Calm Mind and Body — Reducing Stress for Long Term Health
Stress is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn't have to be harmful. When our body perceives danger, the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system activates the stress response, a survival mechanism that prepares us to either fight or escape the perceived threat. Unfortunately, many things in modern life can trigger this response, even if they're not necessarily life-threatening. These typical modern life stressors can include challenging emotions or relationships, unhealthy foods, overreaction to life demands, getting children to school on time, or even job expectations.
When a person is overcome with stress, the sympathetic nervous system response becomes overactive, leading to physical changes that can have a negative impact on health in the long run. Some of the symptoms of this overactivity include rapid or shallow breathing, cold extremities, increased heart rate and blood pressure, asthma, neck and shoulder tension, digestive stress, and dilated pupils. Long-term stress can cause decreased functioning in many body systems, including adrenal fatigue, immune challenges, brain changes or decline, digestive disturbances, and chronic health issues, resulting in some seeking stress relief through stress supplements that don’t do more than quell the occasional anxiety.
That's why it's so important to calm the mind and reduce stress. By doing so, we can prevent these negative impacts on our health and improve our overall wellbeing. There are several methods for calming the mind and reducing stress, including diaphragmatic breathing, biofeedback, neurofeedback, meditation, and many other modalities. These methods can help improve many diseases, including PTSD, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes, migraine, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, pain, and insomnia.
Heart Rate Variability and its Cardiovascular Impact
Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of the variation in time between successive heartbeats and impacts blood pressure by either increasing or decreasing vascular contraction and relaxation. When the sympathetic nervous system is overactive, an individual's blood pressure can increase, leading to long-term hypertension. In fact, 29% of Americans have high blood pressure, and stress is a common factor.
When HRV is low, the sympathetic nervous system is overactive, indicating stress and elevated blood pressure and cardiac variability. On the other hand, when HRV is high, the parasympathetic nervous system is in a state of restoration, stabilizing blood pressure and reducing cardiac variability.
Three strategies that can be incorporated to increase HRV and reduce stress include:
Physical exercises such as yoga - Yoga is a form of exercise that focuses on the mind-body connection. It combines physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation to help reduce stress and improve HRV. Research has shown that yoga can help lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety, and improve heart rate variability.
Breathing exercises such as diaphragmatic breathing - Diaphragmatic breathing is a breathing technique that involves breathing deeply into the diaphragm, which is the muscle that separates the chest and abdomen. This technique can help calm the mind and reduce stress by slowing down the heart rate and reducing blood pressure. Diaphragmatic breathing can be practiced anywhere, at any time, making it a convenient and effective way to reduce stress and improve HRV.
Meditation exercises such as visualization and self-hypnosis - Meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and improving HRV. Training concentration, visualization, and self-hypnosis are all forms of meditation that involve focusing the mind on specific thoughts and sensations to promote relaxation and reduce stress. Research has shown that meditation can help lower blood pressure, improve heart rate variability, and reduce anxiety.
Incorporating these strategies into your daily routine can have a significant impact on your overall health and well-being. Regular exercise, breathing techniques, and meditation can help reduce stress, lower blood pressure, and improve heart rate variability, ultimately leading to a healthier and more fulfilling life.
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