Managing Your Moods Can Benefit Your Health

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Managing Your Moods Can Benefit Your Health

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=66705

Learning how to deal with negative emotions and create positive ones

may help you avoid many health problems.

Your emotions may originate in your brain, but they don't confine

themselves to your mind. They express themselves in your body as

well in your heartbeat, your respiratory rate, your blood pressure

and many other physical functions.

Usually, strong emotions come and go, and normal physiological

equilibrium is restored. But when emotional stressors endure for

long periods of time, they can tip the balance of chemicals in brain

and body and affect your health, often for the worse. Learning to

recognize the physiological consequences of your emotions, and

finding ways to establish emotional balance in your life, can help

you avoid many health problems that may result from the way you

react to the world around you. Consider susceptibility to the common

cold, for example.

A study published in the November/December 2006 issue of the journal

Psychosomatic Medicine suggests emotional factors can affect

resistance to cold and flu symptoms. Researchers interviewed 193

healthy volunteers daily for two weeks about the positive and

negative emotions they had experienced each day, recording the

results. They then exposed subjects to a cold or flu virus. Fewer

positive-thinkers became infected, and positive thinkers who did

become infected had less pronounced symptoms than subjects with more

negative emotions. Only 28 percent of infected individuals who often

reported positive emotions developed symptoms such as cough or

congestion, compared to 41 percent of those who rarely reported

positive emotions.

" Positive emotions are thought to be beneficial to health, " said

Darin D. Dougherty, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital. " But when we

experience negative emotions in excess, they can be physically and

psychologically harmful. Chronic excess anger, for example, is

linked to a higher risk of hypertension, diabetes and heart disease.

For this reason, it's important to strive to stabilize your

emotions. " The good news is that we can minimize health problems

associated with emotional stressors by seeking out circumstances

that make us feel positive, avoiding as much as possible situations

that cause us distress, and by using stress reduction techniques to

address the stresses that we can't control. "

The mind/body interface Emotions are conscious mental states that

arise spontaneously in reaction to situations (or memories of

situations) in the environment, and usually manifest themselves in

behavioral and physiological changes. Emotions have evolved to help

us defend ourselves (anger), bond with others (joy and love), and

avoid danger (fear), among other things, and are important for human

survival. Responses to emotion-evoking events that involve conscious

thought are generated within the cortex, a region of the brain

responsible for reasoning, voluntary muscle movement, and memory.

Even more rapid reactions occur without conscious control. This is

the work of the limbic system, a network of brain regions involved

in many primary emotions. It responds to emotional triggers by

activating the autonomic nervous system, which controls the

automatic functions of the body, such as circulation, digestion and

respiration. The autonomic nervous system physically prepares the

body for action when necessary, and helps restore a normal, relaxed

state when the need for action passes. The limbic system generates

physiological and behavioral responses to emotions that are

stereotypic patterns displayed by every human being. These responses

often involve outward manifestations of emotion, such as facial

expressions and muscle tightening. The patterns such as the downcast

facial expression of sadness are so universal we recognize them in

others. But many physical and behavioral effects generated by the

limbic system may be hidden from view inside our bodies. These

include responses to emotion such as increases in heart rate and

blood pressure, constriction of blood vessels, and gastrointestinal

disturbances.

Physical fallout: The intensity of emotional responses and their

effects on the body can be influenced by a number of physiological

factors, including patterns of brain activation, levels of hormones,

levels of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, and patterns of

autonomic nervous system activity. Research suggests that each

emotion is associated with a characteristic set of physiological

responses. Here are examples of common emotions, along with some

observed physical consequences:

Anger: Increase in diastolic blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac

output; changes in respiration; dilation of blood vessels

(flushing); dilation of pupils and tearing of eyes; tensing of

muscles; hyperactivity (pacing, tapping feet, etc.); focused vision;

sweating; stimulation of upper gastrointestinal (GI) contractions

and acid secretion; suppression of immune response.

Fear/anxiety: Increase in systolic blood pressure, heart rate, and

cardiac output; constriction of blood vessels (pale skin); increased

muscle tension; changes in respiration; tightening of throat;

trembling; light-headedness; shortness of breath; sweating; nausea;

inhibition of contractions and secretions of the upper GI tract

(feelings of lack of appetite and fullness); stimulation of the

motility and secretions of the lower GI (abdominal pain and

diarrhea); suppression of immune response.

Shame/guilt: Flushing or warmth in the upper chest and face;

irregular breathing; increased pro-inflammatory activity; increased

vulnerability to stress

Joy/pleasure: Slowing of heart rate and respiration, lower blood

pressure.

Sadness/grief: Tightness in throat and eyes; relaxation of arm and

leg muscles; increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure;

shortness of breath; insomnia; pain; gastrointestinal symptoms;

fatigue;headache; chest pressure; backache; dizziness; suppression

of immune response.

Disgust: Slowed heart rate; nausea; increased salivation.

Loneliness: Sleep disturbance; lack of appetite; reduced energy;

headaches or stomach pain; high blood pressure; elevated stress

hormones.

Love/desire: Slowed heart and respiration rate; muscle relaxation;

enhanced immune response. When intense (love sickness), can be

associated with dry throat, increased respiration; changes in

appetite, and sleep disturbance.

Humor/laughter: Release of tension; lowered blood pressure, heart

rate and respiration rate; elevated immune response; improved pain

tolerance; increased levels of endorphins resulting in improved mood.

Emotional Damage Control When emotional stressors such as anger or

loneliness affect the body repeatedly, or over a long period of

time, they can compromise the health of vulnerable individuals. Such

prolonged stress is associated with a variety of disorders,

including metabolic syndrome (a precursor to type 2 diabetes

characterized by insulin resistance, hypertension and elevated

levels of unhealthy LDL cholesterol), cardiovascular problems,

confusion, poor memory, allergies, ulcers, functional bowel

disorders, insomnia and rapid aging. Fortunately, you can reduce

your risk of health problems associated with emotional wear and tear

by paying attention to your emotional reactions and taking steps to

establish emotional balance.

Minimize emotional stress by buffering yourself from upsetting

situations as much as possible. Adopt a positive attitude toward

life. Pursue activities that you enjoy, and seek out people with

whom you can be yourself. To build up resilience, eat a nutritious

diet, avoid drugs, limit alcohol, exercise, get adequate sleep, and

take time to relax. " If you find you can't manage your emotions on

your own, it's important to get help, " Dr. Dougherty says. " There

are effective therapies available that can help you reduce unhealthy

stress and restore a sense of calm and control to your life. "

What you can do when emotions seem overwhelming, try these

techniques for rapidly establishing more emotional balance:

Learn relaxation techniques. Yoga, deep-breathing exercises,

meditation and visualization can help you reduce emotional stress.

Do things that relax your senses. Play soothing music, go somewhere

where you can see or walk in peaceful natural Surroundings; get a

massage.

Release energy. Take out your anxiety or anger through vigorous

physical activity such as raking leaves, doing housework or going

for a brisk walk.

Talk about it. Make a date with a loved one or trusted friend and

vent your feelings. Talking about what bothers you can be a good way

to diffuse pent up emotions.