08 Mar Stressed at Work? 5 Tips to Reduce Stress.

As many working Americans may know, stress in the workplace can lead to you a drop in your productivity and performance at your job. Workplace stress can also have detrimental effects on your physical and emotional health, including increased blood pressure, and lower immune function. These detrimental health effects caused by excessive stress are a direct result of rising cortisone levels in our body, the hormone that regulates our stress levels. Most Americans, however, are unaware of some easy steps they can take to help decrease cortisone levels at work and, in turn, have a more productive and enjoyable time spent at work.

1. Regular physical activity:

Aerobic exercise is a great way to combat workplace stress. These aerobic activities raise your heart rate and make you sweat, and thus are a fabulous way to lift your mood, increase your energy, and sharpen your focus. Just 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity 5-6 times a week can have a dramatic effect in lowering your body’s cortisone levels.

2. Get plenty of sleep:

While it is certainly tough for many Americans to get a full night of sleep each night, Lack of proper sleep will leave you in a bad mood with less energy and focus. In turn, your cortisone levels rise significantly when you’re tired, unfocused, and grouchy when you arrive at work. Adults should try to get at least 8 hours of sleep a night to be fully rested to tackle a day’s worth of work and stress. Also, working Americans should avoid looking at phone screens and computer tablets before they are going to sleep as the light emitted from these devices actually lowers our body’s melatonin levels.

3. Mindfulness and Meditation:

Meditation is actually a great way for working Americans to reduce anxiety and lower cortisone levels in our body. Simply taking a couple of minutes to take 10 deep breathes in a stressful situation can significantly reduce cortisone levels and help avoid the onset of the negative effects of excessive stress. There are many different forms of meditation, but by setting aside 10 minutes a day to take time to meditate is a great way to bring a sense of calm through your nervous system, mind, and brain.

4. Health and Nutrition:

Many Americans don’t realize that your food choices can have a major impact on how you feel at work each day. Eating small, infrequent, and healthy meals can help your body maintain proper levels of blood sugar. This smart eating strategy can also keep your energy levels up and help avoid mood swings. Another way to avoid low energy and focus levels through your diet is to avoid refined carbs and sugar as much as possible. 

These tips for reducing workplace stress are a great way for working Americans to reduce cortisone levels at work. If you still feel overly stressed at work after trying every way to decrease cortisone levels, seek out the help of a functional medicine physician for