20 February 2013

Stress, its symptoms and simple stress management techniques

A risk to our well-being is a stress and it is caused by both external and internal factors. Physical environment contains job, family, challenges and difficulties in daily life, emotions and expectations are some of the external factors which could cause stress. Changes in the internal factors like health and fitness level, nutritional existence and sleep could also lead to mental disorders.

Healthy foods with simple lifestyle activities would help to beat the stress. If stress is involved, natural anxiety remedies can be followed to avoid the killer diseases like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, muscle diseases, chronic ulcers and strokes. Walking, swimming, dancing, golfing, doing meditation are some of the stress reduction ways. Keeping the body hydrated and getting enough sleep at night would also aids to relieve the stress.  
                           
Stress Symptoms
1. Approaching the things negative, lack of concentration, memory problems, worrying continuously and taking poor judgment are the cognitive symptoms.
2. Sleeping and eating too much or too less, feeling isolate, nervous habits and ignoring the responsibilities are the behavioral symptoms.
3. Frequent aches and colds, dizziness, chest pain, increase in BP, speedy heart beat are some of the physical symptoms.
4. Irritation, agitation, moodiness, unwanted anger, not feeling relaxed and sadness are the emotional symptoms.  
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Let's see " How to reduce stress? "
By eating specific foods and with simple changes in lifestyle activities, it is easy to manage the stress.

Foods for Stress
1. When the body is stressed, it uses Vitamin B quickly from it. So it is good to include vitamin B rich foods like whole grains, egg, nuts and sunflower seeds.

2. Magnesium rich foods help to improve the mood by generating the brain chemical “Serotonin”.  Avocados, peanuts, spinach, salmon and beans are the magnesium rich foods.

3. Including complex carbohydrate foods like oatmeal, brown rice, wheat pasta, millet and legumes can reduce the negative effects of mood.

4. Consuming zinc & omega-3 rich foods, green tea, warm milk, banana, orange and kiwi fruits are some of the stress busting foods.

It is better to avoid the salty and sugar based foods, fatty foods, caffeine, alcohol and trans fat foods as it would induce the stress and weaken the resistance of the body to handle it.

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Life style activities to beat the stress
1. Exercise regularly and practice to play with a pet.

2. Get body massage once in a week and enough sleep.

3. Listen to music or take-up the favorite hobby.

4. Share the feelings with family members and friends.

5. Plan, organize & schedule the time before performing any work.

6. Be assertive and learn to forgive.

The stress is directly linked to the behavioral, emotional and health problems, so it is vital to know the ways to combat stress. Follow the simple healthy tips and stay fit forever!

11 January 2013

High blood pressure and its basic risk factors

Blood pressure is a measure of the pressure when the blood is pumped from the heart through the body against the blood vessels. This pressure is more if the blood flows into the arteries and falls when the heart relaxes. The ideal range of blood pressure levels are 110/70 and 120/80. If these ranges are high or low, then it is necessary to be treated as it would lead severe health problems. Specifically, the high blood pressure called hypertension, which is the most common complication among the people in recent days. So it is essential to know the basic risk factors of high blood pressure.

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What are the basic risk factors that cause hypertension? 

1. Over weight and obesity.

2. Lack of exercise and sleep.

3. Consuming too much of salt and saturated fats in daily food.

4. Family history with high blood pressure.

5. Regular alcohol drinking and smoking.

6. Eating too little Vitamin D and potassium in regular diet.

7. Diabetes with high cholesterol levels.

8. Stress due to the work pressure or family problems.

Apart from these, the risk of hypertension increases as we are getting older. Also it is believed that the men are more likely to develop this risk at their younger age. Women may progress the risk of hypertension after menopause. Poor lifestyle habits can contribute the high blood pressure to children.

How does hypertension affect the human body?
Hypertension can cause severe damage to arteries and blood vessels which finally result in heart failure. It can affect the functions of kidney and brain. It can damage the blood supplying vessels to retina which would end in the bleeding of eyes, nerve damage and vision loss. Bone loss, stroke, sexual dysfunction, unstable chest pain and dementia are some of the significant health problems caused by high blood pressure.
                              
How to reduce the risk of hypertension?
Regular exercise with healthy diet is a basic remedy to treat the high blood pressure. Limit the intake of salt in daily diet and quit drinking alcohol. If you are obese, try to lose weight in healthy ways instead of attempting fast weight loss through pills and unnatural techniques. If stress is involved, beat it by yoga or meditation. Avoid ingesting unnecessary medications & drugs and check the blood pressure levels regularly. If the problem persists after following these basic ideas, then it is better to consult a doctor to treat it by proper medications.
Maintain normal blood pressure level, stay healthy and active forever!