When you’re under stress, your body reacts by releasing hormones that produce the “fight-or-flight” response. Your heart rate and breathing rate go up and blood vessels narrow (restricting the flow of blood). Occasional stress is a normal coping mechanism. But over the long-term, stress may contribute to or worsen a range of health problems including digestive disorders, headaches, sleep disorders, and other symptoms. In contrast to the stress response, the relaxation response slows the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, and decreases oxygen consumption and levels of stress hormones. In theory, voluntarily creating the relaxation response through regular use of relaxation techniques could counteract the negative effects of stress.
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Stress Hack: A Simple Way to Lower the Stress Speed
Learning a few good relaxation techniques will serve you well. For example, simple paced breathing may sound too easy, but it’s a great way to coax the body into a more relaxed state. It’s something you can do at your desk at work, in your car and before or after an event. Breathe in for four seconds, then out for six. Count in your head, and focus on your counting and the sensation of your breathing. Repeat as long as it takes to relax a bit.
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Health Hack: Let the Day Go – Relax
It’s normal to feel stressed from time to time, but high stress levels leave you vulnerable to a number of health conditions and problems including depression and elevated blood pressure. Find a healthy activity that relaxes you, then set aside some time every day to do it! This could be journaling or reading an inspiring book, spending time with a pet, meditating, or simply taking a few minutes to remind yourself of everything that is going well in your life.
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Longevity Tip: Chill Out
Be less neurotic. It may work for Woody Allen, who infuses his worries with a healthy dose of humor, but the rest of us neurotics may want to find a new way to deal with stress. “We have a new study coming out that shows that centenarians tend not to internalize things or dwell on their troubles,” says Perls. “They are great at rolling with the punches.” If this inborn trait is hard to overcome, find better ways to manage when you’re stressed: Yoga, exercise, meditation, tai chi, or just deep breathing for a few moments are all good. Ruminating, eating chips in front of the TV, binge drinking? Bad, very bad.
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Sleep Hack: Do You Need a Going to Bed Routine?
Ease the transition from wake time to sleep time with a period of relaxing activities an hour or so before bed. Take a bath (the rise, then fall in body temperature promotes drowsiness), read a book, watch television, or practice relaxation exercises. Avoid stressful, stimulating activities—doing work, discussing emotional issues. Physically and psychologically stressful activities can cause the body to secrete the stress hormone cortisol, which is associated with increasing alertness. If you tend to take your problems to bed, try writing them down—and then putting them aside.
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Sleep Hack: Foods That Help You Sleep – Bananas
They’re packed with potassium and magnesium – nutrients that double as natural muscle relaxants. Plus, they contain the sleep-inducing amino acid tryptophan, which ultimately turns into serotonin and melatonin in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation; melatonin is a hormone that promotes sleepiness. It takes about an hour for tryptophan to reach the brain, so plan your snack accordingly.
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Sleep Hack: Create a Sleeping Environment
In the waking hours, perfect your sleep hygiene. No more 4 a.m. stare sessions. Develop a sleep schedule with consistent bedtimes and wake times; unplug from electronics well before you hit the hay; and make sure your bedroom is dark, cool and used only for sleep and intimacy. Poorly timed exercise and napping, along with the consumption of caffeine, alcohol and certain foods can also wreak havoc on your sleep.
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Sleep Hack: Hide Your Clock & Smart Phone
Don’t watch the clock. Another common anxiety that lurks in the wee-hours of a sleepless night is the mounting awareness that you’re not asleep when you should be. Stress and frustration – not typically emotions that welcome relaxation – escalate as you fret about how you need to be up for work in four (or three or two) hours. The experts’ suggestion? Get rid of time cues. “No clock watching,” Walia says, “That’s a big no-no. Turn the clock around.”
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Stress Hack: Stop, Take a Deep Breath or Two
Slow, rhythmic breathing activates the vagus nerve — a large nerve that travels throughout the body and links your brain with your heart, lungs, gut, and other major organs. The vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows down the fight-or-flight response and takes the body back into a relaxed state known as “rest and digest.” Blood flows from your hands and feet back to your inner organs, since your brain assumes you no longer have to run or fight. To practice slow, rhythmic breathing, breathe in for a count of 5, rest for a count of 2, then breathe out through either your nose or mouth for a count of 6. if this is too difficult, you can begin with a 4-2-4 rhythm and work up to 5-2-6.
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Longevity Tip
Rafaella Monne, a 107-year-old from Sardinia said it best: “Life is short. Don’t run so fast you miss it.” Slowing life’s pace may help keep inflammation in check, and apart from its health benefits, it adds richness to life.
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