The Physical Mind: How Stress Wreaks Havoc on Your Health, Energy, and Life

By Jordan Osborne, DC

Stress, like pain, is a vital function of the body. Without pain, we'd burn our hands or walk on a broken foot. The stress response works the same way: it activates our "fight or flight" system (the sympathetic nervous system) to prepare us to fight for our lives or escape danger. That sudden surge of adrenaline, where you don't feel pain or seem to gain "superhuman strength," is a survival advantage. It's great for fending off a sasquatch, and less great for punching your boss in the nose (though I know my staff would love to once in a while).

Why does that happen? Your autonomic nervous system (think "automatic") has two branches that represent two body states: sympathetic ("fight or flight") and parasympathetic ("rest and digest"). During stressful moments, the sympathetic branch ramps up. Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and muscle activation increase, and blood vessels constrict. At the same time, "rest and digest" functions, including digestion, are turned down.

The problem is that most of the stress in modern life becomes chronic. Relationships, jobs, our own health, the health of our families, the soaring cost of living: it all stacks up. And our subconscious "lizard brain" (the amygdala) can't tell the difference between a missed deadline at work and a fight for your life outside Walmart.

So what happens over time?

1. Heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Stress temporarily raises heart rate and blood pressure. Repeated exposure may add to cardiovascular and metabolic risk through several routes, including its effects on sleep and health behaviours.

2. Dysregulated immune and inflammatory pathways. Cortisol, like its medication cousin cortisone, is anti-inflammatory. With chronic stress, the cells that drive inflammation can become less responsive to cortisol's "turn off" signal. This may contribute to persistent, low-grade inflammation in the body.

3. Lost sleep and recovery. Difficulty settling, racing thoughts, and a wound-up body interfere with sleep. Poor sleep then worsens mood, pain sensitivity, and coping, which feeds more stress.

4. Increased muscle tension. Stress can keep the muscles of the neck and jaw stuck in a "turned on" state, leading to fatigue and tender, tight spots (trigger points) in the muscles.

5. Headaches, migraines, and neck and back pain. Constant muscle activation in the neck and jaw can stiffen joints and reduce normal spinal movement. This can refer pain into the head, contributing to cervicogenic and tension-type headaches. Stress pathways can also influence migraine triggers.

The vicious cycle

These problems are compounded by lifestyle changes during periods of high stress. Stress impairs sleep, and together they increase our perception of pain signals. That makes us less tolerant of movement, less willing to exercise, and more likely to lean on a poor diet, alcohol, and nicotine. Those habits further deteriorate sleep and mood and raise stress, and around we go.

Are you caught in the spin cycle?

Counselling can help you understand your stressors and build strategies to manage them. Chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation and acupuncture, can help ease tight, irritable muscles of the neck, jaw, and back, improve joint and muscle movement, and reduce pain sensitivity. Yoga therapy can act as a bridge between your thoughts and your physical body.

Improving any part of the cycle, even a small part at first, can make a real difference. The key is to start small, be consistent, and have a team you trust to support you along the way.