Stress Happens
We all experience stress whether it is physical, mental, and emotional stress. How we deal with it is important for our overall health.
Let’s Define Stress
Stress is your body’s response to a threat, real or perceived. Stress can come from physical, mental, emotional, or environmental stressors. Short-term stress, or acute stress, can be good because it allows the body to become more resilient. Long-term stress, or chronic stress, is detrimental to the body contributing a wide array of poor health conditions. Chronic stress is something that is hard to avoid in our modern day world which is why it is so important for us to learn how to manage our stress in a healthy way so our body can stay strong!
The Role of Cortisol
Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. When the body senses a stress it activates your sympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”) which starts to release a cascade of hormones that signal the production of cortisol. Cortisol will increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels, so you can have the resources to “fight the tiger” or “flee the tiger.” However, in our modern society, we’re never finished with our “tiger”. This leads to long term elevated cortisol which can negatively effect the cardiovascular system, metabolism, blood sugar regulation, digestion, circadian rhythm, immune system, mental health, hormone balances and more.
Health Impacts
Insulin and Blood Sugar
When the body triggers the release of cortisol under stress, the cortisol affects insulin, the hormone that helps regulate blood sugar. Cortisol increases blood sugar levels leading to increased insulin levels. However cortisol makes the muscles and liver resistant to listening to insulin, driving blood sugar levels higher. Overtime, the body becomes insulin resistant which can lead to diabetes.
Hormones and Weight Gain
If the body is under stress, it is worried about surviving, not reproducing or metabolizing food. As a result, production of the thyroid and sex hormones slows down. Lower thyroid hormones can lead to weight gain. Lower sex hormones increases the chance of infertility issues. Stress can also elevate the hormone ghrelin which is an appetite craving hormone leading to increased cravings and desire to eat resulting in unwanted weight gain.
Gut Health and Digestion
The body does not prioritize some functions, like digestion, when under stress. Blood is diverted away from the digestive tract leading to slower movement and breakdown of food which can lead to constipation, diarrhea, or both. Chronic stress sends signals to the gut that disrupts the balance of the gut microbiome that can lead to increased sickness, mood swings, and more.
Cardiovascular Health
When under stress, the body wants the muscles to be able to respond quickly to the stressor. This means increasing blood flow. To do that, blood vessels narrow, heart rate and blood pressure become elevated, and contractions and overall output of the heart increases. Under chronic stress, this is happening all the time putting strain on the heart and cardiovascular system. This increases the risk of cardiovascular events such as hypertension, atherosclerotic plagues, irregular heart beat, and heart failure.
How You Can Handle Stress
Breathe Intentionally - Practice taking deep breaths. Start with this intentional breathing for just one minute. Slowly, in and out through the nose. This helps calm the mind and reduce blood pressure, heart rate, and cortisol.
Move - Walking, yoga, stretching, strength training, running, hiking, biking, anything that moves the body. This helps release ‘feel good’ hormones and help build resilience to stress.
Eat Whole Foods - The body knows how to get what it needs from foods in their whole form and whole foods offer the nutrients the body needs. If feeling stressed, try foods like nuts, seeds, spinach, broccoli, tomatoes, kiwi, and avocados.
Practice Gratitude - The mind is naturally drawn to focus on the negative. Each day think of 3 things from the day that you are grateful for. This will help train the mind to focus more on the positive aspects.
Schedule the Day - Think of what you WANT to have time for each day and what you NEED to do. Sit down and write out a schedule with times for each activity. The thought and planning to ensure you do activities you enjoy will help deal with stress of having too much to do.
Get Outside - Take a walk around the block, read under a tree, work in the garden, or have lunch outside. Getting time in natural daylight helps reduce perceived stress and cortisol levels. The exposure to daylight also helps set our circadian rhythm helping to sleep better which helps deal with stress.
Volunteer - Give your time or share your talents with others. Serving others is shown to provide a buffer against daily stresses. Volunteering also helps give you a sense of purpose and meaning which is very important for mental health.