Stress

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Most of us have the ability to cope with occasional stress although sometimes the pressure can build up to the point where the stress in your life starts to affect your physical and emotional health. If left untreated, chronic stress can cause symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, irritability, and even poor memory and reduced concentration. Stress can also lead to sleeping problems – even though you are completely exhausted!

It is well known that stress can be a contributing factor in many illnesses, including peptic ulcers, depression, headaches or migraines, hormonal imbalance, dermatitis, asthma and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

We often see Clients suffering from adrenal fatigue because they have spent a long time racing through life with an excess production of stress hormones and an overstimulated nervous system. Eventually the nervous system becomes depleted, leading to exhaustion, poor immunity, lowered mood – often combined with an impairment in the thyroid function, which further depletes energy levels and may result in weight gain.

Fortunately, we can help reverse this problem by making a few simple lifestyle changes:

  • Eat small, regular meals:  Skipping meals is one of the worst things you can do for your body. Skipping meals causes a drop in your blood sugar levels, stressing your adrenal glands. This causes light-headedness, cravings, anxiety and fatigue.
  • Pay off your sleep debt:  Don’t skimp on sleep.  During sleep, your nervous system and adrenal glands are restored and repaired. If you are finding it hard to get to sleep or stay asleep, you may not be producing enough melatonin – the sleep hormone. But this can be boosted naturally.
  • Exercise: Exercising can help to reduce the feeling of stress and improve your sense of wellbeing. Regular, moderate exercise also helps to improve your energy, boosts your self-esteem and lifts your mood!
  • Playtime: Create some time for yourself. It is important to do some of the things that you really love and are passionate about. Too often we are so busy looking after everyone else that we burn ourselves out. Playtime can be anything from fishing to seeing a movie – whatever you consider as your downtime.

If you are stressed, you may need more minerals than usual to support your nervous system. The irony is that during times of stress, you excrete more minerals, leaving you feeling anxious, uptight and can even affect your sleep. This results in a vicious cycle, whereby stress lowers your mineral levels and low mineral levels increase your stress!

Everyone’s response to stress is different, from feeling like crying to becoming irritable or angry, or even having difficulty concentrating. Herbal and nutritional medicine works at many different levels; from supporting the function of your adrenal glands and nervous system to restoring your nutritional status or boosting your mood and improving your ability to cope with stress and restore balance in your body.

Restoring balance, health and vitality to all your body systems can be achieved with appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes combined with herbal, nutritional and homeopathic medicines. Why not try it for yourself?