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7 ways your body is trying to tell you that your relationship is toxic
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Your body may be trying to tell you something you don't want to hear. - photo by Melinda Fox
Melinda Fox
FamilyShare
Published: Feb 15, 2016, 8:09 AM
Sometimes it's hard for us to accept the truth. It's easy to tell yourself lies. You say to yourself, "Everything is fine. I'm just overreacting about something small." But in reality, there's a deeper issue.

The amazing thing is that your body knows the truth. It can tell you if something is wrong with your relationship; you just need to know how to listen to it.

Here are 7 ways your body is trying to tell you something's not right:

1. Vaginal dryness

While vaginal dryness can be a result of aging or a medical condition, in general if your body isn't producing natural lubricant it may be a sign that something is not right between you and your partner.

2. Constipation

You might be surprised to learn that emotional unrest can affect your bowels. Even low levels of tension can suppress your gastroscopic reflex, which can make a bowel movement challenging.

3. Back pain

Believe it or not, your back pain can be caused by emotional issues. Relationship anxiety can cause your blood vessels to contract, which reduces blood flow and gives your muscles less oxygen. The result is biochemical build-up. This means that your relationship anxiety could be giving you back pain.

4. Weird appetite

When your relationship is messed up, either you want to eat everything in sight or nothing at all. This is because serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates mood, also influences your hunger. So, when something is off about how you feel, the neurotransmitter might also send your brain the wrong message about your stomach.

5. Restless sleep

Whether or not you're aware of it, if you're in a bad relationship you are probably experiencing heightened stress. This stress makes it challenging for your body to relax and sleep. If you're having trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, this could be a sign that you're in a bad relationship.

6. Frequent colds

If your body is trying to deal with your emotional challenges such as those caused by an unsavory relationship, it is less able to put the effort towards fighting off other threats to your body such as bacteria and toxins. This means that when your relationship is on the rocks your immune system is weakened causing you to get sick more frequently than usual.

7. No motivation

When your body is worn out from trying to deal with a challenging relationship, it also becomes challenging to get yourself motivated to go to the gym, work, or get outside your house. If you are feeling like you'd rather lay in your bed (maybe with some Netflix) than face the world, your body is trying to communicate that something is amiss in your relationship.

These symptoms aren't necessarily signs that you need to break up, but they are signs that you need to face the fact that there are issues in your relationship that are affecting your health and changes in your relationship need to be made.
Its toxic: New study says blue light from tech devices can speed up blindness
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A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers. - photo by Herb Scribner
Herb Scribner
Deseret News
Published: Aug 13, 2018, 1:39 PM
It turns out checking Twitter or Facebook before bed is bad for your health.

A new study from the University of Toledo found that blue light from digital devices can transform molecules in your eyes retina into cell killers.

That process can lead to age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in the United States, according to the researchs extract.

Blue light is a common issue for many modern Americans. Blue light is emitted from screens, most notably at night, causing sleep loss, eye strain and a number of other issues.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, said our constant exposure to blue light cant be blocked by the lens or cornea.

"It's no secret that blue light harms our vision by damaging the eye's retina. Our experiments explain how this happens, and we hope this leads to therapies that slow macular degeneration, such as a new kind of eye drop, he said.

Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease that often affects those in their 50s or 60s. It occurs after the death of photoreceptor cells in the retina. Those cells need retinal to sense light and help signal the brain.

The research team found blue light exposure created poisonous chemical molecules that killed photoreceptor cells

"It's toxic. If you shine blue light on retinal, the retinal kills photoreceptor cells as the signaling molecule on the membrane dissolves," said Kasun Ratnayake, a Ph.D. student researcher working in Karunarathne's cellular photo chemistry group. "Photoreceptor cells do not regenerate in the eye. When they're dead, they're dead for good."

However, the researchers found a molecule called alpha-tocopherol, which comes from Vitamin E, can help prevent cell death, according to Futurism.

The researchers plan to review how light from TVs, cellphones and tablet screens affect the eyes as well.

"If you look at the amount of light coming out of your cellphone, it's not great but it seems tolerable," said Dr. John Payton, visiting assistant professor in the UT Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Some cellphone companies are adding blue-light filters to the screens, and I think that is a good idea."

Indeed, Apple released a Night Shift mode two years ago to help quell blue lights strain on the eyes, according to The Verge. The screen will dim into a warmer, orange light that will cause less stress on the eyes.