We all know the drill. Life gets tough. Kids are fighting. You have deadlines. The stomach bug runs through your house. A vacation! (aka parenting somewhere else). The washing machine breaks. The stock market is down. Need to schedule 29 appointments. Oh, kids are sick again. Home from school. Can’t get your work done. Need to make dinner…again. Anxiety is buggin. Marriage is tough. Laundry still piles up…the list goes on, and I know I’m leaving some of the heavier stuff out. 

You miss sleep. Fuel on coffee…3x, 4x, a day. DEFINITELY need caffeine at 3pm. Grab fast food- your cravings are ruling you and you honestly couldn’t care what you eat because it's all you can do to survive. And you want it. And you know what…add the soda and the cookie, too. Force the HIIT workout because you feel like crap and you ate like crap. Can’t do it without a preworkout! You are SOOO tired you can’t wait to sleep! Until of course, it is time to go to sleep and you all of a sudden are wide awake. Anyway…the story goes on and on. You know how it goes, and so do I. 

Maybe this is you now- mom life- and you are starting to feel it. And if you think about it, you possibly have been running your life this way since college. Remember, late nights/all nighters, eating a diet that completely consists of processed foods, fast food, diet coke, and overly sweetened lattes, hours on the elliptical, skipping meals…then you become a professional! Life is good. You go from an intense HIIT workout, to happy hour with friends, to a late night binging on Netflix, so then you can’t sleep. Since you have to be up early for work you skip breakfast and go straight to lattes. You aren’t hungry anyway, your liver is fueling you. By 10:30am you are crashing fast with tons of emails- donuts in the breakroom. And of course, more coffee! 

Yes, this lifestyle is considered very normal, but many women are starting to feel the effects as we approach our 30s, or after pregnancy. Stress is extremely nutrient dependent, and so is pregnancy. So we really start to feel it when we are THAT depleted! 

What Happens to the Body During Stress?

Our bodily functions are automatically controlled through the HPA axis by an automatic system called the autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two parts: the parasympathetic nervous system and the sympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic nervous system is the “rest and digest” state and it controls the ability to relax, digest, detoxify, regulate hormones and more. The sympathetic state is the “fight or flight” state - or the one we take on in a time of stress. When you are in a fight or flight state, your body is simply prioritizing survival. When this is happening, your body recognizes it is not safe and it prepares for that.

It does this in a number of ways:

1. Adrenaline: the adrenal glands release adrenaline right away to respond to a real or perceived threat. 

   1. Heart rate increases to pump more blood (in case you need to run)

   2. Respiratory passages dilate so you can get more oxygen to the brain (to think clearly)

   3. Blood pressure increases (to fuel brain and muscles with blood and minerals)

   4. Immune system mobilizes to prepare to protect you from injury or infection

   5. Senses sharpen and you become hyper aware and sensitive (so you are aware of any danger)

2. Cortisol: cortisol is a steroid hormone that is also secreted by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is produced in a daily rhythm, and in an ideal world, is highest in the morning and slowly decreases throughout the day. Also, it is produced in a time of stress after adrenaline because it takes a few minutes to get going (adrenaline is immediately released). 

   1. Cortisol tells the liver to convert stored energy and move glucose into the blood so you have energy to run or fight

   2. Insulin is also produced to deal with the glucose that was just increased in the blood. Insulin mops up any glucose that was not used up by the muscles (via action!)

   3. The immune system is ramped up in case of injury or infection

   4. Blood pressure increases to increase blood flow to the brain for hyper awareness.

All of the functions that happen in a time of stress are for our benefit. Read the list again and you’ll see that each function is beautifully protective. Stress is designed to be short-term and temporary. 

Due to the overwhelming lives many are living, it is incredibly common for people to be staying in a state of chronic stress. When the stress is chronic, it changes these bodily actions from protection to problems. 

• Hypervigilance turns into oversensitivity, anxiety, constant feelings of overwhelm and the smallest things setting these feelings off.

• Sleep issues, memory issues, brain fog, and trouble with concentration develop as cortisol levels become dysregulated.

• Cortisol tells the body to store food for future energy needs…therefore fat burning is turned off. The fat storage typically happens right around the waist in order to protect organs, and high cholesterol often develops from this fat storage as well. 

• Perpetual high blood sugar and insulin lead down the road of cardiovascular issues, hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. 

• Immune system overreacts and/or down regulates leading to symptoms like allergies, eczema, food sensitivities, development of autoimmune conditions OR down regulates and you catch every bug that goes through school/daycare. 

• Accelerated aging can appear with wrinkles, joint pain, and other fun aging problems that come with it due to the wear and tear of cortisol on the body.

• Hormonal problems develop because when under stress the body diverts energy from hormones to survival. Libido and fertility decline and menstrual cycle can become irregular.

• Digestion suffers as energy is also diverted from digestion for survival. This can lead to digestive symptoms and also prevent nutrient absorption, leading to depletion and feelings of low energy.

Signs You Could Be Dealing With HPA Axis Dysfunction:

• Afternoon cravings and/or fatigue

• Running on caffeine

• Food sensitivities, hives, allergies

• Anxiety, irritability

• Brain fog

• Feeling wired at night

• Feeling groggy when you wake up in the morning

• Weight gain especially around midsection

• Trouble losing weight even when you eat well and exercise

• digestive problems

• Irregular menstrual cycles

• PMS/cramps

• Infertility, PCOS, endometriosis

• Any type of hormonal dysregulation

• Slow thyroid function

• Slow metabolism

• Problems with memory or concentration

• Frequent illness

• Increased inflammation

• Not hungry in the morning

• Cravings for sweets and carbs

How to Support your adrenal health:

• Eat a diet focused on whole foods.

• Replenish minerals and nutrients- especially magnesium, potassium, zinc, vitamin C, and B vitamins.

• Create a consistent sleep and wake time - prioritize sleep quality and getting 8+ hours each night.

• Identify and eliminate any food sensitivities

• Use non-toxic personal care and cleaning products and eat organic when possible

• Eat a nutrient-dense, savory breakfast with plenty of protein.

• Spend 10 minutes each day de-stressing (breath work, prayer, stretching, etc)

• Identify and eradicate any gut infections or dysbiosis- stealth infections are a root cause of constant stress on the body.

• Restore gut permeability (so you can absorb lost nutrients)!

• Increase magnesium, potassium, vitamin C, zinc, and B vitamins through whole food sources.

• Balance blood sugar.

• Run labs to identify a root cause of stressors on the body (ie, metabolic stress, gut infection, nutrient status, etc).

If this sounds like you and you need some help tackling the root cause of the stress and restoring your health or running labs, I’d love to hear from you and help you do just that. 

Fill out the form here!