Deep Tissue Massage: What’s All About

If the threat, or perceived threat, persists, then the body also begins to release cortisol. Again, this is a critical function, cortisol being responsible for helping to regulate blood pressure and the immune system, and assisting balancing insulin to keep the blood sugar level normal, and generally helping the body to respond to stress.

However, cortisol can also interfere with the function of neurotransmitters, the chemicals used by brain cells to communicate with each other. Too much cortisol can impair long-term memory, and people who have been in very stressful situations may have “gaps” in what happened, as the brain has been overwhelmed and has not been able to fully lay down the long-term memories.

Our bodies are equipped to deal with all of this in short bursts: as the sympathetic nervous system releases the fight or flight response, so the parasympathetic nervous system will calm it down. However, the release of adrenalin is a much more effective and faster response than the calming effect of the parasympathetic nervous system.

Where in days of old we would have used up most of the adrenalin or hidden in a cave while the rest of it wore off and we could return to a state of calm, in modern-day life we can go from one stressful situation to the next, so the parasympathetic nervous system never gets a chance to catch up. Exercise and consciously taking time out to relax will help, but for someone whose stress levels are very high and whose body is constantly releasing adrenalin and related hormones, there is never a chance to get to that point of balance where the body can self-regulate.

Most people will suffer some form of stress during their lives; stress in itself is not always a bad thing, it can heighten our senses and enable us to perform, do a particularly good job, or to get through a specific situation. It is only when the stress continues for a longer period of time that the stress hormones within the body start to accumulate. Many mobile massage London therapists know how to deal with anxiety issues.

Sleep can become elusive as the brain refuses to “be quiet” and people can wake with a sense of doom and foreboding. Blood pressure can be increased, and headaches and muscle tensions—particularly in the shoulders and neck—can be painful.

As a tight muscle is impaired in its functioning, the person suffering may also feel permanently weak; add this to lack of sleep and the fear of something going wrong, and it is easy for this to become a downward spiral. The anxiety sufferer will often report an increasing cycle of attacks; they may be reluctant to leave the house and fear a panic attack if they are in a crowded or public place. Feeling trapped in a social situation is part of the flight or fight reaction, where a clear exit is needed to be able to flee from the situation. The fear of an anxiety or full-blown panic attack then causes the release of the stress hormones, and so the whole situation cycles downward.