Stress can be a good thing. It can save our life, help finish a project and force us to make a decision. Stress is induced by triggers or fears which are helpful on a short-term basis.
An example would be if you were driving on the highway and you blew a tire. The trigger would be the loud pop and your car veering out of your lane. Your stress response hormone, adrenaline, would allow you to instantly recognize danger and help you safely roll onto the side of the road in mere seconds. After you sense danger is out of the way, your heart rate and anxiety levels start to stabilize and adrenalin is no longer gushing through your body. Now you are left with the aggravation of having to change the tire, which is more of a hassle than dangerous. Your stress response hormone, cortisol rears it’s head as it provides us with motivation to solve a problem or face an issue as it feels unpleasant and we want it to go away. Once the tire is changed and the problem is solved, we drive off feeling a sense of relief that our crisis is over and cortisol is no longer required.
After this experience a recovery period of our stress hormones is required, therefore, you may feel fatigued with the need of a rest. You may also experience cravings as blood sugar is low and brain chemicals are reduced. Most people report sugar cravings during this period as it is a quick way to recover from the stress and low energy.
Now this is all fine and dandy if we encounter these situations once or twice a month as they can be easily managed. However, in today’s fast-paced world that is not the case. We are bombarded by stressors on a regular basis whether it is our environment, workplace, relationship, financial situation, social issues or all of them. After some time our normal coping mechanisms start to break down and our hormone levels are completely out of whack. Chronic stress and chronic multi-tasking will result in physical and psychological consequences.
It has been discovered that chronic stress compromises our immune system, damages brain cells and strains our cardiovascular system. This potentially can result in regular bouts of cold and flus, “foggy thinking” and increasing our risk of cardiovascular diseases. Prolonged stress also causes disruptions in our digestive system. Have you ever been so nervous that you ended up with diarrhea or ulcers?
Psychologically, we come to feel that we will never overcome all of our problems or complete all our responsibilities. This overwhelming sense of feeling out of control will result in burn out, anxiety or depression. Our hormones play a key role in how well and how long we can cope with all the stressors we are faced with. Our hormones continually adjust themselves to help us through whatever task we are faced with. Eventually our hectic lifestyle causes hormonal havoc bringing symptoms to the surface. “Chronic elevated in cortisol, day after day after day, also breaks down muscle and bone, slows healing and normal cell replacement, and impairs digestion, metabolism, and mental function, among other things.” – The Hormone Makeover, Donna White. It is important to acknowledge these symptoms as we tend to drudge on, ignoring the small warnings our bodies give us.
The overload of the hormone, cortisol will interfere with the functioning of other hormones which will become noticed through moodiness, decreased energy and insomnia. Hormonal imbalance not only results in unstable moods or behavior changes but weight gain. Anyone with a thyroid issue can understand the battle with weight management.
Cortisol overload also contributes to weight-gain as it triggers appetite and cravings for carbs and sugary treats. “Cortisol also sends a potent signal to abdominal fat cells (those in your belly region) to store as much fat as possible – and hold on to it.” – (The Cortisol Connection Diet, Shawn Talbott. PH.D). The foods we crave to ease our stress and bring us comfort are usually the ones that are worse for us in terms of weight-gain and digestive issues. Physical activity assists in weight-loss and promotes positive moods, however, being so overwhelmed fatigue or the on-coming headache will prevent any treadmill attempts.
As our happy hormone, serotonin, dips we feel our mental stamina and moods bottom out. This leads us seeking out ways to bring us back to life. The first and most convenient method is through food. However with our cortisol level high and serotonin low, we don’t have the energy for self-control or rationale around food. Running into this situation daily it is easy to understand how weight-gain can start becoming an issue.
We must also keep in mind that sometimes stress is self-generated such as making every little annoyance or obstacle a catastrophe. Worse case-scenarios rarely happen, therefore, we need to realize that extreme anxiety or worry is detrimental to our health and physiological state and probably not helpful to the situation either. If you are feeling that almost everything now is causing a higher-than-normal strong stress response, you could be dealing with an exhausted or depleted hormone. Fortunately today hormones are coming into the light and attention of physicians and health practitioners but seek out a medical profession that is more in tune how you “feel” and not just interested in you rattling off a few symptoms.
Managing stress by eating right, finding time to recover and relax and exercising will decrease weight-gain, fight off stress-related diseases and enhance your moods.
No comments:
Post a Comment