|
|
|
|
|
| Health Info
» How To Reduce Stress |
WHY
STRESS? HOW TO REDUCE
STRESS:
|
Stress
is usually thought of as a
negative factor in our daily
lives but it is necessary
part of life. Without stress
life becomes boring. The key
to stress, as with
everything else in life, is
balance. Enough to keep you
interested but not enough to
become overwhelmed.
Individuals have different
thresholds for stress. What
is seen as stressful to one
person may not be stressful
to another.
The result of constant
stress can be tense muscles,
headaches, stomach cramps,
teeth grinding, decreased
immunity, exhaustion and
insomnia. Emotionally stress
can lead to memory problems,
depression, emotional
outbursts and panic attacks.
It is believed that constant
stress is a factor in the
development of many chronic
diseases.
We often ignore the first
signs of stress, such as
headaches and insomnia, and
use medication to stop the
symptoms. We use stimulants,
like caffeine, to allow
ourselves to keep working
when the body is trying to
tell us to slow down. The
masking of stress symptoms
eventually causes the body
to breakdown. The standard
North American diet is
deficient in vitamins,
minerals and essential fatty
acids. It is high in
saturated fat, refined
carbohydrates and chemical
additives and preservatives.
These substances not only do
not give your body usable
energy, but they also
inhibit the use of good
quality food by depleting
enzymes and hormones
necessary for energy
conversion. The body must
also deal with the toxic
by-products of foods like
bleached flour and sugar,
artificial sweeteners and
flavours and trans-fatty
acids. All of these
stressors compromise the
health of an individual.
Irregular sleeping and
eating patterns make one
susceptible to stress
related illness. Sleep is an
essential component of our
body’s repair mechanisms.
During sleep the body is in
an anabolic, or building,
state. It has time to
regenerate cells and
replenish hormones, enzymes
and neurotransmitters.
Insomnia prevents the repair
of normal damage from the
body’s daily activity. The
brain also requires sleep in
order to process information
that is learned throughout
the day.
Irregular eating patterns
stress the body by not
providing nutrients at
regular intervals. When the
body is lacking nutrients it
compromises the body’s
functioning. When an
individual finally does eat
the body rushes to use the
nutrients and store whatever
it does not need, in
anticipation that the next
meal may not come for a
while
Lack of exercise contributes
to stress by compromising
the circulation of all
molecules around the body,
including food particles,
oxygen and hormones.
Circulation is also
responsible for flushing
waste products out of the
cells and taking them to the
appropriate organs for
processing and excretion.
The venous system contains
no valves so blood flow back
to the heart is dependent on
movement of the surrounding
musculature. Exercise also
removes tension from muscles
and offers an outlet for
unexpressed emotions.
Help Reduce Effects of
Stress by:
- Doing exercise you
enjoy, regularly.
- Reducing stress
through techniques such
as meditation and deep
breathing.
- Relaxing with yoga
or tai chi.
- Developing regular
sleeping patterns.
- Consuming fresh
fruits & veggies daily.
- Getting enough B
vitamins by
supplementing and eating
leafy green and whole
grains.
- Supporting the
adrenals with herbal and
nutritional formulas.
- Keep your body
hydrated by drinking
lots of pure water.
- Avoiding refined
sugars and junk & fast
foods.
- Limiting or avoiding
coffee, alcohol and
nicotine.
|
|
|
|
|
|