Senior Care Services: The Impact Stress Has On The Elderly & How To Control It
The brain reacts to stressful periods by releasing two essential hormones: cortisol and adrenaline. These give you focus and energy so that you can deal with the situation. As a person ages, the brain has difficulty regulating these hormones and their levels. It makes more and this makes it hard to relax. Cortisol has been known to harm the part of the brain dealing with memory. The hippocampus. stores and retrieves memories. Adrenaline and cortisol can negatively affect physical health. According to some studies, high levels of stress can cause heart disease, a weak immune system, and high blood pressure. Seniors are much more susceptible to health problems like these, so managing stress is very important as a person ages.
It is crucial to recognize the common signs of chronic stress. These signs include:
- Feeling irritable, depressed and experiencing mood swings
- Finding it difficult to remember things and becoming forgetful
- Inability to concentrate or exhibit poor judgment control
- Experiencing insomnia or changes in sleep patterns
- Withdrawing from activities you normally enjoy or not being social
- Having heart palpitations
- Frequent tension headaches
- Weight gain or weight loss, overeating or indigestion
This allows you to get relief and also work to protect your well-being and health. Life can be stressful and bring about many things to increase the levels of anxiety and stress for seniors. It is important to consider senior care services for your loved one. You can get help to manage stress, you shouldn’t have to do it alone. You can check out the benefits of in-home senior care services by clicking here.
6 Ways to Manage Stress in Your Life
Those who maintain a positive outlook in life deal better with stress as they get older. Find joy every day, even in the smallest moments. Your mind determines how you live your life because thoughts manifest themselves into your reality. This is why it is important to keep a peaceful state of mind by thinking positive and doing things that are in alignment with those thoughts. Here are more ways to manage stress which any senior can and should follow.
1. Find what stresses you.
Identify the sources causing you the most stress in life. When you know the root of your stress, you can find ways to eliminate it. Write these things down, talk to a friend, and come up with different ways to deal with them.
2. Keep moving.
Work to get 30 minutes a day of exercise that boosts your heart rate. Exercise is a great way to boost your mood, too. Find an activity you like whether it be walking, biking, dancing or swimming.
3. Have strong social connections.
When you have friends and loved ones whose shoulders you can cry on in difficult times, you lessen your stress. You may find that when you share your feelings you immediately feel better.
4. Do something different.
Instead of sleeping in, take a morning walk. Try a new recipe. Take up a new hobby. Simple things like these can help you manage stress because they help you to focus on other things besides your stress. The more you keep yourself busy with things you enjoy, the fewer stress seniors will have. Check out some senior activity ideas like cooking healthy meals and learning different recipes.
5. Try innovative stress relief techniques.
Meditate, do deep breathing exercises and yoga. These all provide ways of letting go of anxiety or tension. You can also try laughing as this significantly reduces the levels of stress in the body.
6. Laugh every day.
The easiest way to reduce stress is the way that is the most fun. Simply enjoy a few good laughs. Watch comedies on tv or at the movies. Read jokes, or spend time with a friend that loves to giggle. A sense of humor works wonders to lower your stress. Laughter is the best medicine.
For more information on the senior care services we provide, please feel free to give us a call or contact Assisting Hands Houston today! Visit our blog for more related articles.
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