It seems that stress is affecting more and more people’s lives and our chiropractors at our busy clinic in Fareham are seeing the consequences that stress is having on patients’ health.
Being under stress from time to time is one thing but placing our bodies under continuous stress can have dire consequences on our overall health and well being.
The stress response, under normal circumstances, is designed to help us avoid potentially life threatening situations. You may have heard of the term ‘flight or fight response’, which is what an acute stress response is often referred to as. Under this circumstance our bodies are prepared physiologically and psychologically to cope with a ‘real’ or ‘perceived’ dangerous situation.
Some of the major changes the stress response has on our bodies are to:
- release ‘stress hormones’ to make us more alert and enable our reaction times to improve
- increase heart rate and blood pressure to prepare the body for action
- change the pace of our breathing to be more rapid and shallower
- release glucose into the bloodstream to give us a sudden burst of energy
- change the brain’s activity making certain regions become more alert
- tense the muscles making them more ready for action
- re prioritises bodily functions so that functions that are not necessary for ‘flight or fight’ are lowered.
As you can see these are quite significant changes and while they are appropriate for helping us to get out of immediate dangers having our bodies in this continual state can lead to serious health implications. Some of the health related problems associated to chronic stress include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, gastrointestinal problems, and respiratory problems.
The good news is that there are various techniques that can be used to help reduce stress and our chiropractors at Homewood Chiropractic Clinic suggest the following:
- Improve your sleep
- Follow a healthy diet
- Use relaxation techniques
- Practice mindfulness
- Spend more time with people you love
- Take regular exercise
Suffering pain such as back pain can be stressful. If you are suffering pain then our chiropractors at Homewood can help you. Our chiropractors can also recommend lifestyle changes that can help improve your health and help reduce your stress levels.
Our Experience Counts: 55 Years in Fareham
Serving the people of Fareham, and surrounding areas of Southampton, Portsmouth, Hampshire and the local areas of Whiteley, Hedge End, Locks Heath & Portchester
