Stress, Pain and Your Brain (Part 1)
Almost everyone experiences some level of stress in their lives. For most people, stress will be mild, manageable and only have a slight impact on wellbeing. However, in some cases the stress can be overwhelming or the capacity to tolerate stress diminished, resulting in significant health impacts.
Did you know severe and prolonged stress can not only cause chronic pain, but it can also change your brain?
Keeping the Balance
Life and health are dependent on your body’s ability to keep a stable and constant internal environment. This is called ‘homeostasis’. It all happens at a subconscious level, so you don’t have to tell your heart to beat or your lungs to breathe!
It’s your amazing brain that keeps the body in balance, including responding appropriately to stress. Stress can sometimes be good, building resiliency and strength in your nervous system. But too much stress can upset the apple cart.
Hans Selye
The ’father of stress’, prominent researcher Hans Selye (1907-1982), used the term ‘stress’ to describe anything that threatens homeostasis. The actual or perceived threat to an organism he referred to as the ‘stressor’ and the response to the stressor is called the ‘stress response.’
Fight Flight Stress Response
Our brain is hardwired to react to stress via a ‘fight flight’ response. This includes hormonal responses that increase cortisol and leads to:
- Elevation of blood pressure;
- Increased heart rate;
- Reduced insulin production;
- Increased blood sugar; and
- Shunting of blood from central tissues to the peripheral muscles.
This hyper-vigilant state is perfect for running away from a sabre-toothed tiger! But not so good for modern day stress that might be lower intensity, but often ongoing and unrelenting. When we remain in low level ‘fight flight’ this can create a myriad of health problems. These include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, a suppressed immune system, gut issues, various mental health disorders and chronic pain syndromes.
Stress and Chronic Pain
Chronic pain and stress are intricately linked, creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. Chronic pain refers to persistent discomfort lasting longer than three months.
Research indicates that stress can exacerbate the perception of pain. A study published in Pain (Sullivan et al., 2001) found that individuals under significant stress report higher pain intensity and frequency .
This relationship occurs because stress can alter pain pathways in the brain, making individuals more sensitive to painful stimuli. In essence, stress not only intensifies the experience of pain, but can also contribute to the development of chronic pain conditions.
Brain Changes
Some studies have shown that stress has many effects on the human nervous system and can cause structural changes in different parts of the brain (Lupien et al., 2009). Chronic stress can lead to atrophy of the brain mass and decrease its weight (Sarahian et al., 2014).
These changes can lead to a heightened sensitivity in the brain known as ‘Central Sensitization’. This phenomenon is commonly seen in chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia, neuropathic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome and chronic back pain.
Do you have Central Sensitization?
A simple questionnaire called the Central Sensitization Index, can predict if your brain is overly sensitized. If you’d like to find out more, simply ask one of our chiropractors on your next visit. Alternatively, contact us and we can email you the questionnaire.
How do we help?
There is no simple solution for stress, chronic pain and central sensitization. Certainly a holistic approach is best. For more information on what can be done to help, stay tuned for Part 2 in next month’s blog.