Dear Readers: Ain’t no April Fools joke that stress can jack up your health if it’s poorly managed or other “life pillars” are not optimized. You deserve better. But knowledge is power, so check out Kristin’s Part 2 below. Also, we do offer DUTCH testing to get further insight into your stress profile which is enlightening for those who want to dig deeper. —Dina
If you missed Part 1, go check that out here and then come back!
More hormone hoopla
Ghrelin is produced in the gut and known as the “hunger hormone”. When your stomach is empty, ghrelin tells your brain that you are hungry and you need food. I call it the ghrelin growlies. Its main function is to increase appetite and stimulate you to consume more food, take in more calories, and store fat. The higher the level of ghrelin, the hungrier you get.
Leptin is produced by the fat cells and it is commonly known as the “satiety hormone”. It is involved in the regulation of appetite, metabolism, and calorie burning. When you are satiated, leptin signals your body to start burning calories for energy. Low levels of leptin tell your brain that fat stores are low and you need to eat. The more body fat you carry, the more leptin your body produces.
When we get good sleep, leptin levels increase and provide signals to our brains that we have all the energy we need and there’s no need to trigger hunger. Conversely, ghrelin levels decrease, because sleep requires far less energy than being awake does.
A lack of sleep, often experienced during periods of high stress, causes the opposite to occur; our bodies decrease levels of leptin, and increase ghrelin, which can result in constant feelings of hunger and a general slow-down of your metabolism. This dysregulation helps explain the connection between inadequate sleep and weight gain.
Nutrition and stress
Nutrition and stress are interlinked.
Proper nutrition is an important stress management tool. When our bodies are poorly fed, stress takes an even greater toll on our health.
There are many angles we can tackle with you to help you find patterns and behaviors that may be contributing to your stress, whether it’s eating regularly, slowing down, increasing healthy fats or specific vitamins and minerals, ways to increase fiber, trading caffeine and alcohol, or ideas for healthy snacks.
We can help ya when you’re ready. Give us a holler and we’ll set up a free discovery call today.
It’s time to thrive!
- Kristin