HEALTH & WELLBEING
BATTLING
STRESS
T
he importance of looking after our health and wellbeing has very much been in the spotlight in recent months. Though this is because of the threat to health posed by the pandemic, it has at least raised awareness among the population and encouraged many people to better care for their mind and body. Sadly, it has also been a very stressful time for many, including UK dental technicians, which presents new challenges in maintaining one’s health.
MENTAL IMPACT
Stress can have a number of detrimental impacts on individuals, their ability to work and their quality of life. For instance, high frequency or prolonged periods of stress can affect mental health quite severely. It can contribute to the symptoms of depression and cause significant behavioural changes (with increased risk of turning to smoking, alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism). According to Government figures, approximately one in four people in the UK experience a mental health problem at some point during their lives. The “Thriving at Work” document attempts to determine core standards for employers to implement within the workplace so as to support workers’ mental health. This is especially important given that 828,000 UK workers suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety according to the 2019/20 Labour Force Survey, amounting to a lost 17.9 million working days. As would be expected, this was up by more than 37% compared to 2018/19, when 602,000 workers were suffering - in turn leading to 12.8 million working days lost. In a profession like dental technology, where an already reducing number of technicians is reported regularly, loss of working days due to staff sickness could be of great concern.
PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS
This is not the only way in which stress can manifest. In terms of psychological distress and physical disease, stress has been associated with a higher risk of succumbing to acute respiratory illnesses like the cold virus, as well as the development of an autoimmune disease. There is also evidence to suggest that persistent stress can lead to long-term high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes, either directly or indirectly. In addition, stress has been associated with various cardiovascular diseases. This is
especially true among groups who are more socioeconomically disadvantaged. In all cases, factors related to stress like smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and overeating are believed to affect heart health. However, initial research has been conducted into whether there is a link between brain activity resulting from stress and cardiovascular disease. Published in The Lancet, the study suggests that amygdalar activity (responsible for emotional response) could be used to “independently and robustly” predict cardiovascular disease. Though this is a very interesting new field of study, the evidence so far is quite limited and further research is required to confirm the link and determine the exact mechanisms at play.
STROKE AWARENESS
This is all particularly relevant at this time of year, given that May is Stroke Awareness Month in the UK. There are two different types of strokes ischaemic and haemorrhagic. The former occurs when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood and therefore prevents oxygen from getting to the brain. Haemorrhagic strokes are usually caused by smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes, excessive alcohol intake or high blood pressure. Haemorrhagic strokes are less common, but they happen when a blood vessel within the skull bursts and causes bleeding into and around the brain, which is typically caused by high blood pressure. As stress has already been identified as one of the main risk factors of high blood pressure, reducing stress is an important step in minimising the risk of stroke.
LOWERING STRESS LEVELS
Consequently, it is essential to find effective management strategies for stress. These will vary greatly between individuals, day-to-day and business-to-business, but finding a healthy outlet that works for you and your staff is crucial. While many sources of stress - especially in recent times - may be out of your control, making small changes where you can will help. You might need to reorganise workstations, delegate caseload among colleagues or consider replacing materials or technology to streamline the daily workflow. Individuals may also find it useful to speak to friends in the industry who will likely be facing similar challenges and could offer simple solutions that have worked for them.
www.dentaltechnician.org.uk
Outside of the laboratory, being more active - whether going for a lunchtime walk or getting out the running trainers - will help to improve both physical and mental wellbeing. This should be supported by avoiding unhealthy habits like excessive alcohol and caffeine consumption and smoking, sticking to a balanced diet. Ultimately, it’s about working smarter, not harder. As the UK begins to return to some form of normality, it is important to prevent stress from impacting your health and that of your team wherever you can. For a chance to discuss this and many other relevant topics with like-minded colleagues, save the dates for DTS 2022 in your diary Friday 13th and Saturday 14th May 2022, Birmingham NEC, co-located with the British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show. For the latest information, please visit www.the-dts.co.uk, call 020 7348 5270 or email dts@closerstillmedia.com REFERENCES 1 Mental Health Foundation. Stress. https://www.mentalhealth.org. uk/a-to-z/s/stress [Accessed March 2021] 2 Health and Safety Executive. Mental health conditions, work and the workplace. https://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/mental-health.htm [Accessed March 2021] 3 Mental Health at Work. Thriving at work: the Stevenson/Farmer review of mental health and employers. October 2017. https://www. mentalhealthatwork.org.uk/resource/thriving-at-work-the-stevensonfarmer-review-of-mental-health-and-employers/?read=more [Accessed March 2021] 4 Health and Safety Executive. Work-related stress, anxiety or depression statistics n Great Britain, 2020. https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ causdis/stress.pdf [Accessed March 2021] 5 Health and Saefty executive. Health and safety at work. Summary statistics for Great Britain 2019. https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/ overall/hssh1819.pdf [Accessed March 2021] 6 Cohen S, Tyrrell DA, Smith AP. Psychological stress and susceptibility to the common cold. N Engl J Med. 1991 Aug 29;325(9):606-12. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199108293250903. PMID: 1713648. 7 Song H, Fang F, Tomasson G, et al. Association of StressRelated Disorders With Subsequent Autoimmune Disease. JAMA. 2018;319(23):2388- 2400. doi:10.1001/jama.2018.7028 8 British Heart Foundation. Stress. Information & support. Risk factors. Stress. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/risk-factors/ stress#:~:text=It's%20normal%20for%20your%20blood,body%20 cope%20with%20the%20situation. [Accessed March 2021] 9 Lantz PM, House JS, Lepkowski JM, Williams DR, Mero RP, Chen J. Socioeconomic factors, health behaviors, and mortality: results from a nationally representative prospective study of US adults. JAMA. 1998 Jun 3;279(21):1703-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.279.21.1703. PMID: 9624022. 10 Tawakol A, Ishai A, Takx RAP, Figueroa AL, Ali A, Kaiser Y, et al. Relation between resting amygdalar activity and cardiovascular event: a longitudinal and cohort study. The Lancet. February 2017. 289 (10071); 834-845 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S01406736(16)31714-7
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