Stress Less! The Lowdown on Stress

BioCeuticals Nutritionist and Dietitian Belinda Reynolds spoke to ITK Connect about stress – what it can do to our bodies, and what measures we can take to reduce stress?

Types of Stress

There are two stages that the stress response can occur in. Acute Stress is the first stage of stress, which we also call the ‘alarm reaction’ or the ‘fight-or-flight’ response. Put simply, the ‘fight-or-flight’ response involves an adrenaline boost and how we react immediately to a situation. This usually happens within seconds of danger being detected or after a sudden stressful incident. What happens in our bodies is the adrenal glands release adrenalin into the blood stream. Adrenalin serves to speed up your heart beat, dilate your blood vessels and increase your breathing rate.

Chronic Stress is the second stage of the stress response. This process is much more long-term, allowing the body to continue fighting a stressor after the alarm reaction comes to a halti. Under normal circumstances, the chronic stress phase is effective throughout a stressful episode. However, prolongation of the chronic stress phase could lead to a number of negative health changes in the body such as depressive symptoms and exhaustion.

How stress can affect our bodies

If you have been stressed for a long time period, it may lead to a range of physiological changes, including reduced immune and digestive function and imbalanced hormone and enzyme levels, all of which may have a damaging effect on your general state of healthi. Stress may even affect your cardiovascular health; both acute and chronic stress have shown to increase serum lipids (fats) associated with coronary events . On the contrary, a healthy diet, exercise, stress reducing practices and psychological support has shown to minimise the effects of stress on cardiovascular health.

Lifestyle changes for reducing stress

It cannot be emphasised enough how important healthy lifestyle habits are for stress management. Ideally, for optimum stress alleviation, the nutrients I have mentioned for reducing stress should be administered alongside lifestyle modifications.

Try the following:

1. Cut down on stimulants such as caffeine- these may exacerbate nervous tension and impact sleep
2. Exercise regularly- It has been known to alleviate stress and improve the mood
3. Practice relaxation techniques: Yoga, breathing exercises or meditation may be particularly helpful- research has shown that just one week of yoga intervention may decrease anxiety and stress somatisation, and also improve sleepii
4. Avoid alcohol, or at least keep consumption to a minimum, with most days of the week being alcohol free. Alcohol depletes your body of nutrition and can be a depressant, resulting in you finding it more difficult to cope with the stressors of daily life
5. Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep a night and go to bed and rise at the same time each day

Speak to your healthcare practitioner for more information about boosting your stress-coping mechanisms.

About Belinda Reynolds

Belinda graduated with an Honours Degree in Nutrition and Dietetics in 2003. She has been involved in the complementary medicine industry for over 17 years, 12 of these working for BioCeuticals. She is currently the Education Manager, and has worked as a Practitioner Sales Consultant, Team Leader, Presenter, Educator and Writer, with an involvement in Marketing and Product Development. Outside of this Belinda has lectured on Sports Nutrition at the Australasian College of Natural Therapies and has been a speaker at a number of industry events including that of ACNEM and the GPCE. Belinda’s greatest passion is assisting practitioners in developing their knowledge by presenting new research in the area of integrative medicine. Her key interests are immune modulation, the human microbiome and the impact they have on overall health.

References
I Hunter P. Herbal and Nutritional Support for Stress Management. Advanced Clinical Insights 2002 vol. 30, 1-9 http://www.bioceuticals.com.au/data/resources/CC66468_Herbal-and-nutritional-support-for-stress-management.pdf
ii Chalderon R Jr, et al. Stress, stress reduction, and hypercholesterolemia in African Americans: A Review. Ethn Dis 1999 Autumn; 9 (3); 451-62.
iii. The Congressional Prevention Coalition; Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy. Presentations by Haeglin J, PhD, Schneider R, MD, Lipsenthal, MD, Hagelin J, PhD (moderator). Stress Prevention. Available online at www.istpp.org