STRESS – The Trillion Dollar Killer!
Stress is the trigger of all major diseases. Heart attacks, fatal strokes, brain hemorrhages and cardiac arrest are now our most common killers.
Studies have linked stress with cancer and heart disease for years, but the reality is, stress causes inflammation, and chronic inflammatory response is being linked to almost every illness known to man – obesity, autoimmune disorders like AIDS, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, etc.
It is imperative we to learn how to RELAX! It is definitely a lost art we need to reclaim! Do you even remember the last time you were able to get 8 FULL hours of sleep EVERY single night?
Stress is a natural response reaction to internal and external conditions, elevating alertness and our immune system response. A little stress is good, but prolonged stress leads to fatigue, lack of sleep and irritability, damages personal relationships and creates long-term health issues.
Our brains cannot survive this onslaught of stress and inflammation unscathed. Heightened, prolonged levels of cortisol in our bloodstream can be fatal!
Cortisol is called the “stress hormone”, secreted by the adrenal glands in high levels in response to stress. Small doses of cortisol are good – giving us bursts of energy to survive our “fight or flight” response.
Our bodies were designed to relax and rest after a stressful event, allowing cortisol levels to drop and return to normal. Unfortunately, in our always-on-the-go lifestyle today, we do not take the time to slow down and recover. Instead we throw ourselves into a state of chronic stress.
Prolonged, heightened levels of cortisol in our bloodstream have very negative effects – impairing mental performance, suppressing thyroid function, upsetting blood sugar balance, raises blood pressure, increases abdominal fat causing a plethora of other issues, and lowering immunity and inflammatory response.