Emotional ups and downs, and periods of stress aren’t a sign of illness. . . they’re a sign of being human!
But over the top responses to everyday incidents can be a sign of chronic stress. And this can be dangerous!
When we are under stress, our body engages in a “fight or flight” response to protect us from potentially dangerous situations. This triggers a release of adrenaline and cortisol into our system.
You feel this when your heart starts to race. You may even feel sweaty, jittery, have a nervous stomach or feel panic.
Initially, cortisol’s role is to help us deal with stress. It shuts down unnecessary functions like the digestive and immune systems in order to direct all our energies toward dealing with the danger at hand. Over short periods of time, cortisol is critical to our survival.
However, when this happens repeatedly, your body is unable to properly restore to its normal state of calm. When your stress response is triggered daily your adrenal glands become exhausted and your cortisol levels stay high.
Is it so bad to feel exhausted all the time?
Well, in this way stress and cortisol is not only affecting your mental health, but also your bones, muscles, and pain response.
When you are in over drive, you carry increased muscle tension in the head, neck, shoulders, and back, which can create pain. A correlation has been found between chronic back pain and higher cortisol levels compared to healthy individuals. High levels are also associated with a stronger pain response.
The area of the brain that deals with stress responds more strongly to pain when cortisol levels are high. This does not mean the pain is “in your head’, but you truly experience a greater pain response when you are under stress.
So, we have increased muscle tension, increased levels of pain, but also damage to our bones.
Without a long drawn out explanation of the physiology, cortisol inhibits osteoblast formation and proliferation.
Osteoblasts are the cells that create new bone tissue during the constant bone remodeling process.
Osteoporosis occurs when bone is broken down faster than osteoblasts can rebuild it. Studies shoes a greater bone mineral density loss when higher cortisol levels are found in the blood.
Increased cortisol also decreases an amino acid called proline. This is essential to bone remodeling, skin, joint, and connective tissue health. Our bodies naturally produce proline, but perhaps not in sufficient amounts to counteract our current levels of stress. So, by interrupting the rebuilding mechanisms in our bodies, stress is aging us much faster than we otherwise would.
Learning to manage your stress response is important to preventing injury, managing pain, and remaining active.
Stress happens to all of us.
How you deal with it is key.
Meditation is a good option to protect your self against stress-related physical and emotional problems. It lowers stress hormones in the body and increases neurochemicals that allow us to relax. It doesn’t have to be a long drawn out practice. Just a few minutes of guided breathing, prayer, or sitting silently with your thoughts can make a big difference.
Although, the research isn’t conclusive, certain foods have been correlated with a reduction in stress. Try mushrooms, walnuts, and apricots and see if you notice a benefit.
In order to stay healthy, we must remember that psychology and physiology are closely linked. By reducing stress and anxiety, you will build stronger bones and more relaxed muscles in your back.
