Stress is a giant part of everyone’s life.  Ask any of your friends or co-workers and they will tell you they have more than enough stress in their lives.  I’m sure that you feel the same way that they do.  Stress is everywhere we go.  It is on the roadways, waiting in long lines, financial pressure, family pressure, school pressure and much, much more.  It is a never ending cycle; a cycle that causes an abundance of health issues.

I want to discuss the stress response a little more in-depth, so we can understand exactly what this exposure to prolonged stress can cause.  Once we understand what effects stress can have, hopefully we will be more attuned to those times when we are stressed.  As the people in Alcoholics Anonymous repeat religiously, “The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.”

Cortisol is the hormone most associated with the stress response.  It is released from the kidneys and performs such tasks as the inflammatory response, immune function, glucose metabolism and even regulation of blood pressure.  In the right amounts it is great to have cortisol in our systems. 

Cortisol serves a very important role, but only when it is produced in the right amounts, at the right time.  The body releases cortisol when you are put under a big stressor.  Without its release, you would be in a vulnerable position, as most of its functions are related to survival (it also improves your memory and immunity for a short-period of time as well, though).  To put this in simpler terms, when you are under a life or death situation, you better hope that cortisol is there to get your body ready to perform.

Over long periods of time with cortisol in the bloodstream, we experience a variety of negative consequences.  I’m sure most of you have realized that your thought process doesn’t work as well when you are stressed.  Some of you may get sick a little easier after extended stressful periods.  All of you have experienced the related muscle tension.  All of us get a little bump in blood pressure (although some of you may not be aware of), which when combined with the increased abdominal fat (perhaps partially due to cortisol’s muscle deteriorating effects) can put us at a much higher risk of heart disease.  Something that gets left behind in these conversations more often than not, are the endocrine disorders.  Thyroid function and glucose metabolism (diabetic precursors) can be an effect of prolonged stress.  These chronic diseases can put further stress on you mentally and physically.

So now that we can see all of the effects it has, we can actually make an attempt to minimize it.  There are many ways to do this, and fortunately we all have our own ways.  Because of that, I’m going to give you some general ideas that may work for you.

1.        Workout – Working out is something that a lot of people use for stress relief.   You can count me into this group.  The great thing about it is that not only do you get some of your frustrations out with the energy you expend, but you are also counteracting some of the negative effects that stress has on your body.  What better way to fight heart disease and weight gain, than to go to the gym and expend some calories by getting the heart pumping?

2.       Find a relaxing atmosphere – Whether you go to a park, a lake, or just sit at your desk quietly for a couple minutes, you need to find a relaxing place for yourself.  If you can figure out how to relax for a couple moments each day, relaxing through the rest of the day will become easier and easier.  It just takes a little practice to turn your mind off during those times.

3.       Find a friend/mentor/confidant – Having someone to help you through your problems is always very beneficial.  Whether you are stuck in your personal life or at work, these people should be able to pick you up and help you get back on the right path.  Don’t choose someone who is going to add to your stress by adding negativity to your life.  Find someone who will stay positive, and most important neutral, while will likely lead to them giving you the best advice they can at the time.

4.       Get more sleep – This is perhaps the most important one, but sometimes can be the hardest one to do.  Sleep can give the body time to relax and rejuvenate.  If you don’t get this time of recovery, you are going to start the day stressed out.  Finding time for naps, going to bed earlier or just being more consistent with sleep/wake times can make big differences.

Just because stress is a part of all of our lives doesn’t mean that we have to be slaves to it.  By realizing how negative of an impact it has on our health, we will put ourselves into a better position to remove it from our lives.  By adding some of these techniques, we can minimize its effects as much as possible.

Remember that your life is kind of like a car drive.  It can go any direction that you steer it.  If you are stressed while you are driving though, you are more likely to get into an accident or lose sight of your destination.  Keep control by minimizing your stress any way that you can.  You may be surprised at how quickly you reach your destination.

****Not long after writing this blog entry I found out that an acquaintance of mine was in the hospital.  He had been working 16 hour days, not eating, not sleeping well, not exercising, etc…  At 30 years of age he found himself in the hospital, after suffering a heart attack, getting 2 stents put in.  Stress can kill you…fast.***

 

Jeffrey L. Cumro
Better Life Chiropractic and Wellness, LLC
10700 Sapp Brothers Dr, Omaha, NE  68138
BetterLifeNE@gmail.com
www.BetterLifeNE.com