The Effects of Stress on the body and 5 Ways to Manage your Stress (Part 1)

Stress causes a cascade effect on your body. I have experienced this first hand. Put plainly, chronic stress overworks your adrenals glands, which also affects your thyroid and hormones. Nutrients that nourish the hormones and other systems are pulled by the adrenals to protect the body during "fight or flight". This is just a snapshot of what your body goes through during a stressful situation/ emotion.

More and more people are experiencing chronically elevated levels of cortisol due to the demanding and fast-paced culture we live in and the increased consumption of processed foods instead of nourishing foods. Stress causes elevated cortisol levels, which affects the body mentally and physically, and leads to an array of health issues.

According to the Nutritional Therapy Association (2019), adrenal exhaustion typically occurs first because the adrenals are responsible for releasing cortisol when the body is stressed and feels it is in a state of emergency. This puts the body in “fight or flight” mode to protect itself from stress. When the body goes into “fight or flight” mode, everything is thrown into dysfunction within the body because the adrenals take precedence over everything else. This is where the stealing of nutrients to fuel the adrenals comes into play. 

Let’s talk blood sugar for a moment. Insulin resistance is another result of how the endocrine system is negatively affected by chronically elevated cortisol levels. The pancreas is put under stress, which leads to a higher output of insulin because insulin receptors are not as receptive as they normally are to insulin secretion (Nutritional Therapy Association, 2019). Blood sugar levels are thrown off which affects energy, mood, appetite, cravings, etc. The result is a strain on the adrenals and pancreas, central nervous system, hypothalamus, pituitary, liver, adipose tissue, and skeletal muscle, which all play a role in regulating blood sugar. Hence, the cascading effect throughout the entire body when stress takes over.

And on to sex hormones. Sex hormones, produced by the adrenals, are another part of the endocrine system that are adversely affected by chronic cortisol levels. According to the Nutritional Therapy Association (2019), estrogen and progesterone in females can be thrown into imbalance, which negatively affects the reproductive system and can snowball into a pituitary imbalance. The pituitary is responsible for releasing hormones like ACTH (stimulates adrenals to produce hormones) and TSH (thyroid hormone) and reproductive hormones like LH and FSH, so an imbalanced pituitary affects the adrenals, thyroid, and reproductive organs from functioning properly.

As you can see, the endocrine system consists of hormones and their relationship with different organs and tissues throughout the body (Nutritional Therapy Association, 2019). Clear communication between hormones and organs is therefore key to maintaining homeostasis (balance). Ultimately, understanding how large of an impact chronic raised levels of cortisol have on the body is crucial. The endocrine system takes a toll in many ways when the body is under stress, and I only discussed a few ways it is affected. This is why it is so important to support the body as a whole to bring everything back into balance. 

Walks/ hikes in nature can support your body’s stress resiliency + help to re-ground you.

Ways to Manage Stress

Eat nutrient-dense, whole foods that are properly prepared, in season, and local

Eating real food provides nutrients that your body recognizes and craves.

Try breathwork

Focusing on your breath calms the body and mind so you can re-focus.

Curious about break work and how to do it? Check out this post.

Get out in nature

Getting outdoors serves as a potent form of therapy: re-frames your mind to look at things differently and it re-grounds you.

Get Enough Sleep

Getting adequate sleep allows the body to work through the sleep cycles needed for healing, restoration, and recharging to bring the body back into homeostasis.

Practice self-care/ self-love/ mindfulness

Partaking in something you enjoy and slowing down brings joy, peace, and relaxation to your body.

Prioritizing how you eat, getting in movement, and practicing mindfulness to combat and minimize stress will do your body wonders. I’ll expand on these stress management techniques in a different post. Until then, try out one, two, or three of my stress management tips! Track how you feel, paying special attention to your mood, where you hold tension, and how you’re breathing (shallow or deep?). 

Keep in mind that nourishing your body with movement and nutrient-dense foods won’t make much of an impact on your health if you’re chronically stressed. Take it one week at a time and give yourself grace, my friend. By consistently practicing stress management techniques, you'll begin to notice everything else that you’re doing will start to fall in place as your body begins to function optimally once again! 

Sources

Nutritional Therapy Association. (2019). Endocrine. Nutritional Therapy Association.

Student Guide, 3- 56.