Some stress is necessary for life, chronic stress is debilitating to life. Stress increases internal inflammation via IL-6 which leads to increased risk for cardiovascular disease, anxiety, depression, cancer, suppressed immune system (chronic infections), and autoimmune disease. High chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol which can lead to decreased thyroid function, accumulation of abdominal fat, prolonged healing time, reduced ability to respond to an infection, impaired cognition, and other symptoms.
Sleep has been a far too overlooked health attribute in our society. Sleep deprivation is a common cause of depression and anxiety, increased pain, decreased ability to perform daily duties, decreased work productivity, and reduced quality of life in general. Sleep must become adequate and quality for the body to have time to heal and clean up cellular debris. Apnea should be ruled out and many sleep stealing habits should be assessed to assure that you are utilizing this valuable time to heal your body.
At Elevated Health & Wellness we feel confident supporting individuals dealing with:
- Chronic or acute stress
- Insomnia
- Assistance weaning of sleep medication
We offer private testing to help determine the cause of your symptoms, which may include:
- Sleep apnea assessment
- Cortisol patterning via saliva hormone testing
- Testing melatonin levels
- Assessment of sleep hygiene
Our approach to treating individuals with poor sleep and/or high stress would likely include:
- Vitamins, supplements, and minerals
- Dietary changes
- Stress reduction techniques
- Direct adrenal support
- Apnea treatment if indicated
- Sleep hygiene techniques