How Stress Actually Affects Your Body — and Practical Ways to Manage It

Stress is a normal part of life - deadlines, relationship friction, finances, new experiences, coworkers and bosses, and even big life changes all trigger it. Short bursts of stress can be useful, and our bodies are very well adapted in dealing with those. It helps rush blood to our vital organs and makes our senses more acute, as a way to run or fight from whatever is threatening us. But short bursts of stress aren’t how we experience stress in the modern day. Unfortunately, stress tends to be more chronic, which is when our bodies start to struggle.

Chronic stress’s effect on the body is numerous, from changing how your body deals with glucose, to causing high blood pressure, to impacting mental health, contributing to poor sleep, dysregulating your immune system, and therefore poor healing and recovery. Stress’ effects are far-reaching.

Stress has these effects because when the body is stressed, it causes the release of cortisol. Cortisol, as a hormone, isn’t bad - we need it. The issue is when the stress is chronic. One of the things cortisol does is mobilize glucose. This means that it will tell your body to release stored glucose to use as fuel. When stress is chronic, your body can have difficulty managing its glucose levels, getting messages of ‘we need energy now’ versus maintaining homeostasis, which can cause insulin resistance to occur and cause inflammation in the body. In the long term, this can cause weight gain, insulin resistance, and digestive problems, effects on mental health, muscle tension, etc.

This is why managing stress is considered foundational for health. It affects your sleep and ability to digest your food - two other foundations of health. Therefore, if you are stressed out, how much of your food are you digesting and absorbing, and how restorative is your sleep? Managing your stress will improve both of these aspects of health and will have ripple effects in your health and well-being.

Tips on handling stress

Breathing

Breathing is a very powerful tool that we have to regulate our nervous system. There are two different techniques I recommend to my patients: Square Breathing (also known as Box Breathing) and having a longer exhale.

Square Breathing - inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds. Repeat this as many times as you feel to help calm your nervous system down.

Having a long exhale - doing this tells your nervous system that you have time, and therefore, are safe from anything harmful. People who practice yoga tend to inhale for 4 seconds and exhale for 8 seconds, but as long as the exhale is longer, you’re still getting that message to the nervous system.

Prioritize Sleep

Studies consider less than 7 hours of sleep, sleep deprivation. Of course, there’ll be times and phases of life where getting 7 hours of sleep every night is extremely difficult or impossible. At those times, focus on your self-care, and practice Yoga Nidra to help improve the quality of sleep you are able to get.

Sleep is one of the few times your body is able to ‘filter and clean up’ what’s happened in the day. It’s when you consolidate what you’ve learned, but also when your body heals. Not getting enough sleep is considered a physiological stress and will impact your health in many ways. So, prioritize your sleep, make sure that you’re getting at least 7 hours of sleep.

Respect Your Boundaries and Needs

We as humans are social creatures. Finding a group of people you enjoy being with can really help revitalize the spirit and improve your mood. And at the same time, if you’re exhausted, it’s ok to say no and have a night where you’re at home doing things you enjoy (eg. reading, watching TV, eating nourishing food, playing with pets, etc) and have an early night. What is important is that you respect what you and your body need. If you have energy and/or need a change of scenery, then meet up with some friends or explore outside. If you don’t have a lot of energy and/or have used up your social battery, then stay at home and be nice and cozy.

Having some stress is a part of life. The goal is to manage stress better so it doesn’t wreak havoc on your physical and mental health. Pick one of the tips, and incorporate it for a week, and see how you feel. After a week, you can tweak it and see if you want to stack different tools.

If these tools are not enough for the amount of stress you are experiencing, it can be helpful to see a Naturopathic Doctor. They may recommend supplements, acupuncture, or other lifestyle changes. If this sounds like something you need, you can book Dr. Charmagne below.

Manual Osteopathic Therapy and Stress Related Heart Disease

Manual Osteopathic therapy can help reduce stress-related heart disease by addressing the body’s structural, nervous, and circulatory systems. MOT has a few foundational modalities that specifically target these 3 systems by restoring balance, reducing tension, and overall function of the body. 

First, we need to understand how stress can affect and cause certain heart diseases such as Coronary Artery Disease, Strokes, Arrhythmia, etc. In general, stress can trigger the release of adrenaline and cortisol which activates the body's sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight system), resulting in an increase of heart rate, inflammation, and blood pressure. Chronic high blood pressure often leads to artery damage making them less flexible and promoting atherosclerosis. Once the hardening of the arteries begins, blood flow can also become less efficient leading to plaque buildup forming clots. These are only a few examples of how stress can affect heart disease.

Manual Osteopathic techniques such as cranial sacral therapy, visceral manipulation, and simple osteopathic adjustments can reduce the build-up of stress in the body, and therefore also indirectly reducing the chances of developing stress-related heart diseases. By using Cranial sacral therapy to realign the cranial bones and synchronize the connection between the upper and lower body, we directly stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system which balances the fight or flight system, promoting relaxation and lowering the cortisol and adrenaline levels in the body. Which leads to a lower blood pressure preventing artery strains and future damage. 

Visceral manipulation is another technique that directly affects the organs involved in the 3 systems to reduce stress. By working directly with organs such as the lungs or the heart, we can encourage it to move in its natural rhythm, allowing the organ to work more efficiently increase the blood flow with more oxygen, and decrease the amount of strain the heart gets. 

Osteopathic adjustments can also decrease the amount of stress throughout the body. By realigning the skeletal structures such as the ribs, shoulders, and collarbone, we can increase the function and space of the lungs allowing deeper breathing. This can reduce the strain on the cardiovascular system and also stimulate the parasympathetic system calming the mental state.   

To learn more about how osteopathic therapy can help decrease stress-related heart diseases, you can book an appointment at the link below

~ Derek Chiu MOT, RMT

Holiday Stress

The holidays are a magical season, where friends and families come together to celebrate, spend time together, and create memories. It is a season that is supposed to represent all of the qualities and values that we treasure, and have grown up with. And as children, this season is even more magical; however, as we have grown up - and seen the other side of it - it can become stressful. It becomes a time of immense stress: financially, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Especially if you don’t fill your proverbial cup as you go. There is a lot of people who experience burn out during the holidays, and it’s no surprise, when it’s such a busy time of year, with demand after demand. So how do you keep going during the holidays, and not burn out, or feel as stressed out? Let’s talk about some things you can do.

Know your Limits

There are times when your mind and body are going to tell you to stop adding onto your plate, and taking up more demands. These are the times that it is important to listen to your body. It is sending you these messages for a reason, and it is warning you that you are reaching your limit and need to recuperate; otherwise, you’ll burn out. Honouring yourself and your limits is the best way to support your mind and body, prevent burn out, and decrease any unnecessary stress. Once you learn your limits, and boundaries, you can take this with you throughout your life, because healthy boundaries are something everyone needs to learn and practice for your own health and wellbeing.

Ask for Support

If you do find that you have piled your plate full of responsibilities and duties, and are struggling to get everything done by the time they need to be, or you feel like you are at your limit, the best thing you can do for yourself is to ask for support. Ask your friends, family, and/or partner if they can support you in finishing a task. Dividing the work with people can be a great way of decreasing your stress load. In addition to asking for support, having your priorities set is helpful. Is it really important to pristinely wrap the presents or is it more important to spend quality time with your partner and/ or children? The gift wrapper is going to tear to shreds regardless of how nice it looks, while memories and experiences you gained spending time with your loved ones, can last a lifetime.

Self Care

You have to fill your cup, so that you can give it to others. If filling your cup looks like having a massage to relieve those tense muscles, or having a manicure and pedicure to feel like you’ve been cared for, then do it. If it looks like having a retreat, where you do all the activities you love, or do yoga, meditate, read, then do it. You know what refuels you, so listen to your body. Right now is the best time to use your benefits for what they’re suppose to do - benefit you. You can also see a Naturopathic Doctor so that they can recommend additional lifestyle changes, supplements, and therapies that can help rebuild you, prevent burn out, and make you feel more energetic. They’re your benefits, so use it in a way that will benefit you.

Have a Joyous Holiday Season!

~ Dr. Charmagne

Foundations of Health - Stress Management

In this article, I will be talking about 1 Pillar of Health - Activity, and what you can do to have this foundation. These foundations is an awesome start to work towards your health goals, but if you have other underlying conditions, this is the first step. To accelerate your health journey and make sure you are going in the right direction, book an appointment with someone you trust and can work with.

Stress

Stress affects everything in your body. It is difficult for your body to digest and absorb nutrients from your meals if you are stressed since your body is in sympathetic mode. Sympathetic mode is when you go into a "fight, flight, (and more recently) or freeze" state. When you are in this state, your body prioritizes these actions by pumping blood to the heart and muscles so that you can fight or run, but at the same time, it decreases the flow of blood to your intestine and stomach. As a result, your digestive system is suppressed, and you don't digest your food or absorb the nutrients, which can cascade to different effects, such as being tired. Your body doesn't differentiate between life threatening stress and having-to-meet-a-deadline stress, your body reacts the same regardless. 

To heal, you need to switch your mode from sympathetic, to parasympathetic. Parasympathetic is the "rest, digest, and repair" mode, where your body can nourish itself and heal. This is the mode you want to be in when you are eating and sleeping, that way your body can do these functions optimally; otherwise, you will not be able to recover and nourish your body fully. An easy way to do this is by using breathing techniques. The one I generally recommend is the Square breathing technique, where you breath in for 4 seconds, then hold it for 4 seconds, exhale for 4 seconds, and then hold again for 4 seconds, before continuing this kind of breathing for a few cycles (try 5-10 cycles, you can do more if you want to). Doing this puts you into the parasympathetic mode, and is also a great way to help with anxiety.

One of the best ways to help relieve and manage stress is by physically active. Being active gives you a great outlet to let out your emotions, and allows you to express it. If you're really frustrated or angry, doing contact sports can be helpful since you get to hit a punching bag and let it go. If you feel really emotional, dancing is a beautiful way to express that feeling, and to let it go. This way to help relieve stress is related to the Activity part of the Foundations of Health, and as you may have gleaned, stress related to all parts of the foundation.

Another way to help manage your stress is by journalling, this way you are able to reduce the stress from your mind. You are able to express yourself in words - unfiltered. Express how you are really feeling and not have to censor yourself from saying certain things. This can be very liberating, especially if you find that you have to censor or filter yourself the entire day. This lets you be you, all of you, without fear of judgement. 

Lastly, there are herb that you can use to help your mind and body cope with stress better. These herbs are said to be adaptogens in the botanical world, and though they will all generally help you with stress, some of them are better than others - especially depending on your constitution and how you are currently doing with the stress. Some herbs are good for long time use, while others are better for short term use. The herbs for short term use tend to use your nutritional and energy stores to help you get through the stressful situation - which can be good, if you have those stores. The ones for long term use tend to be also very nutritive for the body, which is why you can use them for long term. It is best to talk to a health provider with herbal knowledge to determine which is the best one for you.

Happy breathing!

~Dr. Charmagne