We face stress in our everyday lives. Work and family life can be plenty challenging, and unusually extreme, out-of-our-control events, such as a diagnosis for you or a loved one of a serious disease, can be incredibly overwhelming. The amount of stress we face and how we deal with it can greatly affect our health.
The autonomic part of our nervous system is in charge of body processes not under conscious control, such as breathing, digestion, and heart rate. This nervous system has two different, stress-related states. The parasympathetic nervous system is the “calm” state. Whenever we face a threat or stressful event, the body switches to the sympathetic “alarm” state. This alarm state is also known as fight or flight. Flipping to an alarm state causes a rapid response from the adrenal glands in our bodies to secrete adrenaline, cortisol, and other hormones. When the threat is gone, the body returns to the “calm” state.
However, when faced with chronic, high levels of stress, the body is unable to fully return to a calm state. This means the adrenals are constantly pumping out hormones. Eventually, they are unable to maintain this output, which leads to adrenal fatigue and high inflammation levels. In turn, this causes chronic fatigue and can damage blood vessels.
To prevent this damage, it is important to learn stress management techniques. Meditation or mindfulness practices are two ways to manage high levels of stress and help reduce cortisol levels. It has been found that people who do daily, mindful practices have reduced cortisol levels and improved brain cell connections, both of which are important for maintaining health. Even spending 5 to 10 minutes twice a day on an activity that lowers stress is very helpful. One mindful practice to try is to simply close your eyes and focus on the movement of air across your nostrils as you breathe in and out.
For more tips on getting healthy, pick up a copy of The Wahls Protocol. More resources are available on the Community Resources tab at terrywahls.com.
