Stress Aggravates Sinus Problems

You are probably familiar with the drill - the boss has been on your back all day, the kids are yelling and the phone is ringing but you can’t seem to find it buried under the dog on the couch. Stress! It affects us all at one time or another. However, did you know that in addition to causing grief and migraine headaches, stress can actually trigger sinus problems? Research confirms that continuous stress causes fatigue, sleep disorders, depression and affects productivity and effectiveness, but sinuses? How?

Physical and Emotional Stress

The same stress that creates the migraine headache also leads to health complications by affecting the immune, endocrine, neurological and nervous systems. When the immune system is not functioning at its highest capacity, it leaves the body vulnerable to infection from viruses and bacteria. Viral infections destroy the cilia in the nose that prevent harmful substances from entering the body, allowing bacteria to grow in an infected environment and causing the mucous membranes to swell and the sinus openings to become blocked. Many people under stress find themselves constantly rubbing or blowing their noses, causing irritation and worse leading to bacterial infection.

Emotional stress is caused by guilt, sorrow, physical hardship or even family issues. These problems left unresolved will eventually lead to a form of emotional stress. Different from physical stress, emotional stress shows itself in less obvious ways as in muscular tension, depression, irritability and moodiness. Remember, any illness is made much worse by depression; it makes sense because the white blood cells that fight off infection actually become weaker during such periods. A weakened immune system opens the doorway for sinus problems by leading to inflammation of the nasal and sinus membranes.

The Body under Stress

What happens inside the body when you are under stress? Essentially, stress causes the adrenal glands to release hormones, mainly cortisol. Cortisol actually causes the heart to beat faster, raises blood pressure and quickens breathing. Blood vessels expand and in some cases, pupils dilate. This is essentially the body’s “flight or fight” response. Continued or chronic stress over time puts the body in this condition without a break, resulting in “adrenal exhaustion“ also known as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

None of this is good news for the sinuses, as increased cortisol, elevated blood pressure levels and diminished white blood cells prolong existing sinus infections and can actually create new ones. Long term, chronic stress restricts the sinus passages, causing an increased amount of mucous production, resulting in pressure and infection.

Steps to Relieve Stress

Now that you are aware that your stress can be indirectly causing your sinus problems, what steps can you take to reduce stress and feel better?

• Exercise
  Probably the best stress relief and a great benefit for the rest of your body is a terrific exercise program. Exercise is not only a simple way to reduce stress, but also it can do wonders for your waistline. So if you have a few extra pounds to lose, this is a win-win situation.
  
  
• Eat a Healthy Diet and Drink Lots of Water
  No one is ever going to deny that eating a well-balanced diet and drinking water is a waste of time. Try it for a week by replacing the midnight snack with a few bites of fruit or exchanging your regular donut and coffee with a bagel and some melon. Not only will you feel better after a week, but your sinuses will probably feel better as well.
  
  
• Practice Breathing
  Breathing is perhaps one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to reduce stress. Try breathing exercises by sitting up tall and breathing in through your nose, count to ten and release slowly out your mouth. Just try a few at a time at first; gradually working up to sets of ten. Hold your breath and concentrate on achieving a peaceful balance within yourself.
  
  
• Natural Treatment
  SinusWars offers an all-in-one natural stress buster that tackles stress and its related sinus problems! SinusWars15 is a revolutionary product that will help decrease the symptoms associated with stress by treating the effects stress has on the immune, endocrine, neurological and nervous systems.
  
  
  Stress is a funny thing. We all have it at one time or another and we all have ways to deal with it. Unfortunately, it affects our bodies in more ways than we ever imagined. Luckily, there are ways to reduce stress from your everyday life and in the process, help keep your sinus problems under control.