Stress Management
What is stress? Stress is something that causes physical, mental, or emotional strain.
Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body that is produced by the adrenal glands. It is responsible for regulating the stress response, blood pressure, blood sugar, and sleep, along with reducing inflammation. So cortisol isn’t a bad thing as it is very useful in the body. It gets to be bad when too much cortisol is produced causing symptoms of stress to appear.
Stress is experienced by everyone throughout their lifetime. It’s important to know the different types of stress and how to properly manage stress in a healthy way. There are different types of stress, but the main two are acute stress and chronic stress.
Acute stress is more common, short term, and appears suddenly. A few examples where one might feel acute stress include before giving a speech, running from danger, a traffic jam, an argument with a friend, etc. When the body is stressed from an acute cause some of the symptoms that can show up are heart palpitations, headache, sweating, nausea, stomach pain, and more. The body is designed to be able to handle episodes of acute stress as it is short-term.
Chronic stress is caused by long-term exposure to stressors. A few examples of chronic stress are work stress, problems in a relationship, financial troubles, etc. When the body experiences chronic stress people usually notice symptoms such as insomnia, low energy and loss of interest in hobbies, weakened immune system, and chronic illnesses (type II diabetes, hypertension, obesity, heart disease).
The good news is that there are ways to manage stress and help reduce symptoms of stress! It’s important to address stress and take the proper steps to help manage it.
Ways to help manage stress:
Get plenty of sleep – Getting enough rest (around 7-9 hours per night) allows the body to relax and repair itself. When your body is at rest judgment and decision making sharpens, cortisol levels decrease, and concentration improves.
Eat a well balanced diet – Your body needs proper fuel in order to function. It’s important to get the right vitamins and nutrients. It’s important to incorporate whole foods to get those nutrients which help support a healthy immune system and repair damaged cells.
Get regular chiropractic adjustments to help ease muscle tension/soreness – When your body is stressed, muscles naturally tighten. People lose sleep and can’t focus due to the pain of the tight muscles. Getting adjusted aligns your body properly which takes tension off surrounding muscles and increases the circulation of blood throughout the body which helps to eliminate stress
Exercise – Physical activity allows a release of energy when you are “blowing off steam”. Exercise also helps to loosen muscles that are likely tight from stress. Working out releases endorphins which are mood boosters and helps relieve stress
