Stress Awareness
When we think about stress we often relate to the picture above, that is feelings of overwhelm and struggle. Or anxiety and fatigue or mood issues. This might be when we are aware of feeling the effects of stress as they are obvious.
But we don't need to be feeling completely overwhelmed to be feeling stressed. And they are not always obvious.
Stress is often underrated and dismissed as a health condition. But it has great impact on your body and its ability to function well.
We can't always change the reasons why you are stressed but we can modify and help how you respond to these stresses. This will then help to build stress resistance. Helping you to respond to your stress in a more balanced way.
When you are feeling stressed, you release a product called Cortisol, the primary stress hormone. Cortisol's primary functions are to increase blood sugar, suppress the immune system, and aid in the metabolism of fats, proteins and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.
Cortisol is produced by your adrenal glands which sit above your kidneys. The adrenal glands produce many hormones to help regulate metabolism, blood pressure and stress response.
Some other side effects of cortisol are increased inflammation, suppressed gut function and suppressed reproductive system. These are more prevalent when there is ongoing or chronic stress symptoms.
It is normal to have fluctuating levels of cortisol throughout the day. We should have a peak early in the morning as this helps us to wake up. And be low at night time to allow melatonin release which helps us sleep. But when you are suffering ongoing stress and your mind is always going, then your cortisol peaks can be out of rhythm and cause sleep disturbances.
How does stress affect inflammation?
In short bursts cortisol will suppress inflammation and help the immune system. But with chronic and ongoing stress the opposite is true, inflammation increases and the immune system is weakened.
How does stress affect the gut?
Increased production of cortisol turns off the gut function as it tricks the body into thinking it is not a priority. This will impact on your digestive enzyme production and lower your ability to absorb and process nutrients from your food.
With a lowered digestive function, it impacts the microbiome which then lowers your immune function. (That is because a large portion of your immunity is within the gut).
How does stress affect sleep?
I have already mentioned the peaks and the importance of having lower cortisol at night time. This allows your sleep hormone (Melatonin) to be produced and keeps us in a normal circadian rhythm to have a normal sleep pattern.
How does stress affect the reproductive system?
While cortisol is needed for early/mid follicular stage, too much can suppress other reproductive hormones like progesterone and estrogen. This can lead to heavy periods, no periods, a lack of ovulation and a lower libido.
So what can you do to lower the effects of stress?
Well, the best option is to reduce your stressors but this is not always possible. Adding in some of the following actions can help:
Deep breathing
Meditation
Gratitude Journal
General Journalling
Relaxing with a warm bath with essential oils
Staying off social media and screen time (especially 30 minutes before bedtime)
Get lost in a book
Catching up with friends
But if you have been experiencing stress, anxiety or sleep issues for some time and have not been able to make a change, then maybe it’s time to seek some help.
The 6 week Stress Less Program looks at your nutrient intake to ensure you have the right amounts for a healthy stress response. It also looks at nutrients for sleep and mood.
It includes 2 herbal treatments that are made especially for you and can help to improve your stress response. You receive weekly education to help you better understand your triggers and knowledge for long-term stress management.
The program includes:
1 x initial consultation
1 x second follow-up consultation
2 x standard consultations
2 x 200ml herbal treatments (individually made for you)
Stress Less Guide
Weekly handouts
You can check out the program here