Wednesday, November 25, 2009

New Analysis Hypertension And Stress: The Effects On The Body

By Angela Richards

Higher stress level can lead to increased irregular heartbeat, shortage of breath and spikes of increased blood pressure even though stress is not directly linked to Hypertension.

Experiencing stress is normal; however, living in constant stress will eventually lead to developing a serious health condition such as cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, depression, diabetes and other illnesses. In this article we are going to review what stress means and will explain different ways to cope with stress.

What is Stress?

Following from General Adaptation Syndrome model, the person reacts to stress in three main divisions.

The fists stage is called an "alarm" response. At this stage the person encounters a stressful stimuli and adrenalin is released into the body to create "fight-or-flight" response.

The second phase is called "resistance" response. While at this stage, if the stressor is still present, the body will try its best to adjust to the stressful environment. This will lead to the slow depletion of resources.

The third phase is called "exhaustion" response. This is the most risky stage because at this point the body's defence system is exhausted and permanent illnesses can manifest.

Stress Symptoms

  • Physical - inability to relax, pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, aches, insomnia, tiredness, muscle tension, indigestion, sweaty palms, ringing in the ears,

  • Cognitive - Poor judgment, constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor

  • Emotional - a general negative outlook, excessive worrying, mood swings, irritability, anger, irritability, feeling lonely, depressed, feeling hopeless

  • Behavioral - eating too much or not enough, sleeping too much or not enough, withdrawing from others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, and nervous habits (e.g. nail biting)

    Coping with Stress

    There are variety of ways to cope with stress.

    It has been clinically proven that exercising is an effective way to cope with as stress. In fact, it has been reported to be just as powerful as using medication.

    An alternative way to cut your stress is by using majority of relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, listening to calm music, or employ anything that makes you feel peaceful.

    If it is necessary, to assess the stressful situation one can imagine stepping out of this situation and viewing it from a bystander view. This allows viewing situation in from different angles without being angry or experiencing stress symptoms.

    Though it has not been scientifically reported that stress is directly related to high blood pressure some stress factors may contribute to this phenomena. For example, during stressful situation the person may not exercise, may gain weight from eating excessively or may start smoking and consuming too much alcohol. Also, if the person is under constant stress the immune system is tired and hormonal imbalance makes other organs work improperly.


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