The effects of stress on our health are pervasive and insidious. Even if you don’t feel particularly stressed, if you live in the modern world, your cells are likely operating under stress conditions. From sleep to digestion, immunity, blood pressure, fertility, and mental health – stress affects every body system. Managing stress isn’t optional; it’s essential self-care for health and wellbeing.
Our Built in Stress Response
We’re evolved to handle stress. When faced with danger, our bodies release stress hormones that sharpen alertness and divert blood to our heart and muscles, preparing us to fight or flee. Ideally, once the threat passes, our nervous system returns to a relaxed state and resumes everyday functions like healing, digestion, and reproduction.
Our bodies constantly strive to maintain balance between the sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems. Ill health occurs when this balance tips too far in one direction.
The Modern Stress Problem
Unfortunately, modern life keeps our bodies in constant vigilance. Chronic, low-level daily stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to dominate, leading to widespread wear and tear and various health problems.
We can’t change the world we live in, but we can change our response to it. By adopting practices that balance our nervous system and regulate our stress response, we minimize the harmful impacts of modern life. Like any exercise, small amounts of regular practice create lasting change.
How Chronic Stress Affects your Body
Immune System Cortisol suppresses immune function, increasing susceptibility to infection and promoting chronic inflammation.
Musculoskeletal System Muscles tense during stress, ready for action. Prolonged tension causes persistent back, neck, and shoulder pain, headaches, and jaw clenching.
Heart and Blood Pressure Both increase during stress. Over time, elevated blood pressure damages blood vessels and increases stroke and heart attack risk.
Reproduction Stress may impair healthy egg and sperm production, impacting fertility and increasing the time it takes to fall pregnant.
Endocrine System Persistent stress overworks the adrenal glands that produce stress hormones. This can lead to adrenal fatigue, causing exhaustion, muscle aches, and insomnia.
Digestion Energy diverts away from digestion during stress. Chronic stress can cause reflux, GERD, nausea, and nutrient malabsorption.
Mental Health Constant fight-or-flight activation creates hyperarousal and excessive vigilance, impairing our ability to regulate responses and maintain calm. This can impact sleep, which further reduces stress resilience.
Harmful Habits Stress makes healthy choices difficult. It’s common to turn to alcohol, sugar, and fast food when under pressure.
Five Ways to Activate your Relaxation Response
Sing, Hum or Gargle
Singing, chanting, or humming stimulate your body’s natural relaxation response. Singing with others is particularly beneficial – it releases oxytocin, the bonding hormone that promotes connection. Don’t like singing? Gargling activates similar throat areas and increases parasympathetic tone.
Just meditate
With countless meditation styles – transcendental, qi gong, loving kindness, zen, mindfulness, yoga – there’s one for everyone. Research shows meditation changes brain anatomy, with different styles affecting different areas. It also reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and other stress markers.
There’s no right or wrong way to meditate. Choose one you enjoy and practice consistently.
Acupuncture and Herbs
Acupuncture is deeply relaxing because it downregulates your stress response and stimulates the vagus nerve. It also releases a cascade of feel-good chemicals – serotonin, endorphins, cannabinoids, dopamine, and oxytocin. Chinese herbal medicine offers numerous remedies that calm, soothe, and regulate the nervous system to balance your stress response.
Abdominal breathing
This is perfect when you don’t have time for anything else. Controlled deep breathing signals your body that everything is okay. Breathe deeply into your belly – it should move with each breath. Simple phone apps can guide your breathing rhythm (the Apple Watch Breathe app is already installed if you have one).
Fun with Friends
People with stronger parasympathetic tone experience more positive emotions and stronger social connections. This works both ways – spending time with friends and loved ones activates your parasympathetic system. Laughter stimulates the nervous system and releases endorphins, promoting calm and contentedness.