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The Science Behind Empty Stomach Cramps: Causes, Management, and When to Seek Help

What are the causes of empty stomach cramps? How can you manage them effectively? When should you seek medical help for persistent or severe cramps? Discover the answers to these questions and more in our comprehensive guide.

Deciphering the Causes of Empty Stomach Cramps

Hunger pangs, or the uncomfortable sensations experienced when the stomach is empty, are a common phenomenon. These cramps are caused by the strong contractions of the stomach muscle when it’s devoid of food and liquid. The stomach is a dynamic organ that can stretch and collapse, and when it’s been a while since your last meal, it may contract, leading to the familiar gnawing or rumbling sensation.

Numerous factors can influence your feelings of hunger, including hormones, your environment, the quantity and quality of food you consume, lack of sleep, stress or anxiety, and your brain’s desire for a pleasant eating experience. In some cases, hunger pangs may also indicate a need for more essential nutrients in your diet.

Managing Empty Stomach Cramps Effectively

If you’re trying to follow a diet, dealing with hunger pangs can be particularly challenging. Fortunately, there are several strategies you can employ to alleviate these discomforts and stay on track with your health goals:

  • Eat smaller, more frequent meals to reduce feelings of extreme hunger.
  • Ensure your diet is nutrient-dense, with plenty of lean protein, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Incorporate high-volume, high-fiber foods that can help you feel full for longer.
  • Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
  • Get enough sleep, as a good night’s rest helps regulate the hormones that influence hunger and fullness.
  • Mindfully enjoy each meal, and try distractions like reading, working on a project, or going for a walk to alleviate hunger pangs.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Persistent Cramps

Hunger pangs are usually a normal response to an empty stomach, but there are instances when you should consult your doctor. If you experience hunger pangs after eating a balanced meal, feel like you can never eat enough, or have other accompanying symptoms like dizziness, weakness, headaches, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, diarrhea, constipation, rapid weight changes, or sleep issues, it’s important to seek medical attention.

These symptoms may indicate an underlying medical condition that requires professional evaluation and treatment. Your doctor can help determine the root cause of your persistent or severe hunger pangs and provide appropriate recommendations for managing them.

Understanding the Role of Hormones in Hunger Pangs

Hormones play a crucial role in regulating your feelings of hunger and fullness. The two primary hormones involved are ghrelin and leptin. Ghrelin is the “hunger hormone” that signals to your brain when it’s time to eat, while leptin is the “satiety hormone” that tells your brain when you’re full.

When your stomach is empty, ghrelin levels rise, triggering the contractions and sensations of hunger pangs. Conversely, leptin levels increase after a meal, signaling to your brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Hormonal imbalances or disruptions in this delicate balance can contribute to persistent hunger pangs or feelings of insatiable appetite.

Exploring the Link Between Hunger Pangs and Nutrient Deficiencies

In some cases, persistent hunger pangs may be a sign that your body is lacking essential nutrients. If your diet is deficient in certain vitamins, minerals, or macronutrients, your body may signal its need for these vital components through feelings of intense hunger or craving for specific foods.

For example, a lack of protein, healthy fats, or complex carbohydrates can lead to blood sugar fluctuations and increased hunger pangs. Deficiencies in nutrients like iron, magnesium, or B vitamins may also contribute to persistent hunger sensations. Addressing these nutritional imbalances through a well-rounded, nutrient-dense diet can help alleviate hunger pangs and provide your body with the sustenance it requires.

The Influence of Stress and Anxiety on Hunger Pangs

Stress and anxiety can have a significant impact on your feelings of hunger and the occurrence of hunger pangs. When you’re under stress, your body releases the hormone cortisol, which can disrupt the normal functioning of ghrelin and leptin, leading to increased feelings of hunger and difficulty feeling satisfied.

Additionally, the emotional and physiological responses to stress can manifest as physical sensations, including stomach contractions and abdominal discomfort. Learning stress management techniques, such as meditation, deep breathing, or engaging in regular physical activity, can help regulate your hormonal responses and alleviate the impact of stress on your hunger pangs.

Navigating the Relationship Between Sleep and Hunger Pangs

The quality and quantity of your sleep can also influence your feelings of hunger and the occurrence of hunger pangs. Inadequate sleep can disrupt the delicate balance of hormones that regulate appetite, leading to increased ghrelin levels and decreased leptin levels.

This hormonal imbalance can contribute to heightened feelings of hunger, even when your body doesn’t truly require additional sustenance. Ensuring you get enough quality sleep each night can help maintain a healthy hormonal profile and reduce the frequency and intensity of your hunger pangs.

Causes, Management, When to Seek Help, and More

You may experience pain when your stomach feels empty or if you are used to eating at a certain time. Hunger pangs after eating may occur with some health conditions.

You’ve probably experienced gnawing, painful feelings in your stomach at some point, in the upper left side of your abdomen. These are commonly known as hunger pangs. Hunger pangs, or hunger pains, are caused by strong contractions of the stomach when it’s empty. This uncomfortable sensation is often accompanied by hunger, or the desire to eat.

Despite being called “hunger” pangs, these pains don’t always indicate a true need to eat. They may be caused by an empty stomach and a need or hunger to eat, or they may be caused by your body being in a routine of eating certain amounts of food or eating at specific times of day.

Each person’s body is unique. Some people don’t feel the need to eat as often or like to feel as full. Others experience hunger pangs more quickly if they haven’t eaten recently. There isn’t a set amount of time after which hunger pangs may begin. Almost all people will experience hunger pangs if they go long enough without eating or drinking.

Hunger pangs may be your body’s way of telling you that it needs more nutrients. You may also experience hunger pangs because your stomach has become accustomed to a certain feeling of fullness.

The stomach is a muscular organ that is capable of stretching and collapsing. When it’s stretched by food and liquid, you tend to feel full. When it’s been a long time since you last ate or drank, your stomach is flatter and may contract, causing you to experience hunger pangs.

Numerous factors affect your feelings of hunger, including:

  • hormones
  • your environment
  • the quantity and quality of food you eat
  • lack of sleep
  • stress or anxiety
  • your brain’s desire for a pleasant eating experience

You may also experience hunger pangs because you need to eat a diet higher in essential nutrients.

Hunger pangs are rarely caused by a medical condition. If you’re experiencing ongoing or severe abdominal pain, you should contact your doctor for help. This is especially true if the hunger pangs are accompanied by other symptoms such as:

  • fever
  • diarrhea
  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • vomiting
  • headaches
  • feelings of weakness

Symptoms of hunger pangs typically include:

  • abdominal pain
  • a “gnawing” or “rumbling” sensation in your stomach
  • painful contractions in your stomach area
  • a feeling of “emptiness” in your stomach

Hunger pangs are often accompanied by symptoms of hunger, such as:

  • a desire to eat
  • a craving for specific foods
  • a tired or lightheaded feeling
  • irritability

Hunger pangs typically subside with eating, but they can subside even if you don’t eat. Your body is capable of adjusting to what it feels is necessary for stomach fullness. Over time, the contractions of your stomach will lessen. However, if you aren’t eating enough to get essential nutrients, it will be harder for your hunger pangs to go away.

Hunger pangs can be especially difficult to deal with when you’re trying to follow a diet. Here are some ways to alleviate your hunger pangs so you can stay on track with your health goals.

  • Try eating smaller, more frequent meals. Your total caloric intake, not your meal frequency, is what affects weight loss or gain. Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day can help reduce uncomfortable feelings of hunger.
  • Make sure you’re eating a nutrient-dense diet. Eating more lean protein, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables will give your body the nutrition it requires, which can help prevent hunger pangs.
  • Eating higher volume foods (think green leafy vegetables or foods high in water content like soup) and foods high in fiber can help you feel full for a longer period of time.
  • Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
  • Get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep helps keep in balance the hormones that influence your feelings of hunger and fullness.
  • Try focusing on and enjoying each meal as you eat it. Intentionally remembering the food you’ve eaten each day may help reduce feelings of hunger.
  • Distraction can help alleviate hunger pangs. Try reading, talking with a friend, working on a project that interests you, putting on loud music, brushing your teeth, taking a walk, or visualizing your health goals.

Hunger pangs are usually a normal response to an empty stomach. You may wish to consult your doctor if you experience hunger pangs after eating a balanced meal, if you feel like you can never eat enough, or if you experience other symptoms with your hunger pangs such as:

  • dizziness
  • weakness
  • headaches
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • shortness of breath
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • rapid weight gain or loss
  • sleep issues

Hunger pangs are a common bodily response to an empty stomach. They’re often a sign of hunger, but may also be related to eating habits.

If you’re trying to follow a diet, there are ways to prevent and alleviate hunger pangs so you can continue to reach your health goals.

Hunger signs are rarely a sign of a medical condition, but there are times when you might consider seeking medical attention.

Causes, Management, When to Seek Help, and More

You may experience pain when your stomach feels empty or if you are used to eating at a certain time. Hunger pangs after eating may occur with some health conditions.

You’ve probably experienced gnawing, painful feelings in your stomach at some point, in the upper left side of your abdomen. These are commonly known as hunger pangs. Hunger pangs, or hunger pains, are caused by strong contractions of the stomach when it’s empty. This uncomfortable sensation is often accompanied by hunger, or the desire to eat.

Despite being called “hunger” pangs, these pains don’t always indicate a true need to eat. They may be caused by an empty stomach and a need or hunger to eat, or they may be caused by your body being in a routine of eating certain amounts of food or eating at specific times of day.

Each person’s body is unique. Some people don’t feel the need to eat as often or like to feel as full. Others experience hunger pangs more quickly if they haven’t eaten recently. There isn’t a set amount of time after which hunger pangs may begin. Almost all people will experience hunger pangs if they go long enough without eating or drinking.

Hunger pangs may be your body’s way of telling you that it needs more nutrients. You may also experience hunger pangs because your stomach has become accustomed to a certain feeling of fullness.

The stomach is a muscular organ that is capable of stretching and collapsing. When it’s stretched by food and liquid, you tend to feel full. When it’s been a long time since you last ate or drank, your stomach is flatter and may contract, causing you to experience hunger pangs.

Numerous factors affect your feelings of hunger, including:

  • hormones
  • your environment
  • the quantity and quality of food you eat
  • lack of sleep
  • stress or anxiety
  • your brain’s desire for a pleasant eating experience

You may also experience hunger pangs because you need to eat a diet higher in essential nutrients.

Hunger pangs are rarely caused by a medical condition. If you’re experiencing ongoing or severe abdominal pain, you should contact your doctor for help. This is especially true if the hunger pangs are accompanied by other symptoms such as:

  • fever
  • diarrhea
  • nausea
  • dizziness
  • vomiting
  • headaches
  • feelings of weakness

Symptoms of hunger pangs typically include:

  • abdominal pain
  • a “gnawing” or “rumbling” sensation in your stomach
  • painful contractions in your stomach area
  • a feeling of “emptiness” in your stomach

Hunger pangs are often accompanied by symptoms of hunger, such as:

  • a desire to eat
  • a craving for specific foods
  • a tired or lightheaded feeling
  • irritability

Hunger pangs typically subside with eating, but they can subside even if you don’t eat. Your body is capable of adjusting to what it feels is necessary for stomach fullness. Over time, the contractions of your stomach will lessen. However, if you aren’t eating enough to get essential nutrients, it will be harder for your hunger pangs to go away.

Hunger pangs can be especially difficult to deal with when you’re trying to follow a diet. Here are some ways to alleviate your hunger pangs so you can stay on track with your health goals.

  • Try eating smaller, more frequent meals. Your total caloric intake, not your meal frequency, is what affects weight loss or gain. Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day can help reduce uncomfortable feelings of hunger.
  • Make sure you’re eating a nutrient-dense diet. Eating more lean protein, whole grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables will give your body the nutrition it requires, which can help prevent hunger pangs.
  • Eating higher volume foods (think green leafy vegetables or foods high in water content like soup) and foods high in fiber can help you feel full for a longer period of time.
  • Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.
  • Get enough sleep. A good night’s sleep helps keep in balance the hormones that influence your feelings of hunger and fullness.
  • Try focusing on and enjoying each meal as you eat it. Intentionally remembering the food you’ve eaten each day may help reduce feelings of hunger.
  • Distraction can help alleviate hunger pangs. Try reading, talking with a friend, working on a project that interests you, putting on loud music, brushing your teeth, taking a walk, or visualizing your health goals.

Hunger pangs are usually a normal response to an empty stomach. You may wish to consult your doctor if you experience hunger pangs after eating a balanced meal, if you feel like you can never eat enough, or if you experience other symptoms with your hunger pangs such as:

  • dizziness
  • weakness
  • headaches
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • shortness of breath
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • rapid weight gain or loss
  • sleep issues

Hunger pangs are a common bodily response to an empty stomach. They’re often a sign of hunger, but may also be related to eating habits.

If you’re trying to follow a diet, there are ways to prevent and alleviate hunger pangs so you can continue to reach your health goals.

Hunger signs are rarely a sign of a medical condition, but there are times when you might consider seeking medical attention.

Seizures in cats – symptoms, treatment and causes

  1. Sudden periodic seizures in cats, etiology, signs and first aid
  2. Seizures in cats symptoms requiring close attention of the owners 011

    Sudden periodic seizures in cats, etiology, signs and first aid

    Sudden spasms in a cat cause sometimes strong anxiety of the owners and not unreasonably. There are many reasons, among which there may be serious diseases, the symptoms of which are simply necessary to be aware of in order to contact the veterinary clinic in a timely manner.

    Seizures in cats symptoms requiring close attention of owners

    Seizures are involuntary contractions of the muscles of the body, which may be accompanied by foaming from the mouth and severe convulsive shaking. Such a paralyzing state lasts only a few minutes and does not impair the respiratory function of animals, but is fraught with purely tragic consequences.

    Every attentive owner will easily notice even the smallest deviations in the behavior of his pet, and therefore it is worth knowing about the possible symptoms of such a condition. If suddenly a cat has at least one of the following signs, such as:

    • Unconsciousness of actions;
    • Dyspnea;
    • Greatly dilated pupils;
    • Spontaneous faeces;
    • Erratic urination;
    • Increased salivation;
    • Unjustified attacks of aggression;
    • Inappropriate behavior, accompanied by a strong growl and jumping up;
    • Convulsion

    No matter how long the attack lasts and how often it occurs, it is worth seeking the help of an experienced veterinarian immediately. If a cat has convulsions, only a knowledgeable specialist can tell what to do. In any case, the owner will be required to establish the root cause of the possible manifestation in order to more accurately determine the diagnosis.

    Seizures in a cat causes unusual pet behavior

    If a cat has convulsions, what to do and name the exact cause can only be a certified specialist with many years of experience. Most doctors distinguish three main types of convulsions that can cause such a state of the animal:

    • Clonic – manifests itself in the form of jerky, single muscle contractions, of short duration;
    • Tonic – it is characterized by convulsive states of prolonged action;
    • Epileptic – the most severe degree, accompanied by clacking of the upper jaw, while the cat may throw back his head, roll his eyes, frothy saliva is secreted, and urinate very often

    Moreover, if a cat suddenly has seizures, the reasons provoking such behavior according to medical practice are determined by eight main points:

    • Epilepsy – there is a neurological nature of the disease, which is detected by a veterinarian during a targeted examination;
    • Pathology of internal organs – kidneys, liver, hypokalemia, etc. ;
    • Pathologies of the cardiovascular system;
    • For toxoplasmosis;
    • All kinds of infectious diseases caused by infection of the body with bacteria, viruses and any other parasitic substances;
    • Intestinal parasitosis;
    • Tumors of various etiologies;
    • For poisoning

    In this case, spasms of the hind legs in cats can occur, which can also be a consequence of the occurrence of any of the diseases listed above. However, each owner must clearly understand that if a cat has seizures, treatment and all the necessary drugs can be prescribed by a highly qualified specialist.

    How to treat seizures in a cat and possible first aid

    If you find your pet in an inadequate condition, characterized by the above symptoms, you should never try to resolve the situation yourself and try to treat it with home remedies.

    The best support in the event of seizures is to keep the pet at rest, while strictly monitoring possible nearby hard objects, eliminating damage to body parts. It is best to wrap the cat in a warm blanket and put it in pillows.

    Support your pet’s head lightly and seek emergency veterinary care as soon as possible to avoid tongue tilt. If you live at a sufficient distance from the veterinary office, then as an exception, you can slightly open your mouth and give a couple of drops of volokardin or corvalol, which will help alleviate the condition and wait for the doctor to arrive.

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    Self-regulation under stress | Moscow Government University

    08/21/2020

    Our life is lived in conditions of uncertainty, risk, pressure of time and circumstances. Therefore, managing your stress, emotional state and vitality is a key skill that determines the professional effectiveness of a person. At a webinar with Tibetan yoga and qigong teacher Alexey Shchavelev, we studied self-regulation technologies and practices to maintain biological youth. The main results of the webinar have been collected for you in this material.

    WHY STRESS IS OUR FRIEND AND HOW IT CAN KILL US

    Love stress. This is an adaptive reaction of the body that gives us access to energy resources. Thanks to stress, we are saved from danger; in a critical situation, it saves life. And during times of moderate stress, we achieve maximum efficiency.

    At the same time, we spend a huge amount of biological resources and nervous energy on stress. If we cannot control it, it turns into our killer. Yes, one can die from psychosomatic diseases that chronic stress generates! But we will learn how to turn stress in our favor, restore energy resources and direct all the energy of mobilization towards achieving the goal.

    If you are a manager, keeping stress under control is especially important. There is such an anecdote. Colonels never run: in peacetime it is funny, but in wartime it leads to panic of subordinates. It is the same with any leader: he must act productively and expediently, use stress to solve a problem, and not for empty emotions.

    Never believe the first stress reaction! The brain’s choice of what is dangerous and what is not is unreliable. You need to check the information, understand your goals in the situation and identify resources. Of course, in a difficult situation, you want to give up and just panic. But Stress will help only if it is directed somewhere by an effort of will. If you do not, the body’s reactions will be primitive: fight, run or freeze. But most of today’s stressful situations require something completely different! For them, the presence of mind is important – the ability not to turn off those areas of the brain that are responsible for rational control of the situation and volitional actions.

    BIOLOGY OF STRESS

    Stress is dangerous to health, as it involves the whole body. Whether you’re fighting for your life on a ship in a storm or worrying about a quarterly report in a warm office.

    Stress is an automatic brain. The neural network of the hippocampus – one of the parts of the limbic system of the brain – stores information about all the dangers in our lives. Moreover, the one that we did not personally experience, but about which we simply heard, read and saw. When an environmental stimulus arises, the brain runs it through this database. If the brain has recognized the situation as dangerous, it transmits the information to the amygdala. It triggers a stress response, gives the body a signal to mobilize. In 250 milliseconds, we will also know about it.

    Imagine you are at work and an important letter arrives. You opened it and suddenly became alert. Your gaze noticed something, and you became anxious, although you had not even read the letter yet. It was your brain that noticed some familiar detail and recognized it as a danger. When you read the letter, it may not turn out to be anything bad, it was just a negative brain association.

    Our brain controls the internal organs through the circuits of the autonomic nervous system. All organs are surrounded by two types of nerves: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

    The sympathetic nervous system is your body’s gas pedal. It is activated during stress, helps to quickly do something, increases the speed of metabolic processes.

    Parasympathetic nervous system – the brake pedal in the body. It maintains homeostasis.

    The harder you throttle, the better your brake should be! If the imbalance between the gas and the brake is prolonged, a state of nervous exhaustion will occur.

    So the brain determined that the stimulus was stressful and started the work of the amygdala. Brain norepinephrine is immediately released – a neurochemical impulse is transmitted and a massive reaction is triggered throughout the body. The sympathetic nervous system begins to work.

    • pupil dilates instantly,
    • decreased salivation,
    • bronchi dilate,
    • breathing becomes intense,
    • increased heart rate,
    • stimulates the release of glucose by the liver,
    • stimulates the release of adrenaline,
    • digestion slows down – the stomach temporarily stops digesting food,
    • relaxes the bladder,
    • the rectum contracts.

    The body no longer spends energy on homeostasis processes. He is ready to repel danger or run away from it.

    If the stress is one-time, these processes are normal. And if chronic?

    Stomach suffers. Hydrochloric acid is found in our stomach. To prevent it from digesting itself, special cells in the mucosa secrete a protective gel. With chronic stress, microcapillaries penetrating the mucosa spasm, cells work poorly, and the gel turns out to be diluted. Non-infectious gastritis develops and then an ulcer. Under chronic stress, food is no longer processed with hydrochloric acid, is not absorbed through the intestinal walls and turns into fecal stones. Intestinal diverticulosis may begin.

    HORMONES

    The impulse through the nerve fibers reaches the organs of the endocrine system – the adrenal glands. They produce a large number of hormones that are involved in stress mobilization.

    Unlike neurotransmitters, which transmit an electrochemical signal through a nerve fiber from neuron to neuron, hormones are released directly into the blood as a liquid.

    Three of them worth remembering:

    Adrenaline is responsible for the “run” reaction.

    Heart begins to jump out of chest. Vessels spasm sharply and unevenly – pressure increases in them. The microcapillaries penetrating the internal organs are in spasm, they lack blood, because it is directed to where the other type of receptors is, to the large muscles. Do you feel hot inside during times of stress? This blood was evacuated to the large muscles to allow you to quickly react and run away.

    Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) of the organs begins. When you take in air into your lungs, this is not yet breathing, this is gas exchange. Respiration is when the blood delivers red blood cells with oxygen molecules to the mitochondria of the cells and the Krebs cycle and the production of adenosine triphosphate take place there.

    The internal organs begin to signal to the brain to increase the pressure. After that, the vessels shrink even more, become solid, and increase the density of the shell. The result is hypertension. This is a common disease of modern managers.

    Have you heard about adrenaline addiction? It is a myth. If a person is injected with adrenaline, he will feel cold in his hands and feet, his heart will beat strongly. You definitely don’t want a repeat. Why does addiction occur in extreme sports? During times of extreme stress, the brain begins to prepare us for the fact that we will have an injury. So that we do not die from pain shock, analgesics are secreted – endogenous opioids. For example, endorphins. When you skydive and feel euphoric, this is how analgesics work. Dependence comes not from adrenaline at all, but from analgesics.

    Norepinephrine is responsible for the “attack” reaction, mobilizes the muscles.

    Cortisol is responsible for the freeze reaction.

    This hormone dramatically increases blood glucose – it converts glycogen into sugar. When glycogen runs out, it takes on fat and muscle tissues.

    Cortisol keeps our blood sugar high, which sooner or later leads to diabetes. Insulin is also constantly secreted. Cells sooner or later remove receptors that respond to insulin; now glucose does not enter the cells, there is a lot of it in the blood, and glycated hemoglobin appears, which destroys blood vessels.

    Under prolonged stress, cortisol destroys organs responsible for immunity: for example, the thymus gland, which produces thymus-dependent lymphocytes that mark cells infected with the virus. During prolonged stress, a person loses immunity. With one-time stress, immunity, on the contrary, increases.

    After stress the body turns on the parasympathetic. You are safe, the brain slows down, releases a special neurotransmitter – acetylcholine.

    • pupils constrict,
    • stimulates salivation and digestion,
    • breathing returns to normal,
    • muscles relax,
    • pressure drops,
    • stabilizes the level of stress hormones.

    The body gradually goes into a dream-like state and then into a deep sleep. It seems to us that during sleep we are simply turned off. No, we have the brake pedal pressed. Special neurohormones provide recuperation. One of them you probably know is melatonin.

    BALANCE

    All our states depend on the release of certain substances by the brain and glands of the endocrine system. For example, our engagement and motivation are associated with the release of dopamine. When it is not enough, apathy sets in.

    Remember: if you do not switch, do not press the “brake”, then bring yourself to nervous exhaustion: brain neurons stop releasing the right substances in the right amount, and you do not enjoy life and lose motivation in work.

    Burnout is included in the WHO list of diseases. But this is more likely not a disease, but a syndrome! Behind it can be both psycho-emotional trauma and exhaustion from chronic stress. Does the person think slowly, make bad decisions and yell at people? No, this is not emotional burnout, this is neurasthenia. Those who don’t like this term talk about burnout. For larger executives, another term has been coined: strategic fatigue. And it doesn’t exist either. Are you making the wrong decisions, taking it out on people? It’s not fatigue, it’s neurasthenia.

    WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO FIND A BALANCE

    The best way to recover is hypercapnia breathing exercises. For example, prolonged breathing, when the level of oxygen does not fall, but the level of CO 2 in the blood rises. The brain perceives this as a threat and instructs the smooth muscles to expand and save the body. After five minutes of stretched breathing, your hands and feet warm up, your face turns pink.

    Supplement suitable for smooth muscle relaxation – amino acid L-arginine. When concentrated in the liver, it is rapidly metabolized to nitric oxide, which expands smooth muscle. To relieve chronic spasm, it is enough to take three grams of L-arginine at night on an empty stomach. You can start with one gram and work your way up to three. It is especially important to take L-arginine during stressful periods.

    If you are stressed, do breathing exercises and remove spasms with L-arginine. After nervous tension, physical activity is required.

    Is it possible to relax with the help of alcohol?

    If you don’t use up your stress hormones, they kill you. Worst option: get nervous at work and drink alcohol at home. The physiological norm that the body can process is 30-40 grams in terms of pure alcohol. It’s two glasses of wine. The main problem is to stop in time. From a few glasses, temporary relaxation may come, and we will want more.

    After alcohol, the capillaries really expand, but the enzyme in the liver may not be enough to process the alcohol. It gets into the blood. A high concentration of alcohol in the blood degreases red blood cells. They lose their shells and begin to stick together. There are already clots of red blood cells moving in the blood, which the blood does not tolerate. The next morning we feel bad, because all night the body was in a state of oxygen starvation.

    Yes, the vessels dilated for a while, but the body suffered anyway. So no more than two glasses of wine at dinner! You have to pay for any external support of the body. It is better to rely on self-regulation methods.

    SYMPTOMS OF CHRONIC AUTONOMIC TENSION

    How to understand the problem? One-time stress is easy to notice. But we get used to the chronic, the psyche no longer notices it, a person forgets what it means to live without stress.

    Please rate how each of these symptoms has affected you over the past two weeks. Put 3 points if the symptom was clearly manifested; 2 points – was, but to an average degree; 1 point – manifested weakly; 0 – no symptom.

    • Spasm of blood vessels and capillaries: coldness in the hands and feet, pale skin, hypertension. Pay special attention to the lower pressure: if it is high, the vessels are in spasm.
    • Muscle Armor. Tense striated muscles: biceps, triceps. When you press the muscles, you feel pain, you cannot relax before going to bed.
    • Chronic fatigue, low energy. Normal fatigue accumulates in the evening, but when you have eaten, slept, rested, it passes. If you are already tired in the morning – this is a wake-up call.
    • Dizziness, poor concentration and memory.
    • Poor digestion, gastritis, ulcer. When you ate the right food, not fast food, but still heaviness in the stomach is a sign of stress.
    • Reduced immunity. Measure it for three months. Diseases last a long time, chronic diseases develop, herpes may appear.
    • Decreased quality of sleep. You can’t fall asleep for more than 20 minutes, the sleep is not deep, there is a feeling of a working head, it’s hard to wake up in the morning.
    • Anhedonia – inability to enjoy simple things: entertainment, food, sleep.
    • Dysphoria – prolonged unreasonable mood disorder, anxiety, irritation with other people, aggression.
    • Addictive or addictive behavior – escape from reality with the help of an artificial change in mental state. For example, smoking, alcoholism, overeating, Internet addiction, etc.

    (How to assess that you have an addiction. What will happen if you are deprived of this object: alcohol, a computer game, tobacco, coffee? Will your mood, behavior change, can you go without it for a long time?)

    If you scored up to 10 points, you have a balance between gas and brake.

    If you have 10 to 20 points, you are using more energy than you can recover.

    If you scored more than 20 points, then you have chronic stress, the parasympathetic system does not work.

    • Get tested for stress hormones. For example, elevated cortisol indicates either stress or Cushing’s syndrome.
    • Pay attention to changes in heart rate variability. In a healthy person, the time intervals between heartbeats are always different by milliseconds. If your heart beats like a metronome, the body is exhausted or sick.

    BREATHING EXERCISE

    Breathe through your nose. Close your eyes. Put one hand on your stomach, the other on your chest. Start breathing with your belly, gently fill the bottom of your lungs with air, then open your chest and fill all the lungs with air under the collarbones. So you lower the diaphragm and fill the blood with carbon dioxide. Take a slow, long breath. Inhale immediately again.

    Concentrate on your breath. Don’t breathe on the machine. Let the mind recognize, moment by moment, how the breath takes place. Let go of the external stimulus or internal thoughts, return attention to the breath.

    As soon as the diaphragm began to move, the vagus nerve was stimulated, which switches you to parasympathetic control. Extended inhalation and exhalation fill the blood with oxygen and at the same time with carbon dioxide.

    Draw air into your lungs and hold your breath. Drop your head limply on your chest, roll back, make a circle with your head. Tilt your head back, focus on the deflection in the thoracic vertebrae, raise your head and exhale slowly.

    This cuts off the blood flow to the brain, and it begins to secrete endogenous opioids. It is enough to do this 3-4 times, and the opioids will be restored.

    MEDITATION PRACTICE FOR DAILY SELF-REGULATION

    Sit, straighten your back, feel the stability of the body. Place your hands on your knees with your palms up. Pull the crown up: there should be a feeling that the distance between the vertebrae is increasing. The body is relaxed, the back is straight.

    Close your eyes. Move your attention to your feet. What temperature are your feet? How do they feel the surface? Don’t think about your feet, just watch how you feel.

    Smoothly transfer your attention to the hands. What do your fingertips feel, the middle of the palms?

    Pay attention to your whole body. Feel the legs, arms, torso and head. Feel the skeleton and internal organs. How do sensations change under your supervision? The body begins to get heavier, the muscles relax. Watch your body continuously. If you notice a thought, immediately return from it to observation.

    Bring your attention to your mind. Notice the appearance of a thought, an image, a picture and let it go. If one thought is gone and the other is not, stay in the pause. Don’t push your thoughts, you won’t be able to get rid of them. Just go back to watching and the mind will calm itself down. To calm the water in a glass, you do not need to swing it in your hand.