Yes, a chiropractic adjustment has an indirect impact helping us feel less stressed, however an adjustment is not a direct cure for stress. That depends on what is causing your stress in the first place!
How does chiropractic adjustments help us reduce stress?
Chiropractic adjustments address spinal misalignments and associated nerve interferences between the brain and the body, which can affect how well our nervous system functions. Stress can keep the sympathetic nervous system in “fight or flight” mode. A chiropractic adjustment promotes parasympathetic (our “rest-and-digest” system) activation over sympathetic (our “fight-or-flight” system) activation. When our nervous system is able to function more effectively, regulation of stress responses is improved, thus reducing stress.
Furthermore, chiropractic adjustments help decrease physical symptoms associated with stress, such as pain, nerve irritation, and increased muscle tension. Did you know that stress is commonly held in the neck and shoulders? Consequently, the reduction in muscle tension and pain will also improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety.
Conclusion
While a chiropractic adjustment cannot help you to get rid of your stressors, it can most definitely help you to regulate yourself better! During seasons of high stress, we usually encourage our patients to come in more often to help them achieve some level of self care and feel more comfortable in their bodies.