The 4 types of stress: How ‘bottling up’ can prove deadly and the 40-minute bounceback rule

ARE you prone to snapping, or do you bottle it up? Whatever your stress style, the impact is real, even if you can’t see it. Stress or cortisol spikes in response to threats aren’t the problem, experts say – it’s how we get our bodies back to baseline straight away, which many of us do know how to do. The impact of stress has been linked to long-term health problems, such as heart disease Credit: JADON Take care of yourself after a stress spike by trying relaxation techniques and mindfulness Credit: Ridofranz Stress can sneak up on us slowly or arrive with a thunderous bang – whether it’s life admin overwhelming us, or a job interview the following morning. In the UK, 74% of us have felt so stressed we’re unable to cope, according to the Mental Health Foundation. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! But it’s more than mental strain, it’s a “full body experience”, says counsellor and psychotherapist Nia Charpentier. When our bodies detect a threat, hormones including cortisol and adrenalin spike to activate our “fight or flight” response, protecting us from danger. “Blood flow stops going into the stomach area, which is why we might feel sick or get butterflies,” Nia explains. READ MORE SUN CLUB STORIES Our blood also becomes more likely to clot, so we don’t bleed out if we get injured. This would all have helped our ancestors escape stressful ordeals like being chased by a lion, adds Dr Kim Dienes, senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Swansea. “When your body gets knocked out of whack and returns to normal again, that’s great. But when stress happens too much, too often, it changes your base level of cortisol,” she explains. This adds up to ”wear and tear” in the body, which has been linked to long-term health problems, such as heart disease. So, what are the different kinds of stress and how do they impact our health? Most read in Health 1. Sudden Spike Road rage can give you a sudden spike in stress – called acute stress Credit: Getty – Contributor Feeling riled up from a verbal spat or getting stuck in traffic? Daily hassles like these can cause short-term stress spikes. But a spike can also be triggered by something more serious, such as a car accident. “Acute stress is something that happens in a short space of time,” explains Dr Luke Pratsides, GP and chief medical officer at Get A Drip. “Instances of acute stress can stay with people, particularly in terms of their mental health.” During acute stress, blood sugar surges, your blood is more oxygenated and your mind gets sharper. “All of these things happen and are super-healthy,” says Kim. It becomes a problem when this stress doesn’t decrease. While the physiological effects of smaller moments of stress should peter out within around 40 to 60 minutes (the time it takes cortisol to return to baseline), it can take four to eight weeks for stress from traumatic incidents to decrease. BEAT IT: Take care of yourself after a stress spike. Kim says: “Relaxation techniques and mindfulness help tell your body that it doesn’t need to be in that elevated state any more.” Try focusing on different parts of your body as you take deep breaths and think about releasing physical tension there, or give apps like Calm and Headspace a go. “Rest is not an indulgence, it’s an absolute necessity,” Nia adds. 2. Drip-Drip Effect Chronic stress is when you the body’s stress hormones remain elevated Credit: Getty Chronic stress occurs when your body remain in a high-stress state for weeks or months at a time. You might feel low in mood, lack energy or feel anxious. “Maybe you’re relocating, experiencing broken sleep, juggling young kids or have a busy job,” says Dr Pratsides. “We can think this is normal life and we cope with it, but over a period of time, unmanaged, it can take a toll on the body.” Money problems, work issues and bad personal experiences can also take their toll. Nia adds: “There’s this drip-drip effect, where it feels like there’s no end in sight.” Constantly being in fight-or-flight mode puts a strain on our bodies, as well as our minds. It can make us less sensitive to insulin, leaving us with higher levels of sugar in our blood. “This can damage blood vessels all over our bodies and can cause heart attacks or strokes if the coronary arteries get damaged and form plaques,” Dr Pratsides says. He adds that chronic stress is linked to fatty liver disease and higher levels of fat around organs, and can be connected to fertility problems. BEAT IT: It depends on whether you need to lift or soothe your nervous system. “Some people need to rest more, while some need to exercise to simulate survival so that afterwards their body can feel like they’ve escaped the lion and can move on,” explains Kim. “Identify a change that feels good in your body or in your emotions, and go with that.” Dr Pratsides says your GP can get to the bottom of worrying symptoms or refer you for therapy. You can also refer yourself for free therapy on the NHS. 3. Bottled Up Keeping stress bottled up can come back and bite you Credit: Getty When people don’t have an outlet for stress, or they don’t want to be a burden, they keep it all bottled up, says Nia. Internalising stress, especially feelings of hopelessness, could speed up memory decline, a recent study suggests.* In one of her own research projects, Kim found people who suppressed stress could be more likely to experience physical symptoms. Some people might be hyper-aware of how stressed they are, while others “suppress emotions, suppress stress, suppress everything”, Kim explains. She describes this as having ”low interoception”, which can lead to a build-up of chronic stress wear and tear – linked to a host of health problems from heart disease to memory issues and chronic illness. BEAT IT: Talking therapies, such as CBT, can help you find ways to voice your feelings and understand what’s happening in your bodies. But Kim adds: “If you don’t want to focus on the emotions, you can work through body techniques to manage stress.” Both mindfulness and exercise can help manage internalised stress. Even small bursts of activity can boost feel-good brain chemicals. Aerobic exercise, including walking, running, cycling or swimming was found to be as effective as medication for depression and anxiety in a recent study.** Group classes were particularly effective, while weight lifting and yoga also helped. People with anxiety saw the best results after eight weeks of consistent exercise. 4. Healthy stress Both mindfulness and exercise such as lifting weights can help manage internalised stress Remember, not all stress is bad. “Stress is an absolutely normal, healthy part of being a human being,” Nia says. “Going into an exam or a job interview, the spike in our hormones causes an alertness that can actually make us perform really well. It’s not our enemy, and we wouldn’t want to get rid of stress completely, because it’s helpful. As long as it comes back down again.” Harnessing good stress is all about mindset. “Tell yourself that while it might feel uncomfortable, it is a positive response,” says Dr Pratsides. But bear in mind you’ll feel tired after a spike in cortisol or adrenalin, so be sure to look after yourself. Nia adds: “It’s important to take the time to recover afterwards, whether it’s a race, a job interview or an exam.” Comment now