How Does Stress Affect MS?

Stress Less it's For the Best

When people think of leading killers they think of diseases that are big in the news and talked about a lot, like heart disease and cancer. Have you ever thought about one of the major things that lead to these? STRESS. Don’t we all love that word? We hear it every day from loved ones, co-workers, doctors, friends, etc. Many people actually struggle with reducing stress in their systems. People throw around the word not knowing that it really does affect their health in many ways, especially people with Multiple Sclerosis.

It is not uncommon to be stressed trying to live a daily life with a chronic disease that is so unpredictable. Stress can leave someone feeling anxious, tired, and worn down. However, I bet you didn’t know that it could cause a change in the course of your MS disease. Researchers at a northern university were curious if stress, good or bad, could lead to an increase in brain lesions in patients with MS. They decided to conduct a study and give half of their patient’s stress management therapy, and the other half nothing for four years. Every month they were interviewed about daily life events that could stressful, and cause depression symptoms. They were also asked to classify whether stressful events were positive or negative. Negative stressors included threatening events, such as a death in the family or loved one cheating. Positive events could be a baby being born, or a birthday party to plan. One thing in common, all of these events caused stress to their bodies. Researchers found that negative stress can trigger development of new lesions, but they also found the positive stress can reduce someone’s risk for lesions.

 Stress is involved in most people’s every day life. The important thing is to know how to deal with the stressful events thrown in your path. You can’t avoid these events, but you can definitely find ways to help deal with them. Here are a few tips:

• ·      Dealing with a party or big event? Give some of the stressful tasks to others
• ·      Take a break from friendships that may be detrimental to your health
• ·      Avoid high-stress events, and learn to balance daily activities
• ·      Don’t try to be everywhere at once, you can say no. Live for yourself and your health.
• ·      Find time to get away from everything, including electronic devices.
• ·      Realize that you are doing the best you can, and that is beyond good enough.
• ·      Make sure to EXERCISE, EAT HEALTHY, and BE HAPPY!

  Citations:

  "Study Shows That Stress Can Lead to MS Flare-Ups." Healthlines RSS News. Healthline Media. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.