Stress And Longevity

Can stress shorten your life? There are studies that indicate that stress reduces our immune system strength. One recent news item has been how cortisol is increased when one is under stress. This can result in excess weight in the belly area. An interesting piece of research is that phosphatidylserine can help damaged cortisol receptors (which is the result of having a high cortisol amount). Some even take phosphadtidylserine to prevent senility and Alzheimers.

When you are stressed you often breathe shallowly. This means your chest and stomach muscles are tight and you won’t be taking in as much oxygen as when your body is relaxed. This effects energy, moods and sleep along with possible symptoms incuding stomach problems, backaches and high blood pressure.

One way that your body can relax is if you do a 5 minute meditation where you inhale through you nose and exhale with a whistle. This helps you to have a deep exhalation . When you have a deep exhalation, you can inhale fully afterwards. We need to exhale fully in order to inhale completely.

In the book, “Secrets of Longevity: Hundreds of Ways to Live to be 100″ Dr. Ni, a Tai Chi Master, gives lots of tips. It is a worthwhie read . In an interview he said that we are influenced by our genes but probably the most important determinant of our length of time on this earth is the way we live. He mentions factors that include what we eat, how we play, how we relax, the amount of time we laugh and the way we end and begin each day.

One thing to keep in mind is that stress isn’t really easy to measure objectively. A person may be in a bad marriage and feel relieved if their partner wants a divorce. To say divorce HAS to cause stress isn’t exactly right . If the marriage was more stressful than the separation than it’s the opposite. It is the same when observing two kids on a roller coaster. One may be hilariously laughing and the other is white knuckled and very unhappy. Is it the roller coaster itself that causes the stress?

We have different fears and stressors and one person can be very anxious around cats while another finds petting a cat their peaceful time. Look at how much you play and laugh each day and think of ways to increase this to extend your years and life quality.