Stress is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United Kingdom. According to a survey by The Mental Health Foundation, 74% of adults living in the UK have experienced stress in the past year which was so bad that they felt unable to cope. Fortunately, there are many effective treatments for stress including exercise, diet, meditation and getting more sleep each night.
You will be surprised to learn that chiropractic care can also be helpful in alleviating for stress. Many people visiting our London chiropractor treatment know this well, as they often mention that they feel relaxed and de-stressed after a chiropractic adjustment. In this post, I’ll share some more information about stress and why it is so dangerous for your health. Then, I’ll explain why chiropractic care is useful for alleviating stress.
Are you feeling stressed? You can book a consultation at our London chiropractor office or read on to learn more about how chiropractic care can help relieve stress.
What is stress?
Stress is a normal physiological response that occurs when you are in a situation that you perceive to be dangerous. Threats that trigger the stress response can be physical or mental, real or imaginary.
When entering a stressed state, the body produces higher levels of hormones including adrenaline, cortisol, epinephrine, and noradrenaline. These so-called “stress hormones” trigger a wide range of changes in your body including:
- Faster breathing
- Elevated heart rate
- Tense muscles
- Higher blood pressure
- Higher levels of mental focus
- More glucose is released into the blood stream for energy
- Your brain patterns are altered to focus more on the threat in front of you
- Certain biological functions are deprioritised, including the digestion of food
You might notice that most of these changes would be quite helpful when running from a life-threatening situation, which is exactly what the stress response is designed for.
Unfortunately, the stress response can also be triggered by anxious thoughts, work or financial pressures, physical pain, personal arguments, and many other “perceived” threats. If you experience long-term stress it can eventually increase the risk of several health conditions including:
- Obesity
- Heart disease
- Anxiety
- Depression
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Insomnia
Stress can also weaken the immune system and negatively affect with your cognition.
How can chiropractic care help relieve stress
Here are just a few of the ways that chiropractic care can relieve the symptoms of stress:
Relieving tension
When you are in a stressed state, your body will become tense as it prepares to either fight the threat or run away from it. This can cause tension throughout your musculoskeletal system, which contributes to poor posture, back pain, and other issues. A chiropractor can help you deal with this tension by perform adjustments to your spine and joints.
Correcting physical issues causing pain
It’s common for people experiencing chronic pain to also experience chronic stress. A chiropractor can help by identifying the source of any musculoskeletal pain you are experiencing and developing an effective treatment strategy. By reducing or eliminating your pain, your stress levels can be greatly reduced.
Clearing your mind
When chiropractic treatment is used to align the spine, it unblocks the central nervous system. This is useful for dealing with the symptoms of stress that affect the brain. You will find it much easier to think clearly after a spinal adjustment which further eases feelings of stress.
Dealing with a misalignment of the spine will also make it easier for your nervous system to communicate with other parts of the body. This reduces feelings of stress and pain associated with a subluxation (misalignment of the vertebrae).
Better sleep
Getting more sleep is one of the most effective ways to deal with stress. When you are sleeping, the body will remove waste, balance hormone levels, and perform several other important biological tasks. Chiropractic treatment can make it easier to get to sleep, which gives your body plenty of time to deal with stress hormones like cortisol.
If stress is affecting your life then why not book an appointment with one of our experienced London chiropractors at MotionBack Chiropractic Clinic in Central London. You can call to book an appointment on 0207 112 5408 or you can also book online on our website.