3 Ways Chiropractic Can Help With Stress

We have had so many patients tell us that they feel less anxious and less stressed ever since they started chiropractic care. This is not uncommon! In addition to helping relieve stress by things like improving sleep and helping patients get back to their favorite activities, staying well-adjusted can also help directly manage stress by balancing the nervous system.

1. Staying well-adjusted can help balance your "fight or flight" response

Being placed in a stressful situation can trigger your "fight or flight" response, otherwise known as activation of the sympathetic nervous system. This response can help us cope with immediate threats effectively, but sometimes our body can get stuck in this response after the immediate threat has passed, or due to prolonged stress. Sympathetic dominance (aka getting stuck in "fight or flight") can be physically uncomfortable, and it is also very detrimental for our health. Sympathetic dominance can lead to fatigue, decreased immune function, gastrointestinal complaints, muscle tightness, anxiety, feeling "wired but tired," and other complaints.

Normally when the stressor has passed, our body will settle into "rest and digest" mode, governed by the parasympathetic nervous system. This is your body's opportunity to heal & repair, digest & gain nutrients from food, and process traumas. If you're stuck in sympathetic dominance, the balance between these two systems is thrown off.

Chiropractic adjustments help balance the nervous system, including the balance between the body's "fight or flight" and "rest and digest" modes. Staying well-adjusted helps the brain communicate effectively with the rest of the body, which allows it to coordinate the balance between the "fight or flight" and "rest and digest" responses. If your body is stuck in "fight or flight" due to stress, chiropractic care can help you move into "rest and digest" so that you can relax and heal.

2. Removing spinal subluxations can help you emotionally process your thoughts

There are three things that can cause subluxations (misalignments in the spine that interfere with our neurology): thoughts, toxins, and traumas. In today's world, thoughts can be the primary concern for many people! When we feel stressed, our body can tense up. This leads to asymmetrical forces on the spine that can contribute to misalignments.

Just how thoughts can contribute to subluxations, removing subluxations can help you process thoughts! Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to influence the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain that deals with higher level thinking such as planning and decision-making. Getting adjusted by a chiropractor helps clear the nervous system of subluxations, helping this part of your brain work at its best.

3. Staying well-adjusted can improve your ability to adapt to future stressors

Chiropractic is all about adaptability. We know that the body is working well when it is able to adapt to new challenges. This is an indication that the brain and body are able to communicate well to coordinate an appropriate response. When a patient has trouble adapting to new situations, physically or emotionally, it can be an indication of interference in this communication between the brain and the body.

Chiropractic care doesn't have one particular effect; rather, it works to achieve balance for your body and improve your adaptability. For example, some patients with high blood pressure may find that their blood pressure decreases under chiropractic care. Other patients with low blood pressure and symptoms like dizziness and fainting may find that their blood pressure increases under chiropractic care. Chiropractic adjustments don't have one single effect, such as decreasing blood pressure across the board. Instead, adjustments help restore balance in the body, so that the body is able to make fine-tuning adjustments to whatever it needs at the time.

A good example of this is exercise. The body has different cellular needs while you are working out as compared to when you are sleeping. When the body and brain are able to communicate with precision detail, the whole person can adapt quickly and efficiently to different demands.

Similarly, staying well-adjusted and free from subluxations can help you adapt to emotional stressors. When stressful events arise, the brain and body are able to communicate quickly and effectively to coordinate an appropriate response. Having the best possible communication between the brain and the body helps you function at your best, physically and emotionally!