Stress can invade your life at any time. Maybe you have a critical project with a fast-approaching deadline at work. Maybe you argued with a friend. Or maybe your kid has been acting out in school.
When daily stressors begin to compound, the stress can begin to take a serious toll on your body and your overall health. Before you find yourself too overwhelmed or exhausted, perhaps you should make an appointment with your chiropractor.
You may be surprised at just how well chiropractic treatment can relieve stress.
What is Stress?
When you get stressed, your brain sends adrenaline and cortisol throughout your body. This increases your heart rate, sending blood rushing through all your muscles and organs, and gives you heightened senses. This is your body’s way of helping you through what it sees as a potentially dangerous situation. An adrenaline rush is the phrase most often used to describe this feeling.
Stress is a word that gets used freely throughout the day. Anytime something doesn’t go as planned or having too much on your plate or too little time can lead to stress. So can things such as unstable work environments, rocky relationships, illness, finances, and more. It is possible to get stressed when planning a party – and stressed when going to take a big test.
There are different levels of stress, aren’t there? They surely are not all the same.
Acute stress is the type of stress that happens when you are faced with a tough situation. It is often your initial reaction to something, whether it be a new assignment at school, witnessing an accident, or even watching a super scary movie. Acute stress is momentary – it comes and goes rather quickly.
Chronic stress, on the other hand, is experiencing stress for extended periods. That means elevated levels of cortisol flowing through your body for the long term – and a bigger, negative impact on your overall health. For instance, chronic stress can cause:
- Anxiety and/or depression
- High blood pressure
- A greater risk of heart attack and stroke
- Cardiovascular disease
- A weakened immune system
- The aging process to speed up
The Physical Impact of Stress
Stress can impact the body in so many ways – physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everyone has different levels of stress and will feel the impacts of that stress differently than others. Though a few of the most common symptoms of stress in the body are:
- Fatigue
- Chronic pain – headaches, backaches, neck aches, joint pain, etc.
- Sleep disturbances
- Digestive issues, including ulcers
- Changes in eating habits, leading to over or under eating
- Brain fog
The longer you allow your stress to continue, the worse your symptoms may become.
Ways to Manage Stress
Stress management is something that all healthcare professionals would like to see taken more seriously. The toll stress takes on the body is very real — and it can be prevented by being intentional in managing it.
So, how can you manage stress?
While removing the things that cause you stress would be ideal, it is not always possible. Life can bring us stress in circumstances that are outside of our control. If you find yourself here, then it is time that you take steps to manage it as best as you can.
Maintain a healthy diet. Eating whole foods and staying away from foods high in sugar and those that are highly processed is a good place to start. Your food is the fuel your body needs to keep going — so give it the proper nutrition to help it run efficiently. While you are at it, consider reducing your intake of caffeine and alcohol, too.
Get 8 hours of quality sleep. Sleep is crucial if you want to be ready to tackle anything that comes your way. Make it a common practice that you get 8 hours of high-quality sleep every night.
Engage in physical activity daily. Your body needs you to move to stay healthy and strong. And getting some exercise every day will keep you healthy while ridding your body of stress. Many people use fitness and exercise as a stress-reliever.
Practice self-care. Self-care is so important yet it is so often overlooked. Add it to your calendar and stick with it. Spending even 15-minutes a day with yourself, unwinding, meditating, or soaking in the tub can reduce the effects of stress on your body.
Make an appointment with your chiropractor. Your chiropractor can help you reduce all the symptoms you are feeling with chronic stress. The treatment will impact your spine, your bones, and your muscles – and will offer relief to your body as a whole.
What Happens with Chiropractic Treatment
Chiropractors are often seen as those individuals you go to when you pull a muscle or crack your back. But, truth be told, your chiropractor offers all-natural solutions to some of the most life-impacting issues. And, that includes chronic stress.
See, stress manifests itself through muscle tension. It may be clenched fists, shoulders, a tight back, etc. Before you know it, you ache. This can lead to decreased function and overall health of your central nervous system – which impacts the rest of your body. Chiropractors will treat muscle tension and give adjustments that will help you feel better physically and improve your body’s ability to handle stress.
When you seek chiropractic treatment for stress, you will:
Relieve stiffness and headaches. All those aches and pains you feel due to the weight of the stress can be washed away with the treatments a chiropractor can offer you. Relieving muscle tension, realigning the spine, and more — all play a part in finding relief.
Learn to embrace relaxation. Chiropractors want you to feel refreshed and their offices encourage it. Your visit will give you a chance to relax, loosen your muscles, and exhale away all the stress and tension.
Get better sleep after your visit. Those who attend chiropractic treatments regularly will tell you that sleep is usually easier after their appointment. Since sleep is so important for handling stress, feeling more relaxed and having a higher-quality sleep can help you feel better.
Discuss an overall approach to your health. Chiropractors understand that there is a deeply rooted connection between all areas of your body. Your diet and nutrition, level of exercise, and chiropractic treatment therapies can all work together to bring a sense of wellness and balance to the body. Don’t be surprised if your visit to the chiropractor results in a discussion of your lifestyle and habits. Making small changes to the way you live can have an incredible impact on the way your body views and handles stress.
Reduce your blood pressure. It makes sense that chiropractic massage therapies would lower blood pressure. The calming techniques and focus on whole-body health can have a great impact on your blood pressure both after your session and in the future.
Discover the important role of your spine. Your spine is surrounded by the physical space that holds your stress. Tension rises and builds around the spine and then you begin to feel it physically. Chiropractic alignments can open up the nervous system and allow your body to function properly. Your brain fog will be lifted and the weight of the stress will dissipate.
It is not always possible to rid stress from your life, but that doesn’t mean you should have to live with its consequences. By making positive changes for your health combined with regular chiropractic adjustments, you will find peace and relaxation. There are no medications and no invasive procedures – just a focus on the health of your entire body and relief from stress and its symptoms.
Seek Chiropractic Treatment Regularly
For many people, stress comes and goes. You may find that you feel more stressed during certain times of the year or that certain days of the month are tougher to handle. Maybe you have found yourself dealing with a situation that is stressful during this season of your life. Or maybe you have a high-stress job and feel stressed all the time. Wherever you stress-o-meter falls, seeking chiropractic treatment regularly can help.
There is no set schedule or frequency in which you should make these appointments. Just as chiropractors work to help you find balance within your body, your care is not going to be the same as the next patients.
Take some time to review the stress in your life and how it is impacting you. Then, discuss everything with your chiropractor so that an individual treatment plan for adjustments can be established. Keep in mind, though, that depending on your stress levels, your need for treatment could change.
Are You Ready to Find Stress Relief? Kim Chiropractic and Rehab Can Help
At Kim Chiropractic and Rehab, we feel that no one should live life in pain — or full of tension. The weight of stress and its impact on the body can be detrimental to your health and well-being. Even if you are not yet feeling the toll that stress is taking on your body, being proactive in your health by using chiropractic treatment to manage your stress levels and your spine health can be incredibly healing.
Are you ready to experience the benefits of chiropractic treatment? We have convenient locations in Columbia, Centreville, and Rockville. Contact us today to schedule a consultation at one of our four locations.
