As we head into the weeks leading up to Fall Break, many students are facing several midterm tests and essays that are all due around the same dates. With stress from your classes, work schedules, and even your personal life, you may find that your levels of stress may begin to affect you physically, rather than just mentally.
Being aware of how stress may affect your body can also help you begin to learn when it’s necessary to take breaks and de-stress. So, here are some of the ways that stress can physically affect your body’s systems.
1. Musculoskeletal System
When you enter the fight or flight response, your muscles are tensed to prepare to combat an aisling agent. However, when you are simply studying for a test or are worrying about making room for your extracurriculars, this muscle tension is not necessary. So, when this tension remains and is not relieved, you may find your muscles cramping or you may develop headaches. One of the most common ways students may experience this muscular tension is pain in the neck and shoulders from hunching over your computer.
How to Reduce:
If you begin to feel a headache coming on, or you find yourself arching over your notebooks, you can try to relieve this muscular tension by following a Progressive Muscle Relaxation technique. This progression is usually taught in yoga classes, and the basic idea is that you lay down and slowly, and intentionally, tense up then relax individual muscle groups in order to release all of your body’s tension. You can repeat the process of tensing and relaxing each muscle as many times as you need until you feel relaxed.
2. Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems
Because of our body’s fight or flight response, our breathing rates and heart rates tend to increase when we are experiencing or dealing with a stressor. Without consciously lowering your breathing rate, you may be more likely to experience panic attacks and hyperventilate. Similarly, consistently high heart rates have been linked to increased odds of heart attacks and higher cholesterol levels. Personally, I always find my heart rate climbing up at school when I take tests, work on assignments that I’m worried about, or when I have to talk to a large group of people.
How to Reduce:
With your respiratory and cardiovascular systems, you can lower your breathing and heart rates easily once you are able to pay attention to how your body is reacting to your surroundings. For some, simply taking long, deep breaths is the key to de-stressing. If you have a FitBit, there is an option called “Guided Breathing” that will walk you through a deep breathing session for 2-5 minutes that can help to reset your respiratory system. One other breathing technique that works for me is the 4-7-8 technique. In this breath, you inhale for a count of 4, hold it for a count to 7, and then exhale for 8 counts. Because these breathing techniques can be performed at anytime, they are an easier way to de-stress throughout the day!
3. Endocrine System
Once your body has established that you are stressed and has begun the fight or flight response, even if you are stressed for an extended duration, your body releases hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are designed to give you energy, and they also serve as a signal to your liver to produce glucose, thus increasing your blood sugar. With increased levels of these stress hormones, you may have a harder time sleeping, and consistently high blood sugar levels can also increase your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
How to Reduce:
In addition to the previous examples of de-stressing, a few more techniques that I, personally, rely on include exercising and listening to music. Whether it’s yoga or going on the elliptical machine, exercise has always been a way that I have been able to combat stress. However, when I’m not motivated to go to the gym or am feeling under the weather, listening to my favorite music can help me relax. I also will listen to music while I study, and one playlist that I cannot recommend often enough is “Mellow Beats” on Spotify! This playlist satisfies my need for lower tempo music that doesn’t have lyrics, and it helps me to have something else going on, that isn’t too distracting while I study.
4. Gastrointestinal System
Stress has been found to change people’s eating habits: when you’re stressed you might eat more frequently or less frequently than typical. Stress can also worsen heartburn and acid reflux. You may also find that stress can manifest in stomach pain, or “butterflies.” These butterflies can lead to chronic pain, and, in some cases, stomach ulcers.
How to Reduce:
If you find yourself wanting to eat more than usual, it is important to try to reach for snacks that are healthier. Some easy, quick snacks that you can try include bell peppers and hummus, nuts or trail mix, greek yogurt, and string cheese.
5. Reproductive System
Last, but not least, chronic levels and sustained levels of stress can affect the menstrual cycle. Stress has been associated with irregular and absent periods, and it can also worsen the symptoms of PMS.
How to Reduce:
Many of the above techniques should also aid in relieving the effects of stress on the reproductive system, but one other trick you can try is talking through your stresses. Whether it’s ranting to your best friend or talking with a licensed professional, simply talking through what’s stressing you has been found to greatly reduce levels of stress.
Now, don’t stress about your stress levels, and go rock your midterms!