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How does stress impact physical health? · Wellbeing Solutions - Ask A Counsellor

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_00: How does stress impact physical health?
• 0:04
  SPEAKER_00: There are both short-term effects and long-term effects on our body caused by stress.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Our bodies aren't built to withstand stress.
• 0:12
  SPEAKER_00: Our brains, our radars, always scanning our environment for danger to keep us safe.
• 0:18
  SPEAKER_00: Some people experience this scanning as hypervigilance, it's quite near their surfaces, whilst others seem to go about their days without a care in the world.
• 0:27
  SPEAKER_00: Both types of people have the same central nervous system.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: Our central nervous system is our body's control panel for helping us to stay safe, to help our bodies react to the needs in the moment.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Whether that's an external threat, such as an oncoming vehicle, or an internal fearful thought, such as when we're going to speak in public, our bodies do not know the difference between external and internal stresses.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_00: The body responds in the same way.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_00: If you've ever had a nightmare and woken up convinced that you've fallen a long way or been punched in the stomach, you will actually feel as if it's happened.
• 1:09
  SPEAKER_00: So every time we feel stressed, our central nervous system is kicked into the fight-flight-freeze state to varying levels for each of us.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Our brain signals danger, it triggers the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline into our systems.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: And these go into our muscles and they prepare us to run or to fight, or in some cases, freeze.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_00: So these hormones are always naturally higher in the morning, which is interesting.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: They have a purpose, a very important role.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: They help us to transition from laying for periods of sleep, they help to get our bodies moving.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: So they do have an important role.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: However, if we're constantly stressed, the hormones are in our systems for longer, and this can start to impact our health.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: So our immune system, for example, the diet which lives in our gut mostly, our digestive system, and cognitive function can become impaired if we're exposed to these levels of these hormones which are higher.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_00: There are many health conditions, both mental and physical, which have been linked to stress over a prolonged period of time.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Some of these are high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, obesity caused by cortisol storage, fat storage, stress ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophagal reflux disease or GERD, asthma, tension headaches, muscle pain and tension, memory or cognitive fluctuations, and as mentioned the immune and inflammatory complaints as such as chronic fatigue.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: So mental health conditions as a result of prolonged stress can include depression, anxiety, panic responses, persistent low mood leading to major depressive disorders, substance abuse when we try to manage our symptoms with toxic substances, and also sleep disturbances.
• 3:16
  SPEAKER_00: So you can see that the impact of stress has major implications if we do not learn to eliminate or manage stresses in our lives.
• 3:24
  SPEAKER_00: Mindfulness, grounding techniques, and being out in nature are my top three recommendations to help alleviate and reduce stress.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: So I hope this information has been useful and please look after yourselves and seek medical attention if you are experiencing any unusual physical symptoms or sleep disruption or nutrition disruption.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: These are the first signs, usually, that the central nervous system is overactive or spending more time in the fight flight freeze than it should be.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening.