The Biological Importance of Relaxation and Exercise for Carers.



It has long been felt that being a carer can affect one’s health and wellbeing due to chronic (long term) stress, even making one more susceptible to a range of conditions including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, arthritis, type-2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s, certain cancers, gum disease, frailty and decline in bodily functions due to over-inflammation in the body. I recently found a scientific study[1] (done back in 2003) that looked at this.
The researchers focussed on the production of Interleuken-6 (IL-6), which is part of the body’s immune response when faced with certain pathogens, in Carers. Interleukin is a protein that white blood cells use to destroy pathogens. While IL-6 can reduce inflammation, too much of it can also raise inflammation – it’s role in autoimmune diseases is quite profound due to its over-production.
This study looked at the relationship between chronic stress and IL-6 production in 119 men and women who were carers for a spouse with dementia and 106 non-carers, with a mean age of 70 years. When the fine balance of IL-6 production is affected due to chronic stress then raised levels can produce the serious health issues listed above. Sustained over-production of IL-6 is directly caused by depression, negative emotions and stressful experiences generally, when the stress hormones are over-generated.
The finding of this study was that carers’ rate of increase in IL-6 was on average four times as large as that of non-carers. Thus, chronic stress can accelerate the risk of age-related disease, bringing forward these issues by around 15 years compared to non-carers, they found.
Also, when someone stopped being a carer (e.g. after death of their cared-for) the production of IL-6 did not return back down to normal levels, even after three years; possibly due to the psychological stress of bereavement and grief, keeping stress levels high, via high cortisol levels. High anxiety and stress levels also place one at greater risk of infection[2].
This study has implications beyond caregiving; it suggests that other chronic stressors may also accelerate age-related increases in IL-6, and its severely-damaging effects on the body.
Thus, it is important for carers to take time out for self-care, doing activities that help them to relax, to be with others socially and to undertake exercise; from walking to being in the gym as well as Yoga, Pilates, Zumba and Qigong, the last four are available with Harrow Carers. In fact, anything that helps you to relax can be highly beneficial and help reverse, or moderate, the health association outlined in this article.
[1] If you wish to read more about this study: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1531903100#
[2] Research on Anxiety and Stress on production of IL-6: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4361085/