5 Expert Tips to Keeping Stress at Bay

April marks National Stress Awareness Month, a time to reflect on how stress can impact every aspect of our lives. Stress can trigger muscle tension, headaches, and back pain, ultimately decreasing productivity and diminishing your quality of life. Here are our five tips to prevent stress.

1. Practice Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a practice that involves being present and fully engaged in the moment. This can help you become more aware of your stress triggers and how you react to them. By being mindful, you can learn to respond to stressors more calmly and productively.

2. Get Enough Sleep

Lack of sleep can contribute to stress and make it harder to manage. Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night, and establish a regular sleep schedule to help your body get into a routine.

3. Stay Active

Exercise can help reduce stress by releasing endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. Find an activity you enjoy, whether it’s jogging, yoga, or swimming, and make it a regular part of your routine.

4. Eat a Balanced Diet

Eating a healthy, balanced diet can help your body better cope with stress. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains in your meals, and limit your intake of processed foods and sugary drinks.

5. See a Chiropractor

Chiropractic care can help reduce muscle tension and improve spinal function, which can help alleviate stress-related symptoms like headaches and back pain. Taking care of your body can also help improve your overall well-being and decrease your risk of developing chronic health problems.

Stress is a part of life, but it’s essential to take steps to manage it before it takes a toll on your health. Let’s make this National Stress Awareness Month a time to focus on self-care and stress management! Check out this infographic for more helpful tips!

You Can't Make Up Lost Sleep on the Weekend

There is a common thought amongst adults that limited sleep during the work week can be made up for by sleeping in on Saturdays and Sundays, but a recent study examined how those that tried this strategies reported significantly higher sleepiness during the week along with higher prevalence of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, back and neck pain, and mood disorders.

It was clear that depriving of yourself of quality and quantity of sleep during the week cannot be “paid back” with excess sleep on the weekends. We need good amounts of sleep throughout the WHOLE week.

Check out this link for more Health Sleep Habits

Di H, Guo Y, Daghlas I, Wang L, Liu G, Pan A, Liu L, Shan Z. Evaluation of Sleep Habits and Disturbances Among US Adults, 2017-2020. JAMA Network Open. 2022 Nov 1;5(11):e2240788-.