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A little stress good for your health?
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Good stress? (source:photobucket/pepprdog)
Under pressure? Maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Research suggests that certain kinds of stress are actually beneficial to the immune system. In a recent Ohio State University study, mice that encountered brief but intense stress were better able to fight the flu. And some research links acute short-term stress to a reduced risk of some diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's.
That doesn’t mean it’s healthy to be financially strapped and working two jobs to support a family. It means situations like the occasional public-speaking event or planning an important meeting could be good for your health.
"There are good and bad types of stress. The bad kind is chronic and uncontrollable, like the tension caused by an unhappy marriage," says Edward Calabrese, Ph. D. at the University of Massachusetts. "But there are a lot of positives associated with short bursts of stress that ease up quickly.”
Stress jumps the body into repair mode. Short term stress produces hormones such as cortisol that wreaks havoc on the body’s tissues. But the body senses the damage and it calls in repair mechanisms. If the stress is short-lived, healing is prompt and there’s still energy left over.
Some researchers feel that low-intensity stress could actually help extend life. But people need to be able to relax after being under pressure. The body can't begin to repair itself until the tension has stopped. However, it’s important to relax the healthy way. Guzzling a six-pack of beer and pigging out on pizza isn’t the healthiest relaxation. Taking a walk or resting while watching a good movie might be the better option.
If you want to be "under pressure," watch/listen to David Bowie and Queen's "Under Pressure" click here. For stress reducing, calming music listen here.
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