Chronic Stress Can Take Years Off Your Life

by Expert Contributor Dr. Heather Sefried, D.C., Owner of The Joint Chiropractic - Newtown Square

To say that the past 16 months have been stressful would be an understatement. Some of the negative effects of stress on your overall health are already obvious. The long-term negative effects, however, remain to be seen.

When your body is under a steady state of prolonged stress, it cannot optimally adapt to certain stimuli and it begins to suffer. This stress causes physiological responses that make your body work harder. Hormones are released. The breath quickens and becomes more shallow. Digestion slows. Muscles become more tense. Sleep is poor. Inflammation markers increase. And your immune system is weakened. This is called the fight-or-flight response.

Your body is not meant to live in a constant state of the fight-orflight response. It’s built to live and operate in a state of calm, which is what your body needs to perform daily functions such as focusing on digestion, deep breathing and living with ease. But under the duress of chronic stress, your body goes into overdrive and wreaks havoc on your mental, physical and emotional health.

The effects of long-term stress on your health are huge! Chronic stress usually results in less sleep — the time your body needs to heal. It’s our greatest reset. Proper sleep is needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle and is required for all levels of healing.

Chronic stress also plays a huge role in messing with your digestion, which is necessary for proper nutrition, brain and immune system functioning and effectively eliminating toxins. Without proper digestion, your body is more susceptible to inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Chronic stress also plays a key role in your mental and emotional health. When you’re tired, you don’t feel good. You may understandably get irritable. And your immune system is weakened. All that leads to a snowball effect of decreased health and well-being in every aspect of your life.

There are many ways you can help your body get out of this prolonged fight-or-flight response. Number one is exercise because it fires up your neurotransmitters and releases dopamine, your natural “happy pill.” So get out of bed and take a walk. Get moving, and do it now.

Avoid doing things that stress you out, like watching or reading the news. Get your chiropractic adjustments. They’re proven to settle you down internally, improve your immune system, decrease inflammation and improve sleep.

Seeing a chiropractor once a week will help. And try acupuncture, a proven method to help with some of the negative side effects stress causes. Eat better. Take your vitamins to reduce inflammation. And lastly, just do something you enjoy. Take time for yourself!

Expert Contributor Dr. Heather Sefried, D.C., Owner of The Joint Chiropractic - Newtown Square

THE JOINT CHIROPRACTIC - Newtown Square

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www.TheJoint.com

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