The restless feeling during final exams or anxiousness of speaking to your boss can all induce various levels of stress. Stress can be beneficial at times, but however, it is a crucial factor for survival. The “good” stress is known as acute stress, but “bad” stress is chronic stress that could be detrimental to one’s health.
Acute vs. Chronic Stress
The hormone called cortisol determines stress. It controls blood sugar levels, regulate metabolism, maintain memory formulation, and reduces inflammation. Increased cortisol release due to excessive stress would lead to weight gain, high blood pressure, mood swings, and blood sugar imbalances.
However, with just the right level of stress, experts say it is a burst of energy that could advise better choices and meet daily challenges. This factor is critical for survival that acts as a flight-or-fight response, such as the indication to dodge a car that is coming towards you. Studies have shown that individuals who have moderate levels of stress before surgery recovered faster than individuals having high or low levels of stress, alongside other health benefits. With a completely stress-free life, the thought of pain could be too intense and the body would not be prepared psychologically.
Too much stress is adversely affecting a person’s health. It could lead to headaches, irritability, change in appetite, sickness, and increased anger or anxiousness than usual. Chronic stress not only affects your head but the entire body and eventually induces health problems. It becomes more severe when people use alcohol or tobacco to relieve stress, as these tend to keep the body in a more stressed state instead.
Assess Bad Stress to Good
Specific practices such as meditation and yoga can help to mediate stress levels. Other ways to reduce stress could be merely by avoiding substances such as caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Proper sleep hours and straightforward practices such as managing time and tracking stress could improve one’s health! It’s important to know your own body, and the amount of pressure you can handle. So when you feel strenuous, take a deep breath, and handle the situation calmly without adversely affecting your body.