Stress is the body’s most important defense response. However, today we are increasingly hearing that stress is also the cause of almost all diseases. So what to believe?
Nature’s idea
The classical definition of stress sounds like “a set of non-specific adaptive (normal) reactions of the body to the impact of various adverse factors.” Nature “conceived” stress as a reaction to the physical factors of the external environment. If an ancient person met a terrible animal or a dangerous enemy, then a reaction of the BAY or RUN type was automatically “turned on”.
During times of stress, blood flow is redistributed in favor of the brain, heart, and muscles so that we can think and act. There is also a release of glucose into the blood for enhanced nutrition of all muscles in case you have to run fast.
Emotions above all
We do not live in the ancient world, and the main stress for a modern person is emotional. The emotional reaction develops first, acts on the autonomic nervous system and affects the work of the endocrine glands. Because of this, many diseases develop, and one of them is type 2 diabetes.
This disease is due to the fact that the body has insulin, but the cells are not susceptible to it, so the muscles cannot process glucose efficiently. All this disrupts the metabolism in the body, the pancreas eventually ceases to produce a normal amount of insulin, various organs and systems are damaged.
During stress, the body increases the concentration of special hormones – adrenaline and cortisol, which trigger biochemical processes that lead to an increase in blood glucose levels. It, in turn, interacts with the collagen of the vascular walls and damages them, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis, and also damages nerves and reduces tissue regeneration.
What should you do if you are under chronic stress?
- Take a fasting blood glucose test. If your reading is above 7.0 mmol/L on retest, you have diabetes.
- Get tested for glycated hemoglobin. This indicator reflects how your diabetes is compensated, that is, how well the therapy is chosen.
How to reduce the risk of developing diabetes?
Obesity and emotions are a major risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Therefore, diet and exercise are recommended. The activity of the sympathetic FIGHT or RUN system can be reduced by using up energy.
It is also recommended to do breathing exercises according to the program inhale 7 – 6 – 5: inhale 7 seconds, hold your breath for 6 seconds, exhale 5 seconds. This procedure triggers a physiological reaction to activate the parasympathetic system, which is opposed to the stress system of our body. The level of acute stress will decrease.
Current chronic diseases should not be ignored: arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, arrhythmias. If the doctor prescribed drugs, you need to take them regularly.
