If you have ever been stressed, then you know the emotions that you go through. It can feel like a great weight crashing over you with your head feeling like it is going to explode under the pressure of everything you can’t get out of your head.
Whilst a little bit of stress can be beneficial to your body, too much stress, e.g. chronic stress, can cause problems within your body such as a high inflammatory response that produces chronic inflammation which will affect the immune system and potentially cause chronic diseases.
In today’s article, we will look at the link between the stress response and how it can cause inflammation in the body, and what that can lead to if the stress hormones are not dealt with effectively.
Without further ado – how does stress cause inflammation? Let’s read on to find out.
What is Inflammation?
When your body produces an inflammatory response, it is dealing with a threat, whether it is classed as a foreign invader, for example, a virus or bacteria that has made its way in, a disease such as cancer, or it is a psychological/emotional stressor.
Whatever it is, your body will send out a lot of chemicals to attack the ‘invaders’ to hopefully fight them off and keep you safe. These are called pro-inflammatory cytokines which are inflammatory markers. This process can cause a lot of pain, so people tend to go for treatments like taking medication or visiting a massage therapist for pain relief.
What Happens When Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines Stick Around?
Once these chemicals have done their job, they are meant to leave, however, if you are going through periods of long stress, e.g. psychological stress, constant fight or flight response, etc., then they start to stick around in your body and turn it into a ‘habit’.
You end up with stress-induced inflammation that does not want to leave and will start attacking your immune system. If you develop early life stress from a young age, then this can multiple problems later on in life.
As this cycle carries on, the inflammation will start to affect your body in a variety of ways that can end up seriously affecting your health and making it harder for you to feel well.
Stress and Chronic Conditions
With prolonged stress, there is the potential for stress-related diseases to arise which we will delve into below to show you how your body will react if you are not able to calm your stress responses over time.
If you are unable to regulate your cortisol levels (stress hormone), then your immune response and inflammatory response will be affected and your tissue sensitivity will decrease with the uptake of cortisol.
This makes it all the more important to reduce stress. There are several ways to go about this. For instance, yoga can offer a holistic approach, combining physical postures, breath control, and meditation to alleviate stress. Additionally, exploring cannabis products, such as those available at https://mygreensolution.io/fernie-british-columbia/, can be a potential option.
For starters, you can make use of gummies to alleviate the symptoms of anxiety. Cannabis gummies can present a user-friendly and discreet way to address anxiety symptoms. The convenience of a pre-measured dose in each gummy allows for easy integration into daily routines, offering a gradual and gentle introduction to cannabis for anxiety management. Likewise, you can make use of cannabis concentrates, which can offer a more potent alternative for individuals seeking a targeted approach to anxiety relief. Administered sublingually, concentrates can facilitate a faster onset of effects compared to gummies, making them suitable for those who desire more immediate relief. You can learn more about this by going through resources on the Web.
Anyway, aside from cannabis, regular exercise can be another effective stress-management tool, releasing endorphins that act as natural mood lifters. It’s crucial to find a balance that works for you, as individual responses to stress management techniques can vary. Always consult with healthcare professionals to ensure that your chosen strategies align with your overall health and well-being.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
This is an umbrella term when talking about different conditions which include such things as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.
Both of these can be made worse through stress, and the way you digest food and absorb the nutrients from what you eat can be negatively affected.
Cardiovascular Disease
Inflammation can cause the development of a disease called atherosclerosis which is a precursor to heart disease.
People who are feeling stressed all the time are more likely to develop bad habits that affect their bodies, for instance, they may start smoking or not exercising.
Over time this can have a hand in developing a cardiovascular disease which will severely affect them.
You can see the link between stress and inflammation is not so wide, which is why it is essential to understand what can happen when chronic stress is introduced.
Autoimmune Diseases
When acute stress turns into chronic stress, our body’s ability to calm down those elevated inflammation levels can be incredibly difficult, so difficult in fact that an autoimmune disease can appear.
Grave’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis can develop from psychological stress, and the presentation of the inflammatory autoimmune disease will be affected by the length of time the stress is present as well as the type of stress.
Depression and Anxiety
There has been a previous study with mice that showed when they were subjected to a stressful situation and their brain activity was monitored, the immune cells in their brains were triggered.
From this, we can see how our immune cells and system can be affected by anxiety and depression.
Immune cells are part of the immune system to help fight infections and other diseases, so if we are having an issue with our mental health, then this study shows that it can also have an impact on our inflammatory response.
How Can Stress be Reduced?
To combat the effects of stress, it’s essential to find ways to reduce it. One popular and proven method is practicing meditation, which can help calm the mind and provide a sense of relief from distress. Taking time for mindfulness and relaxation can be beneficial for managing stress and promoting overall well-being.
In addition to meditation, some people find vaping to be a relaxing and focused activity that helps them unwind and de-stress. Vaping involves using vape devices, and for those interested in this method, it’s essential to have quality vape gear from reputable sources like the DIY e-Liquids online vape shop in the UK.
It’s essential to remember that managing stress requires a holistic approach, and individual preferences may vary. While meditation and vaping are some techniques people use to cope with stress, it’s essential to explore various methods and find what works best for you.
Doing Some Exercise
You don’t have to think about running and jumping around to reduce your stress, all you need to focus on is some gentle to moderate exercise to help your body get rid of that built-up feeling and free you of your stress.
You can start by going out for a walk either by yourself or with someone, and just breathe deeply as you walk.
This will help you remain focused and have you take in the area around you without having to engage your mind too much.
Tell yourself that you need to leave your worries at the door and just go for a walk.
Don’t think ahead about what you need to do next, just go for a walk and let your mind just be free, even if it is for a short amount of time.
Meeting Up With Friends
Your friends can help you a lot when you are feeling overwhelmed and need to just take a break.
Whether you go for a walk with them or you just face time them to vent, opening yourself up and letting it all spill out can help you greatly when you are feeling it all pile on you.
Just remember, they are not your therapist so you shouldn’t be unloading on them each time you see them, you need a licensed therapist for that.
Talk to them but don’t go overboard as it won’t help you or your friendships.
Write Down What You Are Thinking
This may not be what you had in mind, but writing down what you are feeling and how your emotions can help you bring it all out on the page will do great things for your mental health.
Take a moment at the end of the day or the start of the day, if you can, and just write down all that you are going through and what is going on in your mind.
You don’t need to have it be coherent or write in perfect sentences, you can just get it out there and take it out of your mind so you don’t have to have it following you around each and every day.
Conclusion
Stress and inflammation seem to go hand in hand, and whilst this is upsetting to hear, there are ways that it can be managed to benefit you in the long haul.