Let’s face it, stress is unavoidable and undoubtedly impacts our health. In fact, it’s estimated that 75-95% of all doctor’s visits are due to stress-related ailments. Below, we’ll look at various ways that stress impacts our physical, mental, and emotional health, as well as effective strategies to reduce stress and its harmful effects.
Heart:
Stress can increase blood pressure, blood sugars, triglycerides, and inflammation. It can also lead to poor blood flow to the heart and affect blood clotting. Ultimately, stress can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, including a heart attack or stroke. For cardiovascular support, try Res-Q 1250 softgel or liquid, Res-Q 2500 TG, or Res-Q O3 MAX softgel.
Immunity:
Chronic stress weakens the immune system, which can leave you more susceptible to contracting colds, viruses, infections, or the flu. It can also increase the time it takes to recover from an illness. In addition, stress may increase the risk of autoimmune conditions. For immune support, try Res-Q ProBiotic and Res-Q Cor-Immune Defense.
Memory:
Experiencing excessive, acute stress, or severe, chronic stress can be highly detrimental to memory function. Stress primarily acts as a source of interference and can prevent each of the stages of memory processing (encoding, consolidation, and retrieval) from occurring. For memory and cognitive support, utilize Res-Q Brain Focus.
Sleep:
Do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep during the night? If so, stress and elevated cortisol levels could be the culprit. Cortisol wakes and arouses the body and mind, as proven by those suffering from insomnia. Cortisol levels are naturally higher in the morning and lowest at night. If cortisol levels are elevated at bedtime, they can impact your ability to fall asleep and create a pattern of interrupted sleep overnight. For sleep support, try Res-Q PM spray or PM dissolvable tablets to maximize your sleep.
Aging:
Stress accelerates aging by shortening DNA telomeres, the protective caps on the end of our DNA strands. Each time a cell divides, it loses a bit of its telomeres. An enzyme called telomerase can help to replenish it, but chronic stress and cortisol exposure decrease your supply. When the telomere is too diminished, the cell often dies or becomes pro-inflammatory, setting the aging process in motion along with associated health risks and visible aging that, for example, can be seen on our skin. Res-Q RenewU and Res-Q Omega-3s can help counteract these effects.
Allergies:
Studies have shown that even slight stress and anxiety can substantially worsen a person’s allergic reaction to some routine allergens. Moreover, the added impact of stress and anxiety seems to linger, causing the second day of the allergy attack to be much worse. Stress exacerbates allergies by increasing histamine in your bloodstream, so work Res-Q Cor-Immune Defense into your daily routine.
Digestion:
When a person feels stressed and their nervous system enters “fight or flight” mode, digestion slows so the body can divert its energy to face a perceived threat. Indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating, and even ulcers can result or become exacerbated by chronic stress. For digestive support, regularly use Res-Q All Essential Enzymes and/or Res-Q Land ‘n’ Sea Fiber powder or capsules.
Pain:
Stress has been shown to affect pain perception. The inflammatory impacts can be felt by way of tight muscles, headaches, increased aches and pain as well as overall tension. The Res-Q line of comprehensive Nivå CBD formulas offer pain support and relief.
Stress Management:
Prioritize exercise, which releases chemicals in the brain, called endorphins. These act like natural pain-killers and help to relieve stress, and improve mood. In addition, exercise helps to protect against many harmful effects of stress.
Laughter:
Stress relief from laughter? YES! Whether you are chucking at a sitcom or giggling at a newspaper cartoon, laughing is a great form of stress relief. Laughter lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscles, improves cardiac health, boosts your immune system, relieves pain, and improves mood.
Support system:
Strengthen your support network to manage stress. Emotional support is an important factor in dealing with life’s difficulties. When it comes to social support, one size does not fit all. Maybe you have a colleague at work or a neighbor to lend an ear. Look to different relationships for different types of support. Even in today’s world, when an in-person chat or hug may not be possible, take advantage of technology and set up a time to chat on the phone or Zoom.
Guided Imagery:
Take a short vacation in your mind by imagining yourself in your “happy place”! Maybe you are in the forest surrounded by trees, or at the beach listening to the sounds of the waves or watching a beautiful sunrise or sunset. Simply close your eyes and walk yourself through a peaceful scene or listen to a recording in which someone walks you through one.
Eat a balanced diet:
While comfort foods like high-sugar treats can provide a temporary sense of relief, they ultimately bring greater reactivity towards stress. Skip or minimize the chips and cookies and focus on nutrient-dense foods like eggs, avocado, walnuts, fruits, and vegetables, which support mood regulation and energy balance.
Supplements:
Res-Q Stress Blocker: Adaptogens are a class of non-toxic herbs that have a gentle normalizing effect in the body. These key ingredients in Stress Blocker work to balance the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis, which helps to balance cortisol levels and increase resistance against stress. In addition to adaptogens, Res-Q Stress Blockers also contains l-theanine and passionflower, which help calm the body, reduce anxiety, and support relaxation.
Res-Q Mg: Chronic physical and mental stress depletes the body of magnesium, and low magnesium levels intensify stress, creating a vicious cycle. Magnesium helps to modulate the activity of the body’s stress-response system and magnesium can help reduce many related concerns, such as muscle tension and anxiety.
Res-Q Ultimate B Complex: B vitamins help to maintain a healthy nervous system, which is essential to effectively fight symptoms of stress. Vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid, is also important for adrenal gland support and cortisol regulation. B vitamins work best synergistically, so taking them as a complex is optimal!
Res-Q PrimeRx: Ashwagandha is an adaptogen as well, which balances cortisol levels and protects against stress. High cortisol from stress may result in lower testosterone levels and this formula will help to naturally restore them.
Res-Q FemRx: Cortisol is not the hormone impacted by stress. Progesterone and estrogen balance can be affected as well. The ingredients in Res-Q FemRx help to naturally balance hormones without replacing them.
