Here’ Why You Need to Beat Stress and Get a Massage

How stressed are Utahns? There is good and bad news. In the 2019 Wallet Hub report, Utah ranked among the least-stressed states. The downside is Americans are the most stressed people in the world, according to a Gallup survey.

You may be living in the Beehive State, but you can also be craving for relaxation. Beating it like seeing a massage therapist in Pleasant Grove is essential because stress can have significant impacts on your health.

Stress and Immunity

It is healthy and even crucial for a person to feel stress once in a while. It pushes you to meet the deadline or pay attention to your surroundings. Stress is also your body’s way of saying something is wrong with you. It could be time to visit your doctor for a checkup.

The problem is chronic stress. According to a 2012 study, your body could lose the ability to regulate your immune response. The study talked about a stress hormone called cortisol. It not only helps you remain awake but also controls the way your immune system works.

If your immune system goes into overdrive, for example, it can increase the risk of autoimmunity. Your immune system betrays you by attacking your vital organs and tissues. Both stress and imbalanced immune system can raise the odds of chronic inflammation as well.

What Happens When You Have Low-Grade Inflammation? 

The study worked with healthy adults in two separate but similar studies:

• In the first, these people answered questions about their stress level and then were exposed to the common cold virus.
• In the second, these healthy adults contracted the common cold virus. The team then measured the volume of pro-inflammatory chemicals their body produced.

Based on their analysis, they learned that:

• People who experienced major stressful events for some time were more likely to catch a common cold faster than the others.
• Individuals who had problems regulating their immune response produced more cytokines (or pro-inflammatory proteins) after common colds exposure.

The researchers believed that the tissues of the body become less receptive to cortisol when you’re under chronic stress. In turn, it is not able to regulate immune cells.

Going Beyond Common Colds

The effects of stress and chronic inflammation are not limited to catching viruses fast. Both are risk factors for diseases such as:

• Diabetes
• Cardiovascular disorders
• Allergies and asthma
• Many types of cancer

These chronic inflammatory conditions are some of the leading causes of death globally, according to the World Health Organization.

A 2019 systematic review in the Frontiers in Neuroscience showed a relationship between stress, inflammation, and mental health disorders. Some studies pointed out how people with depression also had higher levels of cytokines.

Meanwhile, a 2018 research said that stress could increase the risk or worsen neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Many scientists believe that inflammation causes the formation of proteins called amyloid that damages cells in the brain.

If you are living in Utah, you may benefit from the state’s excellent healthcare, affordable cost of living, and outdoors. These can help lower your triggers of physical and mental stress.

Nevertheless, you should never be complacent. Practice relaxation and self-care as often as you can. Get a massage, enjoy a hot bath, or meditate. You may never get to run away from stress, but you can do something to reduce its effects.