estimate and then drift

Meanwhile, the nearest grocery and away like dandelion fluff.

pet stores are more than half an hour’s I always used to think that friends

drive away, so when we once ran out of and relatives who lived in the coun-

our usual organic, antibiotic-free, spe- tryside were timid when it came to

cially-formulated dog food, the only city traffic and feared urban crime.

approximate substitute at the corner But it turns out the reverse is also

store turned out to be a can of Spam. true. My son, for instance, is as tough

“You can’t feed our dog Spam!” my as a cop when he’s in the city, but

husband spluttered. “Why not just when he first visited our farmhouse,

give her a bowl of salt paste?” Instead, he shrieked helplessly at some leap-

having almost run out WHO ing grasshoppers.
of petrol, I fed her some KNEW THE He was learning what
eggs, leading to an all-
we had already learned:

night riot of farting. VEGETABLE the countryside is
Shortly after that, I KINGDOM WAS where the mice are. And
SUCH A SOAP the flies, stoats, coyotes
flew off on a business and roving gangs of 70
trip with the car keys in

my handbag, acciden- OPERA? million ladybirds that
tally stranding my hus- show up in your bed-

band (and dog) for five room each spring as if

days. He could not replenish supplies spawned from the sock drawer.

without embarking upon a day-long One evening in the kitchen, my eye

hike, which was a lesson in maybe was drawn to a black, ten-centime-

buying a second vehicle. tre-long millipede creeping across the

There are, on occasion, taxis avail- stone floor. It looked like a minion of

able, but I only discovered this out Satan. Unwilling to touch it, I trapped

of desperation the following spring, it beneath a Le Creuset pot and ran

when my favourite team made their upstairs, dinner abandoned. The next

championship final at a time when day, I drove to the city for a planned

our internet had been knocked out weekend away, feeling like the villain

(yet again) by a wind storm. My hus- in an Edgar Allan Poe story who has

band was away with the car, and the walled up their foe and just left them

nearest bar with TV screens entailed there to die and haunt them.

a 40-minute cab ride. My driver, a Another time, pulling in to the

retired prison guard, wound up get- driveway with my visiting daughter,

ting lost. At least he showed up, un- I spied a hunched-over black bear in

like the various repair people in our the forest to one side of our property.

readersdigest.co.nz 71

READER’S DIGEST

“Stay in the car,” I hissed at Clara, my kept falling over with a sigh. It turned
heart thumping. The bear straight- out there were all sorts of relation-
ened up and morphed into my hus- ship dynamics to sort out between
band in his black raincoat, who had the growing vegetables. Whole lists
been bending over a log pile. of statements like: “Potatoes don’t
get along with cucumbers” whereas
It is not an advantage, in the coun- “Carrots prefer to grow beside toma-
tryside, to be about as competent as toes.” Who knew the vegetable king-
Mr Bean. Gardening ought to be eas- dom was such a soap opera?
ier, I feel.
I managed to produce a grand total
In the city, I grew herbs in pots, and of one lettuce, six bird’s eye chillies,
that’s about it. But I was prepared to and ten individual beetroots in my
adapt when we moved to the coun- first harvest. Also zucchinis. A lot
tryside, so I bought some vegeta- of them. I can now say with author-
ble-growing books. Unfortunately, ity that zucchinis are just a ridicu-
they all seemed to take certain base lous vegetable. They engage in em-
knowledge for granted, such as how pire-building all over your available
to tell the difference between pH lev- soil and oblige you to spend half the
els in the soil. I’d only ever seen pH summer rapid-assembling batches of
on shampoo bottles. ratatouille before reverting to using
the zucchini as a bludgeoning in-
The books baffled me, like trying strument. They don’t freeze well. You
to learn calculus when you’re only force your friends to take them away.
seven years old. Once, I overheard
neighbours here discussing how to All this has made me feel serious
sharpen a chainsaw, and all I could respect for my ancestors. They actu-
comprehend was their lips moving. ally managed to feed themselves
from the ground without starving to
I began watching YouTube videos death by winter. That seems like a
late into the night, scribbling notes magical power to me now. So does
on how to water celery seeds so that ordering take-away.
they germinate, and why my brocco-
li seedlings were so spindly that they

Catfight In The Air

A plane leaving Sudan’s capital of Khartoum was forced to land after
a stowaway cat attacked the pilot. The Boeing 737 was at cruising

altitude about an hour after departure, when the hissing feline
passenger appeared in the cockpit and clawed at the terrified pilot.
The plane returned to Khartoum after the crew failed to capture it. ATI

72 november 2021

QUOTABLE QUOTES

We lift our gazes I am not the richest,
not to what stands smartest or most
between us but what talented person in
stands before us. We the world, but
close the divide I succeed because
because we know to I keep going and
put our future first, going and going.
we must first put our
differences aside. SYLVESTER STALLONE,
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out ACTOR
our arms to one
another. We seek REMEMBER,
harm to none and TODAY IS THE
harmony for all. TOMORROW
YOU WORRIED
AMANDA GORMAN,
SPOKEN POET AND ACTIVIST ABOUT
YESTERDAY.

DALE CARNEGIE,

WRITER

PHOTOS: GETYY IMAGES Listen to If a rich man
your body. is proud of
I listen to mine his wealth, he
and every day should not be
it tells me not praised until it
to do Zumba. is known how
he employs it.
AMY SCHUMER, COMEDIAN
S O C R AT E S,

GREEK PHILOSOPHER

readersdigest.co.nz 73

READER’S DIGEST ALL PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

Small
Steps Can

STOP
HARMING
OUR
OCEANS

By 2050, by weight more plastic will exist in
the ocean than fish. We can help prevent
that by changing how we use plastics

BY Elizabeth Yuko

74 november 2021

ENVIRONMENT

Small decisions ocean. But few people realise that
with a big impact straws are among the top ten items
found during beach clean-ups and
When we learned about risks to the can cause a lot of harm to seabirds,
oceans at school, it usually involved turtles and other marine creatures,
a lesson about a large oil spill that left according to Dr Dune Ives, chief
local wildlife – birds or marine mam- executive officer of Lonely Whale,
mals, in particular – in a slick coat of an environmental organisation
dark oil. And while that is definitely campaigning to protect the world’s
a terrible scenario, most of us won’t oceans from continued damage. “For
find ourselves in charge of a massive the vast majority of us, refusing the
oil tanker anytime soon. single-use plastic straw is the easiest
and simplest way to take action to-
But we are faced with countless day to address plastic pollution,” she
choices every day as consumers, and says. “If we don’t act now, by the year
even small decisions can do major 2050 there will be more plastic in the
damage to our oceans. From the food ocean than fish (by weight).”
we eat, sunscreen we use, clothes we
wear to the plastic products we use,
we could all probably do a better job
of being more mindful of the impact
we’re having on the oceans.

Single-use plastic straws Driving too much

We already know that plastic bags From driving our cars to powering
and soft drink can rings are bad for our homes and businesses, fossil
the environment and end up in the fuel use has caused a significant in-
crease in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels
in the atmosphere – and is harming
the world’s oceans. “Increased CO2

readersdigest.co.nz 75

READER’S DIGEST

levels in our ocean makes the water – the source material of water bottles,
more acidic, and acidic waters make soft drink bottles and more – makes
it more difficult for calcifying sea an- up over 10 per cent of global plastic
imals to produce the carbonate they production. Opting for reusable water
need to survive,” says marine scien- bottles instead can not only help peo-
tist Guy Harvey. “This includes ani- ple save money, but it can also im-
mals like coral, whose reefs protect prove ocean health, as plastic bottles
the coastline and support billions are among the top five most common
of dollars of industries,” he says. Not items found in beach clean-ups.
only shellfish but plankton, the foun-
dation of the marine food chain, are
at risk. The good news is that healthy
oceans can actually help reverse
climate change. “We can help by re-
ducing energy use and supporting re-
newable resources,” Harvey suggests.

Single-use plastic Glitter
water bottles
Not only is glitter really annoying
Though it seems like they’ve been and impossible to get out of your
around forever, single-use plastic house, but it’s also terrible for the
water bottles are a relatively new oceans. “Most glitter products used
phenomenon, entering the market in for children’s arts and crafts are
the 1990s. “Today, 500 billion plastic made from plastic and when washed
bottles are used around the globe down the kitchen sink will contribute
annually, one million single-use to the growing problem of microplas-
plastic bottles are sold every minute tics in our environment,” says Ives.
around the world yet only around 30 Microplastics are consumed by fish,
per cent are recycled,” says Ives. Pol- birds and sea turtles.
yethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic
One study found that microplastics
have even contaminated the deepest
point of the ocean, Challenger Deep,
in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench,
she says. But you don’t have to give up
your children’s craft projects – instead,
opt for eco-friendly alternatives such
as food colouring and salts.

76 november 2021

Stop Harming Our Oceans

Household chemical use face mask is more environmental-
ly friendly than a disposable one,
Thanks to the COVID-19 global pan- and reusable utensils are safe when
demic, we’re all probably using more washed appropriately,” Ives says.
cleaning products than usual. But With a chance of more pandemics in
household consumers need to think the future, now is the time to recon-
carefully before they pour chemicals sider how we protect ourselves and
down the drain, according to Lindsay the environment, she says.
French, a STEM education coordina-
tor. “Improper disposal of chemicals Eating beef
can lead to polluting our oceans and
marine life that inhabit them,” she Though we may be aware of the im-
says. Instead, she recommends opt- pact that eating farmed beef has on
ing for sustainable alternatives – like air pollution, some may not realise
ones that don’t contain phosphorus that it has an effect on the oceans,
or strong chemicals that might oth- too. Raising beef uses a lot of wa-
erwise affect our water quality or ter and releases methane, a green-
contribute to coral bleaching – and house gas that contributes to cli-
safely disposing of household chem- mate change, according to marine
icals through recycling programmes. biologist Sandy Trautwein. “Eat less
beef, and instead choose sustainable
COVID-19 waste seafood, vegetables and chicken,”

Take a walk down any city street to-
day and you’ll likely see latex gloves
and face masks on the ground along-
side plastic bags and old newspapers.
In other words, the coronavirus is
changing the type of waste we make,
and what could potentially end up in
the oceans.

“For example, a washable cloth

readersdigest.co.nz 77

READER’S DIGEST

she says. However, 90 per cent of the
world’s fish are caught at or above
sustainable levels, she adds. Seafood
that is farmed or wild-caught locally
is usually more sustainable than im-
ported wild-caught seafood.

Eating non-sustainable travel for many kilometres and pollute
seafood even the most pristine places, as well
as our oceans,” says Ives. Balloons are
The idea that there are always ‘plenty the highest-risk plastic debris item for
of fish in the sea’ is not only a terrible seabirds – 32 times more likely to kill
way to approach dating, it’s also not a than ingesting hard plastics, according
great mindset when it comes to sourc- to Ives. Instead, she suggests using
ing food. For starters, we know today sustainable options like sky lanterns,
that fish and shellfish consume large paper streamers or wildflowers.
amounts of plastics and microplastics.
To protect the ocean and yourselves, Some sunscreens
Ives advises that we choose plant-
based diets and know where your fish Putting on a thick layer of sunblock
is coming from. “When ordering, ask is good protection for your skin, but
from where the fish was harvested and picking the wrong one can harm our
how it was harvested,” she says. oceans. Specifically, some sunscreens
contain harmful chemicals to our
Releasing balloons reefs’ ecosystems, including oxyben-
zone and butylparaben. “Oxybenzone
A balloon release is a popular way to
end a memorial or celebration, but
as lovely as the balloons symbolically
floating into the sky might be, it’s terri-
ble for oceans. “Released balloons can

78 november 2021

disrupts coral reproduction, causes Stop Harming Our Oceans
coral bleaching and damages coral
DNA,” French says. Butylparaben is FAST FACTS
a preservative ingredient shown to
cause coral bleaching. When selecting • Rubbish has been found on
a sunscreen, consumers should try to
consciously purchase products such the deepest seabed on Earth,
as biodegradable, non-toxic, ‘reef- 11 kilometres below the surface.
safe’ sunscreen.
• Litter that doesn’t sink to the
Purchasing clothing
made out of plastic ocean floor ends up on shorelines
or one of five offshore plastic
A lot of the clothing we wear is made accumulation zones.
from fabrics made of synthetic fibres.
And it’s not just apparel: towels and • The largest of these zones,
bedsheets can be made of plas-
tic-based materials, too. “These plas- the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
tic pieces are found within strands of (GPGP), is three times the size
fibre and can break off into tiny piec- of France.
es for even the smallest organisms
down the food chain (plankton) to • 1.8 trillion plastic pieces are
eat,” French says. For example, poly-
ester, which is found in a variety of estimated to be floating in the
clothing, is a type of plastic in a fibre GPGP – that’s equivalent to
form. “Upon washing polyester mate- 250 pieces of debris for every
rials, these tiny fibres make their way human in the world.
down the washing machine drain
and unfortunately into the ocean,” • An estimated 100 million
she explains.
tonnes of plastic is currently found
in our oceans, equivalent to
480,000 blue whales.

• The amount of plastic in the

ocean is predicted to outweigh fish
by 2050 unless action is taken.

• In 2013, 18-year-old Boyan Slat

from the Netherlands founded
The Ocean Cleanup to rid the
world’s oceans of plastic.

• Today, The Ocean Cleanup

comprises engineers,
researchers, scientists and
computational modellers who
have built and are trialling the
world’s first ocean clean-up
system in the GPGP.

readersdigest.co.nz 79

PHOTO FEATURE

An Instant

KICK

Adrenaline, a stress hormone,
boosts our bodies to peak

performance to get us out of
danger – if so desired!

BY Cornelia Kumfert

80 november 2021

PHOTO: © RE TO NYFFENEGGER/TFA/A SCENT/GE T T Y IM AGE S Wingsuit BASE jumping is one of the most dangerous sports
in the world. Extreme athletes hurl themselves from planes,
helicopters, mountaintops or skyscrapers and plunge to the
depths below. They can reach speeds of up to 250 kilometres
per hour during their breathtaking manoeuvres, depending
on what type of wingsuit they are wearing. But such a rush of
adrenaline comes at a price – no other extreme sport has a
higher number of casualties every year.

readersdigest.co.nz 81

READER’S DIGEST P H O T O S : ( S P A C E ) CHRISTOPHE BOISVIEUX/GETTY IMAGES; (BOYS) JAY NEMETH/GLOBAL NEWSROOM EDITORIAL/PICTURE ALLIANCE/DPA;
(BIKES) SIJORI IMAGES/BARCROFT INDIA VIA GETTY IMAGES
fThe whole world
held its breath when
Felix Baumgartner
plummeted down to
Earth from an altitude of
39 kilometres in 2012.
His fall from the edge of
the stratosphere lasted
four minutes and 19
seconds. Reaching a top
speed of 1,342.8 km/h,
the Austrian broke the
sound barrier
completely unaided.

82 november 2021

An Instant Kick

cThese three boys are on their way to school in
Indonesia. In 2015, heavy rain destroyed the suspension
bridge connecting their village to the outside world. Not
wanting to miss class, the students shuffled across what
was left of the bridge every morning.

eThis wooden attraction is in
the Indian region of Bihar and
known as the Well of Death.
Motorbikes and even cars defy
gravity in the steep-walled
arena. Riders collect their prizes
for their daredevil feats from the
spectators at the end of every
performance. The vehicles are
able to sustain its grip on the
wall by virtue of friction and
centrifugal force.

readersdigest.co.nz 83

READER’S DIGEST

fThe highest and fastest
roller coaster in Europe is in
Salou, Spain. Anyone daring to
ride on the 112-metre-high
‘vertical accelerator’ needs
nerves of steel and a good
stomach because the Red Force
accelerates to 180 kilometres per
hour in just five seconds.

TNothing stands a chance
if it gets between these jaws. With a
bite force of up to 1.8 tonnes, the
great white shark is arguably one of
the most powerful living creatures
in the world. In fact, it could
probably even tear this shark cage
apart. It is just as well that the shark
in the photo seems totally
uninterested in taking a bite.

84 november 2021

PHOTOS: (SHARK) DAVID WALL/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO; (ROLLERCOASTER) DAVID CAR AVIAS/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO; cJumping off the 43-metre-high Kawarau Gorge Suspension
(BUNGEE JUMP) ANAGIOTIS KOTSOVOLOS/AL AMY STOCK PHOTO Bridge in the Otago region takes a lot of courage. Yet, every year,
hundreds of people with hearts pounding and pulses soaring line
up to bungee jump off this structure. All that keeps them safe is the
elastic cord tied around their ankles – which makes sure the
jumpers are catapulted back into the air before they hit the ground.

readersdigest.co.nz 85

THEN AND NOW

HIGH
HEELS
There comes a time in a woman’s life – usually
after she’s been wearing them for several hours
– when she wonders why high heels were ever

invented. Allow us to enlighten you ...

BY Zoë Meunier

It seems we can point the finger horses, heels became a debonair dis- PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
waaay back to the Persian cavalry play of just how rich one was.
in the tenth century. Yes, the first
heels in history were a strictly male Persian couture spread to Europe
phenomenon. As those manly Per- at the turn of the 17th century, when
sian horsemen galloped across the charismatic Persian king Shah Abbas I
plains, wielding their bows and ar- sent a delegation of soldiers to Russia,
rows, they found that wearing a deli- Germany and Spain to gain support in
cate heel kept their feet stable in their defeating the Ottoman Empire. ‘Per-
stirrups. Since only the wealthy owned sia-mania’ ensued, as a boom of in-
terest in Persian goods saw European

86 november 2021

readersdigest.co.nz 87

READER’S DIGEST

aristocrats embracing heels, hoping to be unconcerned with sullying his

some of that virile Persian mascu- shoes, but also powerful enough to

linity would rub off (along with, in- crush his enemies underfoot.

advertently, the skin on the backs of Being a king (and perhaps slightly

their heels). egotistical), Louis passed an edict in

As the heel trend gained legs, men 1670 stating that only nobility could

donned heels for the same reason wear red heels – disobedience meant

many women wear them today – the potential beheading, a fairly strong

lovely shape they bestowed upon disincentive. Artworks of the time

one’s calf. Male fashion became all show exactly who was in the King’s

about emphasising the legs: high favour – the higher the heel of the

heels were teamed with tight, colour- courtier, the closer the kinship.

ed stockings and loose breeches. The So what had women been up to

look was particularly popular among while all this male one-upmanship

rich courtiers and kings – none more was going on? While not wearing

so than King Louis XIV. heels as such, as early as the begin-

Much like Christian Louboutin, ning of the 16th century, the women

who later became famous for his of Europe had been staggering around

towering heels with a red sole, Lou- in towering platform shoes, some as

is’s signature look was tight-fitting high as 60 cm.

shoes with a red heel. Heels of any Known as ‘chopines’, these mon-

kind in the French court at Versailles strosities are believed to have origi-

were an important status sym- nated with Venetian prostitutes

bol, but the red Louis heel for ‘heightened’ sex appeal,

was especially symbolic WELL but soon became popular
– meaning its owner was HEELED among aristocrats for their
not only wealthy enough ability to prevent their
Stepping out

through the

ages

16th Century 1670s 1920s

CHOPINES LOUIS XIV HEEL PUMPS

88 november 2021

High Heels

clothes dangling in the filth that cov- exceptions – such as cowboys (who
ered the streets. wear heeled boots for the same rea-
sons as the Persian cavalry); rock stars
Of course, there’s no use keeping (The Beatles rocked ‘Beatle boots’ fea-
your clothes out of muck if you end up turing pointed toes and Cuban heels,
falling face-first into it, so to keep from while glam rockers from David Bowie
keeling over on their mini-stilts, these to KISS to Motley Crue broke all kinds
Euro aristocrats would use maids, of heel barriers); and vertically chal-
male servants and noblemen as hu- lenged actors and politicians, from Al
man crutches. As for disembarking Pacino to Vladimir Putin.
from a gondola, don’t even ask.
As women legged it into the 20th
Accidents did invariably occur, and century, heeled boots were hugely
while women were apparently happy popular – especially ones with buttons
to risk life and limb, chopines were lining the side of the leg, although
eventually legislated against. floor-trailing fashions meant they
could barely be seen.
With the exception of French Queen
Catherine de Medici in the 16th cen- As hemlines rose in the 1920s,
tury, who at 150 cm tall wanted some women did the Charleston in pumps.
additional height for her wedding, it These featured elongated toes and
wasn’t until the start of the 18th cen- thick heels, detailed with bows or
tury that women adopted more tra- crisscrossed straps, but they stayed
ditional high heels for themselves. chunky-looking until after World War
European noblemen took this as a II, which introduced the ultimate high
personal affront to their masculinity heel – the stiletto.
and began abandoning their heels in
droves. By the 1730s, heels had all but Named after an Italian knife with a
disappeared from men’s fashion, nev- needle-sharp point, the stiletto was
er to return again but for a few notable engineered sometime between 1948

1990s 2000s 2020s

VIVIENNE WESTWOOD MANOLO BLAHNIK CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN

readersdigest.co.nz 89

READER’S DIGEST

and 1954, when techniques invented Throughout the bra-burning 1970s,

for aircraft carriers were applied to many women rejected heels altogeth-

shoe construction. er, thanks to their incompatibility with

The stiletto’s genius was a small long skirts, daisy-picking and festivals

metal ‘shank’, which joined the in- in paddocks. But as power dressing

side of the shoes so the heel and foot asserted itself in the 1980s, the bold

of the shoe could operate separately, working woman needed a shoe that

while the use of aluminium and in- complemented her razor-sharp shoul-

jection moulding to fuse metal and der pads and sky-high perm, so stilet-

plastic made it possible to raise heels tos rose to the fore again.

higher than ever. In the 1990s, the high

At first, stilettos caused GLAM ROCKERS end of fashion also saw
FROM DAVID
some controversy, as BOWIE TO KISS the high end of heels.
they began creating little In 1993, supermodel
holes in great ballrooms BROKE HEEL Naomi Campbell took

everywhere, but this de- BARRIERS to the catwalk in a pair

sign flaw was overlooked of Vivienne Westwood

when women realised just platform heels that

how good they looked in nearly put chopines to

them. The structure of the shame – and proceed-

shoe elongated the legs, ed to fall in a big heap

thrust the chest forwards moments later. Where’s

and tilted the bottom a human crutch when

backwards, accentuating you need one?

feminine curves. A similar fate befell

The stiletto’s reputation as a weapon another ambassador for sky-high

in a woman’s seduction arsenal was heels – fictional character Carrie Brad-

aided by movie stars, not least screen shaw in TV’s Sex and the City. Manolo

icon Marilyn Monroe, whose famous Blahnik-loving Carrie discovered how

wiggly walk was not just honed by the treacherous heels could be when she

10 cm heels she wore, but also her se- became ‘fashion roadkill’ after her

cret trick of cutting half a centimetre own spectacular catwalk tumble.

off one heel to double the sway factor. And today? Protracted coronavirus

By the 1960s, women had a new lockdowns have seen many a heel

style icon – Audrey Hepburn, whose gathering dust in the back of a cup-

kitten heels in Breakfast at Tiffany’s board, as ugg boots became the stay-

would see many women adopting a at-home footwear de jour. Only time

lower heel again, the balls of their feet will tell which direction heels will

breathing a silent sigh of relief. take next.

90 november 2021

TELL ME WHY...

Toothpaste Is

MINT

Flavoured

While chocolate toothpaste might

sound delicious, there is a reason for the refreshing taste

BY Kelly Bryant

PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES Who decided the BCE. This was long before the tooth-
default flavour of brush as we know it today was in-
toothpaste should vented in 1938. Similarly, around 500
be mint? The an- BCE, Ancient Greeks and Romans
swer lies some- were also believed to have started
where back in history, with a range using some form of toothpaste, but
of hits and misses of other flavour it was the Chinese who got creative
options. with the stuff, using an array of dif-
ferent substances to freshen their
“People prefer mint to other ingre- mouths, like ginseng, herbal mints
dients because it has a high content of and salt.
a key active ingredient – menthol,” ex-
plains Colgate spokesperson Catalina “Be thankful for flavouring in
Lee. “Menthol tricks the brain, send- toothpaste,” says Lee. “Brushing is a
ing a signal that creates a sensation boring routine, and flavour engages
that you have ice in your mouth. It’s a people in their brushing. And with-
refreshing and clean taste.” out mint or other flavours, today’s
toothpaste would taste unpleasant,
In Colgate’s case, the brand be- bitter, astringent and metallic.”
gan using peppermint and spear-
mint oil to flavour its toothpaste If you’re interested in taking a walk
in the late 1800s. According to Lee, on the wild side, she notes that there
the Egyptians were the first to use are other flavour profiles to consider
a teeth-cleaning paste around 500 such as clove, anise and citrus oils.

readersdigest.co.nz 91

92 november 2021

HEALTH

How

INSOMNIA

&

DEPRESSION

Are

LINKED

The good news is that treating
one can improve both

BY Lisa Fields

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READER’S DIGEST

homas Muller-Rorich fell into a
depression while on holiday with his
family back in 1992, when he was 38.
Thomas found himself inexplicably

T unhappy, irritable and tense. He yelled

at his children for playing noisily and picked
fights with his wife over nothing.

After returning home, his mood Globally, both insomnia and de- ALL ILLUSTRATIONS:©OLLYK AVA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS
didn’t lift; he lost his appetite and pression affect hundreds of millions
couldn’t concentrate at the electrical of people of all ages.
engineering firm that he ran. Two
years later, he was formally diag- Approximately one-quarter of
nosed with depression. adults in New Zealand may suffer
from a chronic sleep problem, high-
Shortly after he began experienc- lighting insomnia as a major public
ing insomnia, waking at 4am with health issue. The World Health Organ-
anxious feelings that prevented him ization (WHO) estimates 264 million
from falling back asleep, making it people globally experience depres-
even harder for him to be productive. sion. Closer to home, estimates sug-
gest that one in seven New Zealanders
“The combination of depression will suffer depression at some point in
and insomnia definitely made things their life. And some people experience
worse,” says Thomas, now 67. “I felt both simultaneously.
empty and numb, and that everything
I had done in life was wrong.” “Sleep disorders and depression
often occur together,” says psycho-
It’s becoming increasingly clear therapist and somnologist Dr Hans-
that insomnia and depression are Gunter Weess. “Up to 80 per cent of
linked. A widely cited 2011 German depressions are accompanied by
meta-analysis showed that insom- sleep disorders. They’re like siblings.”
nia doubles the risk of developing
depression compared with those And about half the number of peo-
who have no sleep difficulties. And ple with insomnia report symptoms
in 2020, follow-up research found of depression. “Their risk of develop-
that the conditions have a bi-direc- ing depression is up to three times
tional relationship, and that early higher, compared with people with-
treatment for insomnia may help to out sleep disorders,” adds Dr Weess.
prevent depression, although more
study is needed. Both conditions can negatively
affect health: people with chronic

94 november 2021

How Insomnia & Depression Are Linked

insomnia are more likely to have studies mentioned earlier. “Usually,

weaker immune systems and get sick if you’re a good sleeper, your whole

more often, and they’re at greater risk brain and all relevant brain centres

of high blood pressure, type 2 diabe- go into a sleep state. We assume that

tes and heart disease. People with in insomnia, some parts of the brain

chronic depression are more likely do not sleep as deeply.”

to experience stress, chronic pain or Repeatedly losing sleep this way

weight gain, and they may be at risk can affect mood.

of misusing drugs or alcohol. “In your waking hours, you’re more

People may not al- likely to be irritable,

ways know which a bit exhausted, a bit

came first, insomnia or WITH less likely to want to
depression, but it isn’t CHRONIC interact socially,” says
necessary to be sure. INSOMNIA, Dr Chisholm.
Research shows that YOU FEEL
treating one condition HELPLESS, If you find yourself
may improve symp- WHICH IS staring at the clock
toms of both. TYPICAL OF all night, panicking
DEPRESSION, that you’ll be a wreck
“It’s not so much a tomorrow, you may
case of the chicken or TOO feel powerless to help
the egg, what caused yourself. “We want
what,” says Dr Dan to have control over

Chisholm, programme everything, but you

manager on mental health for the can’t control your sleep; sleep is in-

WHO. “The things that might help voluntary,” Dr Riemann says.

are going to help both of those con- “Chronic insomnia means feeling

ditions.” helpless. And feeling helpless is a typ-

Why insomnia may ical feature of depression.”

increase the risk of Why depression may
depression increase the risk of
People with insomnia may have insomnia

trouble shutting down their minds at One classic symptom of depression

bedtime. “They have very frequent, is altered sleep habits. Many people

brief wake-reactions all the time,” with depression experience insomnia

says clinical psychophysiologist as a matter of course.

Dr Dieter Riemann, founder of the “Often, depression is diagnosed

European Insomnia Network. Dr Rei- through a checklist, and that includes

mann co-authored the 2011 and 2020 sleeplessness as well as irritability,

readersdigest.co.nz 95

READER’S DIGEST

feelings of sadness and so on,” says relief. Whenever possible, seek treat-

Dr Chisholm. “There’s a clear rela- ment for both conditions. “If you

tionship, in that sense, between de- have severe depression coupled with

pression and one of its underlying insomnia, you should not neglect the

symptoms.” insomnia,” Dr Riemann advises.

Sometimes, traumatic life circum- “Many doctors will say, ‘Okay, I’ll

stances elicit such strong responses give you a sleeping pill for a week or

that people may experience both de- so.’ But there’s no special attention

pression and insomnia. paid to it. It’s good to have an eye on

“Someone may be both.”

in a state of psycho- Treatments for one

logical grief or stress TECHNIQUES, condition may help to
that causes depres- SUCH AS alleviate both, but this
sion symptoms and PHYSICAL isn’t always the case.
insomnia symptoms,” This is why doctors rec-
says Dr  Alexander AND MENTAL ommend treating both
Sweetman, a research RELAXATION insomnia and depres-
associate who studies sion, if you realise that
insomnia at Flinders AND you have both condi-
University in Adelaide. THOUGHT- tions. If you don’t real-
STOPPING, ise that you have both,
“The pandemic has CAN HELP treating one disorder
led to an increase of

mental health problems may still help.

covering depression and insomnia,”

Dr Riemann adds. “It’s fear-associat- Experts recommend:

ed: can I get infected? The lockdown. Catch insomnia early. The 2011 Ger-

The social consequences. The eco- man study suggests insomnia may be

nomic consequences. And many peo- an early sign of depression, and that

ple have worked from their home, people with chronic insomnia may

so the structure of their lives was double their risk of developing de-

altered.” pression.

Treatments are available “There is some evidence that iden-
for both conditions tifying and treating insomnia symp-
toms early can reduce depression

Coping with insomnia or depression symptoms and also prevent them

by itself may seem draining; having from becoming worse in the future,”

both problems simultaneously may Dr Sweetman confirms.

feel like a great challenge. But there Make lifestyle changes. Modest

are many resources to help you find changes may reduce depression risk

96 november 2021

How Insomnia & Depression Are Linked

and protect against insomnia. “You on both disorders. Therapists who
don’t need to rush off to see a spe- administer CBT-I may suggest that
cialist; some people might end up you stop napping, create a calming
there, but there are other things we bedtime routine, avoid looking at the
can do to take care of ourselves,” says clock while you’re in bed, use your
Dr Chisholm. “Physical exercise is bed only for sleep and sex, get out of
very important for good sleep and bed to read or do something relaxing
protection against depression, as are if you can’t fall asleep, and always get
healthy eating habits and staying off up at the same time each morning.
alcohol. Be active and go back to the
things that interest you and give you Consider therapy and antidepres-
pleasure.” sants. For depression coupled with

Opening up to a trusted friend insomnia, going for talk therapy and
about your struggles with insom- taking antidepressants may improve
nia or a depressed mood may help. both conditions. Sedative antidepres-
“This can often be very therapeutic sants taken in the evening have prov-
in its own way,” Dr Chisholm says. en to be effective in the treatment of
“If there are still issues, then you depression with insomnia.
might need, and want, to seek
help from a health professional.”

Limit sleep medication. Sleeping

pills should be taken only for a short
time, if at all, because you may de-
velop a dependence. Plus, the medi-
cine won’t address underlying caus-
es of your insomnia.

“A hy pnotic works well in the
short term,” says Dr Riemann, but it
doesn’t do anything to address sleep
issues in a sustained way. “It only
helps you when you take it.”

Seek cognitive behavioural
therapy for insomnia (CBT-I).

Learning techniques to help you
sleep more effectively may help with
both insomnia and depression. CBT-I
involves thought-stopping and phys-
ical-and-mental-relaxation tech-
niques and can have a positive effect

readersdigest.co.nz 97

READER’S DIGEST

OLDER ADULTS: IS IT DEPRESSION?

It may be difficult for older adults don’t have follow their daily
older adults to this experience. routine. They may also
recognise that they’re Instead, they feel more experience difficulty
depressed. Many tired, irritable or thinking clearly or
people equate restless than usual. concentrating.
depression with a They may have trouble Fortunately, seeking
constant feeling of making decisions, or treatment can alleviate
sadness, but some feel unmotivated to these symptoms.

Not all antidepressants have the depression once more in the early
same impact on insomnia. The most 2000s but recovered again with the
common type of antidepressant, help of doctors and medication.
selective serotonin reuptake in-
hibitors (SSRIs), may cause sleep “I was happy to see that depres-
problems in some people. sion – and insomnia – are treatable,”
he says. “I became myself again, was
“Some of them may induce insom- able to show my love for my family,
nia, maybe in 20 to 30 per cent of sub- and enjoyed work.”
jects,” Dr Riemann points out. “You
shouldn’t take these drugs at night. If you’re experiencing insomnia
Take them in the morning so that and depression, struggling with sleep
there’s not so much effect on sleep.” and with your emotions, it doesn’t
matter which problem developed
Thomas Muller-Rorich found re- first; seek treatment from your doctor
lief from his depression and insom- and know that self-care can also help
nia after getting psychoanalysis and you get through it.
taking antidepressants and sleeping
pills. He experienced insomnia and “Things can and do get better,”
adds Dr Chisholm.

Simple As 3.141592...

Swiss researchers have broken the record for the most precise value
of the mathematical constant pi. They ran a supercomputer for 108

days to calculate the value of pi by more than 12 trillion decimal
places. The first ten digits of pi, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to
its diameter, are 3.141592653, but pi is what is known as an irrational
number, meaning it has infinite decimal places. WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COM

98 november 2021