It’s Monday morning. You turn on your cell phone and realize that you forgot about your dentist appointment this morning. You rush through your morning routine in order to avoid being late. You grab a banana, a granola bar, and your coffee and consume them while you are getting ready to go. You head out in your car on your way to your appointment only to find you run into construction and the delay is going to surely make you late. The next couple of traffic lights are green and you feel as if you have entered into the land of the gift of additional time. But all the remaining lights at the intersections to your appointment prove to be red ones. Sigh. When you finally arrive at your destination, you struggle to find a spot in the busy parking lot, rush into the building, and take the stairs breathlessly hoping to save a couple of minutes. You check in at the office and plop down on a chair to wait for your name to be called. You breathe a sigh of relief as if you just completed a half marathon.
The Physiology of Stress
Studies show that 60-80% of doctor visits are related to stress in some way. We live in a time when we often experience multiple stressors throughout our day and sometimes even throughout an hour’s length of time. When we activate the fight or flight response over and over every day, it can lead to a state of chronic stress. When our brain perceives a threat, it releases stress hormones which prepare us for the fight or flight response as a survival mechanism.
However, here’s something important to consider. The brain doesn’t have an immediate capacity to tell the difference between perceived threats and real ones. A perceived threat will be reacted to just the same as a real threat, initiating the same physiological response from the body. So, our everyday traffic jams can matter just as much as a real life-threatening situation, like running from a tiger, when it comes to the effects on our bodies.
Effects of Chronic Stress
Your body will start prioritizing survival over other functions when it perceives a threat. Chronic stress leads to a downregulation of important functions in our body. One of the areas that gets downregulated is our digestive system.
How Stress Takes a Toll on Digestion
- Impacts the parasympathetic nervous system, which affects saliva production
- Decreases blood flow to the intestines which slows motility
- Slower motility can lead to constipation, diarrhea, or both
- Less abundance or diversity of beneficial gut bacteria
- Increased susceptibility to infection due to decreased immune function
- Decreased stomach acid production
- Affects the proper pH of the stomach
- Impacts the function of the valves and sphincters to open and close and affects peristalsis
When digestion is downregulated, the risk of intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut” is increased. This can also result in food sensitivities or food allergies to certain foods, as well as an increased risk of pathogenic infections. 1
Additional Effects of Stress on the Body
Besides digestion and gut health being affected, other ways that stress can affect our bodies physiologically include:
- Blood sugar imbalance and insulin resistance
- Increased food cravings
- Imbalanced hormones
- Elevated cortisol resulting in weight gain
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Low-grade inflammation throughout the body
- Cellular damage which can speed up aging
- Contribute to bone loss
- Downregulate reproductive system
- Lead to symptoms of anxiety and depression
There are a lot of things that demand our attention on the daily. Realizing the profound influence of stress is an important first step in cultivating a more resilient body. As we navigate the frenzy in our days, understanding how stress can affect us helps motivate us to choose those things that help to prioritize more peace. Check out next week’s blog to learn about some holistic ways to manage stress.
If this blog has been helpful, share it with a friend!
References:
- Nutritional Therapy Association. Sleep, Stress Movement-Guide. [PDF file]. 2020. P 54.
Leave a Reply