Dealing with stress is a very popular topic lately. It turns out that a large number of serious diseases arise and develop due to chronic stress. Managing your body’s response to stress is a very important skill. Few of us can dramatically change our lives and remove from it problems at work, endless traffic jams, illnesses of children and similar normal situations, so relaxation is a serious assistant in the fight against the negative consequences of stress.
Relax, whenever possible, in any way that works for you, be it reading a book, walking, massage, meditation, running – you know best. The health benefits of such exercise are enormous. By responding to stress with relaxation, you significantly help yourself and your body:
Reduce the risk of developing colds
Sheldon Cohen, MD, professor of psychology at Carnegie Mellon University, has been actively studying the effects of stress on the body since 1990. He demonstrated that chronic stress lasting one to six months doubles the risk of colds. His recent research was aimed at elucidating the causes of this phenomenon, and the results seem to indicate inflammation. It seems that stress prevents the body from fighting inflammation, making immune cells less responsive to a hormone that turns off inflammation.
Improve your memory
Scientists have found that in mice, chronic stress damages the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for abstract thinking, cognitive analysis, and choosing appropriate behaviors for a given situation. Not only that, but previous studies in mice have shown that short bursts of voltage damage the brain centers responsible for memory and learning, making the mice unable to remember how to find their way through the maze. Several studies have also found that stress increases the amount of a protein in the brain, which is associated with Alzheimer’s and possibly accelerates the development of the disease.
Lower your risk of stroke
People who cope better with stressful life events are 24% less at risk of stroke, a 2007 study at the University of Cambridge found. This may be partly due to the fact that people who have learned to deal with stress often have healthy habits, such as not smoking and exercising regularly. A 2011 study looked at the specific effects of work-related stress. It was found that among men, psychological stress is caused by about 10% of strokes.
Protecting yourself from depression
In a 2011 study on mice under stress, they lost their appetite, gave up faster on assignments, and displayed “depression.” This is similar to the symptoms of depression in humans such as loss of appetite, discouragement, and hopelessness. In humans, prolonged exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can lower serotonin and dopamine levels, which are associated with depression. Stress can also exacerbate problems in people with depression or bipolar disorder and trigger a relapse.
Improving your ability to make good decisions
Not surprisingly, when we are under stress, we may not always think clearly. Stress affects how well we weigh risks and rewards, and can cloud our thinking when we need to make important decisions. People who are not burdened with stress tend to focus on the positive and may ignore the negative consequences of their decisions.
Helps you stay slim
We love tasty and affordable – ready-to-eat – foods, but overuse of foods high in fat and sugar puts us on weight and stress makes it harder to resist our desires. Cortisol increases appetite and may even directly trigger unhealthy food cravings.
Improve your skin
Researchers don’t know exactly why, but stress appears to increase the amount of sebum produced, which clogs pores and causes acne. Outbreaks of other skin problems, such as psoriasis, have also been linked to stress, and in doing so, they can act as stressors themselves. Relaxation helps a lot in this case: a study in 1998 showed that psoriasis heals faster in people who meditate regularly.
Promote the retention of feelings
One of the main reasons women lose the feeling of being in love is stress. But men are also not immune from this. Researchers at the Kinsey Institute found that in about 30% of men, stress is associated with impaired libido (although 21% of men claim that stress, on the contrary, increases their sex drive).
Reduces the Risk of Breast Cancer
Although research into the effects of stress on cancer development is largely inconclusive, there is some evidence pointing to a link between stress and the aggressiveness of breast cancer. Relaxation can not only delay the progression of the disease, but it can also speed up recovery. In addition, relaxation helps prevent the development of this dangerous disease, as stress can double a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
Learn more about how to deal with stress in a metropolis.