Prayer Profoundly Impacts the Body — Here’s How
By Movieguide® Contributor
God made prayer to have a calming and comforting affect on our body. Here’s what’s happening that causes us to destress when we pray.
“When you pray, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for calming the body down…” explained the “Holy and Hormonal” podcast. “The hypothalamus receives the message and signals to the adrenal glands through the HPA axis to stop producing adrenaline and cortisol, the two hormones responsible for activating the fight-or-flight response.”
“Your body doesn’t know the difference between real, anticipated and imagined stress,” the podcast continued. “That means that it can’t tell whether you’re about to fight a bear, running late for a meeting or worried about a future event.”
READ MORE: THIS ACTOR WON’T GIVE UP DAILY PRAYER TIME: ‘MOST IMPORTANT THING’
Some of the body’s responses to lowered adrenaline and cortisol levels are a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and reduced stress hormones, and when we pray, oxytocin — one of the “feel good” chemicals — is released, bringing us feelings of safety and connection.
Perhaps these responses and feelings of calmness and peace are why a 2023 study found that 87% of Americans had prayed over the past year even as the rate of those who profess they are Christians continues to drop. It may also help explain why the prayer app Hallow has been such a smash hit, receiving hundreds of millions of downloads. As the world becomes more chaotic and stressful, people are turning to anything and everything they can for peace, and thankfully, the Lord is often their refuge.
The Lord also knew that prayer had such a profound impact on our peace, which is part of the reason why He constantly encourages us to pray as much as possible.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to the Lord,” Paul wrote in Philippians 4:6-7.
READ MORE: TIM TEBOW EXPLAINS HOW PRAYER CONNECTS US ‘TO THE SOURCE OF LIFE’
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