Any competent doctor will tell you that you need to control your psycho-emotional state; if you can’t do it yourself, you can even be prescribed medications. Why is this so important? When stressed, the hormone cortisol is released. It affects the functioning of all body systems. Because of this, the functioning of the cardiovascular and nervous systems is disrupted, which can lead to deterioration in well-being, sleep problems, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
People who know how to cope with stress and avoid conflict situations tend to lead fulfilling lives. They have enough energy for work, friends and hobbies. Mentally balanced people have happy families, give birth to healthy children and raise them to be just as psychologically balanced.
The impact of stress on human health
Scientists have proven that the body of people who are constantly exposed to stress wears out 40% faster than those of those people who live in peace. Frequent stressful situations cause the following symptoms:
- Redness of the skin, various rashes;
- Feeling tired and exhausted even after a full sleep;
- Loss or gain of body weight;
- Constant feeling of anxiety;
- Tremor (shaking) of the limbs;
- Stool disorder.
If you do nothing, there is a high chance of developing the following pathological processes:
- Panic attacks;
- Depression;
- Heart failure;
- Stomach ulcer;
- Hypertension;
- Anorexia;
- Stress can also cause a decrease in sex drive in both women and men.
Sleep as the basis for well-being
Adequate rest and healthy sleep are the first rules of a stable psyche. A well-rested person is more resistant to stress. The norm is considered to be 7-8 hours of sleep (and at least 9 hours if a person trains hard or works on his feet).
If there is not enough sleep, the stability of the nervous system decreases. You've probably observed how small children become capricious when they are tired and want to sleep. A similar condition is observed in adults who regularly do not get enough sleep - it becomes difficult for them to control their emotions, they feel irritation and aggression.
To improve the quality of your sleep, be sure to create a comfortable sleeping environment in your bedroom - darken the room, ventilate it before bed, and try to make the room quiet. Maintain a sleep schedule - try to go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time every day and not deviate too much from this schedule, even on weekends. If these measures do not help, contact a neurologist or somnologist. Your doctor will help you improve your sleep and quality of night's rest.
Meditation and psychotherapy, their impact on health
Meditation is a great way to cope with depression and stress without medication.
The effect of meditation on the body is:
- Improving brain function. It has been scientifically proven that a course of meditation helps restore brain cells;
- Reducing the risk of developing heart disease;
- Eliminate feelings of anxiety;
- Developing mental resistance to stress;
- Increasing immunity and strengthening the body's defenses.
Scientists from Washington conducted an interesting study. 15 colleagues from one enterprise voluntarily took part in it. Before the rehabilitation course, each of the volunteers underwent a stress resistance test. It turned out that 14 out of 15 workers live in constant stress and cannot effectively cope with nerve-wracking situations.
The workers completed an eight-week meditation course under the supervision of a specialist - and a repeat test showed that the workers became much calmer and learned to control their emotions. Psychotherapy also shows good results - it helps solve problems and combat anxiety.
Hair and skin restoration
Some COVID-19 survivors report skin problems and severe hair loss. These effects are not unique to coronavirus: the same thing can happen during other severe infections like the flu, or even months after them. One of the main reasons is psychological stress. High levels of stress hormones cause hair follicles to enter a resting state, causing hair to fall out. Stress hormones also stimulate the sebaceous glands to work harder and slow down skin repair, leading to or worsening acne, psoriasis, rosacea and eczema. Fever during an infection is a physical stress for the body, which leads to the same consequences for the skin and hair as psychological stress. Fighting the virus prevents the immune system from fighting harmful bacteria on the skin.
- Consultation with a dermatologist and trichologist - whether skin problems and hair loss are associated with fever during an infection, stress or something else, the diagnostic procedure is still the same. A visit to a specialist who will prescribe the necessary tests and, if necessary, send you for examination to an endocrinologist who will prescribe suitable medications and cosmetics.
- Mask hygiene - the mask must be clean: if it is not disposable, it must be washed after each use. It is worth giving up makeup so as not to stain the mask, and in general reduce the amount of products that you apply to your face under the mask. However, you should not forget about moisturizing: it softens the mechanical friction of the tissue against the skin, and also helps restore the barrier function of the skin, the violation of which is associated with acne and contact dermatitis.
- Taking care of your mental health - The disease can cause long-term mental health effects, from panic attacks to PTSD. If you are often bothered by anxiety, apathy or other symptoms, you should make an appointment with a neurologist. The doctor will conduct an examination and, if necessary, prescribe treatment.
How to learn to control your psycho-emotional state?
How to maintain health and increase stress resistance?
- Don't take on several things at once. Complete every task you start without being distracted by extraneous factors. If your job does not allow you to do only one thing, make a schedule for the priority of tasks and, in the time allocated for a task, do only it.
- If you are nervous about a situation, ask yourself if there is something you can do. If not, then you need to come to terms with the fact that this situation and its result are beyond your control and try to distract yourself with something else. If you can, no need to worry, just do it.
- Try to develop independent self-esteem. Of course, listening to a negative assessment and scolding is unpleasant - but, if you think about it, this assessment has nothing to do with you. This is just the opinion of another person, which can be taken into account if the person is important to you, but should not be taken as an objective reality. Evaluate yourself.
- Set realistic goals for yourself. Not the easiest, but achievable. When determining the deadline for completing a task, reserve 15-20% of the time for force majeure situations and the human factor, then delays will not unsettle you.
- Light physical activity helps stabilize the psycho-emotional state - nothing calms you down like a light jog or swimming.
- Go to bed no later than 11 pm, try to sleep at least 8 hours.
- Organize your workplace in such a way that it is pleasant to be there and easy to find everything you need.
- Eat the right foods. For the stability of your psycho-emotional state, it is very important to eat a balanced diet. B vitamins are especially important.
- At least once a week, do something that makes you happy. Meet with friends, dance, eat delicious food, play computer or board games.
If nothing helps, and you feel that it is difficult for you to cope with stress on your own, contact a specialist; you may have depression. In this case, you need qualified treatment.
Erectile dysfunction (erectile dysfunction) - symptoms and treatment
Which doctor should I contact?
If you have erectile dysfunction, you should consult a urologist-andrologist. Self-treatment is unacceptable, as this can significantly worsen the condition.
Oral phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors for the treatment of erectile dysfunction
A real revolution in the treatment of potency disorders was made by phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, which have an effect on nitric oxide. This substance prevents a decrease in the tone of the veins of the penis and, therefore, improves erection. The name of the miracle drug “Viagra” was prepared a long time ago and was waiting in the wings for several years. This capacious and pleasant name translates as “the power of the huge Niagara Falls.” The hour came in 1993, when an American accidentally discovered an outstanding side effect of a new drug for lowering blood pressure - sildenafil citrate. The drug was very quickly introduced into widespread clinical practice and won first place among many pharmacological agents for the treatment of erectile dysfunction. New generations of PDE5 inhibitors followed. These drugs increased their clinical effect and minimized side effects. First of all, these are Levitra (vardenafil) and Cialis (tadalafil). The drugs can improve erection in many forms of erectile dysfunction, even with low levels of testosterone in the blood of men.[11]
Other drugs to treat erectile dysfunction
Now a little about raising testosterone levels in the body. Research in this area has been going on for many decades, but a real breakthrough has not yet occurred. Testosterone does not want to accumulate in the male body; in addition, the drugs are expensive and have many side effects. Of these, we can highlight “Nebido” - a medicine for intramuscular administration and “Androgel”, which must be rubbed daily into the skin. The active use of testosterone drugs and anabolic steroids is complicated by the widespread use of drugs from this group in bodybuilding and other strength sports, which makes it impossible to fully control their use and distribution.[12]
Psychotherapy
For most forms of erectile dysfunction, psychosexual therapy is of great importance, as well as lifestyle correction, elimination or reduction of unfavorable life factors. For advice, you should consult a psychotherapist.
Mechanical devices for the treatment of erectile dysfunction
Vacuum constrictor therapy (VCT) plays a certain role in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. The main mechanism of this type of therapy is to create negative pressure (vacuum) on the cavernous bodies of the penis using special devices. Vacuum devices provide adequate erection in 60% of cases.[14]
Surgical treatment of erectile dysfunction
Surgical treatment for erectile dysfunction is used when conservative means have been exhausted:
- the creation of an anastomosis (anastomosis) between the epigastric artery and the lateral artery of the phallus is performed when this artery is narrowed;
- operations on the veins of the penis are performed in case of violation of the veno-occlusive apparatus;
- penile prosthesis (implantation of prostheses) is the final stage of treatment of erectile dysfunction when other methods are ineffective. This technique allows you to achieve results (full erection) in 70-80% of cases.[15]
Shock wave therapy (SWT), magnetic laser therapy (MLT), ozone therapy and prostate massage have no proven clinical effectiveness in the treatment of erectile dysfunction and the reasons for their use are purely commercial.
Diet and physical activity
A balanced diet and physical activity play an important role in the prevention and treatment of erectile dysfunction.
Physical exercises are aimed at improving blood circulation in the pelvic organs of a man (especially in people with a sedentary lifestyle), improving blood flow to the penis and testicles, where testosterone is produced, which is necessary for a full erection.
The exercises are the simplest: walking - at least 6 thousand steps per day, squats (at least 50 times a day). Strelnikova’s urological complex of breathing exercises showed a good effect. Some exercises from yoga practice are also used: janu shirshasana, paschimotanasana, uttanasana, baddha konasana, dhanurasana.
Massage
For treatment and prevention, massage of the pelvic and pubic areas is quite effective. Massage perfectly activates the vascular tone of the male genital organs.
Treatment with folk remedies
Various herbal preparations are interesting in terms of mild stimulation and accumulation of one’s own testosterone. These are the Altai “Red Root”, the African “Vuka-Vuka” and “Yohimbe”, the Thai “Butea Superba” and other natural remedies. However, the effectiveness rate of these agents is unclear, and clinical trials have not been adequately conducted.[13]
