Experiencing stress is a normal, day-to-day occurrence. Regardless of social status, race, or age, everyone encounters stress at some point.
When you experience changes or challenges (stressors), your body produces physical and mental responses. That’s stress.
Stress can come from a wide range of causes, such as swerving a car to avoid an accident or encountering a growling, unfriendly dog while walking outside. Typically, though, stressors are less dramatic—such as deadlines, toxic workmates, financial or family problems, a packed schedule, too many obligations, or lack of sleep.
How Stress Works
Human beings were built to survive or protect themselves from danger. So when a stressful occurrence presents itself, the body has a “fight or flight” defense mechanism.
When the body senses a stressor, the brain immediately sends a signal to the endocrine system, triggering a release of adrenaline and an increase in cortisol. Your heart rate speeds up, breathing quickens, reaction time, and muscle contractions increase. Sometimes, it happens so fast that we don’t notice the symptoms consciously. It’s your body signaling you to fight or to flee to protect you from threats. And this all happens pretty quickly.
The body returns to normal– breathing and heartbeat slow down, muscles relax, and adrenaline and cortisol levels decline.
So the so-called fight or flight response, at its most basic, is useful for us, and is a key survival mechanism. It’s okay and safe, especially in short, temporary, and sporadic bursts. The problem, however, lies when the fight or flight response is triggered frequently. That’s when issues arise because imagine subjecting your body repeatedly to stressors. It’s akin to beating your body over and over again.
Most importantly, chronic stress can lead to chronic inflammation of the body which can lead to several lifelong and threatening diseases.
How Stress and Inflammation Are Connected
It’s generally known that stress is harmful to the mind and body. However, until this study by Carnegie Mellon University, it was not clear how stress influences disease and health.
A research team led by Sheldon Cohen found that chronic psychological stress is associated with the body losing its ability to regulate the inflammatory response.
“Inflammation is partly regulated by the hormone cortisol and when cortisol is not allowed to serve this function, inflammation can get out of control,” said Cohen, the Robert E. Doherty Professor of Psychology who led the Carnegie team to conduct the study, published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
In Cohen’s initial research, 276 healthy adults underwent an exhaustive stress interview followed by exposure to a common cold virus. They were then monitored in quarantine for five days to observe any signs of infection or illness.
In this study, Cohen discovered that enduring a prolonged stressful situation was linked to immune cells losing their ability to react to hormonal signals responsible for regulating inflammation. And so, those who were unable to regulate inflammatory response were more likely to develop colds when exposed to the virus.
As result, two things happen:
- When under stress, the immune system cells cannot respond to hormonal control, and, as a consequence, produce levels of inflammation that promote disease.
- Chronic inflammation may lead to chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and autoimmune conditions. (To read more about the study, click here.)
Stress is just one of the many factors that can cause the body to be inflamed. Other key lifestyle inflamers are a sedentary lifestyle, inadequate or restless sleep, smoking, and diets that rely on processed foods.
Persistent stress becomes particularly detrimental when key lifestyle inflamers have already caused a low-grade inflammation.. Consider someone who is overweight and sedentary, likely exhibiting some degree of insulin resistance. These factors—excess adipose tissue, lack of physical activity, and insulin resistance—point to chronic inflammation. When ongoing stress is introduced, it sets off a cyclical pattern of inflammation.
So what is the lesson here? Besides eating right, working out, sleeping well, and generally following a healthy lifestyle, stress management is really important.
How to Manage Stress
Hence, we should try and constantly work on practicing effective stress management techniques, however hard (or stressful!) it can be.
Numerous scientifically supported methods exist for alleviating stress, with aerobic exercise, yoga, and meditation ranking prominently among them.
Struggling with stress? Here are easy ways to relieve and manage stress better.
- Deep breathing exercises: Practice mindful breathing techniques to calm the mind and body.
- Regular physical activity: Engage in activities like walking, yoga, or exercise to reduce stress and boost mood.
- Meditation and mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness practices to increase awareness and reduce stress reactivity.
4. Adequate sleep: Prioritize good sleep hygiene to rejuvenate the body and mind.
5. Healthy lifestyle habits: Maintain a balanced diet, limit alcohol and caffeine intake, and avoid smoking.
6. Time management: Organize tasks and prioritize responsibilities to reduce feelings of overwhelm.
7. Social support: Connect with friends, family, or support groups for emotional support and encouragement.
8. Relaxation techniques: Practice relaxation methods such as cozy cardio, aromatherapy, tapping, or journaling.
9. Setting boundaries: Establish clear boundaries to protect personal time and energy.
10. Seeking professional help: Consult a therapist or counselor for additional support and guidance in managing stress.
Most people will bid you to “live a happy and stress-free life!” But we know stress is unavoidable. So we bid you adieu with this closing statement instead: live a happy and stress-managed life!
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