Personality Link To Stress

Some people seems to have higher tolerance for stress. Apart from biological factors such as hormone balance, genetic and other health factors, ongoing medical and psychological research indicates personality,traits, characters and habits determines and affects to a large extend our ability to handle stress.

Ambitious, impatience, time conscious and those who strive to be perfectionist may tend to perceive a situation more stressful compare to those who are more relax and less time conscious or less goal oriented. Some people are more temperamental and predispose to lower level of tolerance to stress.

Individual response to stress could be influence by life experiences and upbringing. Those who feel lack of control of daily aspects of their life may become frustrated and cause the stress hormone 'cortisol' to increase. Prolong increase of this stress hormone will wreak havoc to hormone balance, increase blood pressure, disrupt sleep and trigger other diseases.

A pessimistic person is more prone to stress as compare to an optimistic person. It is not unheard of that a positive mindset is very important in dealing with stressful situations. How we perceive a situation depends very much on our sub conscious as well as our conscious mind.

Extroverts seems able to handle stress better then introverts. Those who are more outgoing, having wide social support networks and interacts frequently with friends and loved ones seems to respond better to stress compare to those who likes to keep things to themselves.

Some people has the usual habit of pondering over the 'what if' scenario. Our inner thoughts may determine and affect our feelings. We may imagine worst case scenario and negative outcomes that cause heightened stress unnecessary.

Even though it may not be possible for a person to change his or her personality over night in order to cope with behavioral and character related induced stress,nevertheless, understanding such a problem is important and a first step to addressing such issue.

Foremost , you must admit and acknowledge that your personality and habits contribute to the stress that you experienced. Next you must be willing to change and take necessary actions to alleviate the unnecessary stress. Seek help from a councilor, church members or loved ones if necessary.

Mouth Ulcer

Things have not been going that well for me the past few days. I have been suffering from mouth ulcer and migraine the past couple of days. Thankfully the ulcers are healing and the migraine is gone.

I have no idea what causes the migraine and why it stops though. Except for two or three fast acting painkiller that I took to alleviate the pain it seems that lack of sleep, stress and over consumption of soda soft drink contributes to the headache.

Mouth ulcers are usually none contagious unlike cold sores but whatever the case, it is always advisable to avoid sharing food or contacts with others just in case.

The ulcers, two of them located somewhere near the roof of the mouth was so irritating and painful so much so that it makes eating or drinking warm water a challenge.

On top of that, coughing or even breathing deeply would cause severe headache or migraine at the right side of the temple. For once I thought I might be suffering from kind of stroke.

Consulted the doctor over the weekend and was told my throat was inflamed. The doctor prescribed normal painkillers, anti inflammation drug ‘Serratiopeptidase’ and normal cough syrup since I told him I was experiencing some slight cough occasionally. After the consultation, he wrote an MC chit and told me to rest for 2 days.JJ

Mouth ulcer usually heals on its own without any treatment. I only took two or three anti inflammation tablets before deciding to stop it as I feel its not really effective and worsening the migraine that’s plaguing me.

Always rinse and clean your mouth after taking food. Gargle with slight warm salt-water solution after having your food to keep the affected area free from food scraps. Eat well balance nutritious diet. Drink plenty of water. Avoid taking spicy oily fried foodstuffs and practice safe sex and oral hygiene.

It is important for you to visit the doctor if the ulcer condition worsen and persists longer than 3 weeks. Who knows, some ulcers may turn out to be something much more serious than initially thought so it is beter to be safe than sorry.

Neurotransmitter Impact On Mood Swings

Neurons, better known as nerves are unique cells found in the brain and other parts of the body. Neurotransmitters are nerve signaling chemicals released by the neurons and it carries electrical information which allows cells to communicate. Neurotransmitter affects various aspects of the human body such as sleep regulation, memory, emotions and motivations .

Our behavior, emotions and ability to learn are regulated by various neurotransmitters. Different neurons located at different parts of the brain is known to switch on and off signals that keep us healthy.

'Norepinephrine' & 'Dopamine'
These neurotransmitters makes you feel good, it affects 'motivation,interest,energy and focus. They are associated with positive stress states such as listening to music, relaxing, exercising and affection. They have stimulating effect causing improved cognition, motivation, increased movement and awareness. When your body lack these chemicals, you will experience lack of motivation, drive, interest, focus and difficulty completing the goals you set up to do.

'Serotonin'
Serotonin regulates emotions, moods, sleep and memory. Low serotonin level may cause mood swings, depression, sleep disorder, migraines,anxiety, low energy and panic attacks. Stress can reduce serotonin level.

'Adenosine'
Research also suggests that a chemical called 'adenosine' builds up in our blood while we are awake and causes drowsiness. Adenosine gradually breaks down while we sleep. The accumulation of adenosine in the brain is known to decrease the activity of dopamine and this causes fatigue which thereafter cause you to seek sleep or rest. The adenosine in the body gradually breaks down and cleared during sleep thereby restoring dopamine activity to health level to cause the brain to wake up.

Any imbalance of neurotransmitter levels therefore has tremendous impact to your health. Your overall health and well being is dependent on the complex interaction of the neurotransmitters,hormone and brain chemicals. Low level of these neurotransmitters can cause all sort of illness and disease.

There are various factors that contributes to low level of these neurotransmitters. Poor diet, prolong stress, genetic factors, hormone changes, toxic substances and certain drugs may affect the level of neurotransmitter.

Our body needs adequate proteins, vitamins and minerals to made and maintain healthy level of neurotransmitters. Toxic substances such as pesticides and heavy chemicals such as mercury and lead can damage the nerve cells that produce the neurotransmitters. Antidepressants, alcohol and artificial sweetener may interfere with the nerve cells ability to produce neurotransmitters.

The more we discover and understand how the amazing complex human body works, the more important and opportunity it is for us to maintain good health by adopting healthy life style.

Hot Drink Link To Throat Cancer

Here’s a simple precaution when you take a drink. Apparently there are confirmed reports of the link between taking hot drink and increase risk of throat cancer. Wait for a couple of minutes for the hot drink to cool down or at least become warm instead of hot before you take that first gulp.

Well, the finding may not be a hundred percent conclusive but hey, you’ve got nothing to lose anyway and what’s the hurry to finish your hot drink? Those living in cold winter are likely to prefer to taking really hot drinks to warm up so be aware of the risk as per recent medical findings.

Check out the following report on hot drink link to throat cancer.

Relax Before BedTime

Do not engage in activities that will over stimulate the mind just before bedtime.
Avoid any discussion or chat that will result in argument or conflict just before you go to bed. Some people are more sensitive to the increase in stress hormone due to agitation or anxieties arising out from unpleasant talk and this greatly affect their sleep. It is important for you to achieve a state of calmness and relax mood just before you go to bed.

Relationship Between Stress And Sleeping Disorder

Most people remain awake longer and sleep less and less deeply as they aged. Prolong sleeping disorder and insomnia can lead to stress. Lack of sleep and rests may in turn cause the stress hormone to increase and this further affects sleep. Some people are more sensitive to arousal producing stress hormones.

Thus the vicious cycle of stress follow by insomnia and further stress aggravates and rapidly deteriorates your health. Breaking this vicious cycle would help you to recover from the cyclical stress that you experienced. Poor sleep is one of the leading cause of stress.

You may need to make lifestyle change that will allow you to have adequate rest and quality sleep to address high stress. Invidual has different threshold or tolerance in coping with stress. Avoid focusing on your emotions and anxieties when you intend to sleep. Ignoring emotions and any focus on tasks during bedtime may help you to extend your quality sleep time.

Stress And Obesity

Some people lose appetite when they are stressed out while others will munch away whatever they could find when confronted with stress. Stress is one of the leading indirect cause of obesity. A survey conducted indicates that a majority of the American eat meals while they are under stress.

Stress slows down metabolism and cause the heart rate and blood pressure to rise. Blood is diverted away from the stomach to the arms, legs and brain in preparation for survival mode. Such physiological stress affects the gut, digestion, assimilation of food and slow down the burning of calories. Thus it is never a good idea to eat while your body is under stress as it may cause heartburn, obesity and other problems such as gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn.

Stress may cause hormone inbalance and triggers the onset of a variety of health problems. Increased stress hormone such as cortisol may cause weight gain around midsection of the body. The visceral fat that gathers around the midsection and internal organs increase the risk of contracting diabetes and other diseases.

There are many ways to de-stress. Endorphins, better knowns as tranquilizing chemical are released into the brain during exercise and this help to calm , relax and rejuvenate the mind and body. Get adequate proper quality sleep to enable the body cells to repair and rejuvenate. Keeping yourself mentally and physically occupied throughout the day could help you to cope with stress gradually.

It is not possible for you to to eliminate all stress from your daily life. After all, some stress are good for health as it helps the mind and body to stay sharp and focus. Nevertheless, it is important that you take necessary precautions to prevent stress from causing disruptions to your physical and mental health.