Be Well
“Take it easy … don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.” – G. Frey, J. Browne, 1972
Ah, stress. We live in a world of it don’t we? Some of it due to our own making; some (much) due to outside influences. We are tethered to the outside world with little downtime. We constantly check phones, email, Facebook and various social media or the 24-hour news cycle.
We know we are stressed, but we seldom think about the cost to our health. That nagging headache, frequent insomnia, or decreased productivity at work or home – all of it may be the result of that culprit STRESS. Children, sadly, are experiencing more stress at younger and younger ages.1
As February is heart health awareness month, let’s look at the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system. Heart attacks, stroke and hypertension all continue to rise in America and have become the number one cause of death. Frequent or chronic stress makes your heart work too hard for too long, raising your risk of hypertension and problems with your blood vessels and heart, and putting you at higher risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
Is there a “higher purpose” for stress that I have not mentioned? Of course, if we are in a situation which induces a “fight or flight” response the release of cortisol serves a very important purpose.
When you encounter a perceived threat – a large dog barks at you during your morning walk, for instance – your hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal glands, located atop your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, enhances your brain’s use of glucose and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.2
Cortisol also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of your brain that control mood, motivation and fear.
The body’s stress-response system is usually self-limiting. Once a perceived threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal. As adrenaline and cortisol levels drop, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline levels, and other systems resume their regular activities. But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, that fight-or-flight reaction stays turned on.
Cortisol and the stress response have known deleterious effects on the immune system. High levels of perceived stress and increases in cortisol have been found to lengthen wound healing time in healthy, male adults.3
It’s not quite that simple, is it? We can’t tune out the “world” completely. We can, however, make a conscious effort to turn off the electronics, focus on breathing deeply, perhaps pray or meditate, get outside and take in the fresh air, or just do nothing every day for 10 to 15 minutes.
If you have a teenager in your home who takes their cell to bed with them, my suggestion is to change the rules … yes parents, you are allowed to do that. Take care of your heart and “Take It Easy” friends!
Sharon McMahon, CNWC
The opinions expressed in this article are not intended to replace advice of your personal physician or licensed health professional. Please consult your physician for any issues you may have related to nutrition or fitness activity.
1 Johns Hopkins University
2Mayo Foundation for Medical Research
3Ebrecht M, Hextall J, Kirtley LG, Taylor A, Dyson M, Weinman J (2004). “Perceived stress and cortisol levels predict speed of wound healing in healthy male adults”. Psychoneuroendocrinology 29 (6): 798–809. doi:10.1016/s0306-4530(03)00144-6. PMID 15110929.