How Stress Affects Our Bodies
Stress affects us all in different ways. For some, it might have a noticeable impact on your mood. You may find that you’re easily irritated or constantly on edge. Relationships may become problematic and you might find that you distance yourself from others.
While there are common traits to stress, we all experience things in different ways given our own personal situations.
One thing that may be common will be the effect of stress on your body.
In this article, we’ll discuss how stress can affect your body.
How Stress Affects Your Back
When we’re stressed, it can have a knock-on effect on our backs.
Your breathing patterns change when you are stressed. This causes us to hunch up our shoulders which will result in pain across the upper and middle back.
You may also experience pain in the lower back around the tailbone and the lower back muscles. This will affect your posture.
During times of particular stress and depression, it is likely that you’ll move around a lot less. You will exercise and stretch less. Being sat down for several hours at a time will cause a strain on your spine.
If you are experiencing back pains as a result of stress you may need to visit a Chiropractor. You should also think about including relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises and meditation into your day.
Headaches
Stress can lead to you having tension headaches. If stress is triggering you to have headaches, then you can lower your stress levels by taking a walk and taking deep breaths. You could introduce meditation into your life.
You could also look at hypnotherapy as a way of unlocking your mind from the cycle of stressful thoughts.
Insomnia
Does stress keep you awake at night? You’re not alone. A third of U.S. adults don’t get enough sleep due to insomnia. And, one of the leading causes of insomnia is stress.
If you are struggling with your sleep routine, then it is time for a change.
Minimize the amount of time that you spend on your smartphone, laptop, or watching TV in the hour before you go to bed.
Take a bath, read a book, or meditate to help to unwind and lower your stress levels before bed. Finally, sprinkle lavender essential oils onto your bed before you go to sleep. This will help you to relax and to drift off.
Heart and Respiratory System
During times of stress, your body will produce hormones such as cortisol. This will affect your respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
When you are stressed, you’ll breath quicker to get oxygen-rich blood into your body. This will mean that your blood will also need to pump faster. The presence of stress hormones can lead to your blood vessels constricting and to divert more oxygen to your muscles so that you can take action. This raises your blood pressure.
If you have chronic stress, your heart will work hard for too long. Prolonged increases in blood pressure can lead to heart attacks or strokes.
Stress is for the birds! Need some anxiety relief?
Check out my colleague, Dale Garrett's website for a cool way to beat stress: Bird Music for Anxiety