Stress: The silent killer

Deepika Rathod

In the last few days, I have been hearing statements such as ‘I’m too stressed since I’ve been home quarantined and unable to report to work’ or ‘It is difficult to stay indoors for such a long time’ or ‘This quarantine is adding to my stress and anxiety levels’.

I understand this sentiment but if we look at the bright side – this home quarantine was enforced for our own safety. Instead of taking the home quarantine as a stressful situation, we should try and use it for our benefit. Before the lockdown, things like reading a new book, spending time with the family, engaging in yoga or meditation, learning a new skill or even cooking were farfetched dreams.

We take this ‘stress’ very lightly. It is a very small word but it is the leading cause of over 60 per cent of all human diseases and health issues, according to the American Medical Association. A small amount of stress is good for the body as it helps in stimulating the body’s immune function – but when the stress stays in the body and starts taking a toll on our emotions that’s when we really need to look into our lifestyle and try to manage it quickly as chronic or long-term stress is linked with various health issues ranging from hormonal imbalance, insomnia, metabolic syndrome such as weight gain to cancer, heart issues, etc.

Stress increases cortisol levels (stress hormone) in the body. In normal conditions, if you are stressed based on a situation (panic/fear), the levels of cortisol rise, it increases the heartbeat and the heart pumps the blood at a faster rate to circulate it throughout the body and to the extremities. Once you are out of the stressful situation the cortisol levels decrease and your heartbeat and blood flow go back to a normal pace. However, if we stay in a constant chronic state then there’s no time for the heart to rest and slow down the heartbeat or the blood flow or to go into the relaxation mode – this puts your heart at stake and can cause various heart-related issues.

High levels of cortisol also cause a decrease in other hormones which are important for the body to function. For example, cortisol suppresses the functioning of the thyroid gland in chronic conditions and indirectly slows down your metabolism. And thus we tend to put on weight when we are in constant stress. So no matter how mindfully you eat during the quarantine, if you are stressed then you are going to gain a few kilos. Secondly, cortisol also suppresses the production of leptin which is the satiety hormone responsible for signalling the brain on when to stop eating.

With leptin resistance, it’s impossible to regularise meal portions and in turn, this again leads to weight gain.

Stress affects the overall hormones in the body one of which is insulin. Chronic stress and high levels of cortisol cause insulin resistance in our body which leads to deprivation of nutrition in the cells and excess fat deposition around the belly. And as we all know belly fat is the most stubborn of all. If it stays, it could lead to conditions such as diabetes, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), etc.

These are just a few examples of how stress impacts our day-to-day life and well being. These days, the word we have been pondering on is immunity. What is immunity? It is simply our defence mechanism to keep us healthy and away from any infection – and yes, away from the novel coronavirus too! But when we are stressed for a longer period, the cortisol levels start to climb and this tends to shut down our immune system completely. And I’m sure, right now, none of us would want to take the risk.

So how do we reduce this stress? Can we control our stress levels or will it stay with us? The answer is simple. The means to reduce stress is completely in our hands. We need to take charge of our health, mind, body and our overall wellbeing to reduce stress. One of the best ways to deal with stress is to follow deep breathing practices. When you breathe deep, your body is filled with oxygen and this oxygen suppresses the cortisol levels in the body which helps you in managing the stress well.

Use this quarantine time as your me-time. Focus on your breathing patterns and start adding meditation as well as yoga to your routine. Start and end your day with basic breathing techniques like pranayama to fill in the oxygen and calm down the mind to overcome stress.