Stress And The Science Behind It

 

77% of Americans surveyed by The American Institute of Stress report physical symptoms as a result of stress.1 It may surprise you to learn this was well prior to the COVID pandemic, in 2017. The stress load today, specifically for dental practice owners and employees, may be much higher. Temporary practice closures are contributing to the stress load. According to the same survey1 , the most common sources of stress included: o The future of our nation o Money o Work o Political Climate o Violence/Crime Several of you reading this may find more than one category applies during this health crisis. Although it is not an economic crisis, it is certainly a health crisis with economic implications. Rapid changes in our everyday lives are naturally creating stress. It may be time to employ some health strategies to reduce the load by following the science. The Science A stressful event creates a release of hormones, called cortisol, by the hypothalamus through the adrenal glands into the blood stream. Your blood sugar increases, adrenaline causes a more rapid heart rate and oxygen fills your muscles creating tension. Acute stress takes about 90 minutes for the metabolism to return to normal when the response is over.4 Chronic stress, that is maintained at a lower level but for a longer period of time, can have life-long health implications. In fact, according to Harvard Medical School, “repeated activation of the stress response takes a toll on the body. Research suggests that chronic stress contributes to high blood pressure, promotes the formation of artery-clogging deposits, and causes brain changes that may contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction. More preliminary research suggests that chronic stress may also contribute to obesity, both through direct mechanisms (causing people to eat more) or indirectly (decreasing sleep and exercise)”.2 This is true for chronic low-level stress as well as repeated episodes of high-level stress. Chronic stress is more challenging than acute stress as the continual source of stress does not allow the body a chance to correct itself and return to normal functioning. Symptoms can manifest as sleep disorders, digestive challenges, cardiovascular episodes, headaches, overall anxiety and more. The Stages The image below, author unknown, is an adaptation of popular fear to growth models of behavior. You may have seen several variations through social media during this crisis. Identify where you are currently and what the behaviors of the next stage look like. Be kind to yourself as you determine where you currently fit. People who have suffered a larger impact may move more slowly through these stages, and that is okay.

Ideally, the situation causing stress is identified, removed, and life goes back to normal. In our current situation, small victories along the way will reduce the release of cortisol such as economic relief from various legislative measures. Fortunately, there are also additional measures we can take to control cortisol release and counter the stress response. Acute stress situations warrant deep, abdominal breathing techniques as well as meditation to lower the stress hormone. Chronic, low level stress needs a different, longer-term strategy to reduce negative health effects.