Special Coronavirus Message and Tips:
The COVID-19 pandemic and its requirement of social distancing has exacerbated the negative health impact of stress for many family caregivers concerned about their older loved ones who are most at risk. We recognize that now, more than ever, caregivers need to practice self-care to get through these uncertain times. Our blog below is for April National Stress Awareness Month as well as National Public Health Week (April 6-12) and the timing could not be more perfect to support our caregivers with information and education about stress relief. Relax and read on!
Caregiver Stress Can Accelerate Age But Can You Slow It Down?
Today we kick-off our reinvigorated Caregiver Monday campaign with one of the most important topics related to caregiver health: stress. A research study showed caregivers are twice as likely as the general public to have chronic stress.1 And, science tell us chronic stress can often lead to chronic illness such as heart disease, diabetes and even Alzheimer’s.
In fact, the study of telomeres – the protective end caps of our DNA strands – tells us what stress is really doing to our bodies. When you experience chronic stress, the telomeres start to dissolve and unravel shortening the length of your DNA strand – similar to how plastic caps on the ends of shoelaces can fall off and cause your shoelaces to fray. This telomere effect shortens the DNA strand meaning it actually shortens our lives. Scientists have proven one year of chronic stress takes six years off your life.2
How do we really know if we are experiencing stress? Unfortunately, stress is not like a wound or broken arm. Stress is often invisible and can happen in many forms. The human body was not meant to be in constant stress response which is the classic impulse of “fight or flight.” The stress response was intended as a short-term answer for survival (escaping dinosaurs). Chronic stress is doing the opposite of helping us survive – it may be threatening our survival.
Be aware of when you are experiencing stress and how to counteract it
- Anxiety – Have you ever thought your smartphone was ringing or vibrating only to check it and there is no notification – no call or text or email? According to Psychology Today, this “Phantom Phone Syndrome” is a form of anxiety and stress.
RX : If you feel anxious, try mindfulness exercises. There are plenty of great apps to guide you through meditation and calm. According to the seminal expert on meditation, the late Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Mind/Body Medical Institute, just 10 – 20 minutes of meditation a day will help return your body to homeostasis – the balance needed to maintain immunity and lower inflammation.3
- Depression – We may not think of depression being part of the stress family of emotions but it is. Family caregivers often express situational depression where mood is negatively altered for a period of time over a loved one’s condition or health status. Studies have shown Alzheimer’s caregivers have 2-3 times the levels of depression as the general population and this type of depression can be longer-lasting since dementia caregivers are in their roles twice as long on average as other caregivers.4
RX: Let the sun shine in. If spring has not yet sprung and you are still stuck inside, get your sunshine intake from Vitamin D. Known as the sunshine vitamin, it naturally boosts mood and helps build bone strength. You can find Vit D in certain foods such as salmon, walnuts, oranges and regular or soy milk.
- Headaches – Particularly those that feel like a tight band is squeezed across the front of your forehead and around the back of your skull. The National Institutes of Health reports these are tension headaches – the most common form of headaches – and can occur based on stress, anxiety or depression.
RX: Sometimes improving posture or avoiding eye strain can relieve headache pain. Try unplugging from technology to avoid sitting and looking at your computer screen all day. Instead, get out and take a walk. Fresh air, the aerobic benefit of walking and not focusing attention on a small screen but looking out at long vistas can help.
- Insomnia – As a country we can add one more debt to our list: sleep debt. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 3 Americans get less than the 7-8 hours of restful, restorative sleep needed and 89 percent of caregivers report sleeping problems. One study showed getting only 5-7 hours of sleep showed a lack of alertness the next day similar to a .05% blood alcohol level.5
Rx: Visualize your body like your smartphone. Each night we must recharge our phones so they operate the next day without losing battery power. This is your body – restorative sleep recharges the cells in your body to not only give you energy but to revitalize your mental well-being and alertness as well. Tossing and turning at night? Ensure all blue light emission from technology (TVs, clocks, laptops, phones) is unplugged. Also, try spraying a lavender scent on your pillow or rolling this essential oil across your wrists and temples as this scent is a natural relaxer.
Interested in reading more about the Stress Effect on your body and what you can do to reduce it? Here are some recommended links:
The Telomere Effect and How the Telomere Effect Helps Us Live Longer
References
1 A. Ho, S. R. Collins, K. Davis, and M. M. Doty, (2005, August 5). A look at working-age caregivers’ roles, health concerns, and need for support, The Commonwealth Fund.
2 Blackburn, E. H. (2005). Telomeres and telomerase: their mechanisms of action and the effects of altering their functions. FEBS letters, 579(4), 859-862.
3 Benson, H., Beary, J. F., & Carol, M. P. (1974). The relaxation response. Psychiatry, 37(1), 37-46.
4 Vitaliano, P. P., Zhang, J., & Scanlan, J. M. (2003). Is caregiving hazardous to one’s physical health? A meta-analysis. Psychological bulletin, 129(6), 946.
5 Williamson, A. M., & Feyer, A. M. (2000). Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational and environmental medicine, 57(10), 649-655.
©2020 Sherri Snelling
Thank u so much for the info, these are very stressful times, i had to move my mom in in 2012, its been a long road, but i love her, an refuse to place her un a Nursing home an we are scared for outside help with this Covid mess….