Stress in neurological diseases

There are research studies that suggest that stress has a negative influence on neurological diseases. Stress increases damage to dopamine cells, which in turn leads to more severe symptoms. Acute stress most likely worsens motor symptoms, which include bradykinesia, freezing and trembling.

What is stress; it is emotional or physical tension or both. Stress can occur anytime, anywhere, during any event or situation that makes you frustrated, angry or nervous. Stress is a physiological response of the body in response to a challenge or demand. 

Says research.

What does my experience say? Hard to say. Because the disease is progressive, in the end everything does not get better. In any case, I know that speech and balance get worse when I get upset or nervous. What I have found is that when I get upset I can hardly make up an understandable word, not to mention a sentence. And that upsets me even more. In my head I always imagine it simply. And when I talk so confused and not understandable then my opposite looks at me as if he had eaten something bad. What I hate most is when the other person finishes the sentence for me or when I’m left in the middle of a sentence and my conversation partner simply turns his back on me. 

I prepare myself for planned conversations, I make notes and a plan of what I want to say. Telephone calls can often be stressful, sometimes you have a conversation even with someone who doesn’t know about the disease. The following applies to telephone calls:

  • Making notes and a plan
  • sit up straight, especially not while lying on the phone
  • possibly have pen and paper ready, avoid getting up, because this can lead to a fall
  • have something to drink
  • in the meantime, suck a lemon candy (in no case eucalyptus)

What is still noticeable under stress, the balance and walking. I think that these are two different things. It is more about walking, in my opinion. I have the feeling that I am then more “jumping around”. I think that this is an Ataxia thing. Fine motor skills are worse, I choke easily, I bite my tongue. 

I am MSA-C, what is it like with P patients? Probably different. Autonomic symptoms are unchanged for me, I have only noticed one thing – I can be also wrong – I easily get diarrhea when I am nervous.

What helps? Best is not to get excited. Yes, I know this is easier said than done, there are a million reasons to get stressed. But maybe it helps to change things that you can change and make peace with the things that you can’t change.

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