How Stress Destroys Your Health
The CDC had previously stated that by 2020, stress will be one of the most critical health issues for Americans. Well we all know how 2020 went *insert eye roll* Here we are a few months into 2021 and life is still stressful. In fact, stress is the thing I hear most clients mention as the one thing they cannot get a handle on. While stress is a part of life, it can be excessive and if we don’t take proper steps to handle it in a healthy way, it can cause devastating effects on our health.
It’s important to understand what happens in the body when it encounters too much stress. The adrenal glands are the body’s “emergency” system. When the body is under stress, the adrenals send cortisol into the bloodstream. When the body is under chronic stress, this chronic cortisol output weakens the endocrine system as well as the digestive system, the brain, the liver, and it slows down your thyroid.
Ways Stress Can Destroy Your Health
Stress increases cortisol production in the adrenals which in turn, wreaks havoc on the entire endocrine system.
Stress elevates cortisol production which then depresses the immune system.
Elevated cortisol lowers white blood cell production making it harder for your immune system to fight.
Chronic stress overworks the adrenal glands which can lead to low DHEA, low progesterone, abnormal estrogen/progesterone ratios, as well as pituitary and thyroid imbalances.
Elevated cortisol decreases your liver’s ability to detox excess hormones out of the body which can lead to estrogen dominance, PMS, and menopausal symptoms.
Stress elevates cortisol and decreases T3 production. This has a negative effect on thyroid health.
Chronic elevated cortisol can lead to hypothyroidism and weight gain around the belly.
Chronic stress increases insulin output and can cause insulin resistance or even type II diabetes.
We all encounter stress of some kind each and every day, but we each have the ability to deal with it in a healthy way. Part of detoxing is learning how to de-stress and to relax.
A few of my favorite ways to deal with stress
Long walks, especially outside. Pilates, yoga, and swimming are also great ways to move your body without putting too much stress on the adrenals.
Spend time in a near-infrared sauna.
Turn your phone off. I turn my phone off each evening so I can be completely present with my family and unwind.
Spend time with people who make you laugh and build you up.
A hot bath using a generous amount of Epsom salts.
Create something. Maybe it’s cooking a healthy meal. Maybe it’s painting or knitting. It doesn’t matter what it is, exercise your creative juices.
Keep a gratitude journal. Write down three things you are grateful for every day.
Practice meditation or yoga nidra.
The next time you’re doing a detox, consider what you can do to detox from stress, to tap into your parasympathetic nervous system, and truly relax!