In: Psychology
Discuss the impact of negative stress (AKA distress) on well-being. Explain how exercise, diet, and sleep may reduce stress / impact lifestyle. May include personal experience and share ideas to overcome the problem. Include scientific data whenever applicable.
Symptoms of stress can affect your health, even if you don't realize it. You feel that the disease is responsible for that irritable headache, your constant insomnia, or decreased productivity in your work. But stress can be the cause.
General effects of stress
The symptoms of anxiety can affect your body, your thoughts, and
feelings, and your behavior. Being able to recognize the signs of
everyday stressors allows you to manage them. Stress that has
remained uncontrolled can contribute to many health problems, such
as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes
Effects of exercise on stress.
Physical activity can calm you down, improve your mood, and help you prevent unhealthy habits that have developed due to stress. Being more active can Assist you in quitting smoking habits, maintain a healthy weight, or lower blood pressure.
Walking is the most popular and least expensive forms of physical activity. Research has shown that walking at least 150 minutes faster per week can bring significant changes in improving health.
Effects of diet on stress
Foods can help reduce stress in many ways. Relaxing foods, like a bowl of hot oatmeal, increase serotonin levels, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can cut cortisol and adrenaline levels, stress hormones that take a toll on the body over time. A healthy diet can help fight the effects of stress by lowering the immune system and lowering blood pressure.
Effects of sleep on stress
Sleep is a critical human function - it allows our brain to recharge and our body to relax. When we do not sleep well, our body does not get all the benefits of sleep, such as muscle repair and memory consolidation. Sleep is so crucial that even a lack of sleep or poor sleep can affect memory, judgment, and mood. In addition to hearing feelings, chronic sleep deprivation can contribute to health problems ranging from high blood pressure to safety risks while driving.