
	George Allen Spencer, LMT, NCBTMB 773.489.4374 1300 North Belmont, Chicago, Illinois
Relaxation Massage - Sports Massage - Therapeutic Massage - CranioSacral Therapy

Can't just seem to really relax? Can't get to sleep and stay asleep? It sounds like you're stressing out. Literally.

What causes your stress?

Stress triggers are different for everyone. Some of the top stressors are work/finances, family, and health issues. Stress (whether from a single incident or accumulated over time) can have serious implications to your over health, mentally, emotionally, and physically.

How stress negatively impacts your body?

When you're stressed, your adrenal gland secrets a hormone into your body called cortizol. Cortizol is normally higher in the morning and less in the evening. Although stress is not the only trigger for the release of cortizol, it is often referred to as the 'stress hormone'. Normally, you're able to control the level of cortizol in your body by your natural relaxation response. Unfortunately, for people who are chronically stressed or for people who have been stressed for awhile, the natural mechanism for turning down cortizol production is compromised. When this happens, a number of stress-related problems may present in the form of:

¤ Decreased appetite

¤ Decreased sleep

¤ Decreased bone density and muscle mass

¤ Increase in hypertonic (tight) muscles

¤ Impaired cognitive abilities

¤ Suppressed thyroid function

¤ Blood sugar imbalances

¤ Higher blood sugar

¤ Lowered immunity and inflammation systems

¤ Increased fat storage (especially abdominal fat) which could lead to other conditions

How to relieve your stress?

The first suggestion would be to live a less stressful life. Okay. Sounds simple enough but not all that easy to implement. Other ways to control stress include exercise, yoga, stretching, breathing exercises, directed imagery and meditation, listening to music, and more.

Can massage relieve your stress?

While these are great ideas, they may take a while to take hold in order to reduce your current stress level. One of the most popular benefits of massage is that it actively, both physiologically and psychologically, promotes relaxation. It's kind of a jump start for your stress management.