|
In order to understand the importance of stress reduction in our daily lives, lets take a look at the effects of ongoing stress on the organism: High levels of stress cause our adrenal glands to secrete increased amounts of the hormone cortisol, which helps our body deal with unusual, demanding, or life-threatening situations. This is an inborn survival mechanism, and cortisol is of utmost importance in getting us through such stressful events. However, if the stressor agent continues over longer periods of time, cortisol levels will remain persistently elevated and will eventually lead to certain unwanted and downright harmful effects.
Negative side effects caused by persistently high cortisol levels:
- Elevated blood pressure (hypertension)
- Increased blood glucose levels (hyperglycemia or diabetes type 2)
- Weight Gain
- Brittle bones (Osteoporosis)
- Stomach ulcers
- Decreased immunity (resulting in increased susceptibility to infections)
- Potassium losses leading to hypokalemia (low potassium levels)
- Agitation and Anxiety
- Irritability
- Insomnia
(no email address required)
This RSS feed keeps you up-to-date with all new content added to the Med-Solver.com website.
Click below to subscribe.
What's an RSS Feed?
|
|
Looking at the list above, we can see that some of these effects (such as elevated blood pressure and blood sugar) may come in handy in stressful situations, to help us cope with a temporary threat. The problem occurs when the stress mechanism and the chain of events triggered by it continue over prolonged periods of time.
Stress can be a serious hurtle to effective weight control, and one of the main reasons why so many weight loss programs fail in early stages. High stress translates into a high cortisol level in the bloodstream, which in turn:
- Stimulates appetite
- Causes increased fat formation in the body (meaning that a larger percent of the aliments ingested will be transformed into body fat). The newly formed fat is deposited with predilection around the mid-section and on the face and neck.
This being said, it's important to understand that stress is not the only factor contributing to weight gain. And, in the absence of a proper diet and exercise, reducing stress is unlikely to yield significant weight loss results.
Stress reduction should be used as an adjunctive measure in weight control, to make the
organism respond better to the effects of diet and exercise. Therefore, do not expect a
magical drug (such as Cortislim) to solve all your weight problems by simply decreasing your
stress level. While the drug may calm you down and therefore reduce your internal cortisol
secretion, you still have to do your part of exercising and eating right.
Relieving stress is no small challenge in this day and age, and no one solution is going to be
perfect. It usually takes a combination approach to subdue this 9-headed monster. A variety of relaxation techniques, involving targeted modification of certain psychological, physical, and behavioral parameters, can be used with good results.
For a detailed discussion and explanation of several stress reduction techniques, follow the link below:
PROVEN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS
Return from "Stress Reduction for Weight Loss" to Home Page
|
