Performance
a socially acceptable form of mental illness.
—Richard Carlson
You know you're stressed when you feel anxious, irritable, tense, and tired but you may not realize just what a toll it is taking on your physical health. Chronic stress, even at low levels, tends to promote inflammation and other systemic imbalances that can lead not only to adrenal burnout but also to serious conditions like heart disease, depression, cancer, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Understanding what is really happening in the body when you're under stress can empower you to begin to make different choices in support of your emotional and physical health.
Stress & pH | Stress & Mental Health
Modern Stress
In our earliest ancestors, the body's stress response acted as a sophisticated alarm system to help us stay alive in the face of threatening predators and physical danger. The source of today's stress is often more psychological than physical. It's the stress of things we can't control—the jerk who cuts us off in traffic, an erratic manager who makes unreasonable demands, a sick kid who need to be picked up from school just when we finally had time to finish that project.It's also the stress we put on ourselves with unrealistic expectations about how much we can do in a day. Sometimes we are driven by perfectionism, believing that we have to work hard to earn our right to relax, be loved, or feel safe. Unfortunately the body doesn't recognize the difference between everyday hassles or constant worrying and physical threat: it gears up to protect us from perceived danger in the same way it would from a real, charging tiger!
The Stress Response
When the body perceives a threat, the hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axis (HPA) is triggered, along with the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which activates the fight, flight, or freeze response. This response is necessary for survival and useful for dealing with short-term stressors as we respond to life's demands. We might even like that alert, edgy feeling of always being on the go, and many are addicted to this literal adrenaline rush. But when sustained over time, even low-level stress—the kind most of us experience daily as a result of modern living—starts to take its toll.The adrenal glands located just above the kidneys release cortisol, often known as the stress hormone. Healthy levels of cortisol maintain blood sugar balance, energy, and blood pressure, lower inflammation, and regulate immune response. In a survival situation, however, cortisol helps the body turn off non-essential tasks, like digestion and reproduction, and turn on the body's emergency responses. Ideally, once the stressor is gone, cortisol levels drop and normal functioning returns. The effects of stress hormones, however, can accumulate over time, resulting in the over- or under-activation of the HPA-axis. Physically and emotionally, we're either too hyped up or on verge of burnout.
Signs & Symptoms of Stress
We rely on this sophisticated stress response in order to react quickly to real hazards. Chronic stress, however, leads to wear and tear on all the major systems of the body:- Increased heart rate — gets blood pumping oxygen & sugars to cells
Rapid or irregular heartbeats, panic - Rapid breathing — moves more oxygen into the body
Hyperventilation, some forms of asthma - Release of stress hormones — elevates heart rate & glucose levels for energy
Anger, irritability, anxiety, panic, hypertension, insulin resistance, hypoglycemia - Elevated blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides —
Hypertension, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, central obesity - Muscular tension — prepares muscles for action (fight/flight)
Headaches, TMJ, back & neck pain, poor sleep, fatigue, loss of mental focus due to pain or fatigue - Blood flow/circulation — directed to the brain & major muscles for quick response
Hypertension, cold hands/feet, upset stomach, migraine headaches, colitis, constipation, sexual dysfunction in men & women - Heightened sensitivity — maintains "survival" vigilance
Emotional reactivity, easily startled, anxiety, depression, poor impulse control, impaired problem-solving and judgment, substance abuse to cope - Increased perspiration — regulates body temperature due to increased metabolic activity
Hyperhidrosis, dehydration - Hormone imbalance — reflects persistent stress to the endocrine system
Decreased immune response, recurrent infections, frequent colds/flus, allergies, low thyroid, lowered sex drive, infertility or impaired reproductive function, autoimmune disorders, tumor development
Sympathetic Dominance
Eventually, with persistent stress, the SNS tends to dominate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), making it very difficult for us to relax and recover even if the stressor is no longer present. In a nutshell, our body stays on high alert because it is unable to read effectively messages from the PNS that tell us we can relax and let our guard down.Behaviors that lead to sympathetic dominance include:
- Avoiding or neglecting relaxation
- Trying to do too much or always needing to do things "the right way"
- Ignoring fatigue in order to "get the job/task/project done"
- Not getting enough sleep
- Using sugar, caffeine, nicotine, drugs, or herbal stimulants to keep going
- Breathing shallowly, especially when tense
- Worrying and mentally replaying stressful inner dialogues
- Neglecting fun and relaxing activities that clear your mind
- Putting yourself last
- Skipping meals or excessive dieting
- Eating processed, junk, or fake foods
- Exposing yourself to toxins in the environment, food, personal & cleaning products
- Not exercising or exercising too much
Stress & pH: The Acid-Alkaline Balance
Every system in the body, including digestion, reproduction, and immune function, requires a very specific pH for optimal health. When we are in a persistent state of sympathetic dominance, the autonomic nervous system cannot regulate the acid-alkaline balance properly, often leading to conditions like insomnia, heartburn, irritable bowel, and even bone mineral loss. These acidic states also tend to cause the body to produce too much estrogen, which may lead to cancer, reproductive disorders, or other serious medical conditions.Persistent acid dominance can also affect our mental health. For example, over 95% of the body's serotonin is produced in the gut. This neurotransmitter is a critical "good mood" chemical, the active component of many common anti-depressant medications. When chronic stress disrupts a healthy digestive system, we may become more vulnerable to depression, which not only affects our emotional mood—we feel sad, down, irritable, or restless—but also our physical body. We may experience sleep problems, unintentional weight gain or loss, fatigue or muscle weakness, difficulty with concentration, decision-making, and memory, or unexplained physical symptoms like back pain, headaches, or digestive problems.
For some, unmanaged stress can lead to high blood pressure, arterial damage, irregular heart rhythms, and a weakened immune system. For people with heart disease, depression increases the risk for an adverse cardiac event such as a heart attack or blood clots. For those who do not have heart disease, depression increases the risk of heart attack and coronary disease. Negative lifestyle habits associated with depression—such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, poor diet, and lack of social support—can interfere with the treatment for heart disease.
Stress & Your Mental Health
The mind/body connection is intimately linked to the stress response: the body responds to the way you think, feel, and act. When you are stressed, anxious, or upset, your body tries to tell you that something is out of balance. For example, high blood pressure or a stomach ulcer might develop after a particularly stressful event, such as the death of a loved one.Emotional issues can weaken your body's immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious, or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking medicine that your doctor prescribes. Abuse of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs may also be a sign of poor emotional health.
The following are just some of the physical signs that your emotional health is out of balance:
- Back, neck, chest, or joint pain
- Stiff neck
- Tension and migraine headaches
- TMJ (teeth grinding or "locked" jaw)
- High blood pressure
- Digestive issues (GERD, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, etc.)
- Asthma or shortness of breath
- Increasing allergies or hives
- Fibromyalgia
- Sleep problems
- Extreme tiredness unrelieved by sleep
- Low sex drive
- Lightheadedness
- Excessive sweating
- Palpitations (heart racing)
- Sexual problems
- Unintended weight gain or loss
- Getting divorced or married
- Suffering an illness or injury
- Experiencing money problems
- Moving to a new home or having a baby
- Having a child leave or return home
- Leaving for or graduating from college
- Losing a job
- Getting a job promotion
- Dealing with the death of a loved one
Adapted from Tired of Being Tired: Rescue, Repair, Rejuvenate by Jesse Lynn Hanley, MD, and The Second Brain: Your Gut Has a Mind of Its Own by Michael Gershon, MD.
Frazzled & Frustrated?
Counseling or other forms of stress reduction can support you in returning to emotional
balance & physical health.
Talk with Dina to discover what you can do to change old habits, gain a healthier perspective & take better care of yourself whatever your situation or stress.
Talk with Dina to discover what you can do to change old habits, gain a healthier perspective & take better care of yourself whatever your situation or stress.
