LIFE can be stressful and taking time to relax can be difficult.
Many people may not get the chance to take a long bath or take a restful walk, leading to a build-up of stress.
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But a doctor has unveiled a tool that can help you calm down instantly — which is great for those of us short on time.
When he posted on TikTok, Dr. Karan Rajan that there are some techniques you can do to relax – while also improving your resistance to stress.
“Try humming for 10 seconds, gargling some water down your throat, or just singing.
“When you do any of these things, you activate the muscles in the back of your throat and the vocal cords that connect to the vagus nerve.
“Vagal tone increases, giving you easier access to a parasympathetic state, making you feel more relaxed.”
He added that there is also a bonus advantage when it comes to using these techniques.
“It also increases your heart rate variability. Higher heart rate variability means your body is better able to adapt to stressful situations,” he said.
It is important that if you suffer from stress, you take measures to combat it.
The NHS says that while stress is a normal and common feeling, you can experience physical symptoms if it gets out of hand.
Guidelines state that the physical signs of stress are:
- headache
- dizziness
- muscle tension
- pain
- chestpain
- stomach problems
- fast heartbeat
- sexual problems.
When it comes to signs you can’t see, you may also find it hard to concentrate and make decisions.
The condition contributes to more deaths than any other condition and is linked to 60 percent of illnesses.
dr. Zoe Williams previously explained that stress was used as a tool to help our ancestors make split-second decisions about whether to stay to fend off enemies, or run away and live to fight another day. .
She said: “The problem is, while the world we live in has evolved, we humans, and our response to stress, hasn’t.
“So when you have a bad day at work, your body experiences the same physiological changes.
“But with one big difference.
“Where the bodies of our ancestors used stress to their advantage, today it has a negative impact.
“The chronic stress of the 21st century means that our bodies are constantly producing harmful inflammatory chemicals, which cause a number of effects on the body.”
dr. Zoe added that stress can contribute to dangerous fat that surrounds your organs, as well as increase your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers.
It can also make us crave high-calorie, sugar-filled foods and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.
