Stress is a type of natural defense of the body that understands to be under attack or threat when we suffer some kind of pressure. In these situations, the body releases a complex mix of hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine, which are nothing more than a kind of preparation for physical action.
At high levels, these hormones can be highly dangerous to health, favoring the emergence of various diseases, impairing well-being and quality of life.
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Know the diseases associated with stress
Insomnia
The insomnia is a condition characterized by difficulty in initiating or maintaining uninterrupted sleep at night, that is, the lack of restful sleep.
The stress, when chronic, can cause or even aggravate the problems with sleep, so the person who is constantly stressed is even more tired the next day and ends up accumulating even more stress, exacerbating the symptoms of both conditions.
When we don't sleep well, and our sleep isn't restorative, the body ends up feeling the impact and can result in serious health problems such as hypertension, eating and mood disorders, cognitive impairment, premature aging and low immunity.
To minimize the negative symptoms of both problems, you can start looking for relaxing activities before bedtime, for example, try light reading, relaxing music (there are several playlists to help), or take a warm shower.
The ideal is to avoid stimulating foods and drinks at night, such as coffee, guarana, chocolate, black tea, and mate. Avoiding bluish lights in the bedroom, especially before trying to sleep (television, cell phone) is also essential.
Depression
The main hormone released in the body during a stressful situation is cortisol. Excessive cortisol causes a decrease in two important substances: serotonin and dopamine. Both are neurotransmitters responsible for improving mood, sleep, appetite, among other aspects.
The reduction of both substances is strongly linked to the origin of depression. The most ideal alternative to contain these problems is to seek methods to relieve stress and the appropriate psychological medical treatment to overcome the symptoms of depression that may be impairing your well-being.
Eating disorders
Eating disorders can be one of the negative reflexes of stress. This can happen due to a set of factors, such as the worsening of sleep quality and the increase in stress symptoms the next day.
Therefore, to seek some relief or emotional comfort, many people end up developing compulsive eating behaviors.
In addition, the day after the sleepless night, our metabolism drops, causing us to have a predilection mainly for palatable foods such as sweets and industrialized snacks to somehow compensate for the shaken psychological.
Cardiovascular diseases
In situations of stress, the body also releases a substance called adrenaline, as we saw above. In high doses, this hormone can contribute to increased blood pressure, accelerated heart rate, and spasms of the heart arteries, which can lead to a heart attack.
On the other hand, cortisol increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus and high blood pressure, both of which are risk factors for the development of heart problems. The hormone is even more dangerous for those already suffering from cardiovascular disease.
In addition, stressful situations contribute to the increased production of white blood cells, cells that are part of the immune system, and which in large quantities can accumulate in the walls of the coronary arteries and decrease blood flow, increasing the risk of clot formation that causes infarction and stroke (stroke).
Skin diseases
Excess cortisol released into the body is capable of affecting the immune system and causing or aggravating a series of skin ailments.
Some of the most common illnesses that can arise or worsen because of stress are seborrheic and dermatitis, rosacea, dyshidrosis, alopecia areata, psoriasis, acne, and atopic dermatitis.
We can see that stress directly influences the emergence of various physical and emotional conditions, making it necessary to search for alternatives that alleviate symptoms and associated problems.
Stress treatment with acupuncture
The human being is composed of body, mind, and spirit. When one of these three elements is in disharmony, all the rest are harmed. In this context, acupuncture works the individual as a whole, in each of its aspects.
The treatment of stress through Traditional Chinese Medicine is based on the stimulation of specific points in the body that help the body produce and release hormones related to well-being, such as serotonin and endorphins.
In addition, the acupuncturist doctor also works with points linked to the production of stress hormones, reducing the action of these substances in the body, helping to reduce diseases associated with high levels of adrenaline, norepinephrine, and cortisol.
