My niece recently told me that stress can be reduced by doing nice things for other people.
I decided to find out if this is true based on scientific data. I was surprised to find more than 5 studies showing that stress can be reduced by acts of kindness. When you focus your attention on the needs of someone else, your stress levels have been proven to go down.
Stress is a reaction to a change or a challenge. During stress response, your heart rate increases, breathing quickens, muscles tighten, and blood pressure rises. WebMD In the short term, stress can be helpful. It makes you more alert and gives you energy to get things done. But long-term stress can lead to serious health problems. WomensHealth
Emotional stress that stays around for weeks or months can weaken the immune system and cause high blood pressure, fatigue, depression, anxiety and even heart disease. Lifeline
Gallup’s poll indicates that 65% of the 30-49 year age group experiences stress. Americans aged 15-29 are right behind them with 64%, while 44% of people older than 50 reported feeling stressed out. SmallBiz
Scientific evidence has proven that kindness reduces stress, improves sense of well-being and reduces depression. Kindness increases serotonin and oxytocin (mood hormones) which relives stress. HealthLine
Acts of Kindness can:
1. Reduce stress: A 2015 study published in the Clinical Psychological Science journal found that relieving the impact of stress on health can be accomplished by helping others. The researchers found that those who performed more daily acts of kindness were less likely to feel stressed. Ansell, E. "Helping Others Dampens the Effects of Everyday Stress". Clinical Psychological Science, 2015. VeryWellMind
2. Improve sense of well-being: Stephen Post of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that when we give of ourselves, everything from life satisfaction to self-realization and physical health is significantly improved. Mortality is delayed, depression is reduced and well-being and good fortune are increased. YourMission
3. Improve physical and mental health: Compassion and kindness reduce stress, boost our immune systems, and help reduce negative emotions such as anger, anxiety, and depression. Fredrickson, B. L., Cohn, M. A., Coffey, K. A., Pek, J., & Finkel, S. M. (2008). "Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources", Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2008. PsychologyToday
4. Increase serotonin: Acts of kindness stimulates the production of serotonin. This feel-good chemical heals your wounds, calms you down, and makes you happy. Talya Steinberg, Psy.D for Psychology Today
5. Increase oxytocin: When you are kind to someone, your levels of the hormone, oxytocin, increase in the brain and make you feel happy and loved. Oxytocin helps to reduce blood pressure, lower stress levels, and improve digestion. Sfadvancedhealth
You don't need to do grand gestures in order to make a difference and help your health. Small acts of kindness done over time can reap large rewards for your well-being. VeryWellMind
Mother Teresa said, “We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.” GoalCast
Salt is made up of two elements, sodium and chloride. It is used used for flavoring and for preserving food. HealthLine
Salt has been used by humans since 6,000 BC! There is evidence that people living in Romania boiled spring water to extract salts and that salt was harvested at Lake Yunchen in China. Salt was also used by the ancient Hebrews, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Hittites, Egyptians, and Indians. Wikipedia
Table salt is 40% sodium by weight, so a 1 teaspoon serving (6 grams) has about 2,400 mg of sodium. Wikipedia
According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), you need around 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day to replace whatever you lose in urine and sweat. VeryWellFit
1. Eating salt may calm us: There is a scientific reason why people eat food to help them relieve stress. Salty snacks actually help your body reduce stress levels. Research from the University of Cincinnati showed that elevated levels of sodium inhibited stress hormones that would otherwise be activated in stressful situations. ScienceDaily
A publication from the University of Haifa confirmed the relationship between salt and stress in humans. It was found that the body self-regulates to prevent stress and depression by making us crave salt. Oklahoman
2. Some people are born with salt cravings: If your mother suffered frequent vomiting in pregnancy or if you lost significant amounts of sodium as a baby (due to vomiting or diarrhea), there is a good chance that you eat more salt than other people do, even by as much as 50 percent. Once sodium deficiency is experienced, salt cravings can last a lifetime. WashingtonPost
3. Natural Salt does not offer any real health advantages: Salt contains only trace amounts of minerals. As a result, choosing one type of salt over another is unlikely to significantly affect your health. Healthline Sea and Himalayan salts are considered natural because they are not highly refined like table salt. Sea salt is made by evaporating seawater and retains trace levels of minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium and other nutrients. Heart.
Himalayan salt is harvested from a large salt mine in Pakistan and it's pink color is due to the presence of iron oxide. It also contains trace amounts of calcium, potassium and magnesium. Although table salt is highly refined with most of the impurities and trace minerals removed the tiny amounts of trace minerals that are removed during processing are easily obtained from other healthy foods. The main differences between salts are flavor, color, texture and convenience. HealthLine
4. Your Body Needs Salt to Live: Salt is good for us. Sodium is necessary for preventing dehydration, for proper transmission of nerve impulses and for normal functioning of cells. If we did not eat any sodium, we would die. WashingtonPost Chloride ions serve as important electrolytes by regulating blood pH and pressure. Chloride is also a crucial component in the production of stomach acid (HCl) Manoa
5. Most of the salt in our diet is from processed foods: It is estimated that 75% of the salt in the US diet comes from processed food. Only 25% of the intake occurs naturally in foods or is added during cooking or at the table. HealthLine (see Hidden Salt 4/1/19)
6. 50% of people are salt sensitive: If a person is salt sensitive and consumes a lot of sodium, their blood pressure will go up. WashingtonPost Salt sensitivity increases with age and weight gain. Harvard
Magnesium and potassium can help regulate blood pressure. Increasing your intake of these nutrients through foods like leafy greens and beans may help reduce your blood pressure. Some studies have also shown that a low-carb diet could help reduce blood pressure. NCBI.
