How does stress affect the body & how can getting regular adjustments help?
Dealing with stress is a part of many adult’s daily lives. Worrying about paying the electricity bill or having a deadline at work puts extra stress on the body that triggers stress hormones to be released. Learning to cope with all this extra stress in modern day society is very challenging to many people. Dealing with stress is how our minds and bodies are reacting to what is happening to us. Whether it is physical or mental, stress is very real and needs to be addressed.
Today many people are turning on the body’s stress response more often and for longer periods than is normal. When the body is stressed it goes into the fight-or-flight state, releasing a range of hormones. This situation can become chronic and unhealthy for the body. But why is chronic stress so bad for the body and how can I tell if it is affecting me?
There are many signs of being overly stressed. These may include dizziness, insomnia, increase heart rate, digestive problems, exhaustion, ringing in the ears, chronic pain, and diseases. There are also behavioral and mental signs such as compulsive eating, increased substance use, withdrawal, worry, forgetfulness, anxiety, and depression. Chronic stress can lead to pain disorders, immune disorders, cardiovascular disorders, metabolic diseases, and behavioral disorders. Pain and stress can overlap significantly. Both negatively affect the body’s balance and impact healthy function and well being .
Physical stress, chemical stress, and emotional stress all take a toll on the body and the spine. This leads to disruptions in the nervous system and the communication between the brain and body leading to further problems throughout the body. Although types of stress differ, they still trigger the same stress response in the body. When someone is stressed their muscles become tense, breathing patterns change and this can cause changes in their body and can shift their vertebral alignment. This can cause pain or changes in posture. If this muscle tension persists, the spine may become locked in an abnormal position and can interfere with the nervous system’s communication throughout the body.
So, how can I alleviate stress in my body? In 2008, a study showed that up to 90% of all primary care doctors dealt with stress-related complaints and symptoms. Millions of people receive medical advice that use pharmaceutical drugs to reduce stress. However, drugs are not always the ideal or best choice for people. Through regular chiropractic adjustments, exercises, and a healthy diet your nervous system will become balanced and help alleviate stress. Millions of chiropractic patients had overall health improvements after regular adjustments. Research has shown a connection between neural signals sent from the spine and parts of the autonomic nervous system that promote health and prevent illness. The research also showed a direct connection between tissue damage in the spine, reduced motion in parts of the spine, and neural stress signals from the spine with parts of the autonomic nervous system associated with stress and illness. Chiropractic adjustments restore motion in the spine and healthy nerve signals to the brain. Chiropractic adjustments also help break up scar tissue, promote tissue healing, resolve inflammation, and reduce tissue damage and stress signals from the spine.
Proper and regular spinal adjustments at Balanced Spine Chiropractic can help reduce your stress! It is essential that adjustments are regular in order to reduce and cope with stress in your body. Regular adjustments can also help with recovery time, reduce digestive problems, improve sleep, and reduce pain. Regular chiropractic adjustments help reduce tension, correct spinal subluxations, improve nerve signal, and improve blood flow. These changes tell the brain to turn off the fight-or-flight response so the body can rest and digest. Our chiropractors can also recommend nutritional advice, exercises, stretches, and stress management techniques. At Balanced Spine Chiropractic we are here to help you get through stressful times, we will give you are a care plan with regular adjustments that will help heal your body and optimize your overall health!