Stress Related Health Problems and Behaviours

What is stress?

Stress is a way that you feel when pressure is placed on you. A little pressure can be productive, give you motivation, and help you to perform better. However, too much or prolonged pressure can lead to stress, which is unhealthy for the mind and body.

How does stress affect your body?

When faced with a situation that makes you stressed, your body releases chemicals which invoke a ‘fight or flight’ feeling. These hormones help us to run faster and fight harder. They increase heart rate and blood pressure, delivering more oxygen and blood sugar to power important muscles. They increase sweating in an effort to cool these muscles, and help them stay efficient. They divert blood away from the skin to the core of our bodies, reducing blood loss if we are damaged. As well as this, these hormones focus our attention on the ‘threat’, to the exclusion of everything else. All of this significantly improves our ability to survive life-threatening events.

However, when in a situation that isn’t life threatening, such as being on an overcrowded train, in a meeting at work or in the classroom at school, these chemicals are not needed for survival but their taxing effects are still felt by our bodies. Too much stress often leads to physical, mental and emotional problems so it is important for us to recognise the signals and learn to manage our stress. Relaxation is not a “cure all” but used in conjunction with other stress management strategies and integrated with any necessary medical treatment is a well evidenced therapeutic tool. Sadly, all too commonly, even from childhood, we turn to other coping strategies such as substance abuse, disturbed eating patterns and reckless behaviour which simply compound the negative effects of stress on our health well-being and life chances – relaxation is a valuable life skill.

Health problems helped by relaxation

The following is not intended to be an exhaustive list but indicates conditions which show successful responses to relaxation training as part of management.

GENERAL WELL-BEING

Insomnia
Pain relief

MUSCULOSKELETAL

Degenerative conditions
Arthritis
Trigger points
Headaches
Spinal pain
Fibromyalgia
Sports performance and recovery

CARDIOVASCULAR

High blood pressure,
Angina
Heart disease
Heart rhythm irregularities
Raynaulds syndrome
Migraine

GASTROINTESTINAL

Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Ulcers
Irritation of the gut lining such as heart burn, indigestion
Transit problems diarrhoea/constipation

SKIN

Acne
Eczema
Psoriasis
Dermatitis
Itching – Urticaria

RESPIRATORY

Asthma
Hay Fever/ allergic Rhinitis
Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease
Emphysema

PSYCHOLOGICAL

Anxiety/Stress
Depression
Panic Attacks
Eating disorders
Anger Management
Bullying

AUTOIMMUNE DISORDERS

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Chrohns Disease
Colds and Flu

REPRODUCTIVE/URINARY

Childbirth
Fertility
Menopause
Premenstrual Syndrome/Painful periods
Impotence

ENDOCRINE

Diabetes
Thyroid disorder