Stress a silent killer

As we become busier and busier in our lives, our health becomes compromised. It is so important to balance your life, including fitness and personal time to decrease stress and promote health.

Stress is known to cause many illnesses. It is like a silent killer. Inside stress is a chemical mess that causes havoc on health and well being.

Our body has a check system in place to help us flee from or deal with an attack or crisis. It is known as the “fight or flight” response.

This response sets off a cascade of chemical release, when during a real threat (like running away from an attacker or a wild animal), our body responds with strength and energy beyond normal.

One of the chemicals released is cortisol, which, when broken down, becomes sugar.

When a stressful situation is only on an occasion, there are no adverse effects.

The body can’t associate between an animal attack or a verbally abusive relationship, excessive work schedule or financial strain. Today, many are dealing with daily crises or for some, minute-to-minute crises.

So why should you be worried? The cortisol, when converted into sugar, causes insulin to be released. When stress is a daily constant, cortisol and, therefore, insulin is as well.

Insulin, although it saves our life in controlled amounts, causes medical crises when we have too much.

High insulin levels are responsible for weight gain, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, fibromyalgia, depression, asthma, allergies, inflammation, GI disorders, and the list goes on. Basically, what we do or don’t do can make us sick or well.

You might say “my father or mother has ... so I will too.”

We all have someone in our family who has a family risk. My father had his first heart attack at 41 and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes six months before, so yes I have a strong family risk.

At the age of 20, I was going down the same road, with weight issues, elevated blood pressure and cholesterol. That was more than 20 years ago and those problems are gone, because of lifestyle changes.

What we do or not is our choice and only our choice.

Setting boundaries is also essential. Do you have a hard time saying no to your children, partner, boss, or friends? And if so, do you feel like you are on a treadmill that you can’t get off?

Not setting fair boundaries causes the same stress response. Our lives are stressful, but most of the stress is self-induced, by not setting boundaries and just going with the flow.

Take time to take care of yourself. Like the directions you get from the flight attendant on a plane, “if the oxygen masks drops, put yours on first before taking care of the person beside you.”

If you are not healthy, you can’t help others. Take a look at your health.

If you are dealing with illnesses, make changes in your diet and activity level, remove stress or deal with it in a healthy manner, such as counselling, meditation or yoga.

Set fair boundaries for you and those around you. Be informed, trust your instinct and be proactive. You only have one life to live. Live it well.

Karen Hourtovenko, RN(EC), is a Sudbury-based health and wellness consultant.