When you are stressed: make sure you relax!

Pressure to perform, conflicts, sensory overload: Anyone who Stress has to endure, becomes ill. Why relaxation phases are important.

Whether it's pressure at work or problems in their private lives, many people are exposed to constant stress more than ever before. This increases the risk of becoming seriously ill.

Acute stress originally served to cope with acute dangers from outside: stress factors, so-called stressors, helped our ancestors survive in early times of human history, for example when fleeing from attackers or wild animals. To do this, the body was put on alert. The heart beat faster, breathing accelerated, the pupils dilated and muscles tensed. Bodily functions that were not important for warding off danger were suppressed: hunger, thirst and sex drive played no role in stress.

“Although our environment has changed over the course of evolution, our body’s reaction patterns are still the same today as they were then,” explains Dr. Reinhold Lunow"Stress reactions in our society are, however, less triggered by hunger, cold, attacks or hard work. They are replaced by sensory overload, time and performance pressure, conflicts and strokes of fate," says the internist and medical director of the Praxisklinik Bornheim near Cologne and Bonn.

Stress signals alarm

To ensure that the body has enough energy available in the right places in the event of an alarm, the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is released in the hypothalamus, the switch cell between the nervous and hormonal systems. It ensures that the pituitary gland produces corticotropin, among other things. This reaches the adrenal cortex via the blood and stimulates the release of the hormones cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These increase the blood sugar level by converting proteins in the muscles into glucose. The brain and body receive the energy they need to cope with the acute situation via the bloodstream.

"In this respect, stress is a performance-enhancing reaction to adapt to and master particular stresses. Stress is also perceived very differently, because everyone perceives challenges differently and reacts accordingly," says Dr. Lunow. Basically, if achievements are rewarded with a sense of achievement and recognition, stress can be perceived positively and trigger a satisfying feeling (eustress). However, if stress becomes a permanent condition without social recognition of one's own achievement or resolution of the conflict, without breaks and phases of recovery, those affected perceive it as negative (dysstress).

Stress puts a strain on the organism

Whether positive or negative stress – chronic stress puts the body under constant strain. And this can quickly have serious consequences for your health: tension with headaches, neck pain and Back pain; Digestive disorders with stomach pain, heartburn, diarrhea, constipation or flatulence; sleeping and eating disorders; signs of nervousness (grinding teeth in sleep, stuttering, forgetfulness); mental disorders up to Depression; severe cardiovascular and kidney diseases; high blood pressure (hypertension); formation of fatty tissue; allergies. The immune system is weakened, inflammatory processes in the body increase.

“If the concentration of stress hormones remains permanently elevated, this also weakens the thyroid with consequences for practically all metabolic processes," says Dr. Lunow. The glands of the sexual organs are impaired in their function, the growth processes are stopped. This is also a reason why women do not become pregnant if they put too much pressure on themselves to have children.

Anyone who has no chance to control stress or avoid it is at serious risk to their health. If stress becomes a problem, you should first identify the stress factors. It is helpful to be clear about your own strengths, values ​​and goals. Then you should ensure a balanced relationship between tension and relaxation. The division of your own time and energy also provides orientation. In addition, social contacts and an orderly rhythm of life, opportunities to enjoy and a balanced Nutrition.

It is also important to install Sports and leisure activities into your daily routine. Physical activity flushes out stress hormones. This is why endurance sports such as jogging, walking, swimming and cycling have proven particularly effective.

Managing stress with relaxation techniques

Mental relaxation techniques are also useful for managing stress. With progressive muscle relaxation according to Jacobson (PMR), you learn to let go of all muscle groups step by step. Autogenic training, meditation and yoga are also possible. With expert guidance, such methods can often be learned quickly.

The first point of contact for people with pathological stress is the family doctorHe can assess the living environment and knows how stress can be managed in individual cases. “In our practice clinic We advise you comprehensively and provide valuable assistance, for example through muscle relaxation exercises or individual yoga lessons," says Dr. Lunow.

However, the unauthorized use of medication, alcohol or even drugs to reduce the strain caused by stress is taboo. Such drugs do not provide any real help, as they do not address the causes. In fact, they are also harmful to health and pose a risk of addiction. (Image: Olly-Fotolia.com)