A fast moving society, constant availability and the forms of communication contribute to the fact that time is marching on. People are under a permanent deadline pressure. At work and in private life – living and working in the fast lane is called for – bigger, faster, further and above all more successful. Expectations of oneself reach an extent hardly possible to manage – 100 % in the job, 100 % in private life; everything has to be perfect to be able to compete, to be able to take part in life. And the hamster wheel keeps turning.
The body cries for peace but the inner tension is not easing; neither during chilling on the couch watching TV nor in bed at night. Falling asleep is impossible and the next morning starts like the last day ended. For many people, this vicious circle is the cause and justification to drink “relaxing” alcohol at night and smoke “stimulating” cigarettes during day. A feeling of helplessness of not being able to do everyday life without these stimulants arises.
The body is stressed. In principle, this is a healthy and protecting “alarm”-reaction. Easily said, there is a basic instinct responsible for the formation of the tensions. Once our body quickly has to react on inner and outer threats the stress hormones adrenalin, insulin, cortisol and nor-adrenalin are released. The musculature tensions, the pulse rises, breathing accelerates and the cardiovascular system starts to work at full speed. This reactions were vital for our ancestors to be ready to react on all threats. These days, deadline pressure, quarrels with the partner, arguments with the boss, an egoistic car driver, bad news from all over the world etc. put our organism on alert. But unlike our ancestors we are not going to reduce our stress hormones with a fight or movement; the life just continues like “normal”. The arisen tension and provided energy can’t discharge and therefore the stress hormones only slowly reduce.
Now, when relaxing on a couch some physical systems relax but the released stress hormones keep on circling the body, the musculature still is tense. It is much better to discharge accumulated energy of stressful situations with laughing or movement. Movement and a good deal of humor are going to keep your organism healthy in long term. During laughing and movement, happy hormones (endorphins and serotonin) are produced; these happy hormones neutralize the stress hormones released. If these physical reactions miss for a longer period of time the complete hormonal balance is disturbed. The production of other hormones is suppressed and the body is in a constant alarm state. On long term, this leads to the known state of exhaustion with physical and mental pathological signs.
Why is movement important
As already mentioned, movement reduces accumulated tension and energy. But there is more to it:
- happy hormones are produced
- The blood- and oxygen-supply of the brain is stimulated and so the “mental fitness” is improved. Motion makes clever.
- The immune system is strengthened and the health state improves.
- The angle on stressful situations changes by physical activity.
- On long term, resistance to stress increases.
- Here, the type of sport is not important. Decide individually what suits you best and what’s fun for you.
How does cortisol influence sleep?
The so-called “stress hormone” cortisol is also influencing the phases of falling asleep and of waking up. Normally, for waking up the cortisol level is higher in the morning than at night. But, once the cortisol level is thanks to stress high in the evening, too, the impact on our sleep is huge:
- Falling asleep becomes difficult, the sleeping quality decreases and the next day you will be exhausted.
- The susceptibility to stress further increases and the vicious circle started.
- Further severe consequences may be a weakened immune system, increased blood sugar level, decreased insulin sensitivity and concentration difficulties.
But, it also works the other way round:
A lack of sleep is also going to rise your cortisol level. This makes it important to find balance, to treat your body with care, to sleep sufficiently, to eat healthy, to skip nicotine and alcohol and to have fun in the kind of sport you choose. In the end, all this supports you in obtaining a positive attitude towards life and being happy. What more could you ask for?
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Imagesource: @deathtostockphoto
This post is also available in / Diesen Beitrag gibt es auch in: German
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