3 Insider Tricks to Manage Stress
Not only is stress a drag for us emotionally but it changes the chemical environment of our body leading to more inflammation (which causes more pain and other chronic issues throughout our bodies). It also changes our hormone production cycles- describing what is known as the pregnenolone steal.
Your hormone factory can only make so much product in a day due to how many workers, demand, and raw materials you have. The raw material in this case is a hormone called pregnenolone and it can be used to make either cortisol (the stress hormone), testosterone (in the case of men), or progesterone (in the case of women).
If the demand for cortisol is high for regulating things like steady blood sugar levels, too much exercise, or emotional stress from work or relationships then there won’t be enough raw materials for testosterone/progesterone production.
What does this look like for men vs. women?
Symptoms for Men:
decreased testosterone
increased estrogen
increased susceptibility to injury
decreased muscle recovery
decreased motivation
low libido
high risk for heart disease
overgrowth of prostrate (BPH)
leaky gut (gut issues/symptoms
Symptoms for Women:
increased estrogen and testosterone
decreased progesterone
hair loss on scalp
hair growth on face
acne
heavy menstrual flow
increased PMS like cramping and emotional swings
high risk for heart disease, breast cancer, and PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)
gut issues
Three Solutions
#1 : Regulate Blood Sugar
A simple fix to help get this system going again would be to better regulate blood sugar on your own. This often involves consuming less sugar or high glycemic carbs (like baked potatoes, rice, breads, cereals, oatmeal, sugar, corn...) and eating more protein and fat (like eggs, organic meats, grass-fed beef, wild fish, avocado, coconut oil, nuts, nut butter, olive oil...) throughout the day, especially between meals or before you go to bed.
#2 : Antioxidants
Often times regulating blood sugar isn’t enough to notice an immediate change and can take weeks to see improvement. This is a result of the lingering effects of chronic stress and to high levels of the byproducts of stress, which is called oxidative stress.
Antioxidants are so named because they protect your body against oxidative stress. Anything high in antioxidants can be powerful for combating this, unless you have autoimmunity because some of the foods rich in antioxidants can activate your immune system and make all of your symptoms associated with autoimmunity worse.
To avoid this it is recommended to supplement with a potent oxidative stress killer called curcumin (found in turmeric).
#3 : AdrenaCalm
Another supplement that helps to repair adrenal tissue and helps make more adrenal hormones while calming down the stress response is called Adrenacalm.
We often use this supplement in office because unlike most of the adrenal support supplements on the market, it helps to sooth your system as well, giving your adrenals time to repair and making you feel better in the meantime.
It is also important to note that the more stressed out your system is, the more your brain and nerves prioritize stress. Just like working your muscles your nervous system will make it easier for you to be stressed because you work it out so often. In order to disrupt this cycle we often require some extra support.
