Stress Help page
We’ve all felt that surge of energy as we confront something threatening or startling. A barely avoided car accident. A call that your child has been hurt. The pressure to meet a deadline.
As your body perceives stress, your adrenal glands make and release the hormone cortisol into your bloodstream. Often called the “stress hormone,” cortisol causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. Your natural “flight or fight” response has kept humans alive for thousands of years.
Normal cortisol levels are also released when you wake up in the morning or exercise. These levels can help regulate your blood pressure and blood sugar levels and strengthen your heart muscle. In addition, in small doses, the hormone can heighten memory, increase your immune system and lower sensitivity to pain.
However, the danger of a fast-paced culture is that many of us are constantly in high-stress mode. If your body experiences chronic stress, you may begin to feel unpleasant and even dangerous effects, such as:
Fatigue
Irritability
Headaches
Intestinal problems, such as constipation, bloating or diarrhoea, Anxiety or depression
Weight gain
Increased blood pressure
Low libido, erectile dysfunction or problems with regular ovulation or menstrual periods
Difficulty recovering from exercise
Poor sleep
How Cortisol Works Stress Help page
When the adrenal glands release cortisol into your bloodstream, the hormone triggers a flood of glucose that supplies immediate energy to your large muscles. It also inhibits insulin production, so the glucose won’t be stored but will be available immediately.
Cortisol narrows the arteries, while another hormone, epinephrine, increases your heart rate. Working together, they force your blood to pump harder and faster as you confront and resolve the immediate threat.
If your entire life is high-stress and always in high gear, your body may constantly pump out cortisol. Hormone levels return to normal as you swerve to miss an oncoming car, find out that your child has only a few scrapes or meet the deadline for your presentation.
Why Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad for You
They have increased blood sugar levels. This is because insulin typically helps the cells convert glucose to energy. However, as your pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in your blood remain high, and your cells don’t get the sugar they need to perform at their best.
Weight gain.
As your cells cry out for energy, your body may signal to the brain that you are hungry and need to eat. Studies have demonstrated a direct association between cortisol levels and calorie intake in populations of women. False hunger signals can lead you to crave high-calorie foods, overeat and thus gain weight. Unused glucose in the blood is eventually stored as body fat.
Suppressed immune system.
Cortisol's positive action to reduce inflammation in the body can turn against you if your levels are too high for too long. The high levels may suppress your immune system. As a result, you could be more susceptible to colds and illnesses. In addition, your risk of cancer and autoimmune diseases increases, and you may develop food allergies.
Digestive problems
. When your body reacts to a threat, it shuts down other less critical functions, such as digestion. If the high-stress level is constant, your digestive tract can’t digest or absorb food well. It’s no coincidence that ulcers occur during stressful times, and people with irritable bowel and inflammation complications get better symptom control when they get their stress under control.
See your doctor if you are having symptoms of chronic stress. A saliva test can measure the amount of cortisol in your system, or your doctor may have other ideas about what’s causing your symptoms.
Be aware of your stress levels and takes steps to manage your stress. See
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Calcium Magnesium complex formula Powder at night .these two will balance who you are so that you stop overreaction to information around you.
Relax/sleep drops are an excellent added-on-the-spot for an over-reactive moment, day or night.