Stress is linked to many health problems: from gut discomfort to heart disease. Everyone reacts differently to stress, but there are common stressors you should know about. Learn about effective stress treatments and management techniques here.
Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, and the entire Gain Wellness Center team have based their practice around this fact: They provide care and services that require taking a deep dive into what’s going on in your life and its relation to symptoms you may be suffering.
Their compassionate care takes into account your emotional and physical wellbeing. The team doesn’t just listen to your questions and concerns; they hear them and offer practical, effective solutions.
The effects of stress on your health are impactful — and negative
When you’re undergoing stress, it has real effects on your:
- Musculoskeletal system
- Respiratory system
- Digestion
- Cardiovascular system
- Reproductive system
- Endocrine system
- Sexual health
- Depression and other mental health problems
- Ability to get sufficient rest
Not only can stress cause your muscles to enter into a near-constant state of tension, which results in pain and fatigue, but it can also cause breathing problems like rapid breathing or shortness of breath, stomach upset, insufficient nutrient absorption, and sleep issues. Repeated stressful bouts can cause inflammation in your coronary arteries, putting you at risk for heart attack.
Stress raises your blood pressure and cholesterol too, which ups your chances of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
Since stress is also linked to sexual dysfunction in both men and women, it can not only hinder your enjoyment of intimacy, but affect your fertility as well.
Stress can make your body produce too much cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. Although we all need to be able to respond to a threat, it isn’t healthy to consistently produce high levels of cortisol. This can lead to developing health problems like diabetes and disorders of the immune system.
What are the most significant stress triggers?
We all experience the daily stresses of modern life, which include everything from a too-full plate at work and finding a babysitter at the last minute, to worries about the new pile of bills that have accumulated on your desk.
There are also universally acknowledged major life stressors that typically involve significant life transitions, such as:
- Death of your spouse or other loved one
- Receiving a serious health diagnosis
- Moving
- Suffering the short- and long-term results of a traumatic accident, like a car collision
- Divorce
- Job loss
Whether your stress is the everyday variety or more significant, it all adds up, and none of it supports your health. Even more worrisome is that we’ve developed unhealthy ways of dealing with stress, like drinking too much alcohol, using drugs, overeating, and lashing out emotionally.
How can I get a handle on my stress — and enjoy better health?
Fortunately, you and your doctor can do many things to mitigate stress and treat its effects. Some of the best ways to treat stress involve self-care and include eating well, getting more exercise, and enjoying hobbies like cooking for friends, gardening, or joining a book club.
Participating in calming activities like mindful meditation or yoga are also wonderful stress antidotes.
It’s also a good idea to get to know yourself better and determine what causes you to get stressed out. Stressors differ for everyone. Though you might not be overly worried about an urgent work deadline, someone else might be thrown into a panic by it.
At Gain Wellness Center, we also offer a unique wellness evaluation that’s free of charge, so we can get a good handle on your stress and create a plan to combat it. This is a tailored approach to dealing with your stress and finding the deeper, rather than superficial, cause of your health problems — stress-related or not.
We do this by looking at everything from your gut health and hormonal functioning to your metabolism and the emotional issues or learning differences you may be living with. Your health is influenced by your lifestyle habits, genetic makeup, and environmental factors.
This functional medicine approach allows us to employ a variety of important treatment approaches in an effort to eradicate your health problem. In addition to stress reduction techniques, we may treat a hormone imbalance if we determine you have one, perform cellular detoxification, and counsel you about optimal nutrition and daily physical exercise.
We want to partner with you in your care, unite forces, and create a much healthier life for you.
Call our office, or schedule an appointment for your complimentary wellness evaluation today, or request a free consultation through our website.
