Stress is something that will never completely go away in almost everybody's life. Even for those in retirement living out the "golden years", there is always something to be stressed about. Even for those few who have financial security, relatively good health and a close family to spend holidays together, they will probably worry about and concern themselves with how they can help their loved ones. It makes no sense to try to eliminate stress, but there are plenty of things we can do to control it before it consumes our life and ruins our health.
Stress isn't really a bad thing. It is the body's way to protect us, and these defense mechanisms have been developed as we have evolved. When we are stressed, hormones such as cortisol are released by the body, allowing us to physically and mentally prepare ourselves to confront the situation. Blood flow and heart rate increases and the lungs take in more oxygen, making our senses ready for the challenge.
But your immune system temporarily shuts down, making our response to toxins and other foreign invaders reduced. Nothing is wrong with this, as long as it is temporary. But if your system remains on this "high" for too long, the immune system becomes desensitized to cortisol. Because cortisol also has a regulatory effect on our response to inflammation within the system, things get out of control, our immunities break down and we get sick.
As medical science examines this further, this situation of chronic inflammation is being associated with a great many disorders. In medical conditions such as dementia, cancer and heart disease we are finding how important a role the immune system plays. It has been estimated that 85% of all diseases have an emotional element to them. Stress plays a role in the health problems of many individuals.
Stress relief of course is easier said than done in many cases. Some of the coping mechanisms that have traditionally been used are smoking and taking antidepressants and sleeping pills. These of course are not cures but only mask the problem, and can cause even greater health problems in their own right.
So what is the optimum way to cure stress and keep us in a healthy state as we age? Finding those release valves that are right for you will be key. We will never be able to eliminate stress completely, but everyone's system has built-in tools to compensate for these stress-related issues. Regular exercise is probably the best release, and everyone should make every effort to do something physical.
Any physical activity is good to relieve stress. It gets your feel-good endorphins flowing and gets your mind off your troubles, at least for a while. It can decrease the stress hormone mentioned earlier: cortisol. Plus it really does help us sleep, which in itself is a great stress reliever in that it allows the body some time to recover and regroup. Some other wonderful ways that many people have learned to use for stress control laughing, doing yoga, meditation and religious faith.
When going on a http://muscle4weightloss.com/ program, alleviating stress can be a big help. Weight training, cardio workouts and many other forms of physical training can be accomplished better with a professional trainer. Rich Carroll is a writer and health enthusiast living in Chicago.
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