What is stress?
‘Stressors’- things that trigger a stress response. They can be physical and psychological (internal or external)
‘The Stress response’ doesn’t distinguish between physical and emotional stress.
We have work, we have life, we have emotions. These are external stressors. However there can also be internal imbalances that are causing a stress response in our body.
Internal imbalances can be
Gut imbalances – candida , bacteria over growth, parasites. H pylori, Leaky Gut Those digestive issues can send a feedback loop through the gut brain axis saying there is stress but also trigger an immune response due to there being inflammation in the intestines.
Toxins- Where the total load of toxins/ heavy metals simply become too much and our system is longer able to keep up. Triggering inflammation within our system. (more on toxins further on)
Viruses & Bacteria - When these are either active or dormant ( like EBV glandular fever) your immune system becomes more active and imbalanced. When you have an imbalance in your immune system, this can lead to further health struggles.
Adipose tissue- the more body fat you have the more stress on the body because of hormones -oestrogen and oestrogen metabolites as well as the total amount toxins our body has stored as fat.
The Stress Response
Neuro – The nervous system- identifies a stressor on the body
When the stress response hits the ‘acute stress response’ or ‘short term stress response’ is related to the Sympathetic nervous system. When something stresses us out (stressor), this system activates very quickly.
Endo- endocrinology or better known as hormomes
When the SNS kicks in, chemicals release to focus the brain and activate muscles.
This then causes neurons to signal the adrenal glands on the kidneys to release adrenaline (hormone). As the stress carries on, cortisol is produced and is high, adrenaline is high, DHEA is high, along with testosterone, oestrogen etc.
The release of adrenaline has two different affects in the body.
First
Parts of the body such as the muscles of legs and heart that need to be active when stressed so the adrenaline dilates the blood vessels on tissues of these parts of the body. Blood rushes to legs and the heart speeds up. Your body is activated in ways that support you moving. The fundamentals of the stress response is this generic response that says ‘do something’. Movement can be action or to say something.
Second
At same time it activates other receptors on tissues that we don’t need such as digestion or reproduction and the blood vessels contract. Sources like vitamins and minerals and reproductive hormones are down regulated and/or diverted to the stress response instead.
Blood sugar
Under stress the body begins to break down stored sugar for energy. This sugar is stored in the liver. It is released in to the blood stream (blood sugar) for energy because the body is saying it needs to move. Under stress our body cannot break down body fat fast enough. So contrary to common belief we do not burn fat when stressed.
Oxidisation of body fat is a slow process that happens predominately in PNS. If you run out of you liver stores (ie because of a low carb diet) a break down of muscle tissue occurs to get glycogen out of there instead.
Insulin
Insulin is made by the prancreas and is a fat storing hormone. It unlocks the door to your cells to let blood sugar in to the cell to provide energy required or movement. That’s normal. But the problem is under stress a lot of time we’re neither fighting or fleeing. So when we’re stressed and sitting traffic or we have a gut imbalance we’re producing glucose and not burning it off. There is some re uptake of glucose back in to the liver if needed but actually insulin as it increases begins to store glucose in adipose tissue creating body fat.
Immuno- The immune system response
(There is a positive to Short term stress...)
When the stress response hits, it is good for your immune system. The changes in the pupils, the quickening of the heart rate, the sharpening of your cognition and narrowing of your focus all occur plus it primes the immune system to combat infection. Stressors liberate this response in the body that is specifically designed to fight back to whatever stressor that happens to be.
Stressors often come in the form of bacterial or viral infection. Short term stress and the release of adrenaline in particular is in part organised to combat bacterial and viral infection.
There are pathways in your brain that creates an inflammation response.
As insulin gets produced it in turn produces interleukin-6 which is an inflammatory Th2 Cytokine (a type of immune response). It is designed to create inflammation in the body. Swelling is associated with the recruitment of cells in the brain and organs that deploy killer immune cells to go out and look for bacteria and viruses and kill them.
Negatives of Long term stress
This is a normal immune response but now if we’re talking longer term systemic based issues from work, gut issues, etc- think about it as the whole body inflamed or it presents as certain condition specifically based on your unique genetics and what you’re pre-disposed to. Many people under months or years of stress shift towards something called TH2 dominance. This presents as chronic inflammation and hypersensitivity to the environment such allergies, asthma, eczema, foods intolerances or disruption of hormones such a PCOS , estrogen dominance and thyroid issues.