It seems that life has become uninteresting and even the sense of humor has disappeared? You can blame it on the whole world, but it’s actually yourself. Simply, it’s chronic stress that builds up and manifests itself in ways that we don’t really think of as signs of stress. But it doesn’t have to go on like this – stress can be controlled to a large extent.
Missed stress cues
Stress can affect our emotions, bodies and behavior in many ways. We can tell right away that we are stressed, for example, when our heart starts beating fast, anxiety or panic sets in, we start sweating or feel nauseous. But more often than not, we continue to stress hard and for long periods of time, ignoring the cues our brain and body give us to stop and do something about it. Here are some examples.
* Feeling as if your thoughts are racing and you can’t stop them, turn them off
* You are not interested in life, and you cannot find a way to please yourself
* The sense of humor seems to have disappeared completely, nothing amuses
* You often feel irritated, angry, impatient or anxious
* A feeling of fear or tension, anxiety, nervousness tends to bother you
* Feel neglected, lonely or depressed
* Constantly feeling that you are too busy or overwhelmed and unable to change it
* Existing mental health problems worsen
Problems caused by stress are noticeable
If we tend to miss the aforementioned emotions and behaviors, then the body resorts to “heavier weapons” and warns us with obvious and physically noticeable signs that are hard to ignore. For example, skin problems, digestive and bowel disorders, increased or lack of appetite, sleep disorders, etc. are very common
Skin problems
Stress can be the direct cause of various skin problems: urticaria (also known as stress rash), acne, eczema. The skin can become dull, sensitive, irritated, sebaceous glands produce more sebum. Stress also plays an important role in skin aging, which means that wrinkles appear faster. Worse, stress can exacerbate existing skin conditions such as psoriasis, rosacea, and eczema.
Stomach problems
One of the most common “sites” of stress is our stomach. When we are stressed, the nervous system sends signals to our gut, causing the muscles involved in digestion to go into a fight-or-flight response. The gut can react by rapidly moving waste through our system, causing nausea, cramping, bloating or diarrhea. If the stress response is activated too often, it is harder for the body to recover. This inhibits digestion and can lead to stomach disorders such as stress-induced gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach lining caused by stress and anxiety. Stress can also cause constipation because stress hormones directly affect bowel movements, inhibiting body processes. In addition, people under stress are more likely to eat poorly, drink too little water and exercise less, which contribute to constipation.
Appetite and weight problems
Generally, acute stress causes a decrease in appetite, while chronic stress results in increased eating. During stress, the body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps the body protect itself. However, when cortisol levels are elevated over a long period of time, such as during repeated and persistent stressors, it can lead to increased food intake, fat storage, and weight gain. So-called stress eating provides the extra energy needed to cope with stressful events. However, in the long term, this usually leads to unhealthy obesity, especially the “belly fat” or harmful visceral fat that surrounds the organs.
Sleep disorders
Stress and sleep are closely related and can form a vicious circle. Stress can adversely affect the quality and duration of sleep, while insufficient sleep can increase stress levels. Both stress and lack of sleep can lead to long-term physical and mental health problems. If a person is in pain, has a tendency to worry, or is struggling with a difficult life situation, more stress hormones may be circulating in the body than usual. A bad night’s sleep adds to them even more. In most cases, stress leads to insomnia, which disappears only when the stress subsides. However, some people also suffer from excessive sleepiness due to stress. In any case, you should try to eliminate the cause of stress and restore normal sleep, as this is the basis of good health.
How to control stress?
Today, this question is almost as important as Hamlet’s “to be or not to be?” By staying under stress for a long time, we risk not only the quality of our life and the joy of living, but also our health. Those who have realized this are looking for their own recipe for stress control. There are a million possibilities and techniques, the main thing is to find the most suitable ones for you. Experience and research have crystallized some ingredients of the recipe, or basic principles, without which success will hardly be guaranteed.
1. Be physically active! Almost any type of physical activity can work to reduce stress. Even if you are not an athlete or in good physical shape, exercise can still relieve the heavy burden of stress. Physical activity can raise feel-good endorphins and other natural feel-good nerve chemicals. Exercise can also focus the mind on body movements, improving mood and helping the day’s irritations fade away. So go for a walk, run, work in your garden, clean the house, ride a bike, swim, exercise, vacuum, or do anything else that makes you feel active.
2. Pay attention to a healthy diet! In order not to fall into the vicious circle of stress eating and snacking, it is worth putting an end to it. It is worth gradually rearranging your unhealthy eating habits, not forgetting to include products recognized as effective against stress, such as: fatty fish, beans and lentils, berries and other fruits, green leafy vegetables and cabbage, green tea, dark chocolate, etc.
3. Work with your emotions and nerves! Some are helped by meditation or yoga, others by TV series, still others by meetings with friends or painting courses – everyone will find their own way to calm the mind, regain the ability to laugh and enjoy the joys of life. It is also very important to get the best possible night’s rest, so that at the end of the day you do not have to crawl around the bed, unable to close your eyes and relax.
Help yourself
Sometimes, when the above-mentioned measures have not borne fruit and going to rest can even be scary, doctors recommend not to worry and use some natural means to calm the nervous system – herbal tea, extract or other preparation. One of such products is the innovative, natural remedy Sedanorm Spray developed by the Latvian pharmaceutical company Lotos Pharma. Sedanorm Spray is a sublingual sedative that has the advantage of rapid onset. The griffonia seed extract contained in the composition helps to maintain the normal functioning of the nervous system. Research has shown that griffonia seed extract contains 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which participates in the process of serotonin formation in the body. Serotonin is known by many of us as the “hormone of happiness”. On the other hand, passionflower extract has a calming effect, helping to maintain mental relaxation.
It is important that , due to its natural composition, Sedanorm Spray can also be used by children from the age of 12.
Sedanorm Spray will be available in Estonian e-store from August 2024!