Stress Management is a Natural Appetite Suppressant
There’s more to it than meditation and breathing - did you know that your stress response system interferes with hormone balance, blood sugar levels, metabolism, and sleep?
The truth about stress management and long-term health
It’s no secret that stellar stress management techniques are essential to holistic wellness.
But have any of your healthcare providers ever explained why or how?
There’s more to it than meditation, breathing, and bubble baths - did you know that your stress response system interferes with hormone balance, blood sugar levels, metabolism, and sleep?
Hi friends. I’m Hilary Beckwith, ex-dieter and holistic nutrition expert. Clients come to see me with signs of adrenal stress and inflammatory conditions, and my job is to find the root causes so we can address their symptoms more effectively, and fill in the gaps between what their doctor is saying, and what their body is saying.
I’m about to walk you through the ins and outs of how your stress response works, and how that impacts what you see on your annual bloodwork (and why you wake up at 2:00 am - it’s not because you have to pee!).
In this article, you’ll learn:
how your body responds to stress
internal and external causes of stress
how stress is connected to female reproductive hormones, sleep quality, and blood sugar levels
what you can do to improve stress management, and ditch the sleep gummies, appetite suppressants, metabolism rate calculators, and blood sugar monitors
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how your body responds to stress
Stress is a normal part of the human existence, and is modulated by the Autonomic Nervous System. This automated system has evolved to protect us, to keep us alive. Survival of the fittest!
The amount and type of stress you incurred throughout your life plays a big part in how well your body responds to stress.
Evolution has not been able to keep up with the types (and amounts) of stress we encounter in our modern world, and because of that, you are wired to respond to every stressor as though it is a tiger.
Let me explain.
Your body responds to stress by way of the Autonomic Nervous System, meaning, it responds automatically in response to a feedback system. That feedback system is modulated by the HPA axis (or hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis) [1].
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
stressor or danger is sensed, and fight or flight response (a part of the Autonomic Nervous System) activates, signaling a cascade of events
the hypothalamus releases Corticotropin Releasing Hormone (CRH)
the increase in CRH signals the pituitary gland to produce AdrenoCorticoTropic Hormone (ACTH)
ACTH travels to the adrenal glands, signaling them to release stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline
these hormones begin the processes of energy metabolism (to fight or flee the stressor), and increase blood flow to large muscle groups, heart, and lungs
When the stressor is dealt with, the fight or flight response is turned OFF, and the body returns to rest and digest mode, another part of the Autonomic Nervous System.
here’s where things go wrong
Stress management becomes more difficult and necessary when the HPA axis has been overworked. This happens when stressors are left unaddressed and the threat causes a continuous stimulation of the fight or flight response.
HERE’S THE MISSING PIECE:
Stressors are not exclusively external, such as traffic, relationships, or work deadlines.
Your brain views internal stressors as just as much of a threat to your survival. According to your brain, every argument you have with your partner, every time you run late for a meeting, every unaddressed emotional trauma, and every gut pathogen, is a tiger.
Back in the nomadic days of human existence, stress management more commonly entailed external stressors, such as:
predators (tigers, lions, bears, snakes, etc.)
lack of shelter
exposure to extreme heat or cold
avalanche, rockslide, or mudslide
injury
poison from food sources
hunger
Consider, also, that these stressors likely did not present themselves multiple times a day, either, as modern stressors do.
Examples of modern stressors that activate your fight or flight response:
poor blood sugar regulation
toxins in processed foods, air, water
unaddressed emotional trauma
caregiving
negative self-talk
people-pleasing behaviors
unaddressed infections or gut pathogens (candida, mold, parasites, bacteria)
cell damage from free radicals
busyness with little regard for rest. (burnout)
poor or untimely exposure to light
exercising in the evening or night time, or overexercising
toxic burden on the liver, due to medications, recreational drugs, hormone imbalance, constipation, excess glucose, or poor liver health
how chronic stress affects your health
Hormone imbalance symptoms, weight gain, insomnia symptoms, and stress headaches are signs you should not ignore. These are all common signs of poor stress management, and can be helped without medications, sleep gummies, or appetite suppressants.
Take another look at the HPA axis. Components of this feedback system are also components of other important feedback systems, including the HPT (hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid) axis, and the HPG (hypothalamus, pituitary, gonadal) axis.
If the HPA axis is chronically activated, this will interfere with thyroid health and hormone balance, impacting inflammation levels, the immune system, affecting sleep quality, blood sugar levels, and so much more [2,3,4,5].
To dedicate enough space to discuss each of these components and their correlation with chronic stress would require many more blog posts. I have developed this online course to help you dig into it deeper.
ways to improve your stress management skills
As a fellow human living in the twenty-first century, you probably know that stress management is not as simple as flipping a switch. But you do have more control than you might think.
The difficult truth is it comes down to what you value. Stress management often requires the difficult self-reflective question:
Do your actions align with what you value?
You have control over:
who you spend your time with
when and what you eat
whether or not you choose to say ‘no’ or communicate boundaries
whether or not you choose to seek mental health support
Signs of prolonged chronic stress often include:
suppressed immune system (never get sick)
overactive immune system (always get sick)
waking up tired, no matter how much you sleep
energy drop in the afternoon
“hangry” when meals are delayed
catch your second wind in the evening or at night (“night owl”)
signs of hormone imbalance (irregular periods, PMS, mood fluctuations)
feeling troubled on the inside, but calm on the outside
weigh gain around the middle
5 WAYS TO BUILD STRESS MANAGEMENT SKILLS FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH:
practice saying ‘no’: you don’t owe anyone an explanation
start a journal: writing is a proven effective way to process emotions and thoughts. Keeping it in your head leads to rumination, whereas writing is a path to an end. Need help getting started? Try this.
balance your macronutrients: focusing more on quality protein and green vegetables will support blood sugar levels, and reduce susceptibility to candida, bacteria, and parasite infections. I developed this PDF guide to help you get started.
get help: I cannot recommend therapy enough, but finding the right therapist can be challenging. With the right fit, therapy can be the scariest and most beautiful things you can do for yourself. Here’s a great resource for finding a therapist.
pick a day to really rest - and follow through!: it’s easy to get caught up in what “rest” looks like, but I think it’s different for every person. My recommendation? Engage in joy. Pick an activity, typically it’s going to be something you claim to “never have time for”, and dedicate time to doing it, with no multi-tasking.
instead of watching your favorite show while working on finances - just watch your favorite show
instead of doing a craft project while listening to an intense self-help book - just enjoy your craft project
get the picture?
If you experience any of the above-mentioned symptoms of prolonged chronic stress response, TAKE THIS 3-MINUTE QUIZ to help you figure out if your adrenals need support.
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Segerstrom, S. C., & Miller, G. E. (2004). Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin, 130(4), 601–630. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.130.4.601
Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian journal of endocrinology and metabolism, 15(1), 18–22. https://doi.org/10.4103/2230-8210.77573
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Hannibal, Kara E., and Mark D. Bishop. “Chronic Stress, Cortisol Dysfunction, and Pain: A Psychoneuroendocrine Rationale for Stress Management in Pain Rehabilitation.” OUP Academic, Oxford University Press, 1 Dec. 2014, academic.oup.com/ptj/article/94/12/1816/2741907?login=false.