3-minute read.
The following post is geared toward those in recovery from a struggle with porn. While Fight the New Drug is not a recovery-focused resource, we encourage anyone needing help to check out our friends at Fortify. Visit Fortify if you’re interested in resources aimed at recovery.
When you think of ways to help in the fight against pornography, how often do sleep, food, and exercise come up?
You might be surprised at how often research connects compulsive patterns to these basic lifestyle factors—especially what is called the Big Three—sleep, food, and exercise. Each of these makes a massive difference in a person’s mood and overall mental and emotional well-being, including depression and anxiety, or how well we can focus our attention at any given moment.
But you don’t need any scientist to tell you that. Think of the last time you binged on sweets or spent the whole day sitting around inside. When we’re paying closer attention, something that seems pleasant at the moment can actually really tank our mood over time. And when we don’t feel well, it’s all too easy to scramble for some way—any way—to feel better.
Let’s take a closer look at each of the Big Three and how they can help someone who struggles with porn on their journey to freedom.
Get some sleep
Research studies consistently find that both teenagers and adults are seriously deprived of sleep. Most people simply don’t get what they need.
Sufficient sleep is especially crucial for anyone wanting to find freedom from addiction. Not only does the brain recharge and repair during sleep, but ripple effects also impact the whole body. Going without sleep has been connected to lower immune function, severe disease, and weight gain—as well as impaired ability to reason and think clearly.
When you’re tired, you’re just not yourself; your brain’s not running at full capacity.
Bottom line: a tired body and cloudy mind will leave someone who struggles more vulnerable and less prepared to fight.
Make healthy amounts of sleep a top priority. If anything is getting in the way of getting enough sleep, take it very seriously because if it’s interfering with sleep, it’s probably messing with their fight for recovery, too.
Eat the right fuel
In addition to sleep, another way to recharge the body is to check out what kind of fuel it’s getting.
How far would you get in your car if you put maple syrup or Coca-Cola in the gas tank? It sounds dumb, but let’s be honest: we’re sometimes just as dumb with our own bodies by taking in stuff the body hardly recognizes as nourishment. And then we act surprised when the body doesn’t run so well.
Want to build strength in this battle? Take a look at the food you’re taking in.
Rather than only listening to others tell you what to eat, listen to your own body. Try paying closer attention to what your body needs and wants.
Start moving
One more example. While recharging your body through rest and good fuel is essential, if you really want to supercharge it, then try something really radical: move around more!
Although there is much discussion about physical activity these days, we still spend a lot of time sitting around.
You might be asking what the problem is with sitting so much. So, let’s look at the facts: without enough movement and activity, we are starving our brain in another way and setting ourselves up for the same old patterns.
What about the reverse? What if we bumped up our activity level? In the late 1990s, Dr. Van Praag and his colleagues at the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute in San Diego, California, showed that exercise increases neurogenesis (or the birth of new brain cells).
When you exercise, a flood of oxygen heads to your brain. This triggers a number of other processes that help your brain grow. By exercising, you’re rewiring your brain in a healthy way. This also gives your brain an extra boost to function at peak performance.
Get started
Studies show that poor health can cause humans to be more susceptible to impulsive decisions. When someone is tired, hungry, or in bed all day, it can be much harder to resist those cravings when they come. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. Even simple adjustments in the Big Three—sleep, diet, and exercise – can supercharge someone’s path to freedom in surprising ways.
By recharging your body with the sleep, fuel, and energy it needs, you can enhance your efforts to quit porn. This approach gives you a better shot at kicking porn to the curb for good. We may not be running this marathon with you, but we are cheering for you the whole way.
Need help?
For those reading this who feel they are struggling with pornography, you are not alone. Check out Fortify, a science-based recovery platform dedicated to helping you find lasting freedom from pornography. Fortify now offers a free experience for both teens and adults. Connect with others, learn about your unwanted porn habit, and track your recovery journey. There is hope—sign up today.
Fight the New Drug may receive financial support from purchases made using affiliate links.
