What does stress do to the body?

When you encounter a physical or even a perceived threat, like running late for an appointment or work deadline, a portion of your brain (the hypothalamus) sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the main stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, elevates your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.

When the normal process goes wrong.

Hurry, worry, money……… the main things that bring about high levels of stress for many of us.

The human body’s stress-response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal and other systems resume their standard activities. However, when stressors are always present and you persistantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on. Modern day stressors like work pressures, family difficulties or relationship problems are not a threat to our physical survival; however, our brain still goes into survival mode and floods our bodies with stress hormones.

The long-term stimulation of the stress-response system, creates an overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones and this can disrupt almost all your body’s processes. This puts you at increased risk of numerous health problems, including anxiety, depression, digestive problems, heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep problems, damage to immune response, and slower healing from disease and injury. That’s why it is so important to learn healthy ways to cope with the stressors and implement them in your life.

What can be done?

Take a little time to yourself each day to unwind.

Unless you are being chased by a bear on a daily basis, most of us experience stress of which the origin is an emotional or mentally perceived threat. Stress is an example of how the emotions and mental state of an individual have a clear and immediate physical reaction. So taking care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally is vital. Exercise, eating healthily, meditation, or even just taking a little time to yourself each day are key ways to de-stress and keep your immune system healthy. Many people don’t realize that hands-on therapy can play a big part in reducing stress and balancing the immune system as well. Removing tension in the spinal bones and thus compression on the nerves allows better communication between the brain and the body. This allows us to work at our optimal level. Maintaining normal balance of our stress hormones and immune system allows all of our body systems to work properly at their ideal level.

If you need any further information on this topic or wish to book a consultation, call 0871815007.