Health
& Fitness: Stressed Out?
Believe it or
not, life’s little anxieties can make you physically sick.
Your kids are arguing. Your spouse is feeling needy. Your college kid is asking for money. And payday’s still a week away. All that, and the proposal deadline is nipping at your heels, the washing machine broke down in the middle of your whites, that party you really don’t want to attend (but it would be rude not to) is this weekend, and traffic is backed up for miles. Feeling a little queasy? A bit anxious? Maybe depressed? Hey, you might even be feeling a cold coming on? Well, whatever the symptom, the culprit is most likely that tried and true agitator — Stress.
In fact, about 75 to 90 percent of all visits to physicians are attributed to stress, according to the National Mental Health Association, and researchers agree the brain and immune system do exchange information. Which means as stress goes, so goes your body. If circumstances get to you, your immune system may slump as well, opening the way for something as fatally dangerous as heart disease, or as chronically frustrating and painful as intestinal disorders and headaches.
“Most scientists, to be on the safe side, would say that stress exacerbates other problems,” says Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D., a stress researcher at The Rockefeller University in New York City. “But when you consider, for example, that people who are poor and less well-educated, on average, tend not to live as long and [are sick more often] than people from middle and upper socioeconomic classes, then you have to say there is something about life experiences that do affect people.”
A sampling of scientific evidence confirms the link between stress and the body’s ability to cope:
• As part of his research on “allostatic load,” which is the price, in the form of wear and tear, that our body pays for its ability to adapt to stress, Dr. McEwen and his colleagues followed a group of successfully aging elderly people for three years using common tests, such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The results, published this year in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that those with the highest allostatic loads were most likely to develop newly diagnosed cardiovascular disease and were significantly more likely to show declines in mental and physical functioning.
• Researchers at Duke University Medical Center found a connection between tension, frustration, and sadness that triggers frequent and painless heart abnormalities and permanent heart damage. The study, published in 1997 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, documented a direct, cause-and-effect relationship between negative emotions and an increased risk of myocardial ischemia, which results from poor blood flow to the heart and can be a precursor to heart attacks.
• The fewer social relationships a person has, the shorter the life expectancy and the worse the impact of various infectious diseases, writes Robert M. Sapolsky, in his book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (W.H. Freeman & Co., 1995). Moreover, he says, the process of divorce or severe marital problems also is associated with poor immune functioning.
STRESS DEFINED
Whether it is the death of a loved one, financial troubles, or just not enough
time in a day, we are all dealing with some kind of stress. But not all stress
is bad, says Jim Quick, Ph.D., professor of organizational behavior at the
University of Texas at Arlington and editor of the Journal
of Occupational Health Psychology. Stress helps us cope with
emergencies and allows us to thrive when challenged.
Sapolsky, a professor of biological science and neuroscience at Stanford University, explains that for a terrified zebra sprinting away from a lion, a stressor is an immediate physical emergency and the stress-response — the hormonal changes that occur in the body at such times — is a brilliant way to deal with a crisis such as this.
We as humans, however, respond the same when feeling pressure about mortgages, relationships, or our own mortality. “It is the generality of the stress-response that is the most surprising — a physiological system activated not only by all sorts of physical disasters, but by just thinking about them as well,” Sapolsky says. If our stress-response is prolonged or set in motion too often, the resulting breakdown of our body can lead to digestive and sleeping problems, cardiovascular diseases, sexual and reproductive disorders, and other illnesses, he says. What is confounding about stress is that, based on such factors as temperament and life experiences, we all react differently to strain. And our bodies do too.
Studies have shown
that individuals with stomach ulcers tend to respond to stress with gastric
secretion. Dr. McEwen found higher levels of allostatic load increased insulin
levels for higher levels of fat deposition in the body, especially around the
abdomen, which predisposes us to heart disease. Other people’s stress may
result in tightened muscle pain or repeated colds. “We break down at the point
where we are weakest,” says Dr. Quick, who along with his wife, Sheri, are
members of Shady Valley Golf Club in Arlington,
Texas.
COMBATING STRESS
So does a positive attitude keep your arteries clear? Not quite. But evidence
does suggest your psychological state may influence positively or negatively
your risk of developing disease — and your response to treatment. Research
also suggests social support and psychosocial intervention, such as individual
counseling and support groups, can enhance coping and prolong the life span of
patients with breast cancer, lymphomas, and malignant melanoma.
Exercise and good eating and sleeping habits are common stress remedies. Strong spirituality and faith, time-management skills, and relaxation techniques also can reduce stress. Those who cope best with stress, says Sapolsky, tend to seek control in the face of stressors, but don’t worry about things in the past. Successful stress-beaters also avoid trying to control future events that are uncontrollable and do not try to fix things that are not broken or are broken beyond repair, he says. And while we can’t direct everything in life, sometimes a change in attitude can make a stress-busting difference.
So next time life’s little hassles start pushing you to the edge, take a deep breath, and ask yourself, is this really worth making yourself sick over, or is it something that — given some time — will seem like a mere blip on life’s highway? You decide.
Helen Bond combats stress by regularly writing about health and fitness.
10
tips to put the squeeze on stress
1. Exercise. Of all the things we can do to lower our stress
levels, exercise seems to be the most effective, says Bruce S. McEwen, Ph.D., of
The Rockefeller University in New York City. A single session of exercise can
calm you and help you think more clearly; but regular, moderate workouts have
the staying power to make you less prone to tension. Exercise also can help to
end the vicious cycles of stress-related eating, overindulgence in alcohol,
cigarette smoking, and other unhealthy habits, he says.
2. Practice healthy habits. Good nutrition counts. Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration and stick to a high-fiber, low-fat diet to boost the immune system and help weather the effects of stress. Avoid empty-calorie sweets, and snack on carbohydrates found in whole grain breads and pasta to stimulate the brain’s production of the calming chemical serotonin. Sleep deprivation can also worsen stress. Limit caffeine intake, which can make you anxious and hamper sleep. And avoid alcohol; it may feel like it hastens sleep, but alcohol actually disrupts sleep patterns to make you feel more tired the next day.
3. Laugh more. Often it’s not the event itself that is stressful, but your reaction to it. Humor can take the edge off almost any stressful situation. A good laugh relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, and research shows — similar to exercise — may reduce levels of hormones that create stress and suppress immunity.
4. Relax. Just 10 to 20 minutes of meditation or other quiet reflection can relieve stress and increase your tolerance to it. Tap into your sense of sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell. Create a tranquil environment. If possible, dim harsh fluorescent lighting and bring incandescent lamps to the office. At home, sip a favorite beverage in the bathtub or in a favorite chair. Burn aromatic candles and play soft music.
5. Slow down. Life — yours and your family’s — can be overwhelming. Learn to say no to activities that aren’t absolutely necessary or ask someone else to help.
6. Seek support. Numerous studies reveal the importance of staying in touch with family and friends. Yale University research, for example, found a connection between strong emotional support and social ties to lower blood pressure and enhanced survival after a heart attack. Significant social ties — including close friendships and family relationships — decreased brain levels of the chemicals norepinephrine and cortisol, which have been associated with excessive stress.
7. Clear the clutter. Too much stuff in the home can lead to stress. The average household accumulates 300 pieces of paper a day and contains 25 percent more furniture and 75 percent more toys than it needs, according to Don Aslett, author of Clutter’s Last Stand (Writer’s Digest Books, 1984). Don’t just file away clutter, throw it out. Once it’s gone, _so is the clutter in your life, he says. But don’t get stressed out with daunting thoughts of removing the junk. Every time you walk through the garage, for instance, toss something out. Simply, something is clutter if it’s not used.
8. Hobbies. While most of us cram too many activities into our leisure time, enjoyable hobbies such as gardening or golf can help us take a break from our worries.
9. One thing at a time. If you feel tense, an ordinary workload or a busy day with the kids can seem unbearable. We often focus on the things we can’t control instead of on what we can accomplish. The best way to cope is to tackle tasks one at a time, advises the National Mental Health Association. Make a list. Checking off work can be very satisfying and can motivate you to move on.
10. Take control. Those who perceive themselves as having little control over the events of everyday life have a harder time dealing with stress, notes Robert M. Sapolsky in his book Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (W.H. Freeman & Co., 1995). Research backs him up. Nursing home residents given more responsibility for their meals, social activities, and caring for plants in their rooms became more active, felt happier, and their health improved. Most remarkable, the death rate in the aforementioned group was half of that of a control group.
A CALMING INFLUENCE
In the early 1980s, Kathryn Mickle, Ph.D. ,
was a stressed out graduate student. Juggling four jobs, she would try to
“unwind” by squeezing in a “dancercize” class and then swimming some
laps. When an injury forced her to slow down, she realized her frantic pace just
added to her strain. Today, Dr. Mickle, a psychologist and founder of the
Wellness Institute for Research and Education in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, still
succumbs to stress, but she doesn’t let it get her down. And she is passing on
her stress-reduction savvy to fellow members at the Bankers
Club in Miami, Florida. Through
workshops started last summer at the club, Dr. Mickle has introduced
stress-management techniques using the ancient art of movement and meditation
known as Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) as a
backdrop. Breath work, postures, and visualization gong
(cultivate) the body’s qi (vital energy) to
a particular organ or body region for improved posture and circulation, and
counter the effects of stress.
During her doctorate research on how Chinese students adapt to stress, Dr. Mickle became interested in the physical and spiritual benefits of Chinese practices, including Qigong and its martial arts cousin tai chi, which is also used as an aid to meditation. The worst thing about stress, she says, is its destructive ability to build on itself for a chain reaction of tension. Qigong teaches you to relax and can help you control such stressful behavior as anger, fear, or depression.
Deep breathing,
which efficiently delivers oxygen to the brain and vital organs, and taking time
out of a busy day to relax are key factors to eliminating stress, says Dr.
Mickle. And although it isn’t always easy, she adds, it helps to watch your
thoughts. “Our thoughts are very powerful and create our reality,” Dr.
Mickle says. “If we do not like our present reality, we can change it by
thinking differently.” — Helen Bond