How does stress affect your muscles and immune system?
Stress is something that we have all experienced at one level or another. Our bodies are very resilient and well adapted to coping with stress, in fact the daily acute stressors we encounter can be good for us. Acute stressors, being little things that create a bit of stress, are a part of everyday life but it’s when the larger more chronic stress takes hold that we notice more of the physical symptoms. This chronic stress takes its toll on all of your body systems, it raises your blood pressure, blurs your mind, and implants itself into your muscles.
Stress and the Immune System
The heightened cortisol in your body causes inflammation and an overworking of the immune system which will become exhausted and leave you at greater risk of infection from viruses and other diseases. For many of us, stress might lead to getting a cold or flu a little more than expected and for others it might trigger life-long conditions such as auto-immune responses.
Stress and your muscles
The body's innate stress response causes muscles to tense up in defence. The ideal is that your muscles can relax again after the stressor has left, however, in the world we live in today there are many stressors and life conditions that do not simply go away. The chronicity of these conditions can lead to many physical and mental illnesses as well as muscles becoming habitually tense causing chronic pain, headaches and cramping. This should ideally be managed as best we can in the world we live in and dealing with tense muscles is an easy thing to forget about.
What can we do about it?
If we can find the time between all of our stressful things there is an abundance of ways to help your body mitigate the effects of your busy life. The amazing impacts of exercise is no secret; moving your body helps to metabolise the cortisol and lower all of the stress hormones circulating around inside you. If you’re not the sporty type, that's ok you don’t have to push yourself to run marathons, just try going for a half hour walk or doing some stretching or yoga in your free moments.
Allow some time to let your mind focus on other things, read an exciting fiction book for 15 minutes a day, or just sit and breath for 10 minutes when you get a chance.
If you are inclined towards massages your body will thank you if you allow yourself to splurge a little on a good massage once in a while!
The number one thing is to remember that we live in a world that forces us to create stressful lives for ourselves and that it’s not your fault so don’t blame yourself but take some accountability and see what you can do for yourself that might make a little bit of change.
TA Team
