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The Importance of Reducing Stress While Recovering From an Injury

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If you’re recovering from an injury, it’s important to keep stress to a minimum so your body can heal more easily. Stress prolongs the healing process, not to mention it can make you feel worse. While you don’t have much control over how your body heals, reducing or eliminating stress can remove unnecessary barriers and help you heal more efficiently.

Stress prevents wound healing

Inflammation is an important part of the healing process, and your body naturally produces proinflammatory cytokines at the source of the wound in order to stimulate healing. However, stress has been shown to reduce the expression of these important cytokines by increasing cortisol levels, which prolongs inflammation. In this study, a marital conflict was enough to create a significantly negative impact on the level of cytokines required for healing.

If you’ve had surgery as part of your treatment plan, it’s even more important to stay stress-free. If you remain in a stressful state for long periods of time, your body will lose its ability to fight toxins and foreign substances, and combined with the inability to control inflammation, healing could take much longer than expected.

How to eliminate stress and support healing

Although stress seems hard to control at times, simple strategies can make a big difference. Here are some easy ways to kick stress to the curb while you heal:

Do whatever it takes to protect your peace

Life can be chaotic, and you may not have complete control over your environment at all times, especially if you are going to work and taking care of a family. However, don’t let this deter you from making the changes you need to find peace among the stress. If the people in your life truly care about you, they’ll be supportive and willing to help you.

Talk to your employer about making accommodations for you if needed, including to keep your stress levels low. Rearrange your schedule at home and ask others to help a little more with household tasks. Do whatever is necessary to keep your stress levels low so you can heal faster.

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