Your Body, Stress, and Chiropractic Care

By Randi Morse

Everyday you deal with a huge amount of stress. You have demands on you from your work, from your family, from your friends, and from that nagging internal voice that won't leave you alone. Even though we all deal with stress, some people handle it far better than others. For example, once my stress level gets to a certain point I basically break down. My husband, however, can handle a mountain of stress and stay relaxed the entire time. Why do we all deal with stress differently? Is there anything we can do to help increase our ability to handle the stress that life throws at us?

Understanding Stress

In order to understand how your body handles stress, you need to understand the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Have you ever heard of the "fight or flight" response? This is due to the sympathetic nervous system and the response is how your body deals with stress. It's easy to mistakenly believe that the only time the sympathetic nervous system is activated. In reality, the sympathetic nervous system is activated anytime your body is under a great deal of stress. The sympathetic nervous response tightens your muscles and creates the perfect environment for your body to be able to run should you need to.

This isn't usually a problem because your body is equipped to handle stress. Once the stress is over, the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in. This nervous system is all about relaxing your muscles and your body and getting it back into the resting state. The problem with stress occurs when your parasympathetic system is not working correctly. If your body is unable to get back to a resting state, it is constantly in a stressed mode. 

Chiropractors

Chiropractic care can actually be extremely beneficial when it comes to changing how your body handles stress. The central nervous system, which includes the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, runs through your spine. If there are any sort of joint restrictions in your spine, your brain may not be getting the correct signals, which means that the parasympathetic nervous system may not be working correctly.

With one visit to The Joint Chiropractic you will be able to learn if there are any restrictions in your spine that could be causing problems with the parasympathetic, or sympathetic, nervous systems. With affordable rates, and open office hours, it's definitely worth taking a trip to your local chiropractor to see how they can help you reduce the amount of stress in your body.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Layton, Utah.