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Stress: The Cause Of Poor Digestive Health |
Stress in one of many explanations why your body doesn’t digest food properly. It is not a coincidence that your insides feel like they are turning inside out when you are faced with a stressful situation. This is because stress limits the blood supply to the stomach, which hampers the normal digestive functions. Also the whole intestine is partially controlled by the nervous system. These conditions can also offset gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome or an ulcer.
While we may not be able to get rid of these stress factors from our lives, we can do much to minimize their effect on us with good diet, exercise and relaxation techniques. But the first and foremost step is learning to understand how the body works.
For many people healthy weight loss is a chronic endeavor. Weight loss is extremely difficult when you feel like you are depriving yourself. Healthy weight loss is not about suffering or deprivation. The key to successful weight loss is making changes in your eating and physical activity habits that you can keep up for the rest of your life.
Digestion and absorption are unconscious processes controlled by the nervous system. The purpose of digestion is to change complex and insoluble food bits into simpler matter that can dissolve and disperse through the lining of the intestine to enter the blood or lymph. With the increase of stress levels, our body will divert energy, enzymes, oxygen and blood away from the digestive organs. This makes the digestive process to come to as halt as the body deals with this stressful condition.
Three types of stress can affect the body: -
• Physical. This is tangible; it could be an injury, drug and alcohol use and infection.
• Mental and emotional – These are intangible and could result from such things as public speaking, being threatened, domestic problems, surviving the death of a loved one, financial worries or unfulfilled career aspirations.
• Unconscious stress. This is environmental, the noise or traffic or aeroplanes, pollution in the air in cities or from all the toxins we are usually unaware of -food additives and preservatives, mercury, lead, pesticide and acrylamide.
All these stresses can be weakening and can place a huge strain on your general health. To avoid impairing the blood circulation and disabling the function of the digestive organs when eating, it is vital that you cultivate a relaxed state of mind. A few lifestyle changes can promote a healthy digestion by reducing stress.
Diet unquestionably plays a role in the control of stress. Eating too many processed grains and too much sugar adds to the body’s physical stress and may contribute to nutritional shortages that compromise your health. Excess’s of red meat and saturated hydrogenated fats may create inflammation in the body and add further to your physical stress. Drinking large amounts of coffee or cola drinks high in caffeine not only cause more anxiety but your body will miss out on vital nutrients found in wholesome drinks and foods. It is therefore always wise to eat a well balanced diet containing organic whole grains, fruits, vegetables and legumes.
Put your alarm clock ten to fifteen minutes earlier than usual. This will allow you more time to eat a healthy breakfast. This is always a good start to the day. Better still rise even earlier and allow time to exercise first. Research has shown that at least thirty minutes moderate exercise daily has an intense anti-stress effect on the body and will help clear your mind and boost energy.
Deep breathing is one of the most effective, though simple way to reduce stress. When feeling stressed stop what ever you are doing, close your eyes and put your hands on your stomach. Breathe deeply in through your nose, hold for a few seconds and exhale slowly through your mouth. This should be repeated at least ten times whilst mentally focusing on letting go of the tension.
Article source http://w4rum.com/2150.t
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| [By Kimber Fulcher] [05/May/07] |
