The effects of stress on health, how to get rid of stress

Any competent doctor will tell you that you need to control your psycho-emotional state; if you can’t do it yourself, you can even be prescribed medications. Why is this so important? When stressed, the hormone cortisol is released. It affects the functioning of all body systems. Because of this, the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems is disrupted, which can lead to deterioration in well-being, sleep problems, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

People who know how to cope with stress and avoid conflict situations tend to lead fulfilling lives. They have enough energy for work, friends and hobbies. Mentally balanced people have happy families, give birth to healthy children and raise them to be just as psychologically balanced.

The impact of stress on human health

Scientists have proven that the body of people who are constantly exposed to stress wears out 40% faster than those of those people who live in peace. Frequent stressful situations cause the following symptoms:

Redness of the skin, various rashes;
Feeling tired and exhausted even after a full sleep;
Loss or gain of body weight;
Constant feeling of anxiety;
Tremor (shaking) of the limbs;
Stool disorder.

If you do nothing, there is a high chance of developing the following pathological processes:

Panic attacks;
Depression;
Heart failure;
Stomach ulcer;
Hypertension;
Anorexia;
Stress can also cause a decrease in sex drive in both women and men.

Nervous

In the human body, the nervous system plays a leading role in regulating the functioning of all organs and systems of our body.
In addition, it is the basis of the psyche, that is, it is the soil (or matter) on which mental functions develop: perception, thinking, memory, emotions, will, personal characteristics. The state of the nervous system and psyche directly determines the health of the entire body. A healthy nervous system and psyche ensure the normal functioning of the entire body.

Disorders and diseases of the nervous system provoke diseases of internal organs, determine susceptibility to infectious diseases, allergic reactions, and affect the body’s ability to regenerate and recover.

«Nervous soil

“It is customary to call any painful symptoms or healthy manifestations in the body caused by changes in the mental sphere.

Doctors even identified a whole direction in medicine and a whole group of diseases caused by disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system - psychosomatics. Psychosomatic diseases include a large list of pathological conditions:

hypertension,
bronchial asthma,
irritable bowel syndrome,
eczema,
obesity or pathological thinness,
hyperthermia of central origin (increase in temperature), etc.

That is, all these disorders arise on a “nervous basis”.

Many normal (that is, not painful) physical sensations in the body, familiar to everyone, have a mental origin and develop on a “nervous basis.”

The most common of them: a feeling of heaviness in the chest or in the “solar plexus” area during excitement; feeling of a warm wave when experiencing pleasure; or “cold down the spine” with fear; dry mouth, palpitations, shortness of breath, “internal trembling”, weakness, restlessness, urge to go to the toilet, itching, etc.

Sleep as the basis for well-being

Adequate rest and healthy sleep are the first rules of a stable psyche. A well-rested person is more resistant to stress. The norm is considered to be 7-8 hours of sleep (and at least 9 hours if a person trains hard or works on his feet).

If there is not enough sleep, the stability of the nervous system decreases. You've probably observed how small children become capricious when they are tired and want to sleep. A similar condition is observed in adults who regularly do not get enough sleep - it becomes difficult for them to control their emotions, they feel irritation and aggression.

To improve the quality of your sleep, be sure to create a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom - darken the room, ventilate it before bed, and try to make the room quiet. Maintain a sleep schedule - try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day and not deviate too much from this schedule, even on weekends. If these measures do not help, contact a neurologist or somnologist. Your doctor will help you improve your sleep and quality of night's rest.

Nervous symptoms and pain

The most common symptoms and complaints, that is, they can arise from “nerves”:

insomnia, early and frequent awakenings, difficulty falling asleep, daytime sleepiness,
lack of air, feeling of incomplete inspiration, increased breathing,
a wave of heat or cold throughout the body, chills,
feeling of inner trembling,
palpitations, arrhythmia,
headache, pain of any localization,
feeling of heaviness in the chest or other localization,
lump in the throat, feeling of a foreign body in the throat,
anxiety, melancholy, apathy,
obsessive fears, doubts, movements,
floods of thoughts,
obsessive feelings of guilt or resentment,
increased or decreased body temperature,
weight gain (obesity), weight loss (cachexia), weight fluctuations,
increase or decrease in blood pressure, pressure surges,
skin rashes of any shape and location,
nausea, vomiting, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea or constipation,
frequent urge to urinate, feeling of a full bladder, difficulty urinating,
trembling, feeling of “internal trembling”,
feeling of numbness in any part of the body,
loss or increased perception of taste, light, smell, sounds, touch,
decreased memory or excessive memorization,
attention disorders,
increased tearfulness or lack of feelings and emotions,
aggressiveness, resentment, rancor, vindictiveness, heightened sense of justice, jealousy,
decrease or increase in volitional activity.

These complaints may be a consequence of a malfunction of the nervous system (that is, arise from nervousness). However, such symptoms can also manifest themselves in ordinary somatic diseases (inflammation, trauma, dystrophy, vascular disorders, infections, etc.).

Therefore, even if you are faced with the presence of several symptoms from this list at once, you cannot draw a conclusion about the presence of “nervous soil”. Such a conclusion can only be made by a doctor who will examine, clarify the condition and determine the diagnosis.

Meditation and psychotherapy, their impact on health

Meditation is a great way to cope with depression and stress without medication.

The effect of meditation on the body is:

Improving brain function. It has been scientifically proven that a course of meditation helps restore brain cells;
Reducing the risk of developing heart disease;
Eliminate feelings of anxiety;
Developing mental resistance to stress;
Increasing immunity and strengthening the body's defenses.

Scientists from Washington conducted an interesting study. 15 colleagues from one enterprise voluntarily took part in it. Before the rehabilitation course, each of the volunteers underwent a stress resistance test. It turned out that 14 out of 15 workers live in constant stress and cannot effectively cope with nerve-wracking situations.

The workers completed an eight-week meditation course under the supervision of a specialist - and a repeat test showed that the workers became much calmer and learned to control their emotions. Psychotherapy also shows good results - it helps solve problems and combat anxiety.

Reasons for appearance

The pain may occur intermittently. Sometimes it is a regular spasm, and in some cases it is attacks of pain. Also, unpleasant feelings can begin during inhalation and exhalation, sudden body movements, such as coughing or sneezing. Doctors distinguish between primary and secondary causes of intercostal neuralgia.

Primary:

problems with the spine. This may be loss of elasticity of the intervertebral discs, infection or inflammation in the roots and joints of the vertebra;
incorrect posture. Also one of the primary reasons, it occurs in most people who lead an inactive lifestyle, constantly sit in one position, and slouch;
rib fractures. This includes deformation of the thoracic region, its pathology or tumor.

Secondary causes include:

hypothermia of the human body;
long periods of sitting in drafts;
infectious diseases associated with the lungs: pneumonia, tracheobronchitis;
heart disease: myocardial infarction, ischemia, dissecting aortic aneurysm;
problems with the mammary glands in women, such as swelling or inflammation;
improper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, peptic ulcer, pancreatitis.

But the main and most common cause of intercostal neurosis is stress. People who are constantly stressed experience stiffness in their movements and muscle spasms. That is why any sudden movement causes pain and can provoke intercostal neuralgia.

How to learn to control your psycho-emotional state?

How to maintain health and increase stress resistance?

Don't take on several things at once. Complete every task you start without being distracted by extraneous factors. If your job does not allow you to do only one thing, make a schedule for the priority of tasks and, in the time allocated for a task, do only it.
If you are nervous about a situation, ask yourself if there is something you can do. If not, then you need to come to terms with the fact that this situation and its result are beyond your control and try to distract yourself with something else. If you can, no need to worry, just do it.
Try to develop independent self-esteem. Of course, listening to a negative assessment and scolding is unpleasant - but, if you think about it, this assessment has nothing to do with you. This is just the opinion of another person, which can be taken into account if the person is important to you, but should not be taken as an objective reality. Evaluate yourself.
Set realistic goals for yourself. Not the easiest, but achievable. When determining the deadline for completing a task, reserve 15-20% of the time for force majeure situations and the human factor, then delays will not unsettle you.
Light physical activity helps stabilize the psycho-emotional state - nothing calms you down like a light jog or swimming.
Go to bed no later than 11 pm, try to sleep at least 8 hours.
Organize your workplace in such a way that it is pleasant to be there and easy to find everything you need.
Eat the right foods. For the stability of your psycho-emotional state, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. B vitamins are especially important.
At least once a week, do something that makes you happy. Meet with friends, dance, eat delicious food, play computer or board games.

If nothing helps, and you feel that it is difficult for you to cope with stress on your own, contact a specialist; you may have depression. In this case, you need qualified treatment.

Symptoms of intercostal neurosis

Only a doctor can make a correct diagnosis after a complete examination of the body. However, characteristic symptoms that will help you recognize intercostal neurosis yourself are:

voluntary twitching muscles;
pain between the ribs, in the area of the shoulder blades and lower back;
discomfort when coughing, sneezing and sudden movements. The pain may be sharp, dull or aching;
numbness at the site of damage to nerve fibers;
During palpation of the ribs, sternum and lumbar region, pain may intensify.

Neurosis of the ribs is similar in symptoms to diseases of the heart, stomach and lungs. But the main distinguishing symptom of this disease is constant aching pain, which can intensify with sudden movements, palpation, sneezing or coughing. No painkiller can relieve these painful sensations.

Treatment of the disease

Only doctors, based on diagnostics and a comprehensive examination of the body, can make the correct conclusion - chest neurosis. Treatment methods differ depending on the course of the disease. They mean relieving pain and spasms, strengthening the nervous system, and improving blood circulation. There are several ways to treat intercostal neurosis:

Blockade. It does not eliminate the main cause of neurosis, but this method allows you to relieve pain for several days. A blockade is done when non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs do not help.
Injections. They are used only in extreme cases. For example, for radiculopathy, spinal pathologies and myelopathy, steroid injections are prescribed.
Physiotherapy. It also relieves pain symptoms due to chest neurosis. This category includes electrophoresis, UHF and other thermal procedures. Doctors prescribe such treatment methods for incarceration, arthropathy and spondyloarthrosis.
Training. To prevent and treat the disease, doctors recommend physical exercise. Among them are hyperextension, which serves to strengthen the back muscles, and stretching to relieve tension.
Massage. This method helps relax muscles and also helps relieve pain. Massage is prescribed for the initial stage of intercostal neurosis, osteochondrosis, displacement of the vertebrae and spinal discs, as a preventive measure or as a method of treatment in combination with medications.
Taking medications. B vitamins and ascorbic acid nourish nerve fibers with useful elements and strengthen the immune and nervous systems.

At the first sensation of pain, it is recommended to go to the doctor. This will allow you to prescribe timely treatment and eliminate the disease at the initial stage. Contacting a specialist will help you completely get rid of the disease. Save your health with I.G. Gernet is a psychotherapist with 20 years of experience!

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Hans Selye's theory of adaptation to stress

What is stress? This is a set of normal reactions of the body that occur in response to the action of unfavorable factors. War, famine, epidemic, car accident, marriage, birth of a child - all this can become stressful.

The regulation of metabolism, physiological reactions, and behavior is carried out by a chain of hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands. Corticotropic hormone of the hypothalamus stimulates the production of adrenocorticotropic hormone of the pituitary gland, which in turn triggers the secretion of cortisol.

Cortisol is a steroid hormone. It is synthesized in the adrenal cortex. Cortisol inhibits the breakdown of glycogen in muscles, activates it in the liver, and takes part in the development of the body's response to stress. How does he work? This hormone stimulates the sympathetic nervous system, giving impetus to any activity.

The concentration of cortisol in the blood changes throughout the day: it is maximum in the morning, when you need to get up and start doing something, and gradually falls during the day. In the evening, the level of the hormone in the blood is low, a person can relax and fall asleep. If he is busy with something important and interesting, then the adrenal glands secrete more cortisol than during routine activities.

What happens under stress? Cortisol levels increase. The hormone tells the body: “fight or flight.” The pulse quickens, blood pressure rises, muscles tense - the person is preparing for immediate decisive action.

This mechanism of adaptation to stress was discovered back in 1936. The author of the theory, biochemist Hans Selye described in detail how the body reacts to any strong stimulus, and introduced the concepts of eustress and distress. In the first case, the body is mobilized to complete the task, the person feels cheerful, active, and productive. And when the situation returns to normal, cortisol levels decrease. A person can “exhale and relax.”

Distress is chronic stress in which cortisol concentrations remain high. A person does not have time to recover and spends all the body’s resources on maintaining combat readiness. Everyday problems do not require “putting out fires and stopping horses in a gallop,” but they constantly keep you at a “low start,” preventing you from relaxing or reacting with your body to relieve tension. Cortisol levels are still high, and the circadian rhythms of its secretion are disrupted. So a person begins to sleep worse at night, body weight increases, blood pressure rises, and the ratio of cholesterol fractions changes.

Selye's triad, which describes this condition, includes 3 groups of symptoms:

stomach ulcer;
hypertrophy of the adrenal cortex
atrophy of the thymus gland (thymus).

“If stress is excessive, it can lead to hypertension, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome,” says Ernesto Shiffrin, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, Montreal.