Everyone experiences stress. It’s a common part of modern life, affecting millions worldwide. Work is stressful, home life can be stressful, and even unexpected life events can make you stressed. Eventually, it takes a toll on your physical and mental health. You can experience symptoms like headaches, poor sleep, and muscle tension.
Traditional stress management usually involves medication, but many people look for natural, drug-free solutions. Chiropractic care has emerged as a proven method for alleviating stress and overall improving someone’s well-being. So, can a chiropractor help with stress?
This article aims to answer that question. Somerset Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre will explore how chiropractic care can help manage stress. By the end of this blog post, you will understand how spine health impacts the body and mind and what we can do to help you manage it.
What is Stress?
Stress is your body's response when something changes in your life or you find yourself in a threatening situation. Things like a new project at work or a difficult deadline can spike stress levels. Sometimes, stress is necessary to achieve goals, like winning a big sports competition, but today’s demands in work, school, and everyday life have made stress in the general population higher than it used to be.
Stress is caused by stressors. What might be stressful to someone might not be stressful to someone else, but some common stressors include:
Arguments
Change in Family Roles
Marriage or Divorce
Change in Financial Status
Change in Living Conditions
Personal Conflicts
Pregnancy
Death of a Family Member or Close Friend
Fear of Failure
Among others
There are two different types of stress, and we’ll discuss them below.
Acute Stress
This short-term stress occurs during specific events, like a work deadline or public speaking. It’s usually caused by minor situations, happens quickly, and fades just as fast once the situation is overcome.
Other situations that can cause acute stress are traffic jams, loud noises, large crowds, arguments, losing items, or tardiness.
Conditions like arthritis can also contribute to tendonitis as the joint wears down over time.
Chronic Stress
Chronic stress is a long-term stress that persists over weeks or months, often caused by ongoing issues like job pressure, financial problems, or health conditions.
Sometimes, prolonged exposure to situations that cause acute stress can cause chronic stress. For example, if you sit in bad traffic jams every day on your commute to work, but it’s more common for people to suffer chronic stress from a specific life event.
Traumatic stress (PTSD), environmentally caused stress, work-related stress, and personal relationships are some of the most common causes of chronic stress.
How Does Stress Affect the Body?
Stress affects the body in various ways, creating a chain reaction that disrupts daily life and overall health. If we do not successfully adjust our behavior or make life changes, it will only worsen, and the signs and symptoms of stress will persist. Some of these symptoms and effects on the body include:
Muscle tension, headaches, and poor posture: Chronic stress causes the muscles to tighten, leading to discomfort, stiffness, and tension headaches. Poor posture often develops as the body compensates for this tightness.
Sleep disturbances: Elevated stress levels interfere with sleep quality, causing insomnia or disrupted sleep patterns.
Increased cortisol levels (stress hormone): Stress triggers the release of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels over time can lead to inflammation, weight gain, and fatigue.
Anxiety, irritability, and cognitive decline: Chronic stress impacts mental health, increasing feelings of anxiety, mood swings, and difficulty focusing or remembering information.
Over time, stress creates a harmful cycle. Physical discomfort caused by stress further increases tension and anxiety, perpetuating the problem.
We’ve categorized the signs and symptoms of stress as physical, mental, and emotional. We’ve developed a helpful chart so you can know if you’ve been affected by stress lately:
Physical | Mental | Emotional | |
Signs and Symptoms | Inability to solve problems
|
|
The Connection Between the Spine, Nervous System, and Stress
The spine plays a critical role in the body's ability to manage stress. It houses the central nervous system, which controls communication between the brain and the body. When the body experiences stress, subluxations (or misalignments) can occur on the spine. This impairs the nervous system’s ability to function properly, which can make pain and physical discomfort worse.
Chiropractic adjustments can fix misalignments with the proper adjustments. This helps to reduce stress, not only on your spine and muscles, but also diminishes stress signals to the brain, reducing the release of stress hormones and overall anxiety. A good chiropractor will have your nervous system functioning optimally.
The Benefits of Chiropractic Care for Stress Relief
Chiropractic care is a drug-free treatment that addresses stress at its root. By improving spinal alignment and enhancing nervous system function, chiropractic adjustments greatly benefit and help with stress management. A chiropractor can help relieve stress by:
Relaxing muscles
Diminishing pain
Reducing stress hormones
Promoting better sleep
Improving your mental health
We’ll explain more below.
Relaxing Your Muscles
When stressed, your muscles naturally tense up, causing discomfort and stiffness. Misalignments in the spine worsen this tension, leading to poor posture, back pain, and headaches. Chiropractic adjustments can do the following for stress management:
Release muscle tension by restoring proper spinal alignment.
Improve blood flow to affected areas, promoting healing and relaxation.
Allow the body to return to a natural, comfortable posture.
Chiropractic care relaxes the muscles, helping reduce physical stress, which can, in turn, ease mental tension.
Diminishing Pain
Chronic pain is both a cause and effect of stress. When the body is in pain, it triggers emotional stress, creating a cycle that is hard to break. It’s like a never-ending, terrible feedback cycle, but chiropractic adjustments help by:
Relieving pain caused by spinal misalignments and muscle tension.
Reducing nerve compression allows the nervous system to function more effectively.
Reducing pain levels directly lowers stress, helping patients feel more comfortable and relaxed.
Reducing Stress Hormones
One key way chiropractic care helps with stress is by reducing cortisol levels, the hormone responsible for the "fight or flight" response. Elevated cortisol levels are linked to anxiety, poor sleep, and inflammation and are a major cause of stress.
Studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments lower cortisol by promoting relaxation and making you calm. They also increase endorphins, the “feel-good” chemicals in the body. Your mood will improve, which will contribute to stress reduction.
A study published in The Journal of Contemporary Chiropractic showed reduced cortisol levels in saliva by half in a patient after chiropractic care for her neck pain and recurring headaches.
“This case provides an argument for the use of chiropractic management for generalized anxiety disorders in patients with chronic pain and suggests the need for further research in complementary and alternative treatments for improved mental health.” — Quote by Franklin Hughes for the study titled Reduction Of Cortisol Levels And Perceived Anxiety In A Patient Undergoing Chiropractic Management For Neck Pain And Headache: A Case Report And Review Of The Literature.
Promoting Better Sleep
Stress and poor sleep often go hand in hand. Constantly thinking and overthinking can make sleeping hard, but physical pain and muscle tension worsen it. Chiropractic care promotes better sleep by:
Alleviating physical discomfort that interferes with sleep.
Reducing cortisol levels and enhancing relaxation.
Restoring balance to the nervous system, which allows the body to wind down naturally.
Improved sleep quality helps the body recover, reducing stress and increasing energy levels during the day.
Overall Mental Health Enhancement
Chiropractic care relieves physical symptoms of stress and enhances mental well-being. Real-life case studies report that patients experience improved mood, reduced anxiety, and greater mental clarity after consistent chiropractic care.
Research highlights its positive impact on anxiety and depression symptoms. A review on Research Gate discusses how chiropractic adjustments support mental health by balancing the nervous system and reducing stress hormones.
When the body feels better, the mind naturally follows suit, creating a healthier and more balanced state of well-being. These findings highlight chiropractic care as a safe, natural, and effective method for stress relief.
Conclusion
Stress can have devastating effects on both physical and mental health, but chiropractic care offers a natural, drug-free solution. By addressing spinal misalignments, chiropractic adjustments:
Relieve muscle tension and reduce physical pain.
Lower stress hormones like cortisol and increase relaxation.
Promote better sleep and enhance overall mental well-being.
Scientific evidence supports chiropractic care as an effective method for managing stress and breaking the harmful stress cycle.
If you're wondering, "Can a chiropractor help with stress?" the answer is yes. Chiropractic care alleviates physical symptoms of stress and enhances mental clarity and emotional balance. Consider visiting a trusted chiropractor to start your journey toward a healthier, stress-free life.
Take the first step today—your mind and body will thank you. Call Somerset Family Chiropractic and Wellness Centre and take the first step toward stress relief.
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