You may not know that hormones resulting from prolonged stress strongly poison the body. Adrenaline, or the fight hormone, burdens the heart and circulatory system, e.g. by increasing the pressure. On the other hand, cortisol contributes to an increase in the amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the blood and sugar in the liver, the amount of hydrochloric acid also increases, which damages the digestive system.
The famous Polish sexologist Lew Starowicz believes that stress and attempts to combat it with stimulants are 8 out of 10 causes of erection problems in young men. Meanwhile, doctors pay attention to the negative effects of stress, such as stroke, atherosclerosis, heart attack or coronary artery disease. Also, taking into account the possibility of lowering immunity, mood swings, sleep problems, neuroses, fears and depressions, there is no point in delaying any longer, so take steps to fight stress today!
10 ways to fight stress
- The sauna will allow you to relax, according to research by scientists from the University of Oklahoma. People who often visit the sauna are relaxed on a daily basis, they can easily endure stressful situations, and moreover, they have a better chance of achieving a sense of self-realization.
- Convince yourself of aromatherapy. Among the recommended fragrance oils are: orange, bergamot, grapefruit, vanilla, cypress, ylang-ylang, lavender and of course lemon balm.
- A simple but effective remedy is physical exercise that will allow you to go crazy. Off-road cycling or a fast run will be appropriate. The basis for this claim is rooted in the opinion of researchers from the University of Missouri, who found that after 33 minutes of strenuous exercise, we feel positive results for a long time.
- Relaxing music or the noise of the waves captured on the recording are a great way to relieve tension.
- It has long been known that communing with nature has a beneficial effect on our functioning. To help relieve negative emotions, visiting beautiful corners of the country will help as well as buying a cat or a dog. Communing with pets prevents depression and a large percentage of conflicts in families.
- It is believed that regular meditation allows you to reduce destructive stress to 45% within a quarter, because thanks to the development of awareness, stress signals have no chance to reach our brain. Therefore, it is worth training the breath in this simple way: the air should be inhaled slowly through the nose, counting to four in the meantime, and then slowly exhaled through the mouth. Repeat 10 times.
- Eat foods that naturally relieve stress. Dairy products are the right solution when our appetite increases with tension, because – as Dutch specialists say – milk proteins stabilize the chemical balance in our body. In addition, it is recommended to eat green leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, as they contribute to the production of hormones responsible for well-being. Deficiencies of B vitamins expose us to irritability and depression. Simple sugar supplied with fruit is an energy boost for the body bent under the weight of stress hormones.
- A hit for preventing increased susceptibility to stress is magnesium supplementation or assimilation of this element along with appropriate food, e.g. nuts and cocoa. Magnesium limits the release of noradrenaline and adrenaline from the nerve endings, allows for the proper functioning of the nervous system.
- Drink 2 glasses of orange juice a day. An experiment conducted by scientists from the University of Alabama showed that giving rats 200 mg of vitamin C almost completely stopped the production of adrenaline and cortisol, i.e. stress hormones.
- Have a loved one by your side when you are struggling through difficult times. According to the results of a study by scientists from the University of North Carolina, difficult situations are twice as easy to endure when people are in love. The mere touch of a partner’s hand has a soothing effect on our body to such an extent that it reduces blood pressure.