Stress and the Chiropractic Lifestyle

How well do you handle stress?

For some, it’s recurring headaches. For others it’s neck pain, or high blood pressure. Still others respond with nervous twitches or muscle stiffness. Regardless of your particular response to stress, the nervous system is involved. That’s why chiropractic care can be so helpful.

How does stress affect you?

Stress has been with us since the beginning of time. Every era has faced its share of threatening situations. Today, the stress of personal conflicts, work, project deadlines, and the demands of our time and money take a huge toll on our health.

But, emotional stress is just one of many types of stress that cause damaging wear and tear on your body.

It may surprise you that your “feelings” of stress may have nothing to do with mental or emotional stress in your life. Chronic pain and muscle tension can cause you to experience nervousness and irritability. In addition, poor posture, prolonged sitting, an accident, or even an old injury can lead to spinal stress.

Natural ways to manage stress

All of us suffer stress at various times in our lives. Thankfully, for most of us, life’s stressors come and go. Whatever’s going on in your life, here are three small things you can do anytime, anyplace to help relieve tension:

• Adopt healthier eating habits. Eat a healthier diet that includes more fresh fruits and vegetables (If that’s difficult for you, consider Juice Plus+). Limit how much caffeine and alcohol you drink. Scale back on the sugar. And, don’t smoke cigarettes.
• Get enough sleep. Your body recovers from the stresses of the day while you are sleeping. Adults need 7 – 9 hours of sleep each day. Make it a priority to get enough sleep. Click < HERE > for some ideas on getting better sleep.
• Exercise. Even moderate exercise, such as taking a daily walk, can reduce stress. Find ways to be coincidentally more active during the day; use stairs instead of elevators, park further away from the entrance of your office or stores, avoid drive-thrus, etc.

The chiropractic approach to stress

The chiropractic approach to stress is to normalize the function of your nervous system by removing interferences caused by spinal joint dysfunction.

Finding the “weak links” in your spine (the major communication pathway of your nervous system) and helping restore better function can make a profound difference in your response to stress. Similar to exercise, chiropractic adjustments can help reduce tension in the nervous system, improving your ability to tolerate and adapt to the stresses of modern life.

It may not be possible to remove the stress of a busy life. However, your chiropractic physician can help you respond better to the unique challenges you face.