Tension and stress

Tension and stress have become a part of routine life. Sleep problems, anxiety, nervousness, lack of concentration, headache, confusion and emotional disturbance (depressive illness) are inter-related to stress and tension. Emphasis is due to any modification in the surrounding environment that requires the body to align in accord. The body reacts to these occurrences with physical, mental, and emotional responses. Stress can be good or bad, it can be motivating by keeps you on your toes. Or it can be dangerous when it is persistent and unrelenting.

Tension and stress are one and the same, only differing in the states that they describe.

Stress describes a physical or mental effort requiring a lot of energy to complete a given task. Stress produces anxious feelings towards a situation, environment, specific person, or an experience.

While tension, is a mental strain or exhilaration, a constrained state or kinship. An acute episode of tension is a panic attack.

Tension and stress are designed to help against threats or difficulties by causing physical changes in the body. Adrenaline hormone is released as a fight or flight response. The heart starts beating at a faster rate, breathing deepens, pupils of eyes start contracting, muscles become tense, and sweating starts. After the event of tension and stress settles, the body and mind relax. The physical signs start fading. It is the constant stress and tension that seriously affects the systems of the body. A state of high alert is developed.

Causes

Some unplanned event in private or social life that makes you feel overwhelmed. The situation not in your control or is a redundant posing threat to the well being is perceived by mind cause stress and tension.

The reason for tension-stress varies depending on the potential of each individual to deal with it. There is always a fifty-fifty chance of good challenges and as well as bad ones. Few common sources of tension-stress include a shift in routine or starting a new phase of life:

• Getting married or divorced, starting a new job.
• The death of a near-dear one.
• Quitting, retiring or getting laid off
• Divorce
• Post-delivery trauma
• Financial problems
• Moving from one circumstance to another
• Chronic illness
• Trauma after injury
• Work stress
• Tension at home

Symptoms

Stress and tension can affect almost every aspect of an individual’s life, including emotions, behaviors, thought processes, and corporeal health. No part of the body is immune to stress and tension, every bodily function gets influenced by the change of events directly or indirectly. The symptoms are mostly vague and can mimic other medical conditions. The symptoms can also vary because everyone handles stress differently. One can experience any of the following stress and tension related symptoms:

Cognitive symptoms:

Racing thoughts, constant worrying, difficulty in concentration, difficulty in making decisions, drinking alcohol or smoking more, snapping at people, avoiding things or people you are having problems with.

Physical symptoms:

Headaches, cramps or pain of unknown origin, tightness in muscles, stiff joints, diarrhea and constipation, vomiting and nausea, dizziness sleep problems( too much sleep or too little sleep), feeling weary all the time, binge eating or eating too little, nail-biting, pacing, continuous movement of a limb

Emotional symptoms:

Feeling overwhelmed, irritable and "wound up", anxiety and panic attacks, pessimism, lacking in self-esteem, decreased libido

Prevention

Prevention of stress and tension is not always possible as you cannot always control the events, but can be managed with the help of some modification and changes in day to day life.

• Manage your time.
• Avoid handling so many things at a time
• Collaborate with others
• Endeavor mindfulness – studies
• Breathing exercise and meditation
• Try to share the problems with family or friends
• Do what you have interest in and hobbies
• Travel or take a holiday
• Eat healthily
• Stay active and exercise regularly
• Get enough sleep.
• Cognitive-behavioral therapy
• Counseling

Tension-stress and effects on sleep: After a day full of spending energy, sleep is necessary to rejuvenate and recuperate. The role of sleep is for the conservation of energy and growth. Psychological tension and stress are thought to have primary influences on sleep as compared to the physical causes. Sleep is known to have an impact of the day to day stress and anxiety.

Increased tension and stress disturbs the rhythm of the sleep-wake cycle. The changing patterns can cause too much sleep or difficulty in getting sleep or early awakening or no sleep at all, insomnia. Insomnia is a condition of lacking sleep with the prominent symptom of headache, anxiety, or overwork.

Tension-stress and effects on health

Stress can be positive/eustress -- motivating or negative /distress demotivating. In both situations, a person has to do overwork mentally and physically. This overworks causes stress-related tension. The human body is fashioned in such a way to undergo stress and respond to it. The physical symptoms due to the distress reckon headaches, elevated blood pressure, elevated pulse rate, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, heart problems, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, skin conditions, anxiety, depression, and disorders of sleep.

Homeopathic medicine to reduce tension and stress

AlphaTM-TS :

AlphaTM-TS allays the symptom caused by tension-stress including headache and sleep disorders. It is a mixture of a combination of harmless homeopathic soporific medicines. The main aim is to alter psychological functions and provide assuasive resolution. Composition: Eschscholtzia californica, Lupulus, Passiflora incarnata, Zincum metallicum. The individual ingredients have established efficacy in the sphere of excited nerves. AlphaTM and Alpha TS is considerably used as sedative, antispasmodic, and analgesic. It is in use for nervous tension, apprehension, anxiety, and difficulty in sleeping. It covers sleep disorders insomnia, drowsiness during the day. It has a pacifying impression on the mind. A person suffering from variable moods depression, melancholia with an aversion to work or to talk, sadness towards the evening or retarded sleep with unpleasant dreams and frequent waking at night can find this medication assistive. Homeopathy is an alternative complementary medicine outside of the mainstream. However, it has few side effects and addresses all the symptoms related to tension-stress and anxiety if administered correctly. This particular remedy is aimed to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Provides relief from depression

Self-medication is not advisable for any disease. This medicine has no known contradiction. It is safe to use. The dose should be set according to the instructions of the physician.