Natural Way to
Deal With Menopause Night Time Sweats, Hot Flashes
A
Lifestyle to Manage Stress
Understanding stress can help you control it
Stress is a physical, mental or
emotional strain in response to a demand, pressure or disturbance.
It can happen because of an event (such as the loss of a loved
one), daily strains (such as raising children) or chronic strains
(such as an illness). Most people, no matter what their
personality, must deal with stress on some level. Unique
biological and hormonal factors make women particularly
susceptible to stress.
Why women
are so vulnerable
During puberty, menstrual cycles,
pregnancy and menopause, a woman's hormone levels fluctuate
constantly and cause stress. Emotional and physical changes,
illnesses and environmental factors (extreme heat, cold or
altitude) may also cause stress. And pushing your body at work or
play can deplete your energy levels and result in your becoming
over-stressed.
For a variety of reasons, women
appear to be more vulnerable to stress-induced illnesses. The
results of a Duke University study on stress in working mothers
demonstrate that it may be more stressful to be a working mother
than a working woman without children at home.1 The study suggests
that there is something about being a mother itself that may be
constant source of stress.
Stress-related illnesses
The impact of stress often has
negative effects on a person's overall health. Stress may be a
contributing factor in everything from backaches and insomnia to
chronic fatigue syndrome.
Stress is often a key factor in
women experiencing either the absence of menstruation or abnormal
bleeding. Hormonal imbalances caused by stress may aggravate the
symptoms of fibroid tumors and endometriosis and may make
pregnancy difficult to achieve for couples with fertility
problems.
Researchers report that women who
exhibit large increases in blood pressure and heart rate during
mental stress may develop accelerated atherosclerosis - the
disease process that obstructs blood vessels and triggers a heart
attack or stroke - in the carotid arteries (the vessels that carry
blood to the brain).
How to cope
with stress
Take a two-pronged approach to
coping with stress: First, change your behavior to slow the
emotional pace of your life. Second, change the way you respond to
stress. You may accomplish this by using exercise and relaxation
techniques. Meditation, deep breathing techniques, progressive
relaxation techniques, yoga, tai chi and even general stretching
exercises can go a long way in reducing your stress levels and
changing your automatic responses to stress. Your health care
provider can help you get started with these types of
stress-reducing activities.
As far as slowing the emotional
pace of your life is concerned, you may have to change some
learned behaviors. You should always allow yourself regular
leisure time, or time that you can call your own without any
outside interruptions or disturbances. Other ways to change
stressful behaviors include setting goals for yourself, obtaining
help with regular chores, learning how to say no and locating the
sources of stress in your life. By analyzing your day, you may be
able to pinpoint particular stressors and take steps to get rid of
them.
