Let’s talk about stress! We all know prolonged stress isn’t great for our health, but it’s something we tend to push aside and ignore until unpleasant symptoms reveal themselves. Stress is unavoidable, but managing stress is within your reach and control. Choosing peace, as a lifestyle, is actually a better way to live (especially when it comes to promoting longevity and wellness).
This blog is a three part series:
I discuss how stress manifests and the impact it has on our body.
I write about the different kinds of stressors we face to bring awareness of sources of stress.
I offer insights on researched backed tools to help you manage and lower the stress in your life.
What Happens in the Body When You’re Stressed
Stress is defined as what the body and mind do when exposed to internal and external stressors.
When exposed to stressors, the adrenal glands (located just above the kidneys) are signaled to make hormones like cortisol, adrenaline/epinephrine, and noradrenaline/norepinephrine. When signaled, these hormones help you to respond to stress by releasing stored sugar into the blood for fast energy, increasing heart rate, heightening the senses, and preparing the body to respond efficiently to the perceived threat.
Short term stress can be beneficial in certain situations as it promotes alertness, focus and keeps us motivated.
The problem occurs when we allow ourselves to live in stress long-term. Prolonged elevation in stress and cortisol affects energy, hormones, weight, mood, and more. Activation of the stress response is actually linked to 75 to 90% of human diseases, and studies show that stress-related disorders have a strong association with the development of autoimmune disorders.
Diseases strongly linked to stress and adrenal dysregulation include irregular and painful menstrual cycles, mood disorders, autoimmune disease, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and cardiovascular disease.
How Stress Manifests
Stress presents in different forms unique to each individual. Here are some common stress manifestations to watch out for:
Low energy
Loss of interest
Low libido
Lack of focus
Forgetfulness
The feeling of not having control
Headaches
Sleep disturbances
Pain, including neck and shoulders
Overeating or diminished eating
Substance abuse
Skin related issues-hive and rashes
Acne
Upset stomach
Easily angered or emotionally triggered
Stress, Inflammation, and Chronic Disease:
Chronic stress results in the body being flooded with ongoing release of stress hormones that induce body wide inflammation. In addition, stressful events can motivate unhealthy food choices and other lifestyle choices like alcohol consumption, smoking, and a lack of physical activity that can further contribute to chronic inflammation and chronic diseases.
When cortisol and epinephrine are elevated and repeatedly triggered to surge from chronic stress, this can contribute to damage to blood vessels and arteries and increases in blood pressure.
Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also lead to persistent elevations in blood sugar. This contributes to increased abdominal (visceral) fat, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes over time.
Chronic stress also causes harmful changes in the brain which can have wide-reaching effects on cognitive function and mental health.
Stress and Weight
Chronic inflammation caused by excess cortisol and glucose production can, over time, increase abdominal fat, lead to overeating, and interfere with physical activity by causing joint pain and fatigue. The combination of factors can lead to weight gain and metabolic disorders such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Long term stress and elevated cortisol levels can also cause our appetite-regulating hormones to be out of balance. Leptin is the hormone that signals the brain when we are full, while ghrelin signals when we are hungry. Imbalance of these hormones can increase appetite, especially for foods high in sugar, fat, and salt.
Stress and Sex Hormones
High cortisol levels can disrupt estrogen production. Low estrogen levels can result in disruption to menstrual cycles, anovulation (a lack of ovulation), decreased sex drive, bone loss, migraines, and an increased risk of depression. Continued low estrogen places women at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, skin changes, and osteoporosis.
High estrogen levels, on the other hand, can directly increase cortisol levels by increasing cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) concentration. Women taking oral birth control medication are at increased risk of developing high cortisol levels because of this.
Stress and mood
In a stressful state, cortisol levels are initially elevated. Serotonin deficiency can occur when cortisol is elevated for long periods of time, leading to symptoms of depression. Dysregulated serotonin can also cause anxiety, insomnia, and apathy to develop.
After the initial elevation in cortisol, the adrenal glands eventually become fatigued, leading to cortisol deficiency. Cortisol deficiency is also associated with irritability, apathy, and depression. Other conditions associated with depression include thyroid disorders, sleep disorders, genetic factors, and/or sex hormone dysregulation.
Stress and Sleep
Chronic stress disrupts the sleep-wake cycle. When people experience stress, they are more likely to have trouble falling and staying asleep at night. Stress can reduce deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, both important for maintaining mental and physical health.
Likewise, insufficient sleep is associated with increased cortisol and hyperarousal of the nervous system.
American adults report sleeping an average of only 6.7 hours a night, however it is recommended for adults to get 7-9 hours of sleep nightly. Adults who sleep less than eight hours nightly report higher stress levels than those who sleep at least eight hours. (
Stress and Gut Health
Cortisol, released in response to stress, has a profound effect on the gastrointestinal system and has been shown to exacerbate the following conditions: Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease and Ulcerative colitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) and other gastrointestinal conditions.
Additionally, Studies have shown stress can alter the microbiome's composition an imbalance in the good and bad microbes within the gut. This can significantly affect the microbiome's functioning.
Increased intestinal permeability, or "leaky gut," may be another result of stress. Leaky gut may allow unwanted particles to enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation in the body.
Stress and Autoimmune disease
Autoimmune diseases affect more than 24 million Americans spanning over 100 varieties. Autoimmune conditions are diseases in which the body's own immune system produces proteins called autoantibodies that signal immune cells to target and destroy the body's own tissues, mistaking them as foreign invaders.
The tissues that the immune system attacks vary depending on which autoimmune condition a person has. For example, in Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, whereas, in rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system attacks certain joints.
Several factors, including genetics, toxins, gut health imbalances, inflammation, hormone imbalances, and stress, can contribute to autoimmune diseases.
The hormones that get released during the stress response can cause immune dysregulation leading to excess inflammation and can result in conditions such as autoimmune disease. Studies show that 80% of people report unusual emotional stress prior to developing an autoimmune condition.
Evidence also indicates that stress-induced gastrointestinal dysfunction (like leaky gut) may influence the development of autoimmunity.
Conclusion
As described above, stress can have profound impacts on the body including deregulation in inflammation, weight, sex hormones, stress, mood, sleep, gut health, and autoimmunity. It is important to recognize and address the signs of stress in your body which can empower you to take steps to integrate physical, emotional, and social strategies that keep your body in balance. Seeking professional help when needed is important for managing stress and avoiding long-term health impacts.
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