The Stress & Cortisol Connection

In this day and age, stress is having an impact on most of us. But have you ever considered the detrimental effects of stress on your health, whether it be short or long-term stress? Consider this: when stress levels rise, they increase cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands which trigger our response to stress; increase blood pressure, blood sugar levels, may cause infertility in women, and suppresses the immune system. A weakened immune system allows illness to set in and creates vulnerability to infections that could open to illness.

We lead such stress-filled, hurried lives that many people take their work home with them, either physically or mentally. This can interrupt our down-time or even disrupt our sleep. Anxiety keeps us in one threatening scenario after another, which triggers the fight or flight response, stressing the adrenals. Many people use caffeine to make it through the day, which can affect blood sugar (adrenal stress) issues and also contributes to poor sleep patterns. Overscheduling can rob us of sleep as we may stay up later and later in the name of productivity, however statistics show that productivity is impaired if we push ourselves past a natural level, and this keeps stress levels elevated. Finally, clutter in our environment can contribute significantly to our stress levels, so it is imperative that our home become a warm, soothing place of relaxation.

Proper nutrition can make all the difference in combatting stress. Otherwise, automatic eating could send you into a tailspin of anxiety, overeating and dis-ease. Let’s connect the dots: you get stressed, your cortisol levels rise, your liver shoots glucose & cholesterol into the bloodstream for additional energy. Your body now begins to experience hypertension (blood pressure), hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), it disrupts blood sugar levels which equals eating more because of carbohydrate cravings, which then equals a higher weight. Chronic stress can also induce eating disorders, heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Stress-busting strategies include:

1. A health food program is the foundation to a healthy mind, body and nervous system, which is key to managing stress
2. Moving your body for 30 minutes daily to whatever form of exercise you enjoy
3. Frequent stretch breaks work wonders to de-stress
4. Deep breathing exercises to oxygenate, which instantly relaxes you
5. Meditation, even for short periods of time will lower stress
6. Reiki healing treatments will promote a relaxation response
7. Obtaining a good night’s sleep is crucial for your rest and repair cycle.

Mindfulness is where we pay attention to what we are telling ourselves. Once we become aware where we may be choosing negative thoughts and feeling our stress levels raise, we can then choose to breathe deeply and think more positively about these situations. Some things just cannot be changed no matter how stressed we get, and it is good to remember this.

Meditation is such an important technique for calming the mind. Many studies have been done on its positive effects, such as reducing anxiety, producing physiological results that accelerates healing, helps us become more aware of our body and boosts our immune system. It also helps us bring more of what we want into our life.

Laugh. This increases immune function, lowers cholesterol, raises immunoglobins which increases natural killer cells, which in turn can kill cancer cells. The results of laughter lasts into the next day.

Integrate tools for a  healthier lifestyle by attending the “Stress-Free For Life” Seminar scheduled for Saturday, September 29th, 2007. Call Third Millenium Oasis at 519-652-6721 to reserve your space.

Resources: Book: The Relaxation Response Handbook,  Hypnotherapy by Julie Ditmar, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Therapist Karen Schuurmans, Victoria Hospital