Holiday Stress Can Manifest Physically

Stress can lead to physical symptoms, and almost everyone is going to have some sort of physical pain due to stress at some point in their lives, be it a headache, stomach ache, or something weirder. Because the holidays often include planning large family get-togethers and dealing with less-than-friendly family relations, the stress the holiday's cause can be phenomenal. Advanced Physical Medicine of Yorkville is ready to help you get through the tense holiday season.

What's Going on in Your Body

Mental and emotional stress can do a few things to you physically. Stress can have an effect on basic body processes like blood pressure or inflammation. It's common for your blood pressure to rise under stress, which might not make you feel all that good.

When many people get stressed, they tense up. Muscles contract, shoulders hunch, and so on. All that tension can lead to physical pain. This tension is why headaches happen during stressful periods (your neck and jaw muscles tense up) and why joints or your back might seem to ache.

Stress can affect your nerves. That doesn't sound so surprising at first, but this effect sets off a fight-or-flight response. That can lead to things like stomach aches because your digestion slows down or stops when you become stressed.

Holiday stress is like a flare-up. Your normal stress levels suddenly rise, and you start experiencing more pain and tension until the holidays settle down. It's not just the few days of the holidays themselves. Sometimes the pre-holiday planning or the post-holiday bill-paying sets off stress.

Chiropractic treatment is an excellent way to combat stress. Joint adjustments and massage are among the treatments that could help you relax and release tension, which helps reduce pain.

Start Soothing Stress Now

Advanced Physical Medicine of Yorkville offers several treatments that help combat stress and soothe your pain. Call us at 630-553-2111 to set up a consultation.