06/04/2022
April is World Stress Awareness Month.
Stress is the body’s reaction to feeling threatened or under pressure.
When we encounter a perceived threat our Hypothalamus sets off an alarm system in our body through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals. This system prompts our Adrenal glands to release a surge of hormones which include Adrenaline & Cortisol.
Adrenaline increases our heart rate, elevates our blood pressure & boosts energy supplies. Cortisol increases sugars (glucose) in the blood stream and curbs functions that would be non essential in a fight or flight situation, such as, altering the immune system responses, suppressing the digestive system, the reproductive system & growth processes.
Once a percieved threat has passed, hormone levels return to normal & all systems resume their normal function, however when stress factors are continually present, long term activation of the stress response system and the over exposure of stress hormones can disrupt many of our body’s processes putting us at increased risk of many health problems.
Reflexology can be beneficial in managing the effects of stress on the body by calming the sympathetic nervous system, leaving us in a calmer & more relaxed state allowing the body to rebalance and restore homeostasis.
Welcome to Joanne Gibbs Reflexology. I am a fully qualified, registered and insured Reflexology pra
