New Abstract On HBP And Stress: Symptoms And Treatments

By Angela Richards

While there is stress is not directly linked to the onset of HBP, higher stress level can lead to increased irregular heartbeat, shortage of breath and spikes of increased blood pressure.

It is normal to experience some stress; however, living in constant stress will eventually lead to developing a serious health condition such as cardiovascular diseases, ulcers, depression, diabetes and other illnesses. In this article we are going to review what stress means and will explain different ways to cope with stress.

Understanding Stress:

Following from General Adaptation Syndrome model, the person reacts to stress in three main divisions.

The fists phase is known as an "alarm" reaction. During this stage the person feels a stressful stimuli and adrenalin is released into the body to create "fight-or-flight" response.

"Resistance" response is the second stage of the model. Throughout this stage, if the stressor is still there, the body will become accustomed to the stressful environment and will continue to fight it with adrenaline; however, the resources will soon diminish.

The third phase is called "exhaustion" response. This is the most risky stage because at this point the body's defence system is exhausted and permanent illnesses can manifest.

Stress Symptoms

  • Physical - inability to relax, pains, diarrhea or constipation, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, aches, insomnia, tiredness, muscle tension, indigestion, sweaty palms, ringing in the ears,

  • Cognitive - Poor judgment, constant worry, difficulty making decisions, forgetfulness, inability to concentrate, lack of creativity, loss of sense of humor

  • Emotional - a general negative outlook, excessive worrying, mood swings, irritability, anger, irritability, feeling lonely, depressed, feeling hopeless

  • Behavioral - eating too much or not enough, sleeping too much or not enough, withdrawing from others, procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities, using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax, and nervous habits (e.g. nail biting)

    Coping with Stress

    There are several ways to cope with stress.

    Confirmed by medical research, exercising is an effective way to manage stress. Actually, it has been reported to be just as powerful as using medication.

    A different way to cut your stress is by using many relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, listening to calm music, or employ anything that makes you feel peaceful.

    If it is necessary, to evaluate the stressful situation one can imagine stepping out of this situation and viewing it from a bystander point of view. This allows viewing situation in from different angles without being angry or experiencing stress symptoms.

    Despite the fact that it has not been scientifically proven that stress is directly related to high blood pressure some stress factors may contribute to this phenomena. For instance, stressful situation may result in lack of exercise, weight gain from eating excessively or smoking and consuming too much alcohol. In addition, if the person is under constant stress the immune system is exhausted and hormonal imbalance makes other organs work improperly. - 31521

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