How to Reduce the Levels of Stress in Your Body

We all have times when we ate for reasons other than being hungry. Some of these reasons might be stress, anger, annoyance, displeasure, partying etc. However, in most cases, stress is the number one reason for overeating. A majority of us experience severe amounts of stress in our day-to-day lives, thanks to our busy calendar. Stress naturally causes your body to release chemicals that can trigger fat storage.

The hormone Cortisol is released in huge quantities when the body is under stress. This hormone leads to an increase in appetite, which in turn leads to an increase in your cravings for high calorie foods. This in turn accelerates the storage of fat. Prolonged exposure to chronic stress levels enables the body to store fat on a continuous basis, which can lead to obesity.

Obesity has a number of ill effects on the body. It leads to insulin resistance, and eventually Type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance can also lead to an increased likelihood of heart disease, and even cancer.

For these reasons, its imperative to keep our stress levels down in spite of the demands our hectic day-to-day life imposes on us. These are a few things you should consider implementing if you would like to reduce the stress levels in your body.

Getting adequate sleep:

During sleep, the body produces serotonin and dopamine - hormones that make you feel good. These feel-good hormones reduce the stress levels in the body. Therefore for an increased production of these hormones, and greater resistance to stress, you should get an adequate amount of sleep every night. If you don't get enough sleep, this would lead to a decrease in your serotonin levels, which can make you crave high calorie foods.

Exercise:

Exercise produces serotonin in the body, which can leave you feeling relaxed and stress-free. For this reason, active people normally appear to be more relaxed than their inactive counterparts. It is a false notion that you need to exercise until you are breathless in order to achieve the benefits of exercise. Any type of exercise will suffice as long as it gets your heart rate up to a certain extent. Therefore, just walking around, or taking the stairs when you can, is beneficial for your body.

Being outdoors:

Sunlight can cause your body to produce hormones that make you feel good as well. Spending a lot of time indoors can cause you to feel the blues, which can lead to overeating and the storage of fat. However, try not to expose yourself too much to the sun. Too much exposure to the sun can lead to skin cancer, which is definitely something you need to avoid. If your job requires you to stay bunched up indoors, you might want to invest in one of those artificial lights that are said to offer the similar benefits as sunlight.

The power of touch:

It's a well-known fact that babies love to be touched and cuddled with. Why? It makes them feel good! Be more interactive with other people. Social bonding increases the production of oxytocin, which is known to decrease blood pressure and lower the effects of stress. This will enable you to control your cravings and appetite better. Even a simple hug from a loved one can cause you to produce enough quantities of oxytocin to reap its benefits.

Sex:

Sex has many beneficial effects on the body. It offers an invigorating and satisfying workout. Research strongly suggests that long-term sexual relationship with the same partner can lead to the production of endorphins, oxytocin, and other hormones that make you feel good about yourself, thus lowering the overall stress levels in your body.

Music:

Music is a wonderful way to relieve the body of stress. There is no specific type of music that you need to listen to in order to be stress free. Instead, listen to the music of your choice and experience it's ultimate soothing potential.

These are some of the simple guidelines one can follow in order to compensate for the negative effects of stress on our body. It's practically impossible to avoid stress in our busy lives. However, there is a lot that we can do to make this life a more enjoyable and stress free one.