The real symptom should be, STRESS. I’ve read some reports from dentists and oral surgeons that their treatment of broken teeth, a result of increased grinding and jaw clenching, has increased dramatically in the last 6 months. This is a result of excessive, unconscious jaw clenching. Even CNN’s chief medical correspondent and neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta reported that he has been experiencing significant jaw pain, even to the point of having difficulty eating from the added stress, and he operates on people’s brains for a living! Loosely known as TMJ, it really should be called TMJ arthralgia. TMJ stands for the Temporo-Mandibular Joint, or jaw joint. It’s a ball-in-socket joint just like your hip and is prone to all the same arthritic issues of any other joint. Over clenching or teeth grinding can cause jaw inflammation and i see it regularly, mistaken often for ear pain.Although most of the time it happens while we sleep, and a simple treatment is wearing a mouthguard at night, it can be so bad in some people that it occurs all day long leading to even needing joint replacement in extreme cases. Uncontrolled stress and anxiety is the underlying cause.
Hair loss, sleeplessness, blood sugar abnormalities, anxiety, skin rashes… all of these, and many other symptoms have been linked to stress and all have been seen in dramatically increased numbers this last half year. Although the Covid Pandemic is mainly to blame, the political climate and social unrest certainly contribute. Add to that the already increasing stress levels which preceded Covid and it is a dangerous environment to exist in day after day.
The stress hormone cortisol has a role in acute stress. If you are being chased, levels rise leading to a variety of physiologic responses like elevated blood pressure and blood sugar, aimed at finetuning your senses to protect yourself, but those levels need to come down. Chronically elevated, they contribute to diabetes, hypertension, heart attacks and strokes, not to mention the psychiatric effects like anxiety and sleeplessness.
It’s easy to say “Just relax” or “it will get better”, and I wish I could take my own advice, but it is challenging to change our reactions to stress. To be alive is a stress but it’s all the added stress of modern life that leads to illness.
There is no simple pill or answer. It takes work.
Here is a list of things known to help alleviate stress:
- Socialize. Probably the most important one, it is vital that we keep social connections with family and friends. Although in berson contact is best, that is obviously challenging in Covid times but there are many other ways to stay in contact.
- Care for someone or something. Like another person or a pet. Sounds simple but we just don’t care for others the way we should and it shows in our society. Selflessness and compassion go a long way. It has been said that compassion and acts of kindness benefit the giver more than the receiver.
- Exercise. The best one to do is the one you like since you’re more likely to keep doing it. Schedule it in.
- Sleep better. That’s an easy one!!! There are many resources out there on how to sleep better. I have a whole section on my website summarising many books I have read on the topic.
- Meditate. There are various forms. Simple mindful breathing a few times a day goes a long way.
- Pray. In essence, this is a form of meditation. Carving out an hour a week to go to church, temple, or just praying at home has been practiced for millennia and spirituality, faith and prayer help a lot.
- Get outside and get some sun. Beyond exercise, just getting outside in the sunshine has many benefits. In addition to helping boost vitamin D levels, it helps decrease stress hormones. The fresh air helps as well. The Japanese call this “Forest Bathing”.
- Eat better. Yes foods can make us feel better, but what we eat can also eventually make us feel worse. A heroin addict feels better when he takes a dose, but soon afterwards, he is craving it again and feeling bad. The same happens with sugar and processed foods. Manufactured sugary foods act have the same effect on the brain as heroin and morphine. Get off the garbage, addicting food rollercoaster.
- Load up on fruits and vegetables, the best source of nutrients and the best way to keep your gut healthy. In addition to being responsible for 70% of our immune system, the gut generates upwards of 80% of the neuropeptides in our bodies. 80% of the serotonin, the “happy chemical” and 50% of the dopamine, the ‘reward” chemical in the brain is actually made in the gut. A healthy gut makes you happier. The best predictor of a healthy gut is the volume and variety of plants you eat.
I’m sure there are a few more stress-busting tips out there and every little step helps.
Fortunately, the political nonsense is coming to a close and we can move on.
Covid will be with us for a while longer. It may be another year for us to achieve some kind of workable vaccine and for people to maybe figure out how to behave in a way that keeps most of us safe.
I have a personal friend, a well respected and amazing healthcare provider, struggling with Covid right now. On oxygen, in the hospital. A healthy, fit mid-50 year old. Their comment to me was simple:
“It’s a monster and you don’t want to get it. Protect yourself”.
MASK up
DISTANCE
WASH your hands
DON’T TOUCH YOUR FACE
VENTILATE
VACCINATE
GET HEALTHY.
Stay Safe and BE Well
AC