If there were on theory on how we get injured or sick - part 2
The human nervous system is in constant motion, always seeking homeostasis or balance. Going back to the glass of water analogy of the nervous system from the previous post: What happens when the cup of water gets filled with water (stressors) to its brim, and one more stressor is added?
The cup spills, and you have a mess to clean up.
When the cup overflows is when an "injury" occurs. It doesn't matter what form of stress happens; the nervous system responds the same to them. It's like a math equation: you take the sum off all of your stressors, and that gives you your neurological load.
neurological load
Let's use a scale from 0 - 10 to describe the degree of stress in each category. 0 = no stress and 10 = maximal stress.
The following is a hypothetical scenario:
Physical stress: 6
You had an intense workout in the gym today. You could stretch afterward, which took some tension off, but you only slept 5 hrs last night.
Chemical stress: 7
You've had 3 cups of coffee throughout the day and have not drunk any water. You have eaten a meal for dinner, and you notice you feel bloated and gassy after finishing. You had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner also. You're using skincare products that contain various artificial preservatives and additives (which is most brands these days).
Mental stress: 7
You've got the deadline for the project due. You've been thinking about what you're going to do to get it done, and it feels overwhelming. Your promotion depends upon this project.
Emotional Stress: 7
You had a hard day dealing with your business partner and his crazy ideas at work. You argued with your girlfriend or boyfriend.
Electromagnetic stress: 7
You've been working hard on getting the work project done. You've been on your cell phone and wireless laptop all day.
With a total score of 50 available for all five categories, if we break it down to a score, it would be:
0-12 pts = Low Neurological Load
12-25 pts = Mild Neurological Load
25-37 pts. = Moderate Neurological Load
37-50 pts. = High Neurological Load
This hypothetical scenario gives you a total score of 34/50. Not terrible, but not so good either. A high to moderate load. That score is just for one day, but what if you had a similar score each day for a month?
Regularly carrying a medium to high neurological load around starts to wear on the nervous system, and it weakens it, just like a training program where there is no rest to recover. The nervous system can only sustain high intensity for short bursts before it fatigues. If you don't recognize these signs of overloading, you are walking the tightrope of a situation providing you the opportunity to rest...an illness, disease, and injury. The outcome is forced rest.
If you want to be the most efficient in your life, you will begin to recognize when you are overloading your nervous system and voluntarily slow yourself down. If you've scored a 40 one day, look at each of the five stressor categories and see where you could unload your nervous system by making a better lifestyle choice. Maybe you only have 1 cup of coffee and try to drink plenty of water and no alcohol that night.
You recognize you are under tension and decide not to engage in an argument with your boyfriend or girlfriend when you feel triggered, rather than having an urge to start a confrontation. You go for a walk and take a yoga class rather than a 2hr high-intensity bike ride. Even if you had to stay on the computer and cell phone all day, you've still taken a load off of your nervous system, and your stress levels have come down.
It's the old tortoise and the hare story. Slow and steady wins the race.
How many people do you know that were knocking the ball out of the park in their 30's and 40's? And by their 50's, were sick, injured, or burned out?
In Part 3, we'll start looking at each stressor to expand upon their impacts on our nervous systems.