Reduce Stress by Reducing Stimulants
Posted: Thursday, August 27, 2009
by AnnA Rushton
Creative Catalyst
A quick fix for stress is something we all want, and there are temporary ways we can do that. Usually that involves some kind of stimulant, but sadly this doess nothing to help us deal long term with our stress.
They all have impact on your health and wellbeing, so let's have a look at exactly what effect these commonly used substances have. First of course they will temporarily increase our sense of feeling good that we usually get from our own positive brain messengers like adrenalin, seratonin and dopamine.
Adrenalin is highly stimulating and addictive for many people, workaholics for instance or those who engage in dangerous sports thrive on the stress and the 'rush' they get from this natural pick me up.
Adrenalin certainly increases the positive messengers in a dramatic way, but there is usually a steep crash afterwards which ultimately stresses the body even further.
Sugar: This is rapidly absorbed into the body and you get a sudden rise in blood sugar levels and this brings an immediate boost to the positive messengers. It's why we reach for a sugary snack, chocolate bar or biscuit when we are feeling low.
However it is only a temporary fix because it is always followed by a corresponding fall in the sugar levels back down again. This sets off a vicious cycle where you keep putting in more sugar to avoid the crash feeling. This is not something that is beneficial in terms rebalancing your body and is at best only a short term solution.
Caffeine: This is a highly popular pick me up and used to raise energy levels, or stay awake longer than our body wants to. It boosts the positive messengers and whether taken as coffee, cola or chocolate it is again only a short-term boost, and followed by the same type of crash we get from sugar.
Alcohol: If you are sleeping badly then any rest is better than none at all, and alcohol may seem like a way to get that as it does help with your Body Clock, but the sleep you get is not the real deep sleep that you need. You will see a whole range of ways that behaviour can be affected from inappropriate emotion to amazing bursts of frantic energy.
It can give a false sense of confidence and certainly increases the body's ability to tolerate pain. Again a short-term fix with potentially disastrous long-term consequences for health if taken in excess.
Tobacco: Smoking cigarettes produce a complex chemical compound, one function of which is to increase positive brain messengers and produce a relaxed state in the body. Many stressed individuals find cigarettes 'calms their nerves' but again there are serious long-term health consequences associated with tobacco.
One thing that is noticeable about using external stimulants to change our brain chemistry is that they are rarely used in isolation. We turn to all kinds of solutions like tobacco, alcohol, sugar, and caffeine to help us boost the number of positive messengers getting through to our brain.
However you cannot accurately rebalance your brain messengers in this way. Your body needs to make this delicate chemical adjustment itself and if you are serious about wanting to reduce stress then you need to dramatically reduce, or avoid, all of these stimulants.
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AnnA is the author of the practical ebook, 'How To Handle Stress' and is an inspirational writer and speaker on health, personal development and creativity. For more information and news of her special bonus on Attitude and Illness, visit http://www.sortingstressout.com
If you would like free email newsletters, creative resources and archives then visit her main website at http://www.catalystonline.co.uk
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