Stress is constantly wearing down on the body. As we know, stress, like taxes, will always be present to some extent in our lives. In fact, one study showed that the average adult who works goes through 10-20 micro-stress doses every morning. Multiply this by the entire day, and we reach a high number of stress accumulation in Coeur d'Alene ID.

What Can We Do about Stress in Coeur d'Alene ID?

The body does not have a great response system for stress. The Autonomic Nerve System has two divisions: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic. Sympathetic nerves are the ones that help us get out of trouble. These sympathetic fibers are commonly known to be “fight/flight.” These are crucial to be able to run from a bear or fight an enemy. However, when stress is apparent almost 100% on the day, our body is not conditioned nor hardwired to be in a constant state of fight or flight. Thus, leading to physical breakdown from the inside-out. Let’s take a look at the physiological response to stress.

The hypothalamus is an aspect of the brain that is awarded the position to be on the lookout for stress. When a Macro or Mirco-stress dose occurs, the hypothalamus begins to alert the rest of the body through the endocrine system. There is a signal that is sent from the hypothalamus to the anterior pituitary. The anterior pituitary, located also in the brain, sends a signaling hormone to the adrenal cortex. The adrenals release cortisol into the blood stream which ultimately allows the body to respond to a fight or flight stressor. Now, if this happens 10-20 times just in the morning, there is an excess of unnecessary demand placed on the body. When all these straws of stress begin to accumulate, that is when breakdown occurs. The muscle systems of the body are taxed, the immune system is taxed, the skeletal system suffers. All systems are worn out by the constant bombardment.

The light in the story comes from Chiropractic and its ability to help manage stress loads. Stress is no doubt always going to be present. However, through a nerve system that is coordinating all these stress responses, with a system that is optimal, less accumulation occurs.  If the nerve system is dysregulated and heightened by subluxation, this process is worsened, and more chaos ensues. To “break the cycle” get checked regularly to make sure the body can adapt to stressors of today well!