Heal Faster and Reduce Stress Levels during Surgery

Surgery can bring a lot of stress along with it. The thought of undergoing a surgery can bring worries on potential complications. Surgery no matter how trivial brings risk and requires adequate recovery time.

More often than not people who undergo a surgery are simultaneously facing stressful events in their life. There is an imminent health problem that requires surgery. This is stressful in its own right. Add to this the stress related to footing hospital bills and consultation charges. Thus, it is well established that surgery and the events surrounding it can be potentially stressful. The impact of stress related to surgery can have negative health effects and can also delay recovery times. However, on the brighter side, control of stress during times of surgery can improve the effects on health.

Research conducted by the University of Texas and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center studied large cohorts of men undergoing surgery for the initial stages of prostate cancer. The researchers chose this group since prostate cancer brings higher levels of stress in comparison with other diseases.

The men were divided into three groups. One set of patients learnt stress management techniques from a therapist. The other set of patients learnt an innovative technique known as ‘talk therapy’. The trial patients had to undergo sessions lasting sixty to ninety minutes on stress management or ‘supportive attention’. This was followed by a booster session before surgery. Patients belonging to the third group had no interventions in any form. The study proved that patients who were part of the sessions experienced less mood swings and an enhanced quality of life in comparison with patients who did not receive any behavioral intervention.

Patients belonging to all groups were assessed before each session. The assessments were carried out one month and one week before the surgery. They were also assessed on the day of the surgery. In addition, they were assessed post surgery at six weeks and subsequently six months. The study proved that patients who practiced stress management techniques before surgery had better chances of enhancing their physical functioning in comparison with patients belonging to the other cohorts. The quality of life too seemed to be better in the former. Patients who received therapy that was standard in nature performed better compared to those who received no kind of intervention.

This research highlights the link between the body and the mental processes. Experts are aware of this connection, but not to what extent. It is well known that the psychological state can affect the bodily state. The other research on the relation between the immune levels of the body and the time required for wound healing has also underlined the physical effects of stress.

Are you curious to know what stress management techniques these men learnt? They practiced simple ways to tackle stress related to surgery. These techniques can be learnt by practically everyone. It can be of great use to practice them to ease the stress levels during times of surgery. The techniques are listed below:

Breathing through the Diaphragm

Breathing exercises are an excellent way to de-stress and reverse the body’s responses to stress. These breathing techniques can be used for any stressful situation. They also serve as the body’s ‘first line of defense’ against the harmful effects of stress. Breathing techniques can be helpful to tackle surgery-related stress because they have the ability to stop or even reverse the changes related to physiology. These physiological changes can lower the immune levels in the body and delay the healing process.

Controlled, Soothing Imagery

Developing controlled and guided imagery in the mind can relax the mind. Soothing imagery can ward off fear related to a stressful image. The reasons for these positive effects are that mind gets habituated to these images. The mind associates these familiar images with feelings of calmness and relaxation. Hence, this technique is an important of the Stress Management Program. The men who were trained in these techniques were shown various images on the surgical day. They experienced a sense of relaxation right away. These included all the sounds and feelings from pre-operation, to the stay in the recovery room. It also included the phase when the patient was no longer under the influence of anesthesia.

Cognitive Treatment

Nearly all aspects related to a stressful event stem from the mind. What you think is what you experience. Feeling a sense of loss of control, inability to anticipate the expectations from your end, and a negative approach toward life can deteriorate levels of stress already existing. Cognitive treatment or therapy can fight those factors related to stress are cognitive in nature. Therefore, this was part of the stress management program for these patients. Particularly, they were taught specific skills to deal with negative thinking. In addition, they also learnt ways to set expectations that were realistic. This helped all patients in this cohort to handle the effects of stress related to the recovery or healing stage.

Surgery is a stressful due to a number of reasons. But learning effective ways to combat the stress levels can lead to a speedy recovery.

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