Is Stress the Cause of Your Hormone Issues?
First. Let’s quickly review the topic of hormones before we talk about stress…because it’s all connected.
Hormones are like chemical messengers, and govern nearly every cellular action in our body.
While important, our sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone are not the only hormones in our body and ARE NOT essential for our survival. Did you know that cortisol, adrenaline, vitamin d and even insulin are hormones?
And this is where things get interesting.
Your stress hormones, cortisol & epinephrine (adrenaline) ARE critical to our survival. They are involved in the synthesis of proteins, electrolyte balance, heartbeat and blood pressure, and the transport of glucose into our cells. All very important functions!
Do you ever feel dizzy when you stand up too quickly?! (blood pressure drop when standing could indicate adrenal issues or STRESS).
Let’s review how your body deals with stress…because this is where this complex cascade of hormones often goes wrong.
When you feel stressed, whether you face a real threat or think that you are facing a threat, your body experiences a collection of changes known as the stress, or fight-or-flight response. This response is the collection of physiological changes that occur when you feel the demands outweigh your resources to successfully cope. These situations are known as stressors.
What is considered a stressor?
A stressor can be physical (like running a marathon, coping with inflammation from an infection, or even a latent food intolerance like a sensitivity to gluten) or emotional (like being a new mum, going through a divorce or dealing with conflict at work). This wonderful infographic, adapted from the work of Thomas Guilliams in his book The Role of Stress & the HPA axis in Chronic Disease, beautifully illustrates what stressors are to the master controller of this response - the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
The stress / fight or flight response is indeed real and this response is highly effective, fast and generates a vast amount of energy. It also takes priority over other metabolic functions that are deemed non-essential activities in a state of “stress” such as digestion, growth and reproduction. These non-essential processes are in essence “put on hold” and therefore don’t function as well and so symptoms and conditions such as hair loss, weight gain, bloating, IBS, reflux, fatigue, PMS to name a few start to occur as different glands (adrenal, thyroid , ovaries) become affected, through a maladaptation of the master controller - the HPA axis.
The term then HPA Axis Dysfunction is a much more appropriate term to describe the many consequences that link stress with the myriad of negative outcomes related to the stress response. A reduced HPA axis function can and does result in low cortisol levels which is common in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, PTSD and individuals who experience “burnout.”
The takeaway.
You may not feel stressed, but if you notice any of the symptoms below. your body may be stuck in this ‘perceived’ stress state and you must take action.
The 10 most common signs…
Poor sleep – not being able to fall asleep or stay asleep
Fatigue that’s not alleviated by sleep
Night sweats and hot flashes
Resistant excess weight and body fat, especially around the belly
Low libido or sexual dysfunction
Acne or other skin issues
PMS symptoms
Foggy thinking (brain fog!) and difficulty concentrating
Mental health issues – depression and anxiety in particular
Mood changes like irritability and anger
The main causes of imbalances
While there are many causes, here are the most common ones:
Age and stage of life
Chronic stress
Medications (e.g. the Pill or HRT)
Toxins and endocrine disruptors like xeno-estrogens (plastic, cosmetics, commercial dairy, etc)
Poor nutrition and lack of adequate key nutrients (digestion deficiencies or gut imbalances)
Blood sugar regulation problems
Disrupted circadian rhythm
Chronic inflammation (e.g. leaky gut & digestive system inflammation)
The 5 Ways Stress Impacts your Health
1 — Poor Digestion and Gut Health
As mentioned, being in a state of stress puts digestion on the back burner. This is because your body is ready to “fight or flee,” rather than “rest and digest.” One of the most obvious impacts stress has on digestion is “transit time.” You may notice that stress can either quickly speed up how fast your food moves through you (diarrhea). Or, it may slow it down quite a bit (constipation). So, even if you’re not eating a variety of nutrient-dense whole foods AND supplementing, you may become nutrient deficient! And proper nutrition is needed at the best of times, let alone when you’re stressed and trying to lose weight. Certain nutrient needs even go up in times of stress. New research is also showing the impact that stress has on our friendly gut microbes. We’re just beginning to understand the influence that our gut microbes have on all aspects of health, including weight loss. It may be surprising to know that there seems to be a link between stress and gut microbes (in animals). Seriously! Stress is also linked with tiny holes or “leaks” in your digestive tract. This means that incompletely digested food particles can get into your body through these leaks. This can cause a ton of inflammation which leads us to the second major way stress keeps you from your weight loss goals.
2 — Inflammation and Immune System Dys-regulation
Guess where 80% of your immune system is located? Right around your digestive tract! So, you can imagine if chronic stress is messing with your digestion, it’s going to also mess with your immune system. More and more research is suggesting that inflammation is part of many chronic diseases. When you’re chronically stressed, this affects your immune system which is supposed to control inflammation. It can make your immune system either hyper responsive or less-responsive - both of these can keep you from reaching your weight loss goals. If your immune system is typer responsive, you can develop high inflammation levels. If your immune system is less-responsive, it can allow your body to get sick more often, and stay sick longer. For optimal health, and the ability to lose weight, you want your immune system to work properly (not too high, nor too low).
3 — Cravings, Increased Appetite, and “Stress Eating”
When you’re stressed do you reach for celery? duh. Of course not (but you should…I’ll leave that for another blog) I bet you prefer fatty or sugary snacks! Many people tend to eat more food, particularly comfort food; things that tend to be starchy, fatty and sugary. These foods are calorie dense (more calories per bite), and easier to digest. Simple carbs in particular provide quick energy, and require less stomach acid and enzymes to break down than protein (remember, your digestive system is a low priority under stress). Scientists are also now looking at interactions between stress hormones and the “hunger” and “fullness” hormones (ghrelin and leptin). There are many complex relationships between hormones.
4 — Insulin Sensitivity
Stress also increases your blood sugar, to make sure that your muscles have the fuel (sugar) they need to “fight” or “flee.” And if your muscles are not working and using up that excess blood sugar (i.e. you’re not running for your life), your body secretes insulin to re-absorb that sugar into your cells. This increase in both cortisol and insulin promote both insulin resistance and fat storage. Especially around the middle (helloooooo muffin top).
5 — Mood-busting and demotivating
Stress can not only bring down your mood which can also be terribly demotivating. You may have less motivation to do the healthy weight loss activities that you really want to do. If you’re down in the dumps and not motivated to prepare healthy meals or snacks, or get some exercise, then you’re less likely to do those things. And we all know how important they are for weight loss.
6 — Negatively affects sleep
Cortisol is part of your natural sleep-wake cycle. Under normal (non-stressed) conditions, cortisol levels would increase before waking, and slowly drop during the day. And this makes sense, because we know that it helps increase mental clarity as well as blood sugar to fuel your muscles. And we need mental clarity and to move our muscles, especially when we are awake. But we also need this effect to “wear off” by the end of the day so we can start getting tired and relaxed enough to get a good night’s sleep. (while melatonin kicks in) In other words, in the evenings, we want to start more resting and digesting. And getting enough sleep is probably a more common reason why people don’t reach weight loss goals than most people think. Science is showing the links between not getting enough quality sleep and obesity.
Rebalance Your Hormones (including stress hormones) Naturally
1.Eat whole foods: Processed foods offer little to no nutritive value and will not fuel your hormones.
Focus on fresh foods, including plenty of vegetables, fruits, and quality sources of free range and grass finished meats and eggs. Also, if tolerated – nuts, seeds, and legumes, and whole grains in moderation. Grains and dairy may cause or exacerbate hormonal problems for some people.
2.Eat more good fats: Good fats are essential for hormonal health because sex hormones need fat as a building block – and your body can only use the ones you give it.
Opt for sources of good fats from whole foods, such as avocados, raw nuts & seeds, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, real butter or ghee (grass fed preferable), wild-caught salmon, and free range eggs – yes, you can eat the yolks!
3.Reduce Xeno-estrogens: Phytoestrogens are difficult to avoid completely but it’s important to begin reducing them. Shifting to natural cleaning products and cleaning up your personal care products is a great first step.
4.Exercise the right way: Working out on a regular basis, engaging in resistance (or strength) training, and incorporating a specific workout called HIIT (high intensity interval training) has been proven to be especially beneficial for keeping our bodies AND our hormones fit. But always, always listen to your body. When stress is too high, the body must rest. I have told many clients to STOP exercising for a short while or it will work against them.
5.Improve sleep: Getting deeper, more restorative sleep can be the key to supporting your hormones, above all other measures. Try ‘waking’ to a ‘happy light’.
6.Practice stress management & self-care: The truth is – stress can be detrimental to hormonal health and immunity. Fixing adrenal health now can position yourself for a smoother transition into menopause. Learn better coping mechanisms (like breathing techniques), a solid morning routine, and practice mindfulness and/or meditation. I also love Acupuncture to re-set your stress response or a Vagus Nerve re-balance by your favourite Osteopathic Manual Practitioner.
Check out my Quick Fix to Create Balance to begin the process of addressing hormonal imbalance through sleep, stress and metabolism.
7.Brain Support for HPA Axis: The “treatment” - which should be brain based (given the hypothalamus and pituitary are brain related) with the use of adaptogens and essential oils. Working with a healthcare provider is key because everyone is different. Or learning about the vagus nerve with your Manual Osteopathic Therapist is a good way to go. Also, removing the many triggers or stressors that are quite literally bombarding this master controller axis, in other words - a root cause approach!
The Personal Coaching approach is a great next step or grab your oils kit and you’ll be invited to join my private facebook group.
We can support our bodies with the right diet and exercise, restorative sleep and quality essential oils to manage the stress proactively as we strive toward our own personal balance.
If you’d like support, book a FREE Discovery Call to figure out your next steps!
Friends. It’s time to take ownership of your health so that you can enjoy the next exciting adventures coming your way!
“Watch this talk I did for one of my groups where I share my stress story and my top tips to owning your gut health.”
