November Newsletter

“Adjusting” Your Stress Levels

One of the things that can be most detrimental to your health is too much stress. Stress can range from many different things including having to meet new people or not getting enough sleep to undergoing a medical procedure or being in a traumatic accident. Some stress is good, such as the adrenaline rush you get right before a big game. It keeps you focused and active during the game, and once the game is over, the stress goes away. However, chronic stress is much more common in today’s society of overworked, under-active, and poorly fed people. This kind of stress is harder to turn off. So how can chiropractic help with stress?

A majority of our body is controlled by what is known as the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is important for regulating functions like breathing, digestion, heart rate, blood vessel control, and cellular repair. This system has two parts including the sympathetic and parasympathetic.

The sympathetics are used for “fight or flight” and assist in stressful situations. While they may help to increase our heart rate and send blood to the right muscles so that we can escape a threatening situation, they turn off other important activities like digestion, cell repair, and immune system regulation. The parasympathetics are used for “rest and digest” and are utilized when our body is in relaxation mode.

When we feel stressed or in pain, our nervous system reacts by turning up the sympathetic system. Once on, the sympathetic system is not always easy to turn off. It will continue to decrease digestion and cellular repair, while increasing bad hormone levels and disturbing the body’s natural rhythm. Over time, this makes us feel tired and sick, we get even more stressed, and we are more prone to vertebral subluxations.

The purpose of chiropractic is to restore normal function of the nervous system by focusing on the health of the spine! A misaligned vertebrae can lead to more stress on the body. By helping the autonomic nervous system to function at its optimal level you will be better able to regain control of the body, have better digestion, breathing, healing, and more relaxation!

Don’t forget during this busy holiday season to get checked by your chiropractor and keep your nerves in check!

Key Points

• There are two parts of our nervous system
• The sympathetic nervous system causes the fight or flight response and takes control during times of stress
• The parasympathetic nervous system causes the rest and digest response and takes control during times of relaxation
• The sympathetics can cause harm to our bodies when “turned on” for too long.
• Chiropractic adjustments help to regulate the autonomic nervous system so that we can de-stress and relax!

Other helpful tips to relieve stress!

• Laugh
• Meditate
• Get a massage
• Be Grateful
• Exercise
• Take time for yourself
• Love!
• Breathe deeply