Breaking the Stress Cycle
Stress:
THE VICIOUS CYCLE
Stress is a commonly neglected but extremely important aspect of our health.
The reality of stress isn’t actually as complicated as the idea seems. The textbook definition of stress is "An organism’s total response to environmental demands or pressures.” More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response (medical dictionary online). Basically, stress is the physical response to any environmental stimuli, or change.
So, stress doesn't just refer to emotional or mental "distress," such as a difficult job or strained relationship. It can also result from type-A perfectionism, workaholism, lack of communication, or living in conflict with your inner truth. Our body can also be stressed by a diet high in sugar or processed foods, autoimmune disease, and even the blood sugar "rollercoaster" resulting from a seemingly "healthy" diet. See our free Healthy Foundations e-book for more information about these health basics.
Even good things taken to utter extremes can result in stress. Some stresses that would be considered "eustress", or positive stress, include exercise, healthy competition, and the birth of a new baby. All stressful events and positive in the right context but unequivocally a huge change for the body.
Even if you experience a healthy level of stress, if you do not give your body a chance to relax and repair, your health can suffer.
Stress feels incredibly pervasive in most of our lives, including mine! I'm a full-time student (currently pursuing my bachelor's degree in nursing), run Hearts for Health Nutrition with Kristen, and I also have 2 jobs. So, I am right there with you.
It feels so difficult to make changes in the way I respond to and handle stress, but I promise it is worth it. I have seen miraculous changes in my health from addressing this component! Read on to see how stress impacts your body and what to do about it.
How does stress affect the body?
The stress response is not, in and of itself, harmful to our health. It has a tremendous role in allowing humanity to survive up to this point. When the body recognizes a stress, such as an injury, inflammation, or emotional trauma, the adrenal glands will produce excitatory hormones, adrenaline and cortisol, to help us cope. To your body, any small stress might as well be running from a tiger! You might know this as the "fight or flight" response.
We need the stress response to wane so that the "rest and digest" mode of the nervous system can take over. When your body is in a parasympathetic or relaxed state, cortisol and adrenaline levels go down, heart rate decreases, and healing can occur.
Sympathetic
“FIGHT/ FLIGHT”
Parasympathetic
“REST + DIGEST”
How does the stress response affect our health?
#1. STRESS DIRECTLY PROMOTES AN AUTOIMMUNEATTACK ON THE TISSUES
When we have an autoimmune disease, the immune system's B cells (meant to make antibodies to foreign invaders) make antibodies to a tissue in the body, such as the pancreas or thyroid. They attach to the tissue and signal that it should be destroyed. Stress, blood sugar spikes, lack of sleep, and overexercising all promote the activity of Th17 cells (a set of pro inflammatory immune cells), which promote the autoimmune attack. To add insult to injury, regulatory Th3 cells (cells that promote self-tolerance) cannot keep this function in check when the body is under chronic stress.
How to improve regulatory T cell function:
Increasing endorphins (exercise, low-dose naltrexone)
Glutathione
My favorite Vitamin D supplement is Metagenics Vitamin D3 w/K2. This is a high-dose form so be sure to get your Vitamin D levels tested before supplementing. I aim for a level of Vitamin D between 50-70 ng/mL, so I change the frequency of my dosing based on season and lab results.
Glutathione is an extremely powerful antioxidant, and is shown to improve immune function in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients. My favorite is from Quiksilver Scientific.
#2. STRESS BREAKS DOWN THE INTESTINAL BARRIER
This often leads to increased food intolerances and increased intestinal permeability, also known as "leaky gut". The body will react to undigested proteins passing through the intestinal lining, mount an immune response to these foods. The release of these inflammatory mediators (read: cortisol) further weakens the barrier and worsens the "leaky gut".
#3. STRESS CHANGES YOUR BRAIN, PRIMING YOU FOR MENTAL ILLNESS
Under normal circumstances, neural stem cells will mature into neurons (active brain cells) or astrocytes (a type of glial cell). According to researchers at the University of California, chronic stress can cause these cells to mature into oligodendrocytes (myelin-producing cells). So essentially, you get less of the electrically active neurons and more protective cells. This is thought to be why chronic stress can have a negative effect on learning and memory:
Stress affects the way communication occurs in your brain at the cellular level.
#4. STRESS BREAKS DOWN THE BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER
The blood-brain barrier is a protective mechanism which separates the circulatory system (blood) from the extracellular fluid surrounding the brain. The external factor of stress is a critical component to the development of central nervous system disorders. Stress and high cortisol release weaken this barrier and can increase the likelihood of an infectious material, toxins, or drugs passing through the BBB.
"It is well known that inflammatory mediators in the blood destabilize [tight junctions] leading to barrier compromise..." (Li et al. 2009).
#5. REDUCES SEX HORMONE PRODUCTION
Chronically elevated cortisol levels (caused by high levels of stress on a daily basis) reduces sex hormone production and can lead to amenorrhea, anovulation, and hormonal imbalance.
Pregnenolone is the building block of many hormones in our body, including both sex hormones and cortisol. High levels of stress require lots of cortisol to fuel the body so much of the available pregnenolone is diverted to produce cortisol rather than sex hormones. Because there is less pregnenolone available, this can lead to decreased sex hormone production and in turn, symptoms of dysfunction such as weight loss resistance, anxiety, depression, hot flashes, mood swings, and even irregular or absent periods.
Personally, reducing my stress levels (both physical + mental) reversed my 3-year-long struggle with hypothalamic amenorrhea. I regained my period and hormonal health when I made these changes.
“One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a horse master. He told me to go slow to go fast. I think that applies to everything in life. We live as though there are not enough hours in the day but if we do each thing calmly and carefully, we will get it done quicker and with much less stress.”
— Viggo Mortensen
Modifying your lifestyle to promote a healthy stress response
Never fear, you don't have to stress about your stress! There are many ways to address the stressors in your life in a healthy, productive way. These include:
Meditation (even 5 minutes per day)
Yoga
Long walks
Taking time for silence and contemplation
Addressing emotional health
Prioritizing self-care
These are the three key habits I use to keep my stress in check in the craziness of daily life!
#1 MEDITATE WITH THE HEARTMATH INNER BALANCE SENSOR
Personally, I am terrible at meditating. This app helps me to get into a calm, yet alert state (by activating the parasympathetic nervous system) which assists in coping with the stresses of daily life. I aim to use it 5 minutes a day. Once you learn the technique, you can apply it in stressful situations. If you'd like to know more about HeartMath technology, this podcast from Katie at Wellness Mama is absolutely fascinating.
I walk for at least an hour daily. I run 2-3 times per week and attend BodyPump (weightlifting classes) 2 times per week. I also aim for 1 yoga class per week, preferably a relaxing one. In our modern world we spend much of our time thinking and disconnected from our physical bodies. Physical activity reconnects us to the Earth and our body, along with relieving tension and promoting secretion of "happy" chemicals by the brain.
#3. BOOST PRODUCTIVITY BY PRIORITIZING
I try to write down 3-5 things that "must" get done each day and then a few "bonus" items. I get those things done and generally have time for the bonus section. This makes me feel accomplished AND I ensure that I'm making time for activities that contribute to my purpose (like writing a blog post!) as opposed to just activities that are immediately urgent. Here is a great blog post with 10 ways to be more productive.
“It is not stress that kills us,
it is our reaction to it.”
— Hans Selye
Be sure to keep these life stressors in perspective. If what you're worried about won't matter a year down the road, do your best, then let it go. Best of luck to you on your de-stressing journey!
If chronic stress has you out of whack — exhaustion, brain fog, hormonal imbalance, etc. — and you need help getting to the root cause and putting the pieces back together, reach out and let me help you.
