The Stress of Holidays on your Health!

 The holiday season is here, stress levels can be elevated.  Stress is not just for adults, but can and often does affect children as well, specially if the family is under stress.  When you are under stress your immune system does not function at the optimal level it needs to to fight off infections or pain.   At this time of year, if you add an already-weakened  immune system to being around large crowds of people who may be sick while doing holiday shopping, visiting family and attending parties, then you may be putting yourself at higher risk for illness.

 

The most common symptoms of holiday stress include headaches, backache, fatigue, irritability, high blood pressure and difficulties sleeping.

Chiropractic adjustments release muscle tension, reduce nerve irritation, improve blood circulation and boost the white blood cell count.  This helps the body return to a more balanced and relaxed state and helps your body fight off illness.

So, instead of giving up holiday memories with your loved ones due to sickness–decrease your chance of getting sick by keeping your stress at bay.  Contact ‘Chirpractic Wellness at Brier Creek" to see what we can do to help alleviate your stress levels and help you further enjoy your holidays!
Here are some things you can do to help decrease holiday stress:

• Lift packages correctly, firewood, groceries and other heavy items with your legs, not your back. When lifting, hold objects close to your body; rather than flexing forward, maintain a slight arch in your lower back and bend at the knees before standing up with the object.

When cooking or standing for an extended period, elevate one foot with a foot rest or stacked books, about six inches from the floor. Alternately elevating each foot relieves tired back and leg muscles.

Travel stress can be minimized if you start your journey having gotten plenty of rest ahead of time, allow plenty of extra time to your destination, pack light, use well-balanced wheeled luggage when you can and be careful to avoid heavy loads on your shoulders from bags with shoulder straps.

Place a pillow or folded towel behind the small of the back when traveling by car or plane, to help maintain the arch in your lower back and support the rest of the body properly. This relieves the discs and joint structures of the spine from unnecessary pressure.

Get enough rest. Many health problems that occur with the holidays are simply due to fatigue.