The effect of stress on physical performance:

Stress is a body response to physical, mental, or emotional pressure, causing chemical change in the body such as the cortisol which activates the Fight-or-Flight mood. Cortisol is a chemical responsible for rising blood pressure, heart rate, and a sense of tension.

Physical Stress and performance:

In fact, stress is a double edged sword, whereas physical stress can be beneficial in your sports activity, for example if you are lifting weights or body building, the weight or the resistance put stress on the muscles to reach the hypertrophy or muscle strength.

In this process, the fibers and bones are damaged, which makes the body direct higher amounts of nutrients to these areas, to remodel and rebuild stronger and bigger ones.

But, what would happen if you exceed your limit?, maybe lifting more that 90% of your 1RM for multiple reps?

Well, in this case, you are apply more stress on your body than you need and here is what might happen as a result :

 

In the case of extreme physical stress, the recovery can take double the period, giving you more pain and muscle soreness, and if you don’t take enough time to fully recover, you cause your body overtraining which might fluctuate and cause a plateau phase and you will stop seeing results.

In the moment of the exercise itself, if you abuse your body by putting it through more stress than it can handle, you increase the risk of injuries considerably. To stay in the same example, let’s imagine you are doing a Romanian Deadlift with a weight heavier that your 1RM, the first risk is a weak grip that might cause joint dislocation or a muscle tear.Furthermore, as the load and effort increases, the weight starts pulling you down causing a bad posture and a shakier execution of the exercise. Being Reckless with loads, can cause irreversible damage such as disc herniation, and let me tell you, you really don’t wanna go through that.

3. It’s not just you!

Putting your body under more stress can put others in danger. Usually, physical activity is in a shared space, and any weight mishandling can risk the people around you.

Also, running extra miles more than you can can cause you shortness of breath, dizziness, or blurry vision, which might be a risk if you are driving or crossing a street.

Mental stress and performance:

Same as the physical stress, mental stress can be beneficial to some extent, the Cortisol that comes with stress and Adrenaline that comes from the physical activity can work together and give a boost of energy and focus helping you endure the workout longer, hence, a better performance with a lot of strength and agility.

Mental stress and performance can’t be all good, can it? Of course not! Mental stress and performance have that kind of love and hate relationship, so here are some of the Negative effects of mental stress on physical activity.

1. Lack of coordination:

Plagued by the fatigue alongside with a feeling of burnout, you might find yourself unable to coordinate your movements or control your posture correctly, add into that, stress delays reflexes as a result of a disconnection between the brain, muscles, and peripheral nerves.

Also, as a result of the high Cortisol and Adrenaline levels, the excitation and the responsiveness of some muscle groups is higher than others, making compound movements difficult to coordinate.

2. Delayed recovery :

Cortisol, Adrenaline, and other stress hormones, put the body in a Catabolism state, which basically shifts the body to breaking down nutrients to provide more energy to the body, which might affect its ability to use these nutrients in the muscle and bone recovery.

Furthermore, the disturbed sleeping patterns delay the muscle recovery, as rest is a huge factor for the muscle build up, especially that this is a moment of Rest-And-Digest process, where most of the hormones related to the recovery are released.

Also, during this process, the macronutrients are better digested and absorbed by the body, giving the muscle the protein and amino acids it needs to fully recover.

3. Higher pain response:

Long term mental stress can cause high sensitivity to pain, chronic pain symptoms, as a result of the continuous delayed recovery.

Recent studies have shown that people with higher mental stress levels are more likely to report having chronic back pain, chronic knee pain, and neck pain that usually affect their day to day life and athletic performance and consequently decrease their productivity.

Tips to manage stress and have a better performance:

Although stress can have some sort of beneficial impact on an individual physical performance, the negative effect of stress can go as bad as irreversible causing injuries, build up of the lactic acid, or some sort of chronic pain as a result of muscle tension.

The good news is there are some techniques you can apply and adopt in your day to day life to help you reduce your stress level and consequently have a better performance as an athlete or active person.

1. Deep breathing exercises:

When you see someone panicking or going through a stressful situation, what is the first thing you say? it’s ‘Breath’

Breathing is the secret word! It increases the oxygen in blood, which switches the Autonomic system from a sympathetic division, Fight or Flight, to a parasympathetic division, Rest and Digest.

Try applying these rules, and whenever you feel stressed try sitting in a calm corner, meditate, or basically try taking deep breaths in an organized manner. You will feel a relief immediately, and in the long run, you will spot a remarkable decrease in your stress levels.

2. Adapt a good sleep pattern:

Sleep is the major reset tool for your brain and body. It helps it recover and rebuild its resources. Sleep is also the time when the body washes out toxins and unnecessary hormones and chemicals.

While asleep, blood pressure and heart rate drop to their resting levels and muscles relax and blood vessels dilate. All these offer biophysical feedback to the brain that signals ‘everything is fine’ which in turn will help the brain lower stress hormones and shut off the stress response pathways.

3. Talk About it:

Conversations help! Talking to trusted individuals that can validate your feelings while offering you feedback is almost the most important method to fight stress. Many mental problems ( including stress) thrive in silence.

Many studies have shown that loneliness and isolation increase the levels of stress and lead to developing unhealthy habits that may contribute to its severity. The National Institute of Aging has found that isolation increases the risks of heart disease and cognitive impairment.

So talking to your loved ones or to a trusted health personnel will help you off load your clogged brain and regulate your thoughts and even construct a recovery plan. Journaling is another way of expressing your worries and it’s a powerful way to gain clarity and identify solutions.

4. Find a Distraction:

While it’s important to immediately encounter challenges and have a consistently productive life, it’s always healthy to find recreational activities that can offer a healthy escape to regroup and organize your thoughts. For example, connection with your family and friends will build a sense of connection and their validation will offer a strong backup that will help you fight stress and gain purpose to move on.

Hobbies like playing music, reading, writing and painting help you focus and joyful activities that take your brain away from stressful thoughts.

Taking some time off to relax and focus will help you battle stress and come back with a stronger determination and a clearer mind and body that will function better and face challenges more efficiently.

Conclusion:

Stress can have a remarkable negative impact on your daily life, physical activity, and performance. To some extent, it can be beneficial, but overall, stress is a malware that would affect you in the long term if not well managed.

Furthermore, higher levels of stress can cause irreversible damage to your skin, body, brain, and physical performance, especially if you are an athlete.

Nevertheless, if dealt with correctly, you switch the effect and impact to a positive experience where you come out stronger, more focused, and more resilient.