Modern day life is without a doubt complex and we all experiences stress on different levels regardless of our background.
Stress is how the brain and body perceive and react to challenges in our daily lives such as a test coming up, a deadlines at work, bad news etc. The brain and body may react to these challenges physically, mentally and emotionally.
There are two types of stress - Fight or flight vs Chronic
1. Dangerous situations trigger our body’s fight or flight response for us to either fight or flee the danger. In which our brain goes into full survival mode, pulse rises, breathing gets quicker, muscles begin to tense, and your brain uses more oxygen to increase alertness. This a very short stress and protects us
On the other hand, there is chronic stress. Chronic stress puts pressure on our body and mind for a long time.
2. Chronic stress affect our physical health and mental health and is very damaging. Below are 5 ways that stress affects our body and mind:
Chronic stress can be caused by many factors such as financial, personal or family problems. Stress increases the stress hormone cortisol which at high levels lowers serotonin and dopamine. The symptoms are depression, anxiety, learning difficulties, concentration and sleeping difficulties.
Chronic stress is terrible for your immune system, weakening it and reducing the body’s ability to respond to invaders such as bacteria and viruses as well as many other illnesses.
People who have chronic stress on average get sick more often than others.
When under fight or flight stress our muscles tense up to protect your body and prevent injuries, however, they will release the tension when you’re in a relaxed state.
With Chronic Stress your muscles do not have a chance to relax when you’re under constant stress. This can cause headaches, migraines, and body aches.
Here are some symptoms of stress affecting your body:
For men chronic stress affects libido, as it lowers testosterone levels and can lead to impotence.
For women, chronic stress can negatively affect menstrual cycles. It can lead to irregular and painful periods and also increase the symptoms of menopause.
When under stress you may start to engage in behaviours you normally would not do such as overeating or undereating.
You may start using substances such as alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs to escape and relax. This over time leads to addiction and substance abuse disorders.
Here are some ways we can manage your daily stress:
Chronic Stress has a very damaging affect on our physical health and mental well being. Practice the methods listed above to fight the stress and always try your best keep a positive mindset.
How Can I Protect Myself, My Family and my Friends?
]]>COVID-19 is a global pandemic. Scientists predict that 40% to 70% of our population will be affected. Those with a chronic disease and immunocompromised are at a greater risk.
People with a chronic disease are almost 10 times more likely to die. Those with obesity are 3 times more likely to die. It is critical now more than ever for our us to focus on their own health and reduce the burden on our health care system.
How Can I Protect Myself, My Family and My Friends?
The first is prevention on how to avoid it in the first place and the second is how to strengthen your immune system so we are more resilient to it.
How to Avoid Infection with COVID-19
How to Strengthen Your Immune System
How to Supplement to strengthen the Immune system
Let’s start with an overview of the vitamins, minerals, and herbs you need and why they are important.
To keep your immune system strong and protect yourself it not necessary to take all the above. However a good starting point would be taking a Multi-Vitamin, Vitamin D3, Vitamin C, Zinc, Selenium and fish oil which is a great start.
Important for us to stay calm even in uncertain times, limit our intake of the fear based news and use our common sense. Studies have shown strong emotions such as fear and stress lower our immune system and make us more vulnerable.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to provide medical advice and any changes should be done with the consultation of your Health care practitioner. Also please do your own research and follow what makes sense to you.
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