Skip to content

8 Steps Men Can Take to Reduce Stress

Facts About Stress:

Dad and Son hugging

  • Women and men handle stress differently due to hormonal responses of the body. Both men and women release equal amounts of the hormones cortisol and epinephrine when encountering stress.
  • These hormones cause the heart rate to rise and increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels; however, women release higher levels of the hormone oxytocin, which produces relaxing emotions.[i]
  • Since men do not release as much oxytocin, they feel the physical effects stress more intensely than women.

While these physiological responses can help men with quick decision making or coping with a high-pressure situation, over the long term, the effects of stress are dangerous on the body, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and depression. In addition, cortisol and epinephrine suppress the immune system, putting the body at risk for more incidences of minor illnesses like cold and flu or major health issues, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and stroke. [ii] Unfortunately, only 30% of men say that they manage stress successfully.[iv]

Steps to Avoid Stress

While no man can avoid stress entirely, there are steps every man can take to help manage the effects of stress:

  1. Visit a doctor of chiropractic. Stress can cause muscle tension that can lead to misalignments of the spine and pain. Your chiropractor will adjust your spine, which decreases your pain levels, relaxes your nervous system, and improves blood circulation. This allows your body and mind to return to a more relaxed state.

    Feeling calmer in your body is an important step in effectively dealing with emotional and physical stress. Your chiropractor can also offer helpful nutritional and lifestyle information to help manage your stress. One option is to take a safe whole food supplement that  helps you deal with everyday stresses and your reactions to it.  Your life may not have gotten less stressful, but you will be able to deal with it much more effectively and sanely.

  2. Exercise regularly. Exercise helps you blow off steam and release tension, which reduces stress. Joining a local recreational sports team or playing a pick-up game of basketball with friends has the added benefit of providing social support, which can also reduce stress.
  3. Get adequate rest.  Whenever possible, give your body ample rest so that you can feel recharged and ready to face new challenges.
  4. Eat a healthy diet. Sometimes it’s easiest to go for fast food or processed options when you are feeling stressed, but these choices have little nutrition and can leave you feeling sluggish. Eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables will help you feel energized and keep your body functioning properly.
  5. Try a massage. Human touch has long been known as a stress-reliever, and massage has been shown in studies to reduce pain and anxiety and increase sleep quality in patients with chronic low-back pain.[iii]
  6. Start meditating daily.  Even a short 5 minute session of deep breathing can relax the mind and body.
  7. Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they can cause sleep disturbances and other problems.
  8. Find something to laugh about today. A good laugh can do wonders to relieve stress.

Get Started Today

Try these tips to help reduce the harmful effects of stress on your body and help you feel more energized and calm to face whatever challenges life brings.

  1. Call us today for a free SPINE/HEALTH evaluation at Hands On Healing Chiropractic at 408-371-0068.
  2. Join our Bay Area Health and Wellness Group on Meetup:
  3. Join us for our free health and wellness trainings provided by Dr. Deb Sampair, D.C.


Add Your Comment (Get a Gravatar)

Your Name

