As part of our association with Warwick East Primary Care Network we are pleased to be able to offer our patients support from our Health & Wellbeing Coach, Ludmila. If you think you may benefit from her help, please speak to you GP.
Please read on for Ludmila’s piece on stress.
Stress: is it all that bad?
In recent years we have got used to blaming stress for an increasing number of symptoms and health decline. However, this might give out the impression that stress is never good. The reality is we developed a stress response that kept us safe throughout evolution and it still plays an important part today. Our stress reaction helps us step up to challenges that show up on a daily basis. From moving energy to the legs ,when we need to run to catch the bus we are about to miss, to improved cognitive power to find solutions under pressure; stress and the chemical alterations it causes in the body and brain continues to be essential to help us thrive.
Immediate stress is powered through hormones such as adrenaline, which coordinates the allocation of resources in the body in the first hour of acute stress. Normally, situations in nature that led us to develop this ability to 'move up a gear' in our physiology wouldn't last for long. In the days of the sabre-toothed-tiger, we either escaped the threat or got caught, which put an end to the misery very quickly. This meant stress, although frequent and acute, was not long lasting. This is the type of stress that has shaped our internal biology to keep us on top of the food chain.
However, these days, a lot has changed in our lifestyle and stress can last for long periods of time as well as be completely unrelated to any physical engagement. The stress hormones are still the same and they will be triggered in the same way, but the stress response we have developed to serve us so well in the ancient past is now inadequate for modern life. After the acute phase, the initial hour of stress, another hormone is activated. This is the stress hormone called cortisol. It has important functions to keep us going for a bit longer and it also talks to the immune system to make sure we can avoid getting too ill before we are back to safety and able to recover. Cortisol basically slows down the drain in resources caused by adrenaline during the initial phase of acute stress. It is a modulator of stress and it works really well to get us out of bed in the morning too. However, if cortisol remains high for long, say weeks to months or years, it provokes changes in the body that can lead to chronic disease. Elevated cortisol will for example:
Promote high blood pressure, which is a useful resource when you need to pump more blood through the racing heart for running from something, but damaging when you are supposed to be sitting and resting at home
Decreased bone strength as cortisol promotes breakdown of bone and impaired absorption of calcium
Decreased muscle mass and strength as cortisol diverts energy away from muscle growth and repair
Excess weight as cortisol tells the body to flood the blood with glucose (energy) and therefore impairs fat burning. Most of us cannot burn fat reserves if the blood is full of spare circulating energy (sugar) that is not needed
And from the above you can see how prolonged high levels of cortisol will also contribute towards problems with high blood sugar, which first leads to insulin resistance and later to increased chance of diabetes if lifestyle changes aren't addressed
So stress is part of life but what can we do when it goes on for long?
It is important to be aware of the consequences and pay attention to the stress factors that impact health. Secondly, by understanding how the body works and responds to stressful situations, we can try and adapt lifestyle to help the body physically cope to alleviate the impact. For example, immediately after a stressful event, if feasible, we should move the body, ideally get outside, breathe fresh air and even break a sweat if possible. This way, we'd be giving the body the opportunity of an outlet for all the sugar that is discharged in the blood stream in response to stress. Breathing techniques that are simple, quick and effective can also be a great help in real time. By activating the diaphragm, filling up the lungs to maximum capacity and then letting the air out through the mouth in a big sigh (what is known as the 'physiological sigh') we can help the nervous system to recalibrate and regulate rather than let things escalate inside our minds.
These are simple cues we can work with when we know how our bodies function. If you would like to know more about lifestyle changes to keep you healthy or manage chronic disease with more success, consider booking an appointment with our Health Coach. All our PCN patients have free access to Health Coaching as part of their NHS services. Health Coaches work with patients who want to make lifestyle changes for better health outcomes. Make time for your health, come talk to us.
By Ludmila Enticott, Health & Wellbeing Coach, Warwickshire East PCN