2645: The Many Faces of Chronic Stress: 5 Ways Chronic Stress Can Show Up In Your Life by Victoria Jung with Free Form Fitness

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[00:01:00] more. That's wonderfulpistachios.com. This is Optimal Health Daily Episode 2645, The Many Faces of Chronic Stress, 5 Ways Chronic Stress Can Show Up in Your Life by Victoria Young with freeformfitness.ca and I'm Dr. Neal, your very own host and narrator.

[00:01:21] Welcome back to Optimal Health Daily where I read to you from some of the most popular health and fitness blogs out there, with permission from the sites, and always with a bit of my commentary

[00:01:31] at the end. And with that, let's keep this intro nice and short and get right to today's post as we optimize your life. The Many Faces of Chronic Stress, 5 Ways Chronic Stress Can Show Up in Your

[00:01:47] Life by Victoria Young with freeformfitness.ca. It goes without saying that the few years since the pandemic have been exceptionally stressful. Whether you realize it or not, there has been a constant hum of stress in the background of all of our lives. When this type of low-level chronic

[00:02:05] stress hangs around this long, it can have some unexpected effects. The body is great at sending you signals but when you don't listen to it the first time, it starts acting out. In this article,

[00:02:17] we'll go over some of the ways your body will start to manifest stress and how you can implement stress management strategies today. Symptom 1 – Hormones We're starting with the effect of stress on your hormones because stress cannot occur without

[00:02:32] hormones. But also, the activation of stress can greatly impact all areas of the endocrine system or the hormonal system. The endocrine system is the system of organs that create, control, and secrete hormones. If stress is affecting all of the places where hormones are created and

[00:02:50] secreted, then there are many ways that stress can manifest itself. Some studies show that it reduces fertility, impacts the release of insulin, alters metabolism, and leads to changes in core and basic functions. Because of the effect of stress on your hormones, we won't get into much

[00:03:08] more detail. However, you will see the effects in the following symptoms as hormones are one of the core messenger systems in the body, affecting all other systems. Symptom 2 – Cardiovascular The connection between stress and cardiovascular health is well documented. When you are stressed,

[00:03:26] your heart rate increases, your blood pressure increases, and some will turn to things like smoking, drinking, or highly processed foods to help them cope. Your heart is a muscle, so similarly to how you can overwork a bicep or a leg muscle, you can overwork the heart.

[00:03:44] Chronic stress can weaken the heart because it's burnt out. Beyond the heart, the blood vessels take a beating as well. With high blood pressure, the blood vessels are always overworked and become weak and susceptible to damage. Finally, coping mechanisms such as smoking, drinking, and eating

[00:04:01] highly processed foods have all been shown to negatively affect the cardiovascular system by damaging the lining of the blood vessels, contributing to the buildup of plaque, and increasing bad cholesterol or LDL cholesterol. Of all the symptoms of chronic stress, this one

[00:04:18] is most clearly represented. We'll discuss a simple trick later in the article that can help you lower your stress. Symptom 3 – Cognition and Memory Chronic stress has been found to actually change the structure of the brain.

[00:04:32] As the brain atrophies or shrinks, important structures are also sacrificed in order to protect the core functions of the brain. Dendrites, which are part of the brain cells that create connections, help us learn and impact the strength of memories, decrease in size and number.

[00:04:49] If you've been finding it difficult to recall tasks and stories, this could be due to the fact that your nervous system has been trying to manage the ongoing stress or threat in ancient

[00:04:59] brain terms. These changes in the brain may also have made you a little more clumsy as spatial awareness can be affected by chronic stress. The extent of changes depends on the amount of

[00:05:10] stress you experienced and whether or not you were able to manage your stress even just for a few moments at a time. The tricky part about managing chronic stress is that one of the most

[00:05:20] prominent side effects of chronic stress is changes to mood and behavior. If your mood is off and you are acting out of character, it can be difficult to remember what makes you feel grounded. This is

[00:05:31] why it's important to make stress management and self-care a part of your daily routine. Symptom 4. Digestive issues. This is likely the most unpleasant manifestation of chronic stress. Studies have shown that chronic stress can interfere with acid and mucus production in the

[00:05:48] gut. It can alter the absorption of nutrients and can lead to a vicious cycle of inflammation and an inflammatory response. As the entire digestive system is disrupted and is now in a vicious cycle of inflammation, what may have been a silent colitis is now an active colitis, which

[00:06:05] is basically inflammation of the colon. Irritable bowel syndrome or IBS is also tightly linked to stress and inflammation in the gut. The symptoms will vary due to the complexity of the gut. Some people lose their appetite, which can lead to malnourishment. Some people have issues passing

[00:06:22] stool, while others feel they can never be too far away from a bathroom. As we said, the effect of chronic stress on digestion is unpleasant. So, if you have noticed a change in your appetite,

[00:06:34] digestion, or bathroom experiences, it could be a result of stress. And symptom 5. Immune system. Stress has a well-researched relationship with the immune system. However, the way that the immune system is affected is quite complex. So, we'll do our best to break it down. The immune

[00:06:53] system and its ability to respond to stress is led by a number of specialized cells. If you think back to high school biology, we're talking about natural killer cells, phagocytes, which are the cleanup

[00:07:05] crew for broken down cells, and lymphocytes, which are cells of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune response team. When you get sick, the immune system responds by sending these immune

[00:07:16] system cells to go and check it out and fight back. These cells also release hormones as secondary signals to the body that they are heading out to take care of whatever illness has entered the body.

[00:07:27] As we mentioned in symptom 1, stress really affects our hormones because the stress response is mediated by hormones. This is why scientists believe that the immune system is not able to do its job properly when living with chronic stress. Summary. Chronic stress essentially makes you more

[00:07:46] susceptible to illness. Stress Management 101. Find what works for you. Now that you know the major ways that chronic stress will manifest itself, it's time to look at how you can manage your stress. The internet has been flooded with stress management tips. From baths to meditation to fresh air,

[00:08:05] there are so many ways that you can lower your stress levels naturally. If you think about the stress response, it's unique to every individual. What may cause one person serious stress, think social anxiety, it may bring someone joy and help them reduce stress, like those

[00:08:21] that identify as extroverts. With that said, really think about the moments when you are at your happiest. What moments do you wish would go on for a lifetime? Maybe it's a hot bath with a great book.

[00:08:34] Maybe it's some quality time in nature. You can have one of these or many, but whatever you decide makes you happy, you need to make more time for it when you're stressed. On the other side of the

[00:08:46] individual experience is science. Numerous studies have shown the efficacy of breathing, not necessarily meditation, but breathing. This is because your breath has a direct connection to the nervous system. So when your mind is thinking fight or flight, by controlling your breath, you can shift to

[00:09:03] rest and digest, and completely alter the internal state of the body. Although exercising in a gym may not be for everyone, physical activity is also a stress management technique backed by science.

[00:09:17] Our bodies were designed to move, so a lack of movement stresses the body. So with that in mind, movement, in any way that makes you happy, will lower stress levels. This can be dancing, lifting

[00:09:29] weights, swimming, spinning or even just going for a walk. As long as movement is part of your daily routine, you will benefit from its stress-reducing effect. In conclusion, chronic stress can have a

[00:09:41] number of strange effects on the body. This article was meant to highlight some of the ways your stress may be manifesting itself. Equipped with this knowledge, you can start to take action. Find what

[00:09:52] makes you happy and naturally reduces your stress levels. You just listened to the post titled The Many Faces of Chronic Stress – 5 Ways Chronic Stress Can Show Up in Your Life by Victoria Young with freeformfitness.ca and I'll be right back with my commentary.

[00:10:12] Dr. Neil here for my commentary. I want to talk a bit more about deep breathing as a stress reliever. It's true that taking deep breaths is a great way to relax the mind and body. And yes, studies back

[00:10:24] this up too. But the important thing is to perform deep breathing correctly. It's not enough to just take in a deep breath and expect to experience complete relief. So we actually need to think

[00:10:36] about deep breathing as occurring in four phases. Phase 1 is where we inhale and take in as much air as we can through the nose or the mouth. Try to inhale for 5 seconds and imagine that your belly

[00:10:48] button is going to hit whatever object is in front of you. Phase 2 is where we pause to hold that air in our lungs. Try and hold in that air for 5 seconds. Phase 3 is breathing all that air out through

[00:11:03] the nose or mouth. Exhale for, you guessed it, 5 seconds. And imagine when you exhale, your belly button is going to hit your spine. Then the last phase, phase 4, is pausing for another moment after

[00:11:18] exhaling that air. Then repeat this process at least 5 times. So, does deep breathing like this really help? Yes. Many studies have shown that practicing deep breathing in this way can decrease heart rate, decrease blood pressure, relieve muscle tension, and may even help clear our minds,

[00:11:40] allowing us to think more clearly. Oh, and another advantage? Deep breathing can be performed almost anywhere at almost any time. Alright, that'll do it for today. Thank you so much for listening.

[00:11:52] Thank you for being a subscriber or follower of the show. I hope you have a great rest of your day and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits!