In the mid-1960s, researchers discovered a very accurate indicator of stress called Heart Rate Variability (HRV). HRV is the natural rise and fall of heart rate in response to changes in breathing, blood pressure, hormones and emotions. It is also a precise reflection of the individuals ability to recover from stress. The greater the HRV, the healthier the person. Conversely, lower levels of HRV indicate higher levels of stress and a reduced ability to recover. Also, and most importantly for you, is that reduced HRV in a person can translate into additional stress on other body systems.Stress experienced by the teacher has a pronounced physiological effect on up to 80% of the bodys other systems. Many studies agree that teachers who experienced increased stress levels during their day had a significantly higher rate of serious symptoms even when the researchers took into account all of the standard risk factors. Some of these symptoms include: muscular tension and pain, gastrointestinal discomfort, raw emotions, hyperventilation, headaches, fatigue, weigh gain (or loss), premature signs of aging, and a greater occurrence of colds and other viral infections.The culprit in these problems seems to be the cascade of powerful neuro-chemicals that are released into the bloodstream as a normal response to stress. While stress can be short-term, the effects of these chemicals can last for days. Problems arise when the stress response is activated too often and the body can no longer support the constant Fight-or-Flight state accessed during the stress response.Now, for the good news. Research has also shown that you can improve your Heart Rate Variability very quickly--and, its as easy as breathing. Our goal with the Stress Nine-One-One for Teachers program is to provide a simple, yet powerful technique to improve your HRV and reduce the concentration of stress-induced chemicals, thereby, dramatically improving your ability to be more stress resilient. Its simple, its fun, and it only takes a few minutes each day! |
