
Ways Stress Impacts Your Health

Many of us tend to think of stress as a given, considering we all have jobs, families, and all kinds of duties pulling us in different directions. If you don’t learn to manage it effectively, however, stress can wreak havoc on your physical and mental health.
The causes of stress are myriad and unique to every person’s individual life situation and circumstances. There can be times of very high stress, like when you have an important work deadline to meet or if you’re going through a divorce.
Don’t think the smaller daily stresses don’t affect you though. Things like the traffic jam that causes a delay in picking up your child after school, the dish you made for a potluck that burned, or the disagreement you had with your spouse about the household budget — again, can all impact your stress levels.
Since Gain Wellness Center focuses on treating every part of the patient, Dr. Mandeep Walia and her team are invested in looking at your health through many lenses, from how you eat and if you get enough exercise, to your assessing your gut health and yes, gauging your stress level. They’re all connected.
Their functional medicine approach means that you get care that’s focused on your current life situation as well as your health history. The way the parts of your life intersect impact what your health looks like today, and tomorrow.
Does stress really affect my physical health? Isn’t it mainly emotional?
Not at all. Our patients are often quite surprised at the many diverse symptoms to which high stress levels can lead, including:
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal distress
- Irregular sleep, including both insomnia and oversleeping
- Lack of libido
- Skin conditions you already have, like acne and psoriasis, can worsen, or you can develop hives or a rash
- Anxiety and depression
- Bodily pain (in many places)
- Infertility
- High blood pressure
- Blood sugar issues
- Chest pains
- Missed periods
- Mood swings
Unfortunately, prolonged stress can have quite a negative impact on your whole immune system, making you more vulnerable to illness.
Stress and bad habits: An interlinked relationship
Another worrisome factor to consider about stress is that unhealthy habits like eating a diet high in processed foods, being sedentary, smoking, using alcohol or recreational drugs in excess, and being unable to detach from our cell phones exacerbate stress. It’s a harmful two-way street, too, because stress also provokes you to engage in these behaviors as unhealthy coping mechanisms.
You’re likely to find yourself more easily aggravated when highly stressed as well. It’s hard to practice patience with your family and coworkers when you’re stressed out!
Solutions exist for treating your stress and alleviating related symptoms
As we said before, normal everyday stress is a universal part of life that’s been with us since ancient times and helped us survive. However, when stress ratchets up and interferes with your health, happiness, and quality of life, it’s time to seek help.
When stress disturbs activities, causes chronic sleeplessness and other life-altering symptoms, or becomes an omnipresent burden, we urge you to visit us, so we can perform a complete wellness evaluation — at no charge to you — which consists of an overarching review of your health, and treatments that start you on a path to optimal wellness.
In addition to a stress evaluation, we offer these treatments:
- Nutrition solutions tailored to you
- Counseling about the physical activities that are well-matched to your needs and personality
- Liver detoxification and revitalization
- Restoring hormonal equilibrium
- Chiropractic care
In addition to treatments that we provide, we guide you toward practices you can do at home, every day, to lower your stress, like meditation, yoga, devoting time to being outside, and enjoying time with loved ones.
If it feels like stress has overtaken your life, don’t hesitate to call our office and set up a wellness evaluation and consultation, or book one online. We’re here to help.
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