What is stress?

Stress is the body’s natural reaction to fear and change. When we are faced with a stressful situation our body’s fight or flight function kicks in. This is the function that keeps us alive in dangerous situations and is actually a good thing, but the problem is that we cannot always act upon this process. For example when cave man was faced with a rampaging mammoth the fight or flight mechanism gave him the strength to fight the mammoth or run (I know which one I would do!!!) and he would do one or the other, thus burning off the stress hormones raging through his body.

Nowadays the most dangerous thing that we are likely to encounter is a rampaging boss and it would be inappropriate to fight him (unless we don’t care about losing our job), and if we run we will look stupid consequently we end up doing nothing. During the fight and flight period the body releases the hormones Adrenalin and Cortisol, which are produced by the Adrenal Glands. These hormones, in small doses, are good for the body, giving us the strength to either run or fight but if we do neither what happens? The hormones stay in our body, prolonging the period of stress and their effect on our body, potentially becoming harmful to us. So what do these hormones do?:

Adrenalin – Increases your heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts your energy supplies. When adrenaline is released into the blood stream it increases the respiration rate (in order to get more oxygen to the muscles for burning as energy) and the heart rate (in order to get the oxygenated blood around the body to the muscles). Dilation of the blood vessels drives blood away from the capillaries to the muscles where it can aid quick reactions. Adrenalin surges are meant to upset the normal body balance but when the Adrenalin is not used up (when we can’t fight or flee) it is stored in the body causing the stress response to be present over a long period of time. In children and adults overproduction or under utilization of Adrenalin has been linked to hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, amongst other things.

Cortisol – Increases glucose in the blood stream and regulates glucose metabolism, regulates insulin release for blood sugar maintenance, regulates blood pressure and increases the availability of substances that repair tissue. Cortisol also curbs functions that are not essential for ‘fighting’ or ‘fleeing’ meaning that these functions will not work correctly whilst elevated cortisol is present,  consequently your immune function, digestive function, reproductive processes and growth processes suffer reduced efficacy. It also communicates with the regions in your brain that control mood, motivation and fear. Over production and under utilization or cortisol can result in metabolic syndrome, depressed thyroid function, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lowered digestion (leading to obesity), sexual dysfunction, reproductive problems, heart attacks, strokes… the list goes on. Cortisol is at its highest in the morning in order to wake us up and gradually lowers throughout the day so that by the evening it is at its lowest helping us to wind down and go to sleep. Prolonged stress (and the subsequent release of excess cortisol) interrupts this natural process leading to unusual and unnatural sleep patterns

So when we are stressed for long periods of time our Adrenal Glands become over-worked causing Adrenal fatigue and several things happen to our natural bodily functions:

• Aging is accelerated because production of DHEA (our anti-aging hormone) is compromised.
•  Your metabolism can be affected causing fatigue, weight gain and thyroid issues
• Digestion slows down causing heart burn, gastric reflux and irritable bowel syndrome
• Hormonal imbalances can occur causing loss of libido, PMS and menopausal symptoms
• Your blood sugar levels suffer peaks and troughs which can lead to hypoglycaemia, insulin resistance and diabetes.
• Your neurotransmitters become disrupted which affects your mood, leading to depression, anxiety, mood swings and insomnia.
• It will constantly stimulate your cardiovascular system....which causes high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and heart disease.
• Your immune system will weaken and your ability to add lean muscle mass will be affected making it more difficult to lose weight.

In short, if you are suffering with one or more of the following symptoms you could be suffering with chronic stress.

• Fatigue and lack of energy?
• Weight loss struggles?
• Cravings and low blood sugar?
• Difficulty sleeping?
• Digestive problems?
• Hot flashes, night sweats, PMS
• Mood swings, depression, anxiety?
• Loss of libido?
• Allergies and sinusitis?
• Difficulty concentrating, brain fog or ADD?

Stress and diet are the two biggest causes of adrenal fatigue, which is the major underlying cause to so many of today’s health complaints.