Coping with Stress and Anxiety
Written by Scientific Director and Pharmacist Jerry Hickey
Stress is an unfortunate fact of life. Everyone experiences stress to some degree, but many of us are under very high amounts of stress on a daily basis. This excessive level of stress that so many people currently experience is not normal; it contributes to emotional overload, behavioral changes, and physical manifestations throughout the body. Poor quality of sleep, muscle tension, headaches, overeating or not eating enough, alcohol and drug abuse, and increased risk of infections and illness are just some unpleasant results of stress when it is not properly managed.
Decrease your Stress and Anxiety with these Simple Lifestyle Changes
Exercise has numerous benefits - helping to burn belly fat, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve glucose sensitivity. Exercise is also an excellent antidote for stress and anxiety. Aerobic exercise can reduce anxiety by up to 50%, according to recent research. Exercise has also been shown in studies to improve sleep disorders. This is important because adequate rest improves the ability to respond to stress properly.
The correct amount of sleep each night for most healthy adults averages 7 to 8 hours.
Decrease the amount of caffeine you consume; 2 cups of coffee doubles the amount of epinephrine (a stress hormone) your adrenal glands release. Epinephrine is a "fight or flight" hormone, and it plays a central role in the short-term reaction to stress. It is released from the adrenal glands when danger threatens or in an emergency, or if you are stressed out.
When secreted into the bloodstream, epinephrine rapidly prepares the body for action in emergency situations. The hormone boosts the supply of oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles, while suppressing other non-emergency bodily processes such as digestion of food. Epinephrine increases your heart rate, dilates your pupils, and constricts the small blood vessels in the skin and gastrointestinal tract while dilating those in muscle improving the supply of blood and energy to muscle. Epinephrine elevates your blood sugar level. Like some other stress hormones, epinephrine has a suppressive effect on your immune system, increasing your risk of upper respiratory tract infection (usually a flu or cold infection).
Speak to a certified nutritionist from InVite® to find out which herbal supplements may benefit your stress and sleep routine.
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Assisting Scientific Director and Pharmacist Jerry Hickey is a team of nutritional professionals - a group of hand chosen, dedicated experts, available at each and every InVite® Health retail location - there to provide you with a FREE, personalized, and professional nutritional consultation. Visit an InVite® Health retail location near you for assistance in selecting the correct nutrients to address your health concerns.
You can also e-mail an InVite® Nutritionist or call us directly with any of your nutritional questions. The InVite® Health team is always available to assist you.