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Stress On Your Body

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anthony

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I really liked this article outlining how stress impacts our bodies, because stress is a major player in PTSD, and most people just don’t understand the physical impact that PTSD and stress causes our longevity of life to suddenly shorten.

Stress and Your Body

The following are symptoms of the acute “flight or fight” stress reaction:
  • Fast beating, racing heart, often palpable
  • Blood pressure soars
  • Fast racing breath
  • Digestion slows down
  • Sweaty palms. Stress causes extreme heat in the body. Without perspiration to cool the body down, we would spontaneously combust!
  • Dry mouth
  • Muscles tense
  • Blood clots faster
  • Glucose and fats pour into the blood to provide energy for all the action taking place inside the body
  • Rushing thoughts
  • Irrational fears and anxiety
  • Stress, Disorders and Disease
Long-term and unmanaged stress can cause and exacerbate the following:
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Allergies, hives, hay fever
  • Asthma
  • Migraines
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Eczema
  • Psoriasis
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Stress and Your Heart

Heart attack, high blood pressure, thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or plaque formation), thrombosis (formation of blood clots), stroke. Many medical doctors believe that occupational, relationship, financial or work related stress is the most important risk factor and cause for coronary heart disease and heart attacks, often starting with a silent elevation in blood pressure.

Go for regular physical check-ups. High blood pressure is a silent disease, as is early diabetes, high cholesterol and thickening of the arteries! It’s important to determine your day to day working blood pressure, not only the one that’s measured in the doctor’s room while you’re anticipating hell and damnation! However, the tendency for your blood pressure to rise might indicate a reactive narrowing of the blood vessels (arteries) when you experience situations that are stressful for you.

Stress and Your Skeleton

Backaches, headaches and muscle tension are very common and most people will suffer from one or more of these conditions during their lifetimes. Tension plays a major role in muscle spasm often associated with stress. Disorders of this kind are often related to chronic stress and the feeling of helplessness individuals experience when they feel unable to cope with the cause of their stress.

Environmental stressors such as pollution, poor working conditions, poor ergonomics (such as too low computer chairs leading to repetitive strain injury), noise combined with emotional factors, often lead to backaches, headaches and other musculoskeletal problems. This diminishes the efficacy and productivity in the workplace tremendously. The cost of backache alone in Western countries comes to astronomical figures. Individuals suffering from these conditions (such as backache, tension headaches, migraine, muscle cramps, spasms, diminished flexibility and mobility of muscles and joints, susceptibility of injuries) often do not eat properly, they live a sedentary life and/or they abuse painkillers. This in turn makes them even less able to cope with stress.

Stress hormones also interfere with the body’s ability to build bone, resulting in bone loss, especially in women.

Stress and Sexual Problems

Impotence, premature ejaculation, lowered libido, frigidity, loss of self confidence, premenstrual tension and even infertility in men and women are associated with long-term unmanaged stress. These symptoms in turn exacerbate the stress. A well balanced sex life is essential for our ability to manage sex and for our general health and well being.

Stress also plays a major role in the individual’s experience of the transition periods of life: teenagers, menopause (male and female), retirement and old age.

Stress and Chronic Fatigue

Under optimal levels of stress we are productive, creative, communicative, enthusiastic and healthy. Once we pass the level of optimal performance, we enter the negative phase of stress with low efficiency, productivity, creativity and poor interpersonal relationships. These cumulative factors lead to mental and physical fatigue.

Mental fatigue, ironically, often drives us to do even more to achieve the same level of performance. This further depletes our reserves and resources, leading to a disruption in homeostasis, or internal balancing of endocrine, neurological and immune function. Physical and mental fatigue leads to more stress in a vicious circle often leading to “burn-out.”

Stress and Obesity

Because of the secretion of cortisol in long-term stress, fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen and back. The fat is stored in anticipation of the coming famine. This is due to the stress signal of the basic survival of the human species response! Never mind that your stress is due to a heavy workload and a power-hungry, driven personality! Your body’s reaction to stress is the same as primitive man’s who was constantly involved in a fight for survival. Fat storage was and still is, great for survival during famines.

Stress, Diabetes and Insulin Resistance

The adrenalin released during the stress reaction inhibits insulin, the major hormone whereby the body removes sugar from the blood. This is great when we have a physical response to a stressor or trigger that threatens our survival. When we have chronic stress, without the physical outlet, as is mostly the case, sustained high sugar levels combined with high cortisol (the hormone secreted during long-term stress) levels and a susceptible individual, this might lead to diabetes in later life. Stress also exacerbates existing diabetes. Diabetes can, in turn, lead to other diseases, mostly cardiovascular disorders.

Stress and Your Skin

Research shows that 40% of skin disorders are associated with stress. Many doctors believe that it is much higher. Dermatitis and eczema are often the direct result of stress. Other skin disorders, such as psoriasis, urticaria (hives), acne and herpes simplex (cold sores) are exacerbated and often caused, by chronic stress. Unsightly skin conditions often lead to more emotional stress due to the social implications.

Stress and Your Digestion

The link between stress and ulcers in the stomach or duodenum is complex. Ulcer development is associated with continual stress and high levels of gastric acid. People with ulcers, on the other hand, are often very susceptible to stress and tend to be anxious. The Helicobacter pylorum infection often associated with ulcers also indicates an immune system that’s functioning below par. This in turn is often a result of long-term unrelenting stress. Zinc deficiency, often associated with chronic stress, has been implicated in the gastric mucous membrane sensitivity for high acid levels.

Other digestive problems linked with stress: oesophageal spasm, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease.

Stress and Your Immune System

Short-term stress enhances immune function. Sustained stress suppresses immune function. The more stress, the fewer antibodies you will produce. Both kinds of immunity (cell mediated and humoral immunity) are affected by unrelenting stress, which means that you’ll be more likely to be infected by viruses (also those linked to cancer), bacteria, fungi and parasites. You’ll also be more sensitive to environmental toxins, electromagnetic emanations from high tension electrical cables, and pollution. The link between stress and immune function is far-reaching, explaining the effect stress has on disorders ranging from the common cold, autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease) to HIV/Aids, through to cancer.

Stress and Substance Abuse

The inability to cope with stress often leads to the increased consumption of alcohol, tranquillisers, drugs to help people sleep, use of recreational drugs and smoking. This is a mistaken effort to try and relieve tiredness, anxiety and life pressure. Alcohol’s initial effect is to mimic the stress reaction! The later effect of alcohol is depression. Alcohol may give a short-term lift which appears to relieve tension, but can, in the long term, turn into a problem of changed behaviour and dependency. Tranquillisers and sleeping pills often lead to dependency and a need for increased and stronger dosages to have an effect (tolerance). Smoking may also have a transient calming effect, but nicotine actually mimics the stress response. Smoking can damage virtually any organ of the body.

There appears to be a link between smoking, alcohol abuse and high consumption of coffee, as an example of addiction by association, all in a futile attempt to address the high stress levels in a person’s life. The accumulating effect of addiction and poor lifestyle choices considerably weakens the ability to cope with stress and increases the risk for developing various diseases.

Stress and Depression

This is the mental disorder mostly associated with stress. High cortisol levels and a serotonin-noradrenalin dysfunction, all common to chronic stress, are all implicated in depression.

Stress can make individuals more susceptible to psychiatric disease and also exacerbates existing conditions.

Stress and Insomnia

Sleep disruption is one of the earliest symptoms of stress. Sufficient sleep is extremely important for us to function properly and to be able to manage the day-to-day stresses of living. Sleep helps for emotional and physical recovery after a stressful day. Insomnia is therefore a major problem as it diminishes our resistance to stress.

Other Symptoms of Stress

Nightmares, forgetfulness, fatigue, persistent irritability, apathy, lack of concentration, social withdrawal, loss of or increase in appetite, increased coffee and tea consumption, increased aggression.

Stress and the South African Situation

We are exposed to crime on a daily basis, wherever we live. Most South Africans live in a constant state of fear and anxiety. This is a good example of how fear, anxiety, guilt, despair and hatred constantly evoke the fight or flight reaction, which has to be processed and balanced.

Many South African men have been brought up with the idea that they should suppress all their emotions and they find it difficult to cope in South Africa. Many men live with the thought that he and his family are potential targets of criminal activities. We all have to deal with feelings of helplessness and hatred. We are often overly attached to our material possessions and the loss of them causes intense shock and anxiety as well as financial strain.

Emotionally, women tend to cope with this type of trauma better than men. Society allows women to give expression to a wide range of emotions. The socially acceptable reaction for men is aggression and rage – certainly not heartache, uncertainty, vulnerability, fear and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

We all have to learn to cope with crime. We cannot suddenly change it; we can’t really all move house or relocate to another country; we can’t run away; we can’t attack the aggressor. We have to find the answer within ourselves.

What is important is that people should talk to one another. Partners should communicate their feelings to each other. Relationships with other people create a safe, confidential space for sharing feelings. If you find it difficult to cope with a traumatic experience, it is highly recommended that you and your family go for trauma counselling for post traumatic stress disorder, before you internalise the experience and it forever influences your life negatively from the deep unconscious where it’s buried in the shadows of your existence.

Good things can develop from bad experiences. People are reaching out to one another again. Couples are learning to talk to each other, men are discovering that it is normal to feel uncertain, scared and helpless. This is often a stimulus for spiritual growth and an awareness of the important things in life. People sometimes decide to realise life-long dreams or try a new job. How you tackle or react to a situation is your choice.

We must become more alert and learn to spot signs of danger in the neighbourhood. Criminals don’t just appear from nowhere. If we were less concerned about tomorrow and less regretful about yesterday, we would be better able to focus on the present and not operate in a state of unawareness of our surroundings. This would enable us to use the fight or flight reaction for the purpose for which it was created. We can also take the necessary steps within our power to safeguard our house, workplace and the lives of our nearest and dearest as best as possible.

By taking control of how you utilise your fear reaction, you can change from being a victim to being in control of a situation.

Today’s society is generally very negative and we pass this message on to our children. We must start the healing process. We cannot wait for the government or the police service to do everything. Emphasise the power of love, rather than the power of hate. South Africa is in a period of transition which will lead to the rebirth of a more tolerant and balanced society – perhaps in our lifetime, perhaps not. It is difficult to see the light when it’s still dark. Remember that darkness is neither an entity nor a reality – it is only a place where the light is absent. There is a deep feeling of mutual respect and dignity among most of the people in our country. Let us build on that feeling!
 
With all that being said, and being completely accurate, HOW do we manage the extreme levels of stress some of us have?.

It is destroying my body,
 
It comes back to removing the negative stigma attached to any trauma you have endured. You have to manage your stressor exposure, ie. if you are having a bad day, then you don't increase your stress by going to a packed shopping centre. You do it the next morning, or following day if possible. If you go back to the stress cup model, what goes in you have to manage, you then have to relax in order to allow your cup to empty. If your having nightmares about a specific trauma or event, then you haven't healed the trauma and are fooling yourself otherwise. Any negative stigma you have from past trauma will cause excessive daily stress upon your body.
 
It is destoying my body too. At my last therpist interview she said 'confronting the trauma may not always be necessary or productive.' My last therapist said this also. Basically they all just want me to not open it all up and just 'manage' my triggers, etc. Develop coping mechanisms.

I'm still confused........should I be searching for a therapist who is going to nudge me to open those wounds? I did somewhat with my first therapist, but not much because I became so unstable.

I'm just still confused about this and still struggling with the levels of stress destroying my precious health.:think:
 
I am going to take this article to my doctor. I told him I was healthy prior to my car accident. He said your rheumatoid arthritis was not caused by that. Directly it wasn't but indirectly it was, as are all of my disease. The diabetes, the fibromyalgia, the asthma, the hypothyroidism, the depression, the IBD, the high blood pressure.
After having this disorder most of my life, I am only beginning to understand it now. I was constantly pushing myself. Got into a profession that was way to stressful, because I didn't want to 'wimp out'. It's time for me, to be kind to me and think of the stress cup model.
 
This was quite interesting. I have always had allergies, but they are the worst they have ever been. I developed Asthma which continues to worsen. I now have high blood pressure. Luckily all my "heart attacks" were anxiety attacks. If that is better?? I get migraines, IBS and constant sleep difficulties. Of course constant fatigue, muscle and joint pain. The bad memory, difficulty concentrating and geee I wonder why I am irritable.

The one thing I am thankful for is I have not fallen to any addiction other than caffeine. I did for a while drink to get to sleep, but I stopped that because sleeping just caused more pain in my dreams. I do have sleeping pills, but again I rarely use them. I think if the opportunity had been there I very well may have tried and become addicted. However since I rarely venture out, that is not likely.Well I just had to speak out about how closely that represents so many of my problems. I won't mention the weight gain.

I know this might be a silly question and I think Grama-Herc asked basically the same question. If anyone answered it I apologize as I did read the other replies and didn't see it. Knowing the likely cause of the myriad of conditions, does this help get rid of them in any way? I know knowledge is power but I want the power to get my health back, if not my sanity.
 
Has anyone looked at supplements that help with our condition? For instance, I have developed esophogeal spasms from the stress. I did research on it on my own since all my doctors couldn't help. I found people online who said to take Magnesium. Wow! It helped about 60% on them just by taking a cheap, healthy, supplement! Sleeping better too. Back spasms and back pain went down as well.
I think I have read that some people's bodies don't hold onto certain necessary minerals as they should, which results in things like this, and that stress can "burn up" those nutrients too quickly in the body. There is not any research that I know about to support this hypothesis. But I can say it has worked for my stress-related pain without going to a Dr. and charging up bills there and the pharmacy. I wonder if Magnesium could help with other stress-related issues. The best food source besides breakfast cereals is cooked spinach. Even one cup per day could help. And it's so good for you anyway so you can try it without wondering if it's a good idea to do it anyway. It might help maintain a healthy weight and manage stress better from a nutritional standpoint. Excercise is also helpful for me, especially gentle kinds, like walking and yoga. But for this condition, online, medical sites state that just by getting talk therapy in counseling, the spasms often go into remission.

There are probably too many stress linked diseases to mention and that could be its own website! But Anthony raises such a good point. By getting help for PTSD, you might be saving some additional wear and tear on the physical body along with relationships, jobs, finances, and such. It will pay for itself in the long run.,
 
I have type 2 diabetes since 2000 and have never had to be on insulin or meds to control it just diet and exercise.

During my surgeries (gall bladder and later on a hernia) my sugar did go up and they gave me insulin during surgery. This is typical for diabetics.

After my gall bladder surgery which went badly (it's under my story what happened) I was on a feeding tube for a couple of weeks and they monitored my sugars every 6 hours. Once in awhile I was given a little bit of insulin.

When I finally returned home after a month, I was still sick so my sugars were running a little higher than usual. I got back into the swing ok though after physical therapy came out and started teaching me to walk again.

I eventually did get back on track with my sugars. It took about 2 weeks after I arrived home and no damage to kidneys (even though I had kidney failure in the hospital).

So yes I agree that stress can really mess you up!!!! Good article but a bit scary for me to read.
 
I was very surprised to see under long term effects that allergies was here. I've stymied two ENT's (ear/nose/throat) doctors because after diagnosis for allergies and 5 years of fast tracked allergic immunotherapy I retested and am more allergic, not less. Originally I tested allergic to 42 of 50 environmental and 7 of the 8 basic foods (including glycerine which is a preservitave in many things, even the allergy shots). I was hoping for a measured favorable outcome at the retest, but am now IgE allergic to 59 of 60 environmental and all 8 basic foods. I have so much blood histimine that they felt further testing would be skewed, but privately paid for a blood test, rather than a scratch test... that tested food intolerances and was not at all surprised to find quite a large number. Don't get me wrong... I was likely born allergic... but this could have been made worse by stress.
 
Stress....I've been sure it's the worst thing for my body for the last 10 or so years. It's debilitated me even before my trauma - to the point that I had major chest pains at work in my 20s and thought my job would kill me.
 
I walked into the Osteopath today, my normal one having gone on maternity leave, and this new one said "wow, are you stressed" without me hardly saying anything. She said she also did body therapy and could see my body emitting tension and stress.

Funny thing is I went because of constant headaches which no painkiller would take away and having got to a point where I couldn't even sit in my office chair. It's like I couldn't stand to be in my own body. No specific pain - just could not physically sit. My Osteo said I had 'mentally' started to try and separate from my body to stop the pain.

Normally when I go to the Osteo I know my hips are twisted or my neck is out and so on. This time I couldn't identify a specific pain but knew I needed help or to find a new body.

Interesting, during the treatment the Osteo found my neck to be out (interesting in a way that it was out I couldn't shake it to say no - which she believes has a deeper meaning) and for the first time ever, she was the one to push on my diaphragm to reveal excruciating pain which I didn't even notice. What I had complained about on my profile was that I was feeling like I was going to have a heart attack over the weekend.

Turns out the diaphragm being distressed (muscles too tight) is a stress reaction from muscle tension resulting in shorter and shallower breaths. She also pushed up near my heart (without me saying a word) and she said to me your ribs are out too, have you been getting chest painns! Der, yes...how did she know. Apparently the muscle tension which normally causes my ribs to shift (sometimes they pinch my lungs and then breathing is excruciating and I require immediate help) can cause enough shift to pinch the muscles in the front of your chest to cause the pain I was experiencing.

I could go on and talk about how my pelvis linked to my middle back pain which then caused further inflammation of my chest pain however my point is..........as well as all of the points listed above, I didn't realize that stress could throw my entire being out of whack to a point of being in agony with nothing identifiable as being the cause.
 
It is amazing what stress can do Nicolette. Sounds like the Osteo you saw today, knows her stuff. :tup:

Remember not long back it was thought I may have been starting with Rheumatoid Arthritis in my hands and feet. That turned out to be stress, and my menopausal hot flushes come on stronger when I am stressed too.
 
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