5 tips for less stress!

5 tips for less stress!

Stress is the name for a wide range of tensions that we experience in life. We live in a busy world and there are incentives everywhere and we notice that in our health. Stress does more to your body than you might initially think. In this article we take a closer look at the effect of stress on the body and we give 5 tips for less stress.

Hormones

The feeling of stress is caused by various hormones. These include adrenaline, noradrenaline, CTH, ACTH and cortisol. These are all hormones that have a useful function in your body, but when stressed, too much of it is produced over too long a period and that can eventually lead to nasty complications! Both the stress itself and the stress hormones entail different symptoms and characteristics (stress complaints). Here are 5 symptoms & consequences of stress.

Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints among people who experience a lot of stress. You go on and on and don't listen to your body enough. The body no longer relaxes, resulting in severe fatigue. Your limbs weigh like lead and you can hardly bring yourself to do anything. It requires a great effort of muscle and will power to carry out daily activities.

Headache

Are you walking around with a pounding head more and more? Do you wake up in the morning with a headache when you really just slept all night and didn't drink a lot the previous night? Then a small alarm bell should ring. Because structural headaches can indicate stress. Stress is an important factor in the development of headaches. This is sometimes referred to as a tension headache.

Palpitations

Do you regularly suffer from palpitations? Then be alert because this is an important stress symptom. In stressful situations, your heart beats faster to quickly supply your muscles with oxygen-rich blood, resulting in an increase in your heart rate. That is not so bad for a while, but if the stress continues, your heart is heavily burdened and this results in high blood pressure, palpitations or irregular heartbeats. This is of course not pleasant and can be quite frightening, which means that some people also have anxiety or panic attacks.

Insomnia

Sleep deprivation is very common in people with too much stress. They try to sleep, but the worrying takes over. If you don't get enough sleep, the symptoms will only get worse. A good night's sleep in times of stress is extremely important. Make sure you get as few stimuli as possible before going to sleep. Slowly dim the lights, stop watching TV, and stop using your phone. Put on some relaxing music and prepare your body for a restful night.

Weight gain

There is a good chance that you will eat more because of stress. Unfortunately, you often choose unhealthy food that contains a lot of sugars and carbohydrates. You do this to keep yourself going and to avoid getting tired. Eating sugary foods produces the happiness hormone endorphins in your brain. When you get a craving for sugar, try to choose natural sugars such as fruit.

5 Tips for less stress

  • Dive into the gym! By being active you give your body an outlet and you can move your thoughts. Exercise gives you more energy and it also lowers stress. So hop on those sneakers and go.
  • Laugh a little more! This is one of the most important tips. Did you know that a child laughs an average of 1 minutes a day, an adult only 20 minutes. That's a shame because laughing is very good for your body. Your muscles relax, cortisol is immediately lowered and all your internal organs are nicely massaged.
  • Watch your diet! Stress makes you tired, it makes sense that you prefer to plop on the couch with a pizza. At the time that seems like pampering, but in the long run you give stress more of a chance. Sugar (fast carbs) seems like a good option when you're stressed. After all, it provides immediate energy. Remember that sugar only provides energy for 20 minutes and your body then spends 3 hours processing the negative effects. Then comes the dip in your blood sugar level. For example, opt for a handful of unroasted nuts as a snack.
  • relax! Try to find regular moments of relaxation. It doesn't matter how you do that. See what suits you and where you find relaxation. For example, do yoga or breathing exercises. Buy a book and take a long bath.
  • Last but not least! Recognize stress. Stress is different for everyone. Pay close attention to the symptoms and listen to your body. Learn from previous stress situations and ensure that you can intervene faster next time when things threaten to go wrong.

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