The Kraken Virus High Blood Pressure and Stress: Tips To Remember

We are being constantly bombarded about the corona virus. And with the advent of the “Kraken” variant many people are starting to get very stressed out. I really think they try to name new variants just to scare us. Originating in Scandinavian folklore, the kraken is usually depicted as an aggressive squid-like creature capable of destroying entire ships and dragging sailors to their doom. So with stress, anxiety, and panic people are starting to get elevated blood pressure. Which is a greater health hazard than the virus right now. So to help combat stress we have included some tips for you to remember.

High blood pressure is a physical response to stress. Reducing stress will directly help you in lowering your blood pressure and improve your sleep.

Here’s a detailed list we collected of great tips to reduce your stress.

Keep A Healthy Balanced Diet

As tempting as it would be to think that mental health issues like stress exist in a bubble inside of a person and don’t affect the rest of the body, it would be entirely incorrect. Anyone who has ever suffered from stress knows that you feel it physically just as much as you feel it mentally.

It makes sense then that your overall health can impact your stress levels, both negatively and positively. Of course we want to focus on the positive, so here are a couple of diet tips for reducing stress.

Eat for your heart

When you’re experiencing stress, your heart is experiencing it right along with you, which means that over time it can actually put your heart at risk. Keep your heart in good shape by eating a low-fat diet with plenty of lean protein, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. This will help lower your blood pressure, which will help keep your heart from thumping hard when you start to feel stress.

Eat to actually reduce stress

Get ready for the science. When you feel stressed, your body responds by producing stress hormones, like cortisol, which increases sugar in the bloodstream. This is what makes us crave unhealthy food when we’re stressed.

However, giving your body simple carbohydrates like candy and white bread only gives your body a quick burst of sugars, so any good effects won’t last. That’s why you need to focus on complex carbohydrates with lots of fiber, like whole grains and sweet potatoes.

The carbohydrates in those foods will prompt your brain to produce more serotonin, a hormone that relaxes us, but the nutrients and positive effects will stay with you much longer.

Avoid caffeine

One of the number one causes of stress is absolutely work and work-related issues, or how busy we feel overall. For many people, they’re on the go from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed. It’s no wonder stress is such a common affliction. It’s also no wonder we turn to coffee to get us through. However, it would really be better for us if we didn’t.

The vicious cycle of caffeine

The more you ingest caffeine, the more you feel you need to ingest caffeine. Coffee will give you a quick boost, but the fatigue will catch up, which causes you to drink even more coffee, even though that fatigue or an inability to focus is a signal that your body needs rest.

Excessive caffeine consumption can actually lead to lapses in concentration and a decrease in our overall ability to be effective. So the work we’re pounding that coffee to complete becomes harder because we’re less efficient. So we drink more coffee.

Caffeine and your heart

Do you know that feeling when you’re stressed out, and you’re feeling your heart pumping? What you’re feeling is increased blood pressure. Bad for you, and bad for your heart.

Caffeine is a substance that naturally increases blood pressure anyway, so you pile that on top of the effects of stress, and that’s a lot of strain for your heart. Consider switching to decaf coffee after your first cup in the morning, or drink an herbal tea that is lower in caffeine.

Exercise

You may be thinking that so far the tips we’ve been sending you look like tips you’d read in an article about living a better life, or increasing your overall health. That’s absolutely correct. It’s all related. Nonetheless, exercise absolutely has a direct effect on stress. Here are three great reasons to include it in your stress management plan.

Do it for the endorphins

This is often referred to as a runner’s high, but in actuality, pretty much any sustained physical activity will make you feel good mentally. Physical activity increases your brain’s production of endorphins, which have been found to be similar to opiates in the way they can produce a feeling of well-being.

Over time, regular physical activity has been found to increase self-confidence while lowering the symptoms of mild depression, anxiety and stress.

Do it to improve your sleep

The effect of exercise on poor sleep is actually a two-pronged attack. Not only does exercise naturally help us sleep better at night, but since regular exercise decreases our feelings of stress that will help us sleep better as well. Because who hasn’t lain awake at night because of stress?

Do it to distract yourself

This is a short-term solution, sure, but we know when we’re stressed, we welcome short-term solutions in addition to long-term. A good run, a beautiful hike, a game of racquetball, an exercise class: they’ll all give us a break from our stress because they’re so distracting. There aren’t many physical activities that don’t require our full attention. Wave goodbye to stress for 45 minutes.

Fake it until you make it

We’re not saying you need to tell people you feel great when you don’t, or avoid asking for help when you need it. If you’re struggling with stress, absolutely let your loved ones know what’s going on, and lean on your support network when you can. All we’re asking you to do with this tip is smile. That’s it! Okay, maybe laugh a little too.

Smiling through stress

Smiling is a two-way street. We tend to do it when we’re happy and relaxed, but the physical act of smiling can actually help us feel happy and relaxed.

Your grin transmits nerve impulses from your facial muscles to the emotional center of your brain, which will then tip your neurochemical balance towards calmness. So even if you don’t feel like smiling, paste one across your face once in a while for the greater good.

The benefits of laughter

Laughter may not actually be the best medicine, we’ll have to nominate penicillin for that honor, but laughing at your favorite TV show or comedy routine not only increases those feel-good chemical endorphins, but it also decreases the levels of stress hormones in your body.

Laughing can help you feel calmer, lower your blood pressure, and eliminate those cravings for sugary, unhealthy foods.

A Final Thought

Practice proper hygiene and proper hand washing. If you go into a crowded area feel free to wear a mask and don’t worry what people think. I do when I have to go to crowded areas. “An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.” Benjamin Franklin. During this unusual period of time I hope that this tips will be helpful. Here is to a healthy and stress-less week