Stress is the modern day equivalent of our ancestral ‘fight or flight’ mechanism that was necessary in the highly competitive and predatory world throughout our evolution.  There may no longer be sabre-toothed tigers or mammoths in our world but the modern day alternatives can be just as daunting. 

A threatening or tense situation triggers this stress response demanding that we take physical action.  Unfortunately most modern day stress involves situations that we cannot run away from such as relationship issues, a demanding job and boss and traffic jams on the way home.  There are two types of stress.  Acute and Chronic stress and both have very distinctive patterns. 

Acute stress is a short-term response by the body’s sympathetic nervous system and the response may only last for a few minutes or a few weeks.  How many times have you said that your heart stopped or your stomach lurched during a moment of intense stress such as an accident?  We have all heard stories of mothers and fathers who have been suddenly infused with superhuman strength and able to lift cars and other heavy objects off their trapped children.  They are empowered to do this by the actions of their body in a moment of crisis. 

Blood sugar levels rise and additional red blood cells are released to carry strength giving oxygen levels a boost.  The pulse quickens, blood pressure rises and the digestive process stops to enable the focus to be entirely on regaining safety. 

Chronic Stress is when this acute stress response is repeated on a continuous basis.  Whilst the body after a hundred thousand years is well able to handle the occasional stress response and in fact uses it positively, if the response becomes a normal way of life, other parts of the brain and body become involved leading to long term damage.

QUESTION – HOW CAN WE MANAGE THIS MODERN DAY STRESS THAT IS GOING TO BE A PART OF OUR LIVES IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER? 

A major challenge in this stress filled world today is to make the stress in your life work for you instead of against you.  Stress is with us all the time. It is unique and personal to each of us because we all handle it in a different way.  So personal in fact that what may be relaxing for one person may be extremely stressful to another. 

Too much emotional or mental stress can cause physical illnesses such as high blood pressure, ulcers or even heart disease, whereas physical stress from work or exercise is not likely to cause these problems.  The truth is that physical exercise can help you relax and to handle your emotional and mental stress.  Following a healthy diet that provides you with all the essential nutrients to help your body manage stress is even more important.

Symptoms of stress can be subtle such as fatigue, insomnia, depression, headaches, back or neck pain, irritability and sudden weight loss or gain.  The less common but more damaging are heart palpitations, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, nausea, panic attacks, inability to concentrate and chronic fear.  

1.       It is easier said than done, but you must find a way to relax that suits you.  Taking a walk in the fresh air, joining a yoga class, listening to music or even going to the movies.

2.       Keep to a regular sleep pattern, although people do need varying amounts of sleep the average is seven hours.  Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time even at the weekends.  Lack of sleep is one of the leading causes of stress. 

3.       I am afraid that stimulants such as cigarettes and alcohol and recreational drugs are absolutely the wrong things to rely on during a stress episode.  

DIET AND STRESS. 

A healthy diet is absolutely necessary whatever lifestyle we have but if we are under excessive levels of stress then it becomes critical.

Make sure that you are hydrated.  Dehydration is a leading physical cause of stress and you need at least 2 litres of fresh, pure water per day and more if you are on holiday or living in very hot climates.

There are some vitamins and minerals which the body needs to handle stress especially as during a stress interval the body will use up additional reserves of many nutrients.  Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables are necessary and here are a few of the particular nutrients that will help you handle the stress in your life.

Vitamin A mops up the toxic residue of elevated stress hormone levels. (Liver, fish oils, butter, cheese, Free range eggs, oily fish and Betacarotene that converts to Vitamin A from carrots, green leafy vegetables such as asparagus and broccoli, orange and red coloured vegetables such as apricots) 

Vitamin B1 improves your mood and is vital for nerve function. (Whole grains, seeds, peas, beans and nuts.) 

Vitamin B3 helps you regulate your sleep patterns. (Liver, brewer’s yeast, chicken, turkey, fish, meat, peanuts, wholegrains, eggs and milk.)

Vitamin B5 better known as Pantothenic Acid controls the action of the adrenal glands, which play a vital part in the stress response. (Liver, yeast, salmon, dairy, eggs, grains, meat and vegetables.) 

Vitamin B6 is essential for the manufacture of the brain chemical serotonin which is also called the feel good chemical. (Potatoes, bananas, cereals, lentils, liver, turkey, chicken, lamb, fish, liver, avocados, soybeans, walnuts and oats.) 

Vitamin B12 is necessary to help produce brain chemicals such as serotonin (dairy, eggs, meat, poultry and fish, for vegetarians in miso and Tempeh both fermented soybean products) 

Vitamin C is one of those vitamins that is used up very quickly during a stress reaction and needs to be replaced immediately as a deficiency leads to increased levels of anxiety and irritability.  Smokers should take in Vitamin C in their diet and under the supervision of a professional should also take supplemental Vitamin C. (found in all fruit and vegetables but best sources are blackcurrants, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cherries, grapefruits, guavas, kiwi fruit, lemons, parsley, peppers, rosehips, potatoes, tomatoes and watercress.) 

MINERALS NECESSARY TO HELP THE BODY MANAGE STRESS. 

Calcium helps you relax and studies have certainly shown that for women it can help reduce the symptoms of stress related to periods. (Dairy, sardines, canned salmon with the bones, green leafy vegetables such as spinach and soy products such as tofu.) 

Magnesium works with calcium and also helps to reduce stress. (Whole grains, beans, seeds, wheatgerm, dried apricots, dark green vegetables, soybeans and fish) 

Chromium stabilises blood sugar levels that create stress. (Brewer’s yeast, whole grains, shellfish, liver and molasses)  

You can contact sally Cronin through her website www.justfoodforhealth.com with your comments and questions for future mailbags.