Stress is your body's way of dealing with a threat or pressure. A small amount of stress in the short term can help you to achieve the things you want, such as passing exams, working through a busy period at work, or sorting out your house. But when a high level of stress lasts for a long time, it can start to have a negative impact on your mental and physical health. Chiropractic care is a treatment type that can help with both the physical and mental symptoms of stress.
What is stress?
You will feel stressed when your body goes into "fight or flight" mode. When your body perceives a threat, it sets off a chain of physical and chemical reactions in your body that, way back in human history, would have helped you to fight off a predator. The type of stress the modern-day human faces, however, can be much more long-term than facing a predator, and this is where "fight or flight" stops being helpful.
Physical signs of stress
• headaches
• muscle tension/pain
• dizziness
• stomach issues
• chest pain/faster heart rate
• sexual problems
Mental signs of stress
• difficulty concentrating
• finding it hard to make decisions
• feeling overwhelmed
• racing thoughts
• constant worrying
• forgetfulness
Behavior changes
• irritability
• lack of self-confidence
• trouble sleeping or tired all the time
• avoiding things or people
• eating more or less than usual
• drinking or smoking more
Long term effects of stress
• skin and hair problems
• stomach diseases
• mental health problems
• cardiovascular disease
• obesity and eating disorders
• menstrual problems
• sexual problems
How can chiropractic care help with stress?
Chiropractic care doesn't just focus on realigning the spine. Instead, it encompasses a wide variety of treatment methods that can help support the mind, body, and overall wellbeing. Since stress is so all-encompassing, chiropractic care is in a unique position to address a multitude of the factors that can feed into stress problems.
Chronic pain and stress
Chronic pain and stress have a two-way relationship. Chronic pain can cause stress and stress can cause chronic pain. Chiropractic care can help to find the root cause of chronic pain and treat it, lowering stress levels.
Improving sleep
Sleep problems are very common when we are stressed. Chiropractic care can help to address sleep problems by promoting relaxation, reducing chronic pain, and improving sleep techniques.
Reducing muscle tension
When we are stressed, our muscles tighten and over time this can lead to pain and discomfort, which can increase stress. Using massage techniques and spinal adjustments, chiropractic care can help to reduce muscle tension.
Nutrition
Chiropractic care practitioners can help to give advice about nutrition. What we put into our bodies have a big impact on how we feel and how well we functioning. Improving nutrition can help to lower stress.
Spinal adjustments
Your spine is an important part of your neurological system. Restoring function to the spine allows the nerves to transmit messages to all areas of the body more efficiently. This can help reduce many of the symptoms of stress.
Posture and relaxation techniques
Chiropractic care practitioners can give advice about correcting posture and relaxation techniques. These corrections can reduce stress between chiropractic visits, and can lower stress in the long term.
Stress is a common problem that can cause physical, mental, and behavioral problems. Chiropractic care uses a variety of techniques that can address the many different physical and mental facets of stress, reducing the symptoms and improving quality of life.
