What Does Stress Do to Your Body?

What does stress do to your body?

Stress is unavoidable and over the millennia we as individuals have always suffered stress, from being chased by wild creatures and being fearful of what comes out at night , to the present day, where we have to deal with numerous stressful situations such as COVID19, and our dependency on the vast amounts of information whizzing around the internet. We also have cars and planes that allow us to get anywhere we want to in the world or in our locality with ease, if everything goes to plan, but there is a fragility to all of this.

When we are made aware of the vulnerability of our reliance on things outside of our immediate control we get stressed. but like most things it doesn’t work perfectly 100% of the time and when it doesn’t go as planned we suffer stress. Certainly setting up the chiropractic clinic in Islington I had to deal with a variety of technical problems that caused me stress and i had to seek ways to balance my stress and life.

Being aware of what in our lives makes us stressed whether it is work, relationships, commuting, or finding somewhere to park the car, and how that stress effects our bodies and how they function can help us to lead less stressful lives and learn to deal with the stress in a better way. 

Luckily for you we know how to balance a busy London lifestyle and reduce stress, to improve your recovery and to return you to optimum health!

Musculoskeletal system:

When under stress we can sustain poor workplace posture for long periods of time without realising what  we are doing to our joints muscles and ligaments. along with this the autonomic nervous works overtime and the increase in the neurological activity results in muscles remaining contracted for long periods of time. Trigger point can result from this and muscle can fatigue. This can lead to pain, stiffness and common problems such as tension headaches. 

Endocrine system:

This is a collection of ‘glands’ that produce hormones that control and regulate metabolism or how the body functions, develops and grows.  The endocrine system effects how we sleep, our moods and reproduction and sexual functioning and development.

The adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. When the body is under stress the brain produces cortisol and the adrenal glands to produce adrenalin.  The liver, in response to this produces glycogen that in turn results in the production of glucose so we have the energy to run or fight, the so-called ‘fight or flight’ response.

Gastrointestinal system:

The endocrine system helps regulate appetite and so has an effect on the gastrointestinal system. We are all aware that sometimes stress can make us ‘comfort eat’ and sometimes too much acid can be produced by our stomach as a result of stress leading to heartburn and indigestion.

Bowel behaviour can also be influenced by stress with the speed of food passing through can be increased as can the level of absorption of nutrients by the gut. The consequences of this can be diarrhoea or constipation. 

Cardiovascular system:

The heart often responds to a sudden increase in stress by increasing its rate of contraction and blood vessels dilate increasing the ability for blood to be carried to muscles and back to the heart. The heart also dilates increasing the volume of blood that can be pumped.

Respiratory system:

At times of stress breathing rate increases and the volume of inspired air increases, when this goes too far a panic attack can occur and this extreme breathing rate is described as hyperventilation.  Poor seated posture can also have an affect on our respiratory system by inhibiting complete inspiration and expiration.

As a chiropractor in Islington for the last 21 years I am very aware of how stress affects the body. I will get you to address the mental side of your problems so that  you can reach optimal health. In my experience if you don’t take this approach you won’t recover fully or you won’t sustain your recovery.