Is stress making you sick, cranky and overweight?
Jane Arlow • May 22, 2020
Spoiler Alert! Yes, quite likely.
Here’s the executive summary – yes, if you’re experiencing chronic stress, then this is more likely to make you overweight, sick, tired and cranky! In this post, I’m going to outline a number of the physiological responses to stress and show how they all interact and in my next, talk about some of the ways that we can reduce our stress.
So, let’s start at the beginning, when our bodies first evolved. Imagine there’s a lioness standing right there in front of you. She’s hungry and she has a litter of cubs nearby that she needs to feed. She’s thinking how tasty you’re going to be. You look at the lioness, she looks at you. Your body releases two hormones, adrenaline and cortisol that work on your muscles to release more energy so that you can take the appropriate fight/ flight action. You get away, your adrenaline and cortisol levels return to normal.
Now, we’re back in the 21st Century. Imagine that your alarm hasn’t gone off and you’ve overslept. You get showered and dressed in a rush, then you spill coffee down your shirt. One fresh shirt later, you leave your house. The traffic is awful because it’s raining and you get to work late. Your boss was in early this morning and has already filled your inbox with a whole pile of to-do’s that now mean that your own to-do list has gone out of the window.
We all experience this constant drip of small stresses. Unfortunately, our bodies evolved before alarms, coffee, traffic and bosses. All they know that when we experience a stress, it must be urgent like a lion, so the only appropriate response is fight/ flight and our bodies are flooded with adrenaline and cortisol.
Now, if this is a one-off morning and usually, we’re pretty calm, then our bodies will cope.
But what if this is our normal? What happens if every day, our bodies are in this fight/ flight mode and actually, there is no lioness? Well, our bodies don’t know any different so the adrenaline and cortisol are released anyway and they act on our muscles to release more energy. That we don’t really need. Suddenly, there’s a whole load of extra energy rushing around that we're not using, so it goes into storage. As fat.
At the same time, this constant release of cortisol and energy starts to alter our ability to metabolise glucose, leading to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance increases the risks for pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and a host of other serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes and cancer.
As if this wasn’t enough, chronic stress is also known to: suppress the immune function and to increase the likelihood of catching infections; to worsen any other ongoing health issue; and to lead to higher blood pressure especially if we’re already susceptible.
Stress can also cause lighter sleep and mean that we wake more frequently. And, in a delightful vicious loop, the less quality sleep we have, the more stressed we are likely to feel. This is because when we’re tired, we’re more likely to react from the amygdala (which is the emotion-based part of the brain) than the pre-frontal cortex (the thinking part). This increases feelings of lack of control. A lack of quality sleep can also impact how much we eat due to the release of the two hunger hormones, leptin and ghrelin.
Finally, research indicates that individuals who are chronically stressed, particularly women who are already overweight, are more likely to reach for sugary, salty and calorie-dense foods and to binge eat. This behavioural activity is a response to stimulation of the dopamine pathways and the learning/ conditioning mechanism. That is to say every time we’re stressed we’ve learnt that chocolate makes us feel better, so more must be even better.
So, in summary, being chronically stressed means that we’ve got loads of extra energy sloshing around our systems that we can’t metabolise properly; we’re tired and hungry; we have suppressed immune responses and are we’re more likely to binge eat. You can see how this is going to play out – increased weight, more likely to be sick, cranky and yes, just generally delightful to be around.
Obviously, we are all going to experience stress. But a great deal of how we respond to it is down to us and how we choose to manage it.
In future posts, I’ll be sharing some tips for managing stress
and improving your sleep.
Because no one wants the lurgy!
And the first one's a doozie!
October's Breast Cancer Awareness Month and if you haven't done it recently, please let this be the nudge you need to give them a good feel up. Here 's a link to the NHS website below showing how to perform your check and what to look for. If you're one of my gentlemen readers, please don't think this doesn't apply to you. It does. Men can still get breast cancer. And if you find something that doesn't seem right, please contact your GP as soon as possible. 80-90% of lumps are likely to be benign, but for the small percentage of those that aren't, early detection and treatment are your best chances of having successful treatment and being around to annoy friends and family for a long time. Don't skip your mammogram I know having mammograms is really uncomfortable. But this is one of the best ways to check for cancers that aren't otherwise easily spotted. So if you get invited, please go. (And don't skip your smear test either!!!) Know your risk factors 1 in 7 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Here are some of the risk factors: - Age : older women are more likely to get breast cancer than younger women and age is the highest risk factor. - Genetics : Breast cancer risk is higher if you have first-degree relatives who've had it (although 85% of women with a relative with breast cancer WON'T get it). - Breast density (relates to the percentage of non-fatty tissue): the risk is highest for those with the most dense tissue. You can ask your radiographer to tell you whether you have dense tissue at your mammogram. - Lifestyle factors: These include having overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption, tobacco use and insufficient physical activity. - Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals: These "forever" chemicals, such as pthalates and parabens, show up in makeup and toiletries. Risk doesn't normally come from one exposure to one chemical, but from prolonged exposure to many different chemicals over a long period of time. You can read more about the risks here It's worth noting that even if you get a diagnosis, it's unlikely you'll ever know if there was "one thing" that caused it. What happens if you get a diagnosis of breast cancer? I am in no way competent to comment on the treatment plan your medical team recommend for you. Everyone I know who's had breast cancer has had a different treatment plan, depending on: the stage of cancer; whether it had spread further; whether it was hormone-receptive; whether it was due to genetic mutation; and the age of the woman. I do know that for all of us, it was a really scary time. You should be given access to resources outside of the surgical and oncology team, often via a Macmillan nurse, who can answer questions on topics from your treatment and reactions, to claiming for extra benefits. They're also great if you're not sure what questions to ask. While you're in the heat of the panic, it can be difficult to think clearly about what you need to know. Using "what should I be asking that I'm not?" is super helpful. Keep moving after your diagnosis, during and after treatment The one thing I can advise you on with all confidence, is to keep moving. Exercise is safe, possible and helpful for individuals with breast cancer, throughout the treatment cycle. In fact, international guidelines say you should try to get back to your normal activities as soon as possible. Exercise can help reduce the risk of cancer coming back; and may stop stage 1 cancers from growing further; and can also reduce treatment side effects like tiredness, cognitive impairment or lympoedema. Yes, you may need to dial back your usual activities if treatment leaves you feeling exhausted. But whenever you can, please aim for 150 minutes of exercise in every week. Many forms of treatment also lead to a higher osteoporosis risk, so please also do resistance-based and/or some impact-based exercise every week. I'd also recommend paying attention to shoulder mobility. Scar tissue and "guarding" of surgery sites can reduce your range of movement a lot. Check in with your medical team to confirm if there's any specific movements you should avoid during your treatment plan, and when you'll be signed off to go back to them. One last piece of advice someone else gave me... When you tell people you have cancer, a lot of them will have an opinion on your treatment plan. Especially if they're of the "my friend cured their cancer by just eating this one thing.." type. Unless this person is an oncologist, you can safely ignore them! So, what are you still doing reading this? Go off and give yourself a fondle!
I bet you've asked these yourself!
Because resting is revolution in a world that wants to keep you agitated!
Why should I do Pilates?
Spoiler alert...
What are "Bungalow Legs"?
Struggling to get 10,000 steps a day?
Because knees are important!