Let’s talk about STRESS

The buzz word of the health industry at the moment, but does it have some merit? More than you might think. Stress, both physical and mental, can be related to and exacerbate so many health conditions; from weight gain to period pain. Even if you don’ think you are ‘stressed’, I highly encourage you to read on.

The new norm

It wasn’t that long ago that I would wake up in the morning, have a quick breakfast, jump in my car to head to work, run around all day, throw some food in my mouth for lunch, race to the gym after work, pop into the shops on the way home and whip up a dinner. Sound familiar? But believe me, I did not think I was stressed. This was just simply life and my daily routine. I would run from one this to the next without ever taking a moment to slow down and create some mindfulness. My mind was constantly switched ON. My cycles were shorter, I experienced spotting and often lost my appetite (thanks to the adrenals taking over!). These are all signs that my body was under a high amount of physical and mental stress and it was relying on other sources of energy to keep me going such as cortisol and adrenaline, which release stored glucose to use for energy.

Often when I ask clients about their stress levels, they might be quiet low. However, I think our tolerance of stress is much higher now and what we perceive as ‘normal’ is actually quiet high levels of stress.

What is stress?

Stress if often referred to as an ‘acute threat to homeostasis’. It can be described as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. When we are stressed, our body’s level of cortisol, the ‘stress hormone’ increases. This puts our body into a fight or flight response, which aims to serve us well in times of perceived threat or danger. It releases sugar from our glycogen stores so we have energy readily available, increase heart and respiratory rate and slows non-essential processes such as reproduction. Research shows that women who have high daily stress levels do not experience the surge in luteinising hormone which is responsible for initiating ovulation.

Physical stress

There are several forms of stress in the body. We can experience the mental and emotional effects of stress such as anxiety, irritability and depression but we can also experience physical stress such as digestive issues and inflammation. If you’re consuming foods that are highly processed or foods you struggle to digest/have an intolerance to, you could be placing your body under physical stress. Likewise, high levels of stress can impact the function of your gastrointestinal tract, leading to digestive issues. This is known as the gut-brain connection and the connection can clearly be noted by the way we feel ‘butterflies’ when nervous.

Stress and our hormones

Cortisol is a stress hormone that naturally peaks in the morning. Our body requires certain levels of cortisol, however, when these levels become too high or high for a prolonged time, it can interfere with our reproductive hormones. Progesterone is the key hormone of the second half of your cycle and is known to be a mood stabilising hormone. Low levels of progesterone, or high levels of oestrogen is linked with higher levels of anxiety and depression. Women who experience high daily stress are shown to have lower levels of lutenisng hormone and progesterone. When we are stressed, the body does not priotise reproduction and lowers both FSH and LH, so ovulation may be delayed or does not occur. Without ovulation, our body does not properly enter the luteal phase. Progesterone peaks during the luteal phase, however if we do not ovulate properly then our body will not produce high levels of progesterone and we will not be able to benefit from the mood stabilisng effects of this hormone.

So, what do we do about it?

I encourage everyone to become aware. As you move through your day, reflect on how you are feeling. Are you racing from one thing to the next? Are you planning what you need to do tonight whilst trying to do the jobs of the day? Maybe you are overthinking small decisions like which restaurant you’d like to eat at or what to wear to an event. Imagine your brain is a computer, we really only want one tab open at a time. It’s often not until we stop and slow down that we realise just how busy we were.

From a nutritional point of view, take note of how your body feels after eating certain foods. If you feel sluggish, bloated, stomach pain or indigestion then maybe there are some foods your body isn’t able to tolerate at the moment.

Sometimes it’s a larger problem, such as work stress. Obviously there is the necessity to make a living but perhaps a reflection on your work/life balance is required. If you find yourself working long hours in a highly stressful job, the importance of implementing de-stressing techniques increases.

Daily stress reduction tools

Slow down - enjoy your breakky for a little bit longer, walk a bit slower, organise your day so you don’t need to rush (even if this means planning less!)

Take time for you - in each day set 10 minutes aside for meditation, yoga, deep belly breathing or a calming walk

Listen to your body - if certain foods don’t agree with you then try avoiding them and seeing if your digestive tract thanks you

Be in the moment - enjoy what you are doing in that moment and try not to get caught up with planning the future. Research shows that multitasking can actually hinder your performance!

Track your cycles - if you notice that your cycle is shorter or ovulation is not regularly occurring, this could be a sign of stress that is impacting your hormone balance

References

Konturek PC, Brzozowski T, Konturek SJ. Stress and the gut: pathophysiology, clinical consequences, diagnostic approach and treatment options. J Physiol Pharmacol. 2011 Dec;62(6):591-9. PMID: 22314561.

Madore KP, Wagner AD. Multicosts of Multitasking. Cerebrum. 2019 Apr 1;2019:cer-04-19. PMID: 32206165; PMCID: PMC7075496.

Schliep KC, Mumford SL, Vladutiu CJ, Ahrens KA, Perkins NJ, Sjaarda LA, Kissell KA, Prasad A, Wactawski-Wende J, Schisterman EF. Perceived stress, reproductive hormones, and ovulatory function: a prospective cohort study. Epidemiology. 2015 Mar;26(2):177-84. doi: 10.1097/EDE.0000000000000238. PMID: 25643098; PMCID: PMC4315337.

Thau L, Gandhi J, Sharma S. Physiology, Cortisol. [Updated 2022 Aug 29]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/