THE STRESS MESS: HOW IT MESSES WITH YOUR HEALTH

Ahhh, the “stress mess.”

Does stress make you feel a bit off?  Do you notice negative health effects when stress is at its worst? Maybe it affects your sleep or maybe you get sick more often.

There’s no doubting that stress can definitely mess with your health.

Today I’m talking about some of the tell-tale (and not-so-obvious) signs that stress is messing with your health.

Oh, and I have relaxing recipe for you (two ingredients – no stress!) J

We all have some level of stress, right?

It may be temporary (acute), or long-term (chronic).

Acute stress usually won’t mess with your health too much. It is your body’s natural reaction to circumstances and can even be life-saving (think fight or flight response).

Then, when the “threat” (a.k.a. “stressor”) is gone, the reaction subsides, and all is well.

It’s the chronic stress that’s a problem. You see, your body has specific stress reactions. If these stress reactions are triggered every day or many times a day that’s when it can really mess with your health.

Stress (and stress hormones) can have a huge impact on your health.  And all of you menopausal women out there, the not so great news is that menopause can also bring with it increased stress due to changing hormone levels.  A great way to overcome the negative impact of shifting hormones and inflammatory responses that often occur during menopause is to follow a personalised nutrition plan.

So let’s dive deeper into the “stress mess.”

Mess #1 – Increased risk of heart disease and diabetes

Why save the best for last? Anything that increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes (both of which are serious, chronic conditions) needs to be discussed.

Stress increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes by promoting chronic inflammation, affecting your blood “thickness,” as well as how well your cells respond to insulin.

Mess #2 – Immunity

Did you notice that you get sick more often when you’re stressed?  Maybe you get colds, cold sores, or even the flu more frequently when stressed?

Well, that’s because stress hormones affect the chemical messengers (cytokines) secreted by immune cells and consequently they are less able to do their jobs effectively.

Mess #3 – “Leaky Gut”

Stress can contribute to ‘leaky gut’, otherwise known as intestinal permeability. These “leaks” can then allow partially digested food, bacteria or other things to be absorbed into your body.

The stress hormone cortisol can open up tiny holes by loosening the grip your digestive cells have to each other.

Picture this: Have you ever played “red rover?” It’s where a row of children hold hands while one runs at them to try to break through. Think of those hands as the junctions between cells. When they become loose, they allow things to get in that should be passing right by.  Cortisol (produced in excess in chronic stress) is a strong player in red rover!

Mess #4 – Sleep Disruption

Stress and sleep go hand-in-hand, wouldn’t you agree?  It’s often difficult to sleep when you have very important (and stressful) things on your mind.

And when you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your energy levels, memory, ability to think, and your mood.

More and more research is showing just how important sleep is for your health.  Not enough sleep (and too much stress) aren’t doing you any favours.

Stress-busting tips

Reducing stressors in your life is an obvious first step.

Can you:

• Put less pressure on yourself?
• Ask for help?
• Say “no”?
• Delegate to someone else?
• Finally, make that decision?

No matter how hard you try, you won’t eliminate stress altogether. So, here are a few things you can try to help reduce its effect on you:

• Deep breathing
• Meditation
• Walk in nature
• Unplug (read a book, take a bath)
• Exercise (yoga, tai chi, etc.)
• Connect with loved ones

Conclusion

Stress is a huge and often underappreciated factor in our health. It can impact your physical body much more than you might realise.

Stress has been shown to increase the risk for heart disease and diabetes, affect your immune system, digestion and sleep.

But there are simple steps you can take to both reduce stressors and also to improve your response to it.

In other words, you can ditch that stress mess!

If you’d like to know more about how you can ditch stress with natural, proven strategies, I’m here to help.

And here’s that tasty stress-reducing recipe I promised you.

Chamomile Peach Iced Tea