SCIENCE OF YIN YOGA 75A 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
states, “Exposures to chronic stress are considered the most toxic because
they are most likely to result in long-term or permanent changes in the emo-
tional, physiological, behavioral responses that influence susceptibility to and
the course of disease” (Cohen, Janicki-Deverts, and Miller 2007, 1685). The
damaging results of stress also affects one of the most important organs in
the body, the brain. Stress is highly damaging to the brain because it causes
the brain to degenerate and shrink (Kharrazian 2013).
Negative stress is a major risk factor for heart disease, cancer, gastrointestinal
disorders, skin problems, neurological and emotional disorders, the common
cold, arthritis, herpes, AIDS, Alzheimer’s, and dementia. Sleep disorders are
also linked to stress. To benefit from healthy sleep there must be a normal
cycle of hormone production, especially cortisol. When things are properly
balanced, your cortisol levels should be highest in the morning (6-8 a.m.)
and lowest in the evening. As you fall asleep, cortisol levels should decline,
and then the body releases the sleep-enhancing hormones melatonin and
serotonin, providing a deep, recharging sleep.
However, for millions of people, stress interferes with this process. When
we are overwhelmed with stress, cortisol levels remain elevated late into the
night. This prevents deep, restful sleep. When this problem persists, the cycle
of cortisol production can turn itself upside down, causing a major imbal-
ance. In this case, cortisol levels are low in the morning, causing you to feel
depleted and exhausted. Often, when people are exhausted, they develop
an addiction to caffeine to give them energy. However, this is a false energy,
and the caffeine exacerbates the imbalanced cortisol cycle. During proper,
restful sleep, your cells remove toxins and repair themselves. It doesn’t take
much to put two and two together. If you are not sleeping properly, you are
decreasing cellular health and greatly increasing the risk of disease.
In short, the more stress you have in your life, the more dominant the
sympathetic nervous system is; therefore,
- the more your sleep quality will suffer,
- the more tired and fatigued you will be,
- the more inflammation will harm your cells, tissues, and organs,
- the more accelerated the aging process will be,
- the more you will experience negative emotions,
- the more likely you will be to experience restricted cognitive func-
tion, and - the more likely you will be to become sick and suffer from major illness.
Keep in mind that although there is bad stress, there is also good stress.
Certain types of stress are an important part of staying healthy, and your body
is dependent on good stress. Earlier in this chapter, we explored putting posi-
tive stress on the connective tissues to make them stronger and more durable.
An example of this lack of positive stress on the body is what happens to