Stress is the disease of the 21st century, undoubtedly. Never have people been so much in a hurry, with so many professional, societal, and peer pressures on them. You have to be the best employee, the best friend, the best spouse, and the best parent. Anything else is unacceptable. In the constant fight to stay on top of their game, many people crack under stress. In this article, we will discuss the various types of stress and how chiropractic care may be beneficial for you.
The Three Types of Stress
Specialists of various healthcare branches agree that stress affects people in three ways. These are:
1. Acute Stress
Any acute condition represents an immediate response to a threat, injury, or accident. Acute stress usually appears when people are faced with a sudden situation which can be:
• A direct threat to their wellbeing
• A life-changing event with a negative impact
• A perceived failure to rise up to an expectation.
Most of us experience this type of stress several times. Your first time speaking before your new work colleagues, a last-minute error spotted in a report you have to hand over to your boss, or nearly missing the train taking you to an important appointment are events that will trigger acute stress.
Symptoms and Treatment of Acute Stress
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Every person responds to this type of stress differently, but the most common symptoms are:
• Tense muscles leading to jaw pain, back pain, and arm or leg pain
• Mood swings (irritability, anxiety, fear)
• Digestive problems
• Increased heartbeat, sweaty palms.
Chiropractic care for various types of stress adapts its technique to the patient and the cause of their condition. For acute stress, professional massages and breathing exercises are the best treatment. At the same time, the chiropractor will offer you helpful advice to adjust your lifestyle in a way that enables you to reduce or manage stress more efficiently.
2. Episodic Acute Stress
While acute stress is a one-time occurrence, triggered by a specific event, episodic acute stress is recurrent. It is usually triggered by a complex lifestyle, where one life crisis triggers another.
It is often the case when you take on too many responsibilities too soon, without being prepared to handle them all. Chiropractors see this, especially in young professionals who are striving both to climb the career ladder and have a family with children. Their energies are spent in too many directions at the same time, and they reach a breaking point.
Symptoms and Treatment of Episodic Acute Stress
People who suffer from this type of stress have more serious symptoms compared to the first category. They usually experienced:
• Severe back pain and headaches
• High blood pressure
• Difficulty to focus and memorize information
• Insomnia
• Moderate to severe digestion problems involving the stomach, gut, and bowel system
• Reduced immunity.
In many cases, the tension and unhealthy lifestyle, combined with extremely long hours at the desk lead to physical changes that increase the symptoms of stress, including:
• Tech neck
• Joint misalignment
• Poor posture.
A chiropractor can usually help patients find relief from these symptoms by performing adjustments and massages. However, it is necessary to consider a significant change in your lifestyle and priorities.
3. Chronic Stress
This is the most dangerous of all types of stress. It does not go away even when everything appears to be well in the person’s life. With every new hardship or difficulty, the level of stress goes higher.
This type of stress can actually kill – either by causing cardiovascular diseases or by leading to severe depression and suicide.
Symptoms and Treatment of Chronic Stress
A person with chronic stress is never alright. They either suffer from physical symptoms or mental/emotional issues. From heart disease to severe intestinal problems, from eating disorders to violence or severe depression, chronic stress offers sufferers no respite.
Chiropractors advise making a sudden and complete change in the lifestyle while undergoing therapies to help them:
• Realign their joints
• Reduce muscle tension
• Encourage a proper functioning of the nervous system
• Regain muscle strength and flexibility
• Create a positive mindset and outlook on the future.
In our clinic, we take all types of stress seriously. We know how dangerous it is and how difficult it is to live with it, even for a short period of time. We encourage you to schedule an appointment with one of our chiropractors and let us help you heal.
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