"Whatever puts you in that mindful state of just accepting what's going on, letting things go that you can't control, releasing your expectations, and just being in the present," Cutler says. There are many different types of meditation, but taking a few minutes each day to focus on your breath can be a good place to start. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, meditation can help decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression, and can also help alleviate some of the physical effects of stress like headaches and difficulty sleeping. Just 30 minutes of low to moderate intensity exercise each day, like walking, can stabilize your mood and improve your sleep - not to mention the added benefits for physical health, especially in preventing or managing cardiovascular disease. Studies have shown that physical activity can boost mood, relieve tension, and reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. Some proven ways to reduce stress include: "In general, people deal much better with these stressful events by staying focused on what is happening right now, rather than dwelling on what might have happened in the past to make things come out differently, or what the consequences are going to be in the future," Cutler says.
Stress can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep, and not getting adequate sleep can exacerbate health problems and weaken your immune system.Īccording to Cutler, prolonged stress is associated with many health complications, like a weakened immune system and an increased risk of heart disease, so the better you're able to manage your stress, the better your overall health will be.
Stress can cause a decrease of blood flow to the stomach, which can result in cramping, bloating, inflammation, and lack of appetite. Over time, this can put extra pressure on your heart and harm your arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and heart attacks. The release of adrenaline when you're stressed causes your heart rate to speed up and raises your blood pressure. When we experience a sudden onset of stress, maybe from slamming on the brakes to avoid an accident, our muscles tense up and then release once the tension passes.īut when we are under stress for prolonged periods of time, those muscles remain tense, which can trigger headaches and muscle pain, according to the American Psychological Association.Ĭhronic stress and poor mental health can contribute to a range of long-term physical health problems, including: How mental health affects physical health "But if there's cortisol being released chronically for days and weeks at a time, that very likely could impair your immune system." "If it happens very briefly, then goes away, there probably is no effect on your immune system," Cutler says. However, if you experience it frequently or are constantly under stress, it can become chronic and impair bodily functions like your immune system. For the most part, this acute stress is manageable and doesn't cause lasting physical effects.
You might experience acute stress when stuck in a traffic jam or running late for an important meeting. It's how your body responds to threats in the environment, and it's necessary for survival, Cutler says. Acute stress is a normal part of everyday life. How your body and immune system respond to stress depends on many factors, including whether the stress is acute or chronic. In a 2012 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers conducted stress interviews on 276 healthy adults and then exposed them to a virus that causes the common cold.Īfter monitoring them in quarantine for five days, researchers found that chronic stress was associated with an increased likelihood of developing a cold when exposed to the virus. In fact, research has found that chronic stress can make you more susceptible to developing an illness, like the common cold. That's because stress causes the body to release hormones, such as adrenaline, dopamine, norepinephrine, and cortisol, which can decrease the body's ability to make lymphocytes - the white blood cells that help fight off harmful viruses or bacteria. When we're stressed, the immune system doesn't function as well. Stress can make you more likely to get sick
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