We”‘re all familiar with stress ” it”’s a constant element in women”’s busy lives. But what we aren”‘t so familiar with is the body”’s response to stress and the ways in which the stress we face today goes far beyond the kind of stress we faced as we evolved ” and ends up depleting our energy and health.
When faced with a stressful situation, our bodies rely on the adrenal glands sitting atop our kidneys to monitor our “fight or flight” response. For the most part, our stress response evolved from short-term events ” crises that came and went. If we had to run from a predator, for example, our healthy adrenal glands responded by releasing adrenaline, which makes us more alert and focused, and cortisol, which converts protein to energy and releases our stored sugar, glycogen, so our bodies have the fuel needed to respond quickly. In concert, the adrenal response rapidly increases our heart and respiratory rates and blood pressure while releasing energy, tensing our muscles, sharpening our senses, and slowing our digestion so we are primed to escape or fight back, whichever is needed. When the threat is gone, the body returns to normal ” quickly with respect to adrenaline levels, less quickly with respect to cortisol.
But in today”’s society, women are inundated with stress ” stress that doesn”‘t let up. And when chronic stress repeatedly forces the adrenal glands to sustain high levels of cortisol, two things happen: first, the adrenals can”‘t attend to their broader role in hormonal regulation because the same resources they use to make hormones like estrogen are required to make cortisol, and second, cortisol starts to damage healthy tissues. Eventually, adrenal fatigue sets in, and many women experience symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, fuzzy thinking, depression, cravings and mood swings. Once the adrenals become depleted, it can lead to adrenal exhaustion and much more serious health concerns.
What is cortisol? In its normal function, cortisol helps us meet these challenges by converting proteins into energy, releasing glycogen, and counteracting inflammation. For a short time, that”’s okay. But at sustained high levels, cortisol gradually tears your body down.
Sustained high cortisol levels:
- destroy healthy muscle and bone
- slow down healing and normal cell regeneration
- co-opt biochemicals needed to make other vital hormones
- impair digestion, metabolism and mental function
- interfere with healthy endocrine function; and
- weaken your immune system.
