Did you know women experience the effects of stress much more than men do because of their hormonal makeup and the fact that we have children?
Stress is detrimental to health, impacting the menstrual cycle and other bodily processes.
This blog outlines how stress and cortisol can affect your period.
The “Stress Hormone” Cortisol
The hormone responsible for most stress-related conditions is cortisol. Cortisol is released by the adrenal glands during times of stress, which is why it’s known as the “stress hormone.” The body needs cortisol to cope with demanding situations, such as dealing with busy schedules, difficult bosses, or traumatic life events. Unfortunately, many of us produce too much of this hormone due to constant stress in our professional and personal lives.
Some of us are so sensitive that even the smallest thing can cause our adrenal glands to overproduce cortisol, so if you’re not feeling stressed, you might not be completely in the clear.
How The Human Stress Response Works
Two important points about a healthy stress response need to be highlighted:
1. It takes precedence over all other metabolic functions in the body.
2. It wasn’t designed to last very long.
Our ancestors used this response to escape life-threatening situations, like running away from woolly mammoths. Their adrenal glands released cortisol, causing an immediate increase in heart rate and blood pressure, release of energy stores for immediate use, shutdown of digestion and other secondary functions, and sharpening of their senses. Our bodies still respond the same way even though nowadays we’re probably just sitting in traffic!
In the past, people experienced acute moments of stress followed by periods of rest. However, today, we are constantly under chronic stress with very brief periods of rest. Our adrenals have not adapted well to this prolonged state of stress, as they are still attuned to living in the past.
Cortisol is beneficial in the short term for dealing with perceived threats, but it can have harmful effects on the body in the long run.
How Can Cortisol Affect Us?
- It raises blood sugar to feed muscles for immediate energy.
- It raises blood pressure to help you respond to a threatening situation.
- It lowers immune function and also suppresses digestion and reproductive functions – basically, any bodily functions not necessary for immediate survival. Over time, these effects can lead to serious health problems
Symptoms and Conditions Linked With Dysregulated Cortisol:
- Inability to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day – Reliance on carbs/caffeine
- Fatigue and sluggish (low energy in the morning, even after a full night’s sleep)
- Tired but ‘wired’ feeling, poor sleep (difficulty winding down or staying asleep)
- Unstable blood sugar levels – cortisol and insulin work together, and when cortisol levels increase, insulin levels also rise. Elevated insulin can lead to increased testosterone production by the ovaries, resulting in PCOS for many women..
- Brain fog & forgetfulness – ADD, scattered thoughts, inability to focus on a task for long
- Period & fertility problems – your adrenals definitely affect your ovarian function, and impact your fertility
- Weight gain in the mid-section – the dreaded muffin top that keeps getting bigger. This is because belly fat has 4 x more cortisol receptors than other body fat.
- Low stamina for stress, easily irritated, high anxiety, panic attacks
- Poor immunity; high incidence of colds and flu; chronic infections (bacterial, viral, yeast)
- Dry, unhealthy skin with excess pigmentation, and/or adult acne
- Low libido
Testing Cortisol Levels
In clinic, we recommend the DUTCH test to our clients to find out not only what is going on with the key female hormones oestrogen and progesterone and their metabolites but also the stress hormones cortisol and DHEA-S.
5 Ways To Start Reducing Your Cortisol Levels
- Dim the lights after 9pm – Too much light at night stimulates your adrenals to produce more cortisol to keep you awake. This prevents you from being able to wind down and sleep properly.
- Stay off Screens! – Keep off the screens 2 hours before bedtime. If you have to use your phone or laptop then wear blue light-blocking glasses. Get 15% off Boncharge computer glasses and blue light-blocking products here.
- Eat 3 meals a day and include high-quality protein, veggies, whole grains and good fats. Properly timing meals to prevent dramatic dips and spikes in blood sugar reduce cortisol output and gives you more sustained energy throughout the day. The goal is to feel full for 4-5 hours after you eat – this is a good indicator that your blood sugar is balanced.
- Supplementation – A good B Complex supplement is incredibly powerful in addressing a number of hormonal and reproductive issues. Also, consider my PCH Krill Oil (Omega 3 Complex) – getting 1000-2000mg of fish oil a day has been shown to lower cortisol levels and reduce inflammation
