LIFE can be stressful and taking time to relax can be hard. Many people might not get chance to run a long bath, or go for a calming stroll, leading to a build up of stress. But one doctor has revealed an instant tool that will help you calm down – which is great for […]
LIFE can be stressful and taking time to relax can be hard.
Many people might not get chance to run a long bath, or go for a calming stroll, leading to a build up of stress.
But one doctor has revealed an instant tool that will help you calm down – which is great for those of us who are time poor.
Posting to TikTok, Dr Karan Rajan said there are some techniques you can do that will relax you – while also improving your resilience to stress.
“Try humming for 10 seconds, gargling some water in your throat or just singing.
“When you do any of these you’re activating the muscles at the back of your throat and the vocal chords that are connected to the vagus nerve.
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“Vagal tone increases, allowing you to access a parasympathetic state more easily, making you feel more relaxed.”
He added that there is also a bonus benefit when it comes to using these techniques.
“It also increases your heart rate variability. A higher heart rate variability means your body is more capable of adapting to stressful situations,” he said.
It’s important that if you are struggling with stress then you take measures to combat it.
The NHS says that while stress is a normal and common feeling – you might experience physical symptoms if it gets out of control.
Guidance states that the physical signs of stress include:
When it comes to signs you can’t see, you might also have difficulty concentrating and you might also struggle to make decisions.
The condition contributes to more deaths than any other condition and is linked to 60 per cent of diseases.
Dr Zoe Williams previously explained that stress was used as a tool to help our ancestors make split-second decisions about whether to stay and fight off enemies, or run away and live to fight another day.
She said: “The problem is, while the world we live in has evolved, we human beings, and our response to stress, hasn’t.
“So when you have a bad day at work, your body experiences those same physiological changes.
“But, with one major difference.
“Where our ancestors’ bodies used stress to their advantage, these days it has a negative impact.
“The chronic stress of the 21st century means our bodies are constantly producing harmful inflammatory chemicals, which cause a number of effects on the body.”
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Dr Zoe added that stress can contribute to dangerous fat which lays around your organs, as well as increasing your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
It can also make us crave high-calorie, sugar-filled food, and increase risk of depression and anxiety.
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