Prepare for COVID-19 – Avoid Stress

A recent study reported that adults aged 30 to 59 are more in stress of catching COVID-19 than adults over 59 or under 30. Meanwhile, adults who lost their jobs because of COVID-19 are also under immense stress.

However, stress is the last thing you need if you do get infected with COVID-19. In fact, stress weakens your immune system. As a result, you become susceptible to viruses such as those that cause COVID-19. Furthermore, stress also contributes to the fat that you carry. Therefore, it is important to be able to quickly recognize that you are in stress and take steps to reduce it.

Signs of Stress

So, what are some of the physical signs that you are in stress?

1. Well, for one thing, you may be feeling lethargic.
2. Or, you may be having a headache.
3. Moreover, your muscles may feel tense or that your body hurts.
4. Also, you may have a hard time sleeping, staying asleep, or keep waking up throughout the night.
5. In the meantime, you may feel a rapid heartbeat or even chest pain.
6. By the way, you may be grinding your teeth without realizing it.
7. And, in some cases, your mouth feels dry.
8. Or, it may be that you find it difficult to concentrate.
9. Also, your stress overcomes you that you tend to forget things.
10. Lastly, you may overreact to petty annoyances.

How Stress Weakens Your Immune System

Now, when you are in stress, the brain’s hypothalamus tells the two adrenal glands on top of each kidney, to generate the hormone cortisol.

Meanwhile, the immune system’s fighters include two types of white blood cells – lymphocytes and phagocytes. So, when we are stressed, the stress hormone corticosteroid suppresses the effectiveness of the immune system by lowering the number of lymphocyte fighters. Incidentally, B cells which are one type of lymphocytes produce antibodies that are released into the fluid surrounding the body’s cells to destroy invading viruses and bacteria. So, when you are stressed, there are not enough B cells to destroy the invading viruses or bacteria.

How Stress Leads to Fat

In addition, cortisol causes the liver to convert glycogen, stored in the liver, into glucose and pump it into the blood stream. As a result, the nearly persistent elevated levels of cortisol increase blood glucose levels.

Now, insulin, produced by the pancreas, helps your body’s cells absorb glucose from the blood stream. On the other hand, a principal function of cortisol is to prevent cells from absorbing this blood glucose. And, cortisol does this so that more glucose is readily available to fight the cause of stress (such as a dangerous situation). So, because the cells don’t absorb glucose from the blood stream, they become what is known as insulin resistant.

Over time, the pancreas struggle to keep injecting more and more insulin to get the cells to absorb blood glucose. However, the cells are prevented from absorbing blood glucose by cortisol. Consequently, blood sugar levels stay high, and yet the cells are starving because they cannot get the glucose they need.

Now, cortisol also moves triglycerides from storage and relocates them to visceral fat cells. By the way, these visceral fat cells are located under the muscles, deep in the belly. Also, cortisol helps adipocytes develop into mature fat cells.

In the meantime, the consistently high blood glucose levels along with insulin suppression lead to cells starving for glucose. But those cells are crying out for glucose, and one way they get help is by sending hunger signals to the brain. And, these hunger signals cause overeating or eating sugary and fatty foods. Meanwhile, the unused glucose, from this binge eating, eventually gets stored as more body fat.

How to be Stress Free

So, some things you can do to get relief.

1. First, breathe deeply. In fact, long, deep calming breaths help you calm down. So, breathe in through your nose and feel your abdomen fill with air. Now, count slowly to three as you inhale. Next, hold for a second and then exhale slowly through the nose as you count slowly to three.
2. Second, one of the quickest ways to release anxiety or anger is by physical activity. For example, the easiest one is to go for a brisk walk that takes your mind away from stress. Moreover, go for as long as you have time. On the other hand, a short walk may not provide enough time to clear your head. Or, instead of walking, you can jog, go to the gym, or even pedal away your stress using a portable machine in the office or at home. Most of all, it does not have to be a workout. In fact, the physical activity could be just cleaning the house, tending to your garden, or mowing the lawn.
3. Next, if it is sunny, just go out and soak up the sun. In fact, the sunlight can lift your spirits.
4. Meanwhile, if you are familiar with them, you can use relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga, tai chi, or even getting a massage to get stress relief.
5. Another technique is to take a few deep breaths, then tighten and relax each muscle group starting with the forehead until you get to the toes.
6. By the way, a massage chair can also help free you from stress. So, if you have stressful events often, it might be a good thing to have around.
7. Yet, another active way to get relief is to do things that you like doing. For example, reading a book, listening to soothing music, or working on your favorite hobby.
8. Finally, if you are home, hug your partner. Because, when you hug someone, oxytocin is released. Indeed, oxytocin gives you high levels of happiness and low levels of stress.

Donna Devilson