Mood and Stress Problems
What Causes Stress?
Stress is so ingrained into our lives, that under normal conditions we often won’t realise when we are placing our bodies under stress until a health problem becomes evident.
Every day we are exposed to various stressors that can, over time, increase our vulnerability to health problems.
Simply put, working long hours put us under stress as does maintaining a household. Relationship problems, divorce, financial worries, the death of a loved one and job loss can also cause mood and stress problems.
There are however other factors that cause stress which we do not necessarily recognise. These may include a poor diet high in refined sugar and fats, chronic pain, inflammation, infection, and hormonal imbalance. Over time these factors can have the same effect as mental stress by stimulating the release of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenalin from the adrenal glands.
Increased release of stress hormones increases your risk of numerous diseases and can cause headaches, irritability, muscle pain, sleeping problems, poor concentration, anxiety and depression to name only a few.
Good Stress vs. Bad Stress
Stress is not always a negative thing. Small amounts of stress can help to keep us alert and motivated. The problem begins when the stress is long term or chronic. This will usually lead to an insufficient stress response from the adrenal glands. Commonly the adrenals will first go into an overactive state leaving you feeling anxious, irritable or jittery. You may even experience insomnia and a decrease in appetite.
If the stress isn’t resolved at this stage the adrenal glands can eventually go into an underactive state and not produce enough adrenalin and cortisol leaving you with symptoms of depression, lethargy, fatigue, or an increased appetite especially for stimulants such as caffeine and sugar. This is what we call Adrenal exhaustion or adrenal burnout.
At Your Wellness Centre, we assess all contributing factors so that we are better able to restore our patients back to good health, and better stress management as quickly as possible.
Anxiety
There are many causes of anxiety. They may include unchecked stress, medications, hormonal fluctuations, blood sugar irregularities. These are just a few, but they can lead to a state of anxiety. More on how to deal with anxiety.
Panic Attacks
Acute episodes of anxiety may manifest in your body as a panic attack. They are typically defined as discrete periods of intense fear. Symptoms may include palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, choking, chest pain, nausea, dizziness, hot flushes, feeling of losing control, going crazy or dying.
Panic attacks often strike those who do not realise they have been under such acute stress for a prolonged period of time. A panic attack is a physical sign your nervous system is overstimulated and requires support; if left unchecked panic attacks may become more frequent. Herbal and nutritional treatment is extremely effective in reducing or eradicating panic attacks. Diet and lifestyle assessment will further your recovery and provide you with solutions to preventing such unpleasant episodes occurring again.
Depression
It is not uncommon for anxiety and depression to co-exist. You may not realise that insomnia, chronic pain, inflammation within the body, poor blood sugar regulation, inefficient digestion, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal irregularities, heavy metal toxicity, and anxiety are just some of the contributing factors when seeking the causes of depression. More on how to beat with depression.
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Make an Appointment and Deal with Your Stress Today.
Call us on 03 9879 9596.
