The Stress Effect
Sleighbells, sugar cookies, snow days, and stress.
This time of year can bring a lot of joy, and a lot of stress. In today’s blog post we are going to explore the connection between stress, the nervous system, and the pelvic floor. After we explore this connection, I hope to leave you with a few tips and tricks to put in your tool belt to help you navigate the holiday season!
Stress is commonly known for having a negative impact on the body, especially when experienced in a chronic state. In some situations, stress can have a positive influence on keeping us safe, meeting a deadline, or creating any required action to take place. One relatable example is the fast-approaching holiday season that may require you to do some shopping in a busy mall. The stress of knowing C-day is fast approaching may be the stress you need to get your tasks done.
The stress response in the body, sometimes also referred to as the “fight or flight” response, begins in an almond shaped area of the brain called the amygdala. This center is responsible for interpreting images and sounds, then sending a distress signal if there is perceived danger. The amygdala is like a fire alarm that alerts you that there is something wrong. This signal is sent to the hypothalamus, a center of the brain that will then activate the sympathetic nervous system creating the sensations you feel in your body. The hypothalamus sends these reaction signals through the adrenal glands, which will pump the hormone epinephrine (aka adrenaline). Epinephrine is the hormone that creates that heart racing, blood pumping, fast breathing, senses heightened feeling.
The counterbalance to the sympathetic nervous system is the parasympathetic nervous system, this is the body’s calmed state. This is when resting and digesting happens in the body, the recovery and cool down after the sympathetic nervous system has been turned on. Now, as I said, some of this stress can be good. And as with all things in life, balance is important. The goal with the nervous system is to work on being agile – flexible with your response to flow between stressed when needed, to rest when needed.
Let’s say that your body likes to stay more active in a sympathetic, stressed state. This can lead to other health issues or ailments, body wide. Anxiety, depression, digestive problems, headaches, muscle pain, heart disease, stroke, sleep issues, memory and focus problems, just to name a few of the main concerns when it comes to chronic stress. Stress induced muscle tension can even be linked to pelvic floor disfunction. Muscles in the pelvic floor, which hold other organs in place, such as your bladder, may contract and stay contracted during times of high stress. This may lead to issues like stress incontinence, pelvic spasms, or too tight pelvic floor. If the pelvic floor is already not functioning within its normal range, experiencing stress can heighten the discomfort in the pelvic floor.
Now that we have an understanding of what is happening in the body when we experience stress, here are some tips for navigating the body’s stress response:
Honor your hunger – eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full.
Movement – physical exercise can relieve stress, but it also helps the body become better adapt at being flexible in the nervous system response.
Sleep – this is when the body is optimal in the rest and digest phase.
Breathe intentionally – feel the body expand with each inhale, and relax with each exhale.
Stay connection – social connections are the glue that hold us together, specially during the holiday season.
Now that you have an understanding of stress and it’s body wide impact, we can focus on practicing nervous system agility. This will help the body be flexible in its response when a situation that arises that may require your attention. Over this holiday season, if you’re experiencing some stress, please take any or/all the advice listed above. Honor your body’s needs, move as your body needs to, and be intentional with your breathing.
Wishing you a Happy Holidays, however you are celebrating this year.
References:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-response
https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
