The city of Detroit has once again, topped the list for the most stressed-out city. According to the latest study from WalletHub , Detroit ranks number 1 out of 180 cities across the United States.
I am really not surprised that Detroit tops the list because I see patients all the time with gut issues. And more often than not, the main problem behind it all is stress-related.
Now looking at this study, 39 key metrics were looked at. And Detroit came in:
- 1st for the highest poverty rate and
- 1st for the lowest average hours of sleep per night
- We took 2nd place for family stress and
- 2nd again for health and safety stress
- We placed 3rd for financial stress and
- 24th for work stress
Stress causes inflammation. And inflammation damages your cells.
If it’s left untreated, cells can break down in larger and larger numbers. And before you know it, you have a chronic or life-ending disease on your hands.
Now not all stress is bad. A little bit can help us be more alert and perform better. Back in the caveman days, stress triggered the “fight-or-flight” response, keeping us from being lunch for a hungry animal. But that threat rarely exists now.
Instead, stress comes in other forms. And if you have chronic stress, it can contribute to things like depression, headaches, and digestive disorders. It’s also linked to hypertension – high blood pressure and heart disease.
Stress will always be part of life so here are my prescriptions to lower it:
- Alleviate family stress by communicating and spending quality time with each other. You know I don’t always agree with my wife, but I always respectfully listen to what she has to say.
- To cope with work stress, identify the causes. Then list ways to handle the issue, maybe you need to establish boundaries, talk to your supervisor or avoid certain people or situations.
- Lastly, get 7-9 hours of sleep. And learn relaxation techniques like meditation, deep breathing exercises or mindfulness.
