From having a bad day at work to accidentally burning your favorite dinner, there are a million things that can cause stress to rear its ugly head in our lives.
It’s simply an unavoidable part of life.
The good news is that most people can manage daily stress with a run around the neighborhood or a long chat with a good friend.
However, others–perhaps yourself– have a hard time managing daily stress, which can have negative effects on your health and well-being.
Today I wanted to provide some information for those of you who have a difficult time managing stress.
Keep reading to learn more about your 3 major stress hormones and to discover what you can do to keep them in check.
Your Body’s 3 Major Stress Hormones
Your body has 3 major hormones that are capable of making you feel stressed out.
Let’s start with a quick overview of each hormone and why it is important for your body.
Cortisol
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced by your adrenal glands.
As the body produces cortisol, it’s released into your bloodstream and is transported throughout your entire body.
Aside from triggering your body’s fight-or-flight response, cortisol also…
- Controls blood sugar levels.
- Regulates your metabolism.
- Acts as an anti-inflammatory.
- Influences memory function.
- Controls the body’s salt and water balance.
- Controls blood pressure.
When you’re constantly stressed out and anxious, the body often produces too much cortisol.
The cycle of pumping too much cortisol into the body then contributes to debilitating anxiety, high blood pressure, nausea, headaches, and even diabetes.
Norepinephrine
Norepinephrine is a hormone that is released through the ends of sympathetic nerve fibres.
This hormone influences the force of skeletal muscle contractions and helps determine the rate and force of contractions in the heart.
Like cortisol, norepinephrine is also a hormone that helps regulate the body’s fight-or-flight response.
This hormone is often what triggers panic attacks due to too much stress. Aside from panic attacks, too much of this chemical in your body can also cause…
- Fatigue.
- Muscle tension.
- Cramps.
- Irritability.
- The feeling of constantly being on edge.
Adrenaline
The final major biochemical related to stress is adrenaline.
Adrenaline is produced in the medulla of the adrenal glands. After the chemical is produced, it’s released into the body’s bloodstream.
In prehistoric times, adrenaline was a very important hormone that heightened the body’s ability to respond to danger, such as being chased by a wild animal.
Today, the purpose of adrenaline remains the same–it gives us a heightened awareness when dangers cross our paths.
That being said, if your body is producing too much adrenaline due to stress and anxiety, it can cause a person to have…
- An increased heart rate.
- High blood pressure.
- Enlarged pupils.
- An altered metabolism.
- Acne.
- Depression and anxiety.
- Fatigue.
- Unusual menstrual cycles (in women).
How to Naturally Manage Your Stress Hormones
As you can see, all 3 hormones are important to our bodies.
However, when your hormone levels are out of whack due to stress, you’re going to have a hard time lowering your stress levels, dealing with anxiety, and healing your body.
For some people, hormonal imbalances are a serious issue that requires the help of a medical professional.
If you’re at a point where you…
- Are struggling with debilitating anxiety
- Can’t complete everyday tasks like going to work or caring for your family
- Can’t eat
- Can’t sleep
- Feel depressed
- Are constantly ill
…then I recommend you get in touch with your primary caregiver today to get help.
However, if you’re someone who feels a few natural strategies might work to help alleviate your constant stress, here’s what I recommend…
Tip #1 – Find physical outlets to relieve your stress.
Sometimes all you need to do to balance out your hormones is to release them through physical activity.
Go for a daily run, try a kickboxing class, or go play with your dog in the park, and see if that helps.
Tip #2 – Make time to relax.
Often people become stressed because they put too much on their plates.
The solution: start saying no to things that stress you out.
Don’t sign up for extra activities if you don’t have the time. Don’t volunteer for extra work if your workload is already too much for you to handle. Say no to your child wanting to participate in 5 sports or extracurricular activities.
Tip # 3 – Add self-care into your daily routine.
Life can easily become stressful when you put everyone else’s needs ahead of your own.
Make the time to get a massage or take a hot bath. Go ahead and order pizza for dinner one night so you don’t have to cook.
It’s ok to give yourself a time out to relax.
Tip #4 – Change up your diet.
Sugary, processed foods can wreak havoc on our body systems.
Start healing your body from the inside out by switching to a fresh, whole food diet.
Tip # 5 – Try a probiotic.
Your gut is your body’s second brain. And, if you’re not caring for your gut, it can easily cause your body to become unbalanced.
Help rebalance your gut with a quality probiotic.
The formula I always recommend to my patients is from Xymogen.com.
Grab my recommended probiotic supplement here.
Use code: CNHC
Use these natural strategies consistently, and it will be much easier for you to naturally manage your stress levels!
Want to learn more about naturally managing stress hormones? Every once in a while, I host a FREE dinner talk event on this topic. Be sure to check out my calendar of events to see what topic is up next!
