Losing your mind as you sit waiting for the traffic to clear, wading your way through a huge crowd in a packed local train, losing that coveted promotion thanks to the age-old office politics – our life is engulfed with stress or rather we should say, stress has besieged our lives.
Whatever may be the stressful situation, our body takes time to react to these changes – at the physical, mental, and emotional level. At every stressful moment, a tiny control tower in the brain called the Hypothalamus instructs the body to release stress hormones. These hormones trigger a ‘fight response’ which takes the form of:
Most amongst us perceive stress negatively, there is actually more to this story. Stress can, in fact, be positive too. Imagine, you have been asked to shoulder additional responsibility in your professional space. How will that impact you? You will become more vigilant, more alert, and make every attempt to sense any upcoming danger. This is your body’s response to positively reacting to this change.
While a small amount of regular stress does more good than harm, it’s in fact chronic stress that harms our body and affects our overall well-being. Here are some symptoms that chronic effects of stress show on one’s health:
Therefore, one of the first body systems that get affected when we are stressed out is our Digestive system.
Come stress and our appetite goes for a toss. During this time, the liver produces extra blood sugar to give you an energy boost. Many times, the body is not able to handle this surge in sugar levels and puts itself under the stress of developing Type-2 diabetes.
You also become susceptible to developing acid reflux or heartburn, thanks to an increase in stomach acid.
The muscles of our body get tensed when the body is undergoing a stressful encounter. With prolonged periods of stress, the muscles don’t get a chance to relax. Tight and tensed muscles cause body aches, neck and shoulder pain and headaches.
Chronic stress is related to an enhancement in weight gain and fat deposition through changes in the feeding behaviour of an individual. Monitoring and seeking support are recommended when encountering stressful episodes.
Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.
Long bouts of stress cause a man’s testosterone levels to drop. Stress can also interfere with sperm production, and cause erectile dysfunction. For women, prolonged periods of stress can affect their menstrual cycle and can lead to irregular, heavy and painful periods.
Under stress, the heart pumps blood faster. The stress hormones help divert more oxygen to your muscles so that you get more prepared to deal with the stress. But this causes your blood pressure to rise. Thus, chronic stress causes the heart to overwork for too long and with increased blood pressure comes an increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Other prevalent effects of stress on our behaviour include:
Stress is the biggest cause of diabetes nowadays. Blood sugar levels may rise due to hormones being released in response to stress. Although this has adaptive significance in a healthy patient, in the long run, it can cause insulin resistance and lead to diabetes. Additionally, diabetes may cause abnormalities in the regulation of these stress hormones.
Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD
Responding to your body’s stress can be challenging but it doesn’t have to be impossible. Here are some simple and healthy ways to reduce stress:
Set realistic expectations – We are all running a rat race and the cutthroat competition is bound to get to us at some point. Set goals for yourself that are in accordance with your limits and not what others expect of you.
Also Read: How to Stop Grinding Teeth: An Expert Guide Based on Research
Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation
Stress eating is the single most important reason why diets fail! If you think about it, we think of the act of ‘eating’ and feeling ‘hungry’ as the same thing. But it is not so. We do not always eat to satiate our hunger pangs. We eat to do much more – express our anger, vent our frustration, sadness, boredom or simply out of loneliness.
But does eating or ‘stress eating’ in a situation that overwhelms us make it any easy for us or make us feel happy? Nope, not a chance. Stress eating makes one feel guilty about binge eating. Whatever the situation may be, giving in to food cravings is never the answer.
Emotional eating, a polite name for stress eating, is using food to make one feel better, i.e., a temporary answer to your neediness. While it’s best to steer clear of mood-lifting food choices, it occasionally does work wonders. But mostly, stress eating or eating junk foods when emotionally low, creates a vicious cycle of unhealthy food choices. Simply put, food is not a great option to unwind or vent. Also, it doesn’t make the problem, or the cause of stress go away. Emotionally, one may continue to feel the same way. Plus, once the craving is over, the calories and fats take over!
Instead of binge eating, we need to focus on mindful eating and not let out sentiments get the better of us. But before we achieve this, let’s look at:
Also Read: What Is Serotonin Syndrome: A Comprehensive, Research-Based Explanation
Oatmeal is a wonderful superfood that aids in keeping the Serotonin hormone (calm-inducing hormone) flowing thereby helping to keep our stress levels in check. Thank Oat’s rich carbohydrate content for this. Stress also causes the blood sugar level to rise. Eating complex carbohydrates like oatmeal doesn’t allow the sugar level to grow further. Also, resort to the old-fashioned, coarse oats instead of the instant ones. Coarse oats are rich in fibre and do wonders for our health.
Regular indulgence in a piece of dark chocolate helps to regulate our stress levels. Another good news is that the antioxidants in cocoa help to lower blood pressure and also aid in blood circulation. Not to forget, the feeling of goodness that one experiences on biting into a piece of sinful dark chocolate. So, next time you treat yourself to this dark fantasy, don’t feel guilty! You are doing more good than harm.
Negative thoughts engulfing the mind? Get into the rhythmic act of shelling some pistachios. Pistas or pistachios are heart-friendly as they help to reduce stress and keep a check on blood pressure levels. Moreover, since this is a slow process of shelling and then consuming, these also help as it is a great diet-friendly snack.
Sugar is one item that you should keep under control if you want to reduce your elevated stress levels. When we are stressed out, the body releases the hormone Cortisol that helps to manage the stress levels. Increased stress also spikes the blood sugar level. So, the body has to release more Cortisol to manage this spike. Increased Cortisol levels may cause a headache, low immune systems, insomnia issues and unexplainable food cravings.
So, replace the sugary items with whole foods which help to keep the blood sugar stable, manage the stress and contribute to maintaining a happy YOU!
Excessive consumption of alcoholic beverages leaves us with a feeling of anxiousness. They too like others, elevates the heart rate and blood pressure levels. Alcohol may initially make you feel dizzy, but in fact, it disturbs your sleep patterns and does not allow you to slip into a deep slumber. Not to forget, the hangover feeling with which you wake up the following morning – which by the way, makes you feel more stressed out!
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Most of us need a morning boost of caffeine to kick start our day. But if you land up consuming cups and cups of coffee/tea, then you are spelling trouble for your adrenal glands. This overstimulation has a profound impact on the nervous system and the cardiovascular system. It also ups our blood pressure and heart rate thereby increasing our anxiety levels.
Also Read: Effective Techniques To Reduce Cortisol Levels: A Comprehensive Guide
Disclaimer: The information included at this site is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional. Because of unique individual needs, the reader should consult their physician to determine the appropriateness of the information for the reader’s situation