Stress
70% Of the problems i see have stress at the root.
Working with me to manage your stress
could change your life.
The body adapts to stressful situations by identifying the stressor (lions, bears and tigers, lousy boss, slow traffic, supermarket out of your usual brand), the nervous system reacts the same whatever that stressor may be. then hormones get involved and finally the stress resolves.
Stress happens on two levels.
The sympathetic nervous system which increases breathing rate, dilates pupils, increases heart rate and inhibits digestion. This is the initial fight or flight.
The hormonal system gets involved pumping out adrenaline and cortisol.
Cortisol is the main stress hormone but is also essential for every day functioning. It’s normal upswing in the morning makes you feel awake and alert and reduces discomfort and pain. However over time if this builds up it leads to wakefulness at the wrong time of day and inability to sleep well as well as other issues like palpitations and anxiety.
Modern life has lead to a constant drip of stress hormones which are often not use up because our modern life doesn’t allow for enough physical exercise. You may experience:
Difficulty sleeping
IBS type symptoms including diarrhoea and pain
Raised heart rate
Feeling tired in the morning and wakeful at night
Getting more colds than is usual
Lowered libido
Difficulty getting pregnant
Symptoms of low testosterone such as hot flushes
Hormone imbalance
Anxiety
Central weight gain
Energy gaps/hypoglycaemia
The Effects of Stress
When we are stessed, our heart rates are often elevated, cortisol levels are rising to pathological levels and we are in the grip of a constant sense of fight or flight. This can lead to
IBS
Central weight gain because of excess cortisol,
Disordered sleep because of excess cortisol at the wrong time of day
Heart problems and potentially strokes.
Lowered immune function which ultimately leads to more infections like colds and flu.
Impaired fertility in men AND women
And many more
Illustrations on this website are all created by the talented and wonderful Corrina Rothwell at Corrina Rothwell Design and Illustration .
Stress also makes us more likely to develop type two diabetes as cortisol influences insulin secretion and uptake.
Infertility & Stress
Long term stress leads to a condition called pregnenelone steal. Your sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone and leutinising hormone are considered of secondary importance. Pregnenelone is a building block for sex hormones and for cortisol. If you run out of the building blocks for cortisol because you’re constantly under stress your system will divert building blocks for sex hormones to cortisol production.
If your brain thinks you need to be armed for bear it isn’t going to prioritise your desire for a baby. Your sex drive plummets and you just can’t get pregnant. This is as true for men and for women.
Ultimately I reckon around 80% of the people i see have stress at the root of their condition.
CONTACT ME
147 Loughborough Road
West Bridgford | Nottingham
Nottinghamshire | NG2 7JS
