5 Ways To Stress Less

Feeling stressed? You’re certainly not alone. It’s estimated that around 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year that they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope.*

That is an alarming stat, that offers just a small glimpse into the state of our mental health here in the UK. Stress is an epidemic that can wreak havoc in the body and the brain.

But what exactly is stress? Why does it exist if it’s so harmful? And how do we manage it?

Stress is the body’s natural defence against predators and danger – what we know as ‘fight or flight’.

So back in the day when you were being chased by a sabertooth tiger, you needed your brain & body to mobilise, so you had the best chance of survival.

During this chase, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) would activate, triggering the release of adrenaline and cortisol. Your heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate would all increase, as would mental arousal and cognitive function. Your immune system, thyroid and digestion system would all be suppressed – because digesting your lunch is lower in the priority list when your life is at stake. It’s all about priorities & your brain decides those for you.

*Phew – you make it out alive*

Using this example, it shows you how crucial this stress response is to our survival. It gets us out of bed every morning when cortisol spikes & it gets us out of sticky situations – thankfully no longer involving sabertooth tigers.

So short-term spikes of stress are important & they are there to protect us.

But it’s when stress persists over a long period of time, that it can become chronic and that is where the harmful effects come in.

Over a sustained period, long-term stress can inhibit your immune system making you more vulnerable to illness, disrupt your digestive system affecting absorption and cause your hormones to go haywire due to its inhibiting effect on the thyroid and reproductive organs.

From a cognitive perspective, long term exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can restructure the brain, damaging brain cells as it does so and increasing rate of cell death.

Ok – point made! Long term stress exposure is bad for us – but what can we do about it?

Here are our 5 top-tips for managing stress;

BREATHE

This really is the number one thing you can do when you feel stress taking hold. Deep breathing and meditation help activate the parasympathetic nervous system – aka Rest & Digest. Suppressing the SNS which triggers the stress response. It can also help lower heart rate and blood pressure.

So, take a deep breath, hold it for 5 seconds and release the breath slowly over 7 seconds. Repeat x 5, or as many times as you need before you feel calm restored.

SLEEP

Nothing beats a good night sleep. When you’re in the land of nod, your brain and body is working hard to cleanse itself of toxins that accumulate throughout the day & regulating hormones including cortisol. Cortisol is one of our primary stress hormones that can become dysregulated during times of chronic stress – and worsen when you’re not getting enough kip.

Sleep & stress can be worst enemies, so if you’re one of those people that struggles to shut your mind off at night then incorporating adaptogens and medicinal herbs into your nightly routine could be beneficial.

So, establish a consistent sleeping pattern by going to sleep & waking up at the same time – everyday. Aiming for around 7-8 hours of sleep a night.

If you don’t have a good night sleep, it’s really important to stick to this routine and try to resist the urge to nap. This is because our body will adapt to a bad night sleep & prioritise different sleep stages the next night – so there is no need to panic, your brain has got it covered!

MOVE