Stress is a killer

From womb to grave, stress is a killer. We are increasingly bombarded with external stimuli, stressors, and internal pressures, which constantly keeps us locked and stuck in “fight or flight” vigilance. The constant alertness, as if we were swimming in a shark tank, leaves our bodies depleted, compromises our immune systems and even causes our bodies to store fat needlessly. No wonder people under extreme duress are subject to life altering illness and even death.

Yet, we are designed to handle stress, in fact, we need stress. Stress is an essential survival skill and was and has been a key when we are in imminent danger – think: being chased by a sabre tooth tiger. However, in our modern world, we seldom face such a threat. Yet, our minds, depending upon our perceptions can change irritable bosses, financial hardships and traffic jams in to paper tigers that chase us in our minds.

So what does chronic stress do to you? As result of chronic stress, we tend to sleep less or get less quality sleep.  We skip meals, which causes the body to think it’s in starvation mode and it begins craving high sugar foods to compensate and due to the release of cortisol, a stress hormone, we begin to pack the pounds on to protect against starving.  With elevated cortisol, we begin the kill off of brain cells and neurons, decrease the size of vital organs, accelerate heart disease, decrease our muscle mass, destroy our immune system and even thin the skin. Yikes! All of this for just not relaxing?

Everyone is affected by stress – adults, working and retired, teens and even kids. In fact, stress can even inhibit proper brain development in children if not addressed early.

September is Stresstember

In the United Kingdom, the Sleep Council likes to refer to September as Stresstember. With all the changes that occur during the fall leading up to year end, we could actually refer to the entire autumn season as stressful.  Surveys show that nearly 90% of us say that we are under some form of stress, yet clearly 83% of us do nothing consistently about it. And everyone suffers as a result of that. Employees show lower job engagement, are less productive and exhibit increased absenteeism. Students perform at less optimal levels. Everyone’s health suffers. No winners here, folks.

How stress affects us and what can we do about it

With the high emotional toll of stress it’s no wonder that it can and does wreak havoc in our lives. Increased irritability, anger, poor concentration and focus, and clear markers of elevated anxiety and even depression, all paint a picture of excess stress. With the onslaught of emotional upheaval, often we resort to self-medicating with increased food consumption, alcohol intake, nicotine addiction and both illicit and legal drug abuse. But there are simpler solutions, which include: exercise more, insist on regular sleep habits, exerting greater self-control on substance abuse and eating and drinking more selectively. But, still-- what about stress management at the source – in the brain.

An easy way to combat stress

At Brain Pilots™, we have some simple, proven straight forward solutions to help you cope with the stressors in your life. No, these won’t eliminate life’s turbulence, but they will make dealing with them a lot more manageable. And the best part, you don’t have to do anything stressful (i.e., disrobe or, sit in a flotation tank, or sit cross legged on a freezing mountain top and think of some obscure mantra)  or even exert great mental effort to get relaxed.

The Neurowave Relaxation System, exclusively offered here in Central Oregon by BrainPilots™, is a motorized lounge that gently moves in a 360 degree motion that relaxes the body by activating the vestibular system in the inner ear. The gentle rocking motion automatically triggers a relaxation response in the cortex of the brain, without any conscious effort by the client. The effects of a 45 minute Neurowave ride are equivalent to a profound and relaxing meditation session. In essence, the Neurowave “auto-meditates” you into a deep sense of relaxation, so deep, so effortless, that it is often referred to by clients as revisiting the safety and comfort of the womb.

Call BrainPilots™ 541.647.1224 today to find out more about the Neurowave and to learn about our other tools for helping you relax and re-balance your mind.

Bill