Stress Hormones Protect Us
Your adrenal glands sit on top of your kidneys and are responsible for releasing the hormones Adrenaline and Cortisol. Over hundreds of years of evolution, the stress response has become efficient at releasing these hormones to signal danger. For example, to run away from a bear. The release of these hormones is short, but intense. It helps us to escape and stay alive. These two hormones are very powerful, but the long-term effects of stress can be harmful.
Different Stress, Same Response
In the last few decades, our lifestyles have changed, but our genes have not. Today we rarely have to run away from bears. Today, we race against the clock, meeting deadlines, catching buses and dealing with difficult people. Our bodies cannot tell the difference. The stress response is the same. But instead of short bursts of large quantities of stress hormones, we now have a prolonged release of stress hormones throughout the whole day.
How Cortisol Changes Your Body and the Effects of Stress
When cortisol is produced constantly over an 8 hour workday, we produce it much faster than we are able to break it down. It builds up in our systems and sticks around much longer than intended. Here’s what it does to your body:
High Cortisol Causes Type 2 Diabetes
Consider cortisol like sugar in your diet. If you continue to eat a very high-sugar diet, your body will not be able to use it up fast enough. Your blood sugar will rise and this sugar will start to destroy your blood vessels and nerves around it.
Cortisol does something similar. It increases your blood sugar to provide easy fuel for your muscles. This causes a rise in insulin to try to take the sugar out of the blood. You might notice increased cravings for sugary foods late at night and especially when you’re tired. When this process is repeated daily over many years, your insulin stays high for so long that you are at risk of developing insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. Would anyone have considered stress to be a cause of Type 2 Diabetes?
Cortisol will change your body composition and deposit excess weight around the abdomen. It will put your nervous system on high alert, affecting your sleep quality, energy levels and focus.
Cortisol Affects Thyroid and Estrogen
The ability to adapt to stressful situations is an incredible feat for the human body. The stress response can continue at a high level for weeks, months and even years. But eventually, it will run out of resources to create cortisol, and it will begin to take from other areas of the body.
Female hormones have their own delicate cycle and are easily imbalanced by the effects of stress. Women may notice changes in their menstrual cycle, complete absence of their cycle or severe pre-menstrual symptoms. For many women, struggles with fertility force them to slow down.
Those with a predisposition to thyroid issues must be especially careful at this time. The thyroid gland plays a large role in metabolism, body temperature and appetite. But high cortisol levels can greatly affect thyroid hormone production and create a hyperthyroid or hypothyroid state.
Tired, Wired and Burnt Out
After many months and years of daily stress, our wired nervous systems forget how to use the “OFF” switch. The effects start to wear us out physically, emotionally and mentally. This is also known as Burnout.
Sleeping pills become ineffective, pain medications are useless, and even coffee makes us crash harder. Energy levels are at an all-time low and anxiety becomes the norm. Emotionally, every little thing triggers us and we feel on the edge of a breakdown.
Restoring the Adrenals
When the stress is removed, the effects of stress linger within the body. A solid stress management plan includes a diet plan and meal prep schedule that works within the daily routine. An exercise routine will be important for lowering the stress response and improving circulation to the essential tissues. Adrenal supports are often herbs provided in capsule or liquid form. They help to lower the effects of cortisol on the body and accelerate the recovery process. Adrenal herbs are fantastic for increasing energy, improving focus and increasing resilience to stress.
Overall, the process of restoring the adrenals can take many months. Many top executives experience the effects of stress years into retirement. The sooner an adrenal plan can be implemented, the more protection the body will have over these lasting effects.