Where do you hold your stress? Is it in your shoulders? Your jaw? Or maybe your diaphragm?
While these places aren’t necessarily where the stress is produced, these are common areas of tightness for those who are stressed.
There are a number of difference reasons our muscles hurt when we are stressed:
- Posture; whether that be hunching your shoulders up at the desk or clenching your jaw
- Heightened nervous system; your sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) is on overdrive, constantly stimulating your muscles.
- Dehydration; common self-prescribed treatment for stress is alcohol and caffeine, when you are drinking more alcohol or caffeinated drinks, you are drinking less water. Water helps improve the hydration and flexibility of muscles, improving the tension and pain you feel in them.
- Lack of sleep; our muscles need recharging over night. When we don’t give them a chance to recover in our sleep they are running on empty the next day.
Cortisol, also known as our stress hormone, plays a large role in our bodies when under chronic or persistent stress. It can cause increased blood sugar levels, weight gain, reduced immune system, lead to digestive problems and heart disease.
Stress can trigger pain, pain can heighten stress. Anna and Tayla understand stress and the immense impact it can have on the body. If you feel stressed and in need of some TLC, please call Southern Osteopathy on 0422 639 369 or book an appointment online.