Chronic Stress and Hormone Imbalance
Life is fast paced, with responsibilities, ambitions, and relationships swirling us around like tornadoes. When our peace of mind is disrupted, stress manifests, causing us to feel anxious, irritated, or physically and mentally uncomfortable. Our body is like an intricate machine, with a complex equilibrium of hormones that drives the machine and allows us to handle whatever life throws our way. While short-term stress can be a motivator, fostering resilience and growth, allowing us to develop skills, adapt and overcome obstacles, chronic stress can affect our hormone levels, negatively impacting our mental and physical health, causing our machines to become less efficient. Understanding how chronic stress affects our hormone levels is crucial for maintaining optimal health.
Stress is a physiological and psychological response to pressures that exceed an individual's physical or mental capabilities. Stress triggers the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis which releases cortisol and adrenaline, causing us to go into fight or flight mode. Adrenaline and cortisol are beneficial in preparing the body for immediate action, raising our heart rates and blood pressure, and increasing the availability of glucose for energy. Over time, however, when these hormones are chronically elevated, they can cause negative health outcomes. While the physical effects of stress are impactful, the emotional and social effects can infinitely continue the cycle of stress.
Detrimental Effects of Chronic Stress on Health
Burnout, Brain Fog and Mental Health
💥Chronic stress can lead to burnout and is directly associated with depression symptoms, anxiety, and PTSD which impacts the emotional well-being of an individual. It can impair memory and cognitive abilities which causes brain fog.
Weight Gain and Belly Fat
💥Weight gain is caused by stress impacting hormone levels, especially cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels are associated with increased abdominal adiposity (belly fat). Stress also affects behaviour, causing us to make unhealthy choices like binge eating and indulging in alcohol, resulting in further weight gain.
Impact on Immune Health
💥Chronic stress leads to a weakened immune system, causing us to become sick more often and making us vulnerable to infections and diseases like cancer. Unhealthy behaviour changes, like smoking, drinking alcohol and overeating, to cope with stress, further increases cancer risk.
Cardiovascular Strain
💥Adrenaline and cortisol raise heart rate and blood pressure. Overtime, this puts strain on the cardiovascular system, increasing the risk of hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes, further compounded by stress-induced unhealthy behaviours.
Stress-Related Gut Sensitivity
💥Due to the complex gut-brain connection, stress can cause changes in digestive motility and increased sensitivity, which can manifest as diarrhoea, constipation, or abdominal discomfort. Chronic stress can further exacerbate existing digestive conditions and alter the balance of the gut microbiome, impacting overall gut health.
How to Manage Stress Naturally
Natural Supplements for Stress
🌿Fish oil has been shown to reduce cortisol levels. Ashwagandha is the number one herb for stress, known as an adaptogen, it reduces anxiety and helps people adapt to stress.
Homeopathy for Stress
🌿Homeopathy offers a gentle and effective solution for stress and can help manage the negative effects of stress on the body. Common homeopathic remedies for stress and anxiety relief include arsenicum album, ignatia, natrum muriaticum, nux vomica, sepia, aconite, argentum nitricum and silica.
Prioritise Restful Sleep
🌿Maintaining a regular sleep-wake cycle is fundamental for regulating cortisol. To promote a more balanced cortisol rhythm, avoid caffeine for at least six hours before bedtime, and disconnect from electronic devices in the hour leading up to sleep.
Nourish your Body and Mind
🌿A nutrient-rich diet, abundant in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and pre/probiotics, supports both gut and mental health. Optimizing gut health has a large impact on mental health.
Embrace Regular Exercise
🌿Physical activity is a powerful tool for stress management and overall well-being. Aim for 150-200 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly.
Cultivate Mindfulness
🌿By practicing mindfulness, you are able to recognize stressful thinking and gain greater awareness of stress triggers to develop effective coping strategies. Techniques like meditation can significantly reduce stress and lower cortisol.
Harness the Power of Deep Breathing
🌿Deep breathing activates the body's relaxation response, counteracting the effects of stress. Practices like yoga, tai chi, and qi gong combine deep breathing with movement, enhancing their calming benefits.
Nurture Joy and Laughter
🌿Prioritizing your happiness is essential for managing stress. Engage in activities that bring you joy.
Strengthen Social Connections
🌿Meaningful relationships with friends and family provide emotional support and reduce stress. Cultivate healthy relationships by spending quality time with loved ones and practicing forgiveness and healthy conflict resolution.
Experience the Calming Influence of Animals
🌿Interacting with animals has been shown to lower cortisol levels and reduce stress. Whether you have a pet or simply enjoy spending time with animals, their presence can be therapeutic.
Embrace the Journey of Self-Improvement
🌿Addressing and resolving feelings of guilt, shame and inadequacy is a powerful way to enhance both life satisfaction and regulate cortisol levels. This may involve making positive changes in your habits, extending forgiveness to others, or practicing self-compassion and forgiving yourself.
Find Solace in Spirituality and Kindness
🌿For those with spiritual beliefs, faith and prayer can provide a sense of peace and help manage stress. Regardless of your beliefs, performing acts of kindness can positively impact cortisol levels and promote well-being.
While it is impossible to escape the stressors of life, we can find ways to overcome stress naturally, so that we can support our bodies and minds and be better equipped to deal with life’s challenges. Don’t be too harsh on yourself, use the above tips to reduce stress and trust that doing small steps everyday, consistently, will control cortisol levels and stress, and will create significant improvements overtime.