Dear Readers: We all got stress, eh? But there’s “good and normal” stress and there’s the “not-so-good-this-sucks” kind of chronic stress. In this Part 1, Kristin delves into the main hormones associated with the stress response and what happens in our bodies when these hormones go to town. —Dina
I don’t know about you, but the past 13 months of my life have been STRESS-FUL!
Can you think of a time in your life when you were stressed? I mean like not-sleeping-or-exercising-eating-like-crap kinda stressed? Maybe it involved a relocation, a pandemic, a horrible job, a demanding job, homeschooling, dysfunctional relationships, parenting, not exercising, financial issues, or “E” - ALL OF THE ABOVE.
It feels lousy. We feel lousy. Who and how we want to be in our lives are at odds with our everyday reality. This disconnect equals stress, and we find ourselves consumed by thoughts that occupy all of our mental real estate. It’s all we think about.
Stress is an emotional response caused by an external trigger (or multiple triggers). Stress can be short-term, such as an upcoming race, a work deadline, or an argument, or it can be long-term, like a chronic injury or illness, ongoing dysfunctional relationships, discrimination, or a bad work environment.
Short-term stress can act as a motivator for positive change. Long-term stress however, can lead to significant physical and emotional symptoms including fatigue, muscle pain, injury, chronic inflammation, anxiety, depression, disease, poor sleep, digestive issues, and weight gain, just to name a few.
Chronic stress puts our bodies in a constant state of “fight or flight”, which impacts, among other things, our ability to maintain weight or lean down, recover from workouts, rehab an injury, absorb nutrients, sleep well, fight illness, and feel healthy.
What are hormones?
Hormones are powerful chemicals produced in one part of the body (the pancreas or pituitary gland, for example), then transported in our bloodstream to another part of the body where they regulate and coordinate activities. Some of the major hormones affected by stress include insulin, cortisol, adrenaline (epinephrine), ghrelin, and leptin.
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas involved in carbohydrate metabolism, and most importantly, controls and regulates glucose concentration in our bloodstream. Under non-stressful circumstances, when we eat a meal, insulin levels rise allowing the breakdown of carbohydrates into glucose, which is our body’s primary source of energy for cells and the brain. Excess glucose (blood sugar) is stored in muscles, the liver, and excess is converted and stored as fat. In stressful situations particularly, it is commonly stored as abdominal fat.
Cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine) are produced in the adrenal glands and are often referred to as “the stress hormones” because of their role in “flight or fight” responses. When we’re stressed, cortisol and adrenaline are released, and these suppress insulin, which restricts blood sugar from going into the cells. Cortisol also triggers the release of stored sugar from the liver. These hormones ensure that your body has as much energy (blood sugar) as it needs to deal with any perceived “threat”.
Elevated cortisol and adrenaline also suppress non-essential functions in the body until the stress subsides. It’s your body’s way of saying, “HEY! We’re fighting this scary thing day after day here. We don’t have resources for healthy digestion and growing hair! Just stop trying!!!” Our bodies don’t care if the threat is a scary tiger or your scary job or your scary family. It’s all stress. And it’s cumulative.
When the “threat” subsides and adrenaline levels drop, so does your blood sugar. This is when cortisol ramps up to restore energy levels. Because your body cannot run on fumes for long, your body becomes desperate for energy, i.e. sugar. This is why we reach for refined, sweet treats and not a big garden salad with salmon. We. Need. Carbs!!!
This pattern can become the vicious cycle of being stressed, not eating, releasing cortisol and adrenaline, craving sugar (refined carbs), eating or drinking quick-energy calories, storing sugar as fat, weight gain or hanging on to the weight we have, and a cycle that continues.
Even if you’re not eating a lot of sugary refined foods, cortisol slows down your metabolism making it difficult to have consistently good workouts, recover from workouts, fight illness, mend an injury, or lean down. It’s as if your body is saying, “We’re hanging on to everything!”
As Dietitians, we're experts at recognizing these patterns, behaviors, and outcomes. By working closely with you, we devise new ways of thinking and different strategies to help support you through the process of repatterning and learning new skills.
In Part 2, we'll talk about two other very important hormones and how they're inextricably linked to your nutrition, sleep, and weight.
See you then,
Kristin