Ever since Meghan Markle was pictured with a NuCalm disc on her wrist, searches for wellness patches have skyrocketed, and it isn’t hard to see the reasons why.
From helping you sleep better to soothing feelings of nervousness and anxiety, wellness patches promise a quick, easy, and discreet solution for improving your mental wellbeing – but do they really work?
Read on to discover what wellness patches are, how they operate, and the ones we recommend for improving your sleep, stress and cognitive function – especially for frequent flyers.
What are wellness patches?
If you are familiar with the nicotine patches that smokers use when they are trying to quit, wellness patches deliver their benefits in a similar way, with the nicotine swapped out for wellbeing-boosting ingredients.
Formulated to help you destress, sleep better and/or boost your energy, the patches adhere to your skin like a plaster, delivering specific substances through your skin to the bloodstream. They are gaining popularity not only due to their celebrity advocates, but also due to their completely non-invasive and discreet nature. There’s no need to take frequent pills or have injections to see the benefits, with the dosage released in a controlled and sustained manner when you apply the patch to an area of clean, dry skin.
How do wellness patches really work?
Wellness patches can work in two main ways: through the delivery of wellness-enriching ingredients to your bloodstream via your skin, or through channelling electromagnetic frequencies.
In the case of the former – which arguably has more science behind it – the patches facilitate the penetration of active ingredients through the skin’s outer layer, which otherwise acts as a barrier to many substances. The adhesive patch is infused with ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and herbal extracts that have been chosen for their mind-boosting qualities, and, with the aid of the patch, they are able to permeate to the skin’s deeper dermis, where blood vessels and capillaries can deliver the ingredients into the bloodstream. This can be preferable to oral medication, which may be broken down by the digestive system before it has an effect.
In the channelling of electromagnetic frequencies, we are stepping more into neurochemistry; the idea that you can activate a relaxation response using materials embedded with specific electromagnetic frequencies and by using acupressure at your pulse points. There’s more evidence needed on exactly how that works, but their popularity is still ever-growing.
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What can wellness patches be used for?
Whether you are a nervous flyer looking for a simple way to soothe mild anxiety, someone who struggles with insomnia and jet lag, or want a solution for brain fog and lack of motivation, wellness patches can offer an easy and discreet option. For significant anxiety, burnout or sleep problems, they are no replacement for doctor-advised medication or therapies but, for a little wellbeing boost on particularly stressful or busy days, it is worth keeping them to hand. Just remember: you should still treat the patches like medication, in terms of always ensuring you use them according to the specified dose and time limits indicated.
The best wellness patches to try:
For Sleep
This award-winning sleep patch is a tried-and-tested solution for helping you drift off to sleep, without leaving you with that groggy feeling when you awake. For that reason, it is a brilliant solution for tackling jet lag too, with its key herbal extracts, including valerian, passionflower, plus calming CBD, taking just 30 minutes to get to work.
For Energy
The Good Patch have a whole range of patch-based remedies, each as good as the next, with solutions for fatigue, stress and brain fog. However, if you are trying to motivate yourself to commit to your new exercise routine right now, or are just feeling a little low in motivation, consider this patch your battery-like energy boost.
For Stress
Using the power of aromatherapy (which has also made the brand's range of wellbeing-boosting skincare such a success), these patches slowly release a mind-calming floral aroma that can be inhaled throughout the day to tackle stress, or to help you unwind after a hectic day at work.
For Pain Relief
Acupuncturist to the stars (and plenty of beauty editors), Ross J Barr's wellness patches are the next best thing to an appointment with him and his needles. Especially good if you struggle with painful periods, the ingredients have been chosen to give you a holistic alternative to lots of pain killers, with safflower, clove, cinnamon and borneol all on hand to tackle aches and pains.
For Brain Fog
Have a big deadline pending or an important meeting to prep for? These discreet patches – the at-home version of Vitamin IV Drips – are designed to supercharge your brain power by supplying your body with essential vitamins, including vitamin C and vegan omega 3, which it needs for cognitive function.
For Anxiety
Designed to be used alongside the NuCalm mobile app that promotes better sleep and relaxation through audio-based meditation, NuCalm’s Biosignal Processing Disc is reportedly Meghan Markle's wellness patch of choice. It falls into the neurochemistry-targeting category, meaning it is designed to soothe and calm your stress response without the need for medication.
Lead image credit: KLAYD
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