Do you know anyone who wants more stress in his or her life?  We all know plenty of people who would like less!  What is stress?  And why is everyone so stressed out?

Stress is a physical and emotional response to a perceived challenge.  It makes us alert and gets our bodies ready for action.  It arouses our nervous system and releases hormones that sharpen our senses.  Also, stress speeds up our heart rates and breathing rates.  Stress tenses our muscles in preparation for movement.

Back in the cave people days, the ability to feel stress gave us the energy to hunt for food, fight off predators, and settle disagreements.  In the modern era, the stress response gets us ready to give a presentation at work, aim for a personal best while working out, or deal with that in-law who’s always rubbing us the wrong way.

Believe it or not, a little stress is a good thing.  If people didn’t feel stress, we wouldn’t be motivated to do very much at all.  We wouldn’t be at our best when we needed that extra boost.

But stress becomes a problem when we experience it for long periods.  Our bodies feel tired after trying to stay on alert all the time.  We need a chance to recover from stress.

What are some signs of excessive stress?

Fatigue, trouble concentrating, difficulty getting to (or staying) asleep, headaches, stomach upset and persistent nervous or anxious feelings can all indicate that you are under too much stress.

You may also have an unexpected weight change.  Some people lose weight because they feel too “wound up” to have much appetite, or skip meals to work.  Others gain weight because they feel “too hassled” to take time to exercise and cook healthy food, or they use food as a source of relaxation and comfort.  Similarly, stress causes some people to increase their consumption of alcohol and tobacco.

The good news is that there are ways to deal with stress.  In upcoming weeks this blog will take a look at physical and mental ways to manage your stress.  But you can take a proactive step right now.  Chiropractic care can help offset the effects of too much stress.  Give Sheppard Chiropractic Centre a call at (506) 635-8182 or (506) 847-7172 to book your appointment.