Award-winning immunologist reveals how staring at candles for 10 minutes can ... trends now
Whether you're driving the children to after-school clubs, trying to become a partner at a major law firm or both, it's hard to find people who don't consider themselves super-busy. Even retirees complain of having too much to do. But the dark side to our increasingly frenetic pace of life is the amount of stress we are putting ourselves under.
A work crisis hits, the wi-fi goes down, the plane gets delayed and we are left feeling mad – and producing more of the stress hormone cortisol than our body needs.
To be healthy, you've got to calm down.
Today, in the second part of my series giving you tips on how to live a longer and healthier life, I will explain why stress is so bad for us.
Candle meditation is great way for beginners to de-stress
You might have wondered why it is that when you finally take a break, you catch a cold or the flu? Well, that's because every stomach-churning, stressful moment we put ourselves through is damaging our defences.
Our immune system is constantly under attack and most of the time we stay healthy because the trillions of cells inside the body are always at work to keep us safe.
But when our bodies encounter too many chemicals – and that includes the hormones released during periods of excess stress – our defence system, which is quite strong, can falter if put under too much pressure, and this malfunction results in prolonged inflammation.
As I explained in yesterday's Daily Mail, when any kind of threat – bacteria, toxins, trauma, even extremes of temperature – injures our tissues, they become 'inflamed' as part of the immune response.
This is usually only temporary and the inflammation is crucial in triggering the process by which the body protects and heals itself.
But in some situations, the inflammation lasts too long and can result in DNA damage because too many defence cells (white blood cells) heed the body's call and join the fight.
Sometimes these cells attack our own organs or otherwise healthy tissues and cells.
Those attacks age our tissues, eroding our overall health and can, in some cases, lead to autoimmune conditions such as coeliac disease or multiple sclerosis. Researchers call this reaction 'inflammaging' (inflammation plus ageing).
HOW STRESS ACCELERATES THE AGEING PROCESS
In as little as 30 minutes, anxious thoughts can weaken your immune response
When stressed, your body produces the stress hormone cortisol. In short spurts, cortisol limits inflammation. However, if you are continually stressed and develop high levels of cortisol, your body adjusts to the high level of this hormone and it ultimately leads to an increase in inflammation – and so, inflammaging. This lowers your ability to fight infections.
In as little as 30 minutes, anxious thoughts can weaken your immune response.
The raised cortisol involved in chronic stress also correlates with increased appetite and weight gain. It can lead to binge-eating unhealthy snacks or excessive alcohol consumption, both of which can cause nutritional deficiencies and a further weakened immune system. That's why maintaining cortisol balance is essential for health.
Cortisol is your body's emergency department, there for momentary crises but not a substitute for daily good habits. Managing stress by reducing its triggers – toxic thoughts, places, people – can help unlock the secrets to better immune health and lowered inflammation.
Everyone experiences stress differently, so you can decrease it in a variety of ways, including breathing exercises and meditation.
Try these proven techniques to help deal with it.
EXTINGUISH THE FIRES INFLAMING YOU
Called simhasana in Sanskrit, the deep-breathing technique Lion's Breath can help relax your face and jaw muscles, relieve stress and improve your cardiovascular function.
Sit, leaning forward slightly, with your hands on your knees or the floor. Spread your fingers as wide as possible across your knees.
Inhale through your nose. Open your mouth wide, stick out your tongue and point it down toward your chin.
Exhale forcefully, carrying the breath across the root of your tongue. While exhaling, make a 'ha' sound from deep within your abdomen.
Breathe normally for a few moments. Repeat up to seven times.
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Meditation turns off what psychologists call the 'monkey mind', that constant loop of anxiety and worries that creates mental chaos. When you meditate, you sweep that disorder away. The goal is to become unseen, unreachable – even if only for ten minutes a day.
Your body already has the tools to meditate and uses them. The reticular activating system (RAS) – a network of neurons located in the brain – determines how you perceive and react to the external world. In broad terms, it controls your consciousness, gatekeeping all the data you collect through your senses.
For example, in a loud restaurant, with a friend or partner, you can tune out all the extraneous noise to concentrate on your conversation. That's your RAS in action. It allows your mind to work in the background,
