How chronic stress affects you

Stress is everywhere – living and working in a city like London it is impossible to avoid.

There 3 stages in which the body reacts to stress, and each stage has characteristics and treatment protocols.  It is important to know where you are at and bring back the balance of autonomic nervouc systems and the circadian rhythms according to what stage in the stress cycle you are at,

Stress affects your brain (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis)

Stress suppresses your thyroid function

Stress suppresses the reproductive function

Stress compromises immunity

Stress increases the risk of autoimmunity

Stress increases tissue damage

Stress causes premature ageing

Stress causes accumulation of fat around the middle

The three stages of the stress response:

Stage 1 – Wired (Cortisol and DHEA are high)

Symptoms: panic, anxiety, irratability, acute pain, migraine, digestive problems

Stage 2 – Wired / Tired (cortisol and DHEA decline)

Symptoms: insomnia, eating disorder, addiction, anxiety disorder

Might start to show the signs of fatigue, daytime sleepiness, low thyroid, low immunity, chronic inflammation, allergy, visceral obesity, insulin resistance, heart disease

Stage 3 – Tired (cortisol and DHEA  are very low)

Symptoms: depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia

It is not at all silly to believe that these symptoms are all in your head, and that you are pushing yourself too hard or are lazy or guilty when at Stage 2.

When you do not have enough cortisol and DHEA to give you energy, you will struggle to get up in the morning, and be active throughout the day and you will get cold easily.

Do you want to know what stage you are at? The adrenal stress index test can help you to see where are at, you will need to take saliva samples 4 times a day and post the to the laboratory, to do this book with Ayano or see your nutritionist.

Look out for symptoms such as the following:

• Are you eating more than usual?
• Are you seeking energy boosting foods with sugar in them such as white bread, pasta, cake, chocolate etc
• Do you crave salty foods – crisps, chips, cheese etc
• Do you crave fatty foods? Such as KFC, chips, pizza…
• Are you reliant on caffeine such as coffe, eat, red bull
• Do you drink alcohol to unwind?
• Are you smoking more cigarettes, marijuana or taking recreational drugs?

Think about where your stress comes from. Is it emotional, physical or mental? If you have some or more of the following symptoms you may need to think about changing your patterns:

• Do you wake up feeling refreshed?
• Do you need coffee or a hot shower to feel energised?
• Do you get sleepy around 4pm?
• Do you find it difficult to fall asleep at night with your mind racing?
• Are you feeling tired all the time?
• Are you depressed, anxious, edgy, tense, tearful or not feeling yourself?
• Do you feel bloated or uncomfortable after eating?
• Do you suffer from headaches, backache, or general aches or pains?
• Are you suffering from PMT or IBS?

Emotional stress increases reward seeking behaviour, this is why we tend to crave high sugar or high fat foods to give ourselves a happy boost.  However these foods are pro-inflammatory and cause oxidative damage to the physical body (this causes yet more stress to the physical body)

The importance of eating the right foods and exercising

Foods have a powerful impact on the body and mind.  We cannot control some stress, but we can reduce the stress on the physical body by choosing the right foods.  Eating junk and processed food just creates more stress on the body.

Your body needs nutritious healthy foods to support it’s function and produce hormones that can help with a tough time.  I would like to emphasise how food can keep your bloody sugar levels stable.  Avoid eating a lot of carbohydrates on their own, or missing meals.  Eat enough protein and essential fatty acids to support production of hormones and slow release of sugar into the blood.  You might need to check if you have any food intolerances if your inflammation or pain is severe.  Introduce foods with antioxidants into your diet, such as colourful vegetables, fruits and herbs.

When, how and who you are eating with also need to be taken into consideration.  Remember to chew well!

I will be explaining in more detail about foods, supplements and exercise in Part Two of my talks on Stress.

Check back for more information on my next talk over the next few weeks.

Ayano Izuta, Naturopath