You stress. I stress. We all stress!!

Some stress is good!  Too much stress is no good!

Cortisol is your body's stress hormone and has a natural rhythm (opposite of melatonin) of being highest in the morning (so we wake up energized and ready to face the day) and lowest at night (so we can sleep).  Acute stressors - could be a big business deadline, a HIIT workout or you missed your alarm -- increases cortisol and prepares the body for a "fight or flight" response by suppressing production and release of other hormones, such as DHEA and thyroid in addition to increase heart rate, blood flow and adrenaline.  Once the stressor passes (you finish your workout, you meet your deadline, you make it to work on time) levels return to normal and homeostasis is maintained.  The stress response is essential in maintaining our bodies ability to adapt to circumstances and is healthy.  It's when stress becomes chronic --  an anxious personality, over exercising, eating an inflamed, processed diet, bacterial/viral infections, interrupted sleep, shift work, stressful job or relationship, etc. -- that cortisol becomes detrimental to our health.  This can affect everything from our energy levels to immune health to weight loss efforts to our ability to adapt to life events healthfully.  Stress can even become so much that our adrenal glands (responsible for secreting cortisol and other corticosteroids) can't keep up and we are hit with adrenal fatigue.  The good news is there are steps we can take to help restore healthy cortisol balance in the body.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, it may be beneficial for you to test your cortisol levels and/or start taking some adrenal support supplements:

• Headache

• Muscle tension or pain

• Chest pain

• Fatigue

• Change in sex drive

• Upset stomach

• Sleep problems

• Anxiety

• Restlessness

• Lack of motivation or focus

• Feeling overwhelmed

• Irritability or anger

• Sadness or depression

• Overeating or undereating

• Angry outbursts

• Drug or alcohol abuse

• Tobacco use

• Social withdrawal

• Exercising less often

• Can't get up in the AM

• Need an afternoon nap

Steps to take now to avoid an impaired stress response:

1. Make good sleep hygiene a priority

2. Eat enough to support energy

3. Make workouts count QUALITY over QUANTITY

4. Take extra B vitamins

5. Practice healthy breathing in response to stress

6. Get outside daily

7. Eat clean, whole foods

8. Be intentional with your time

Check out this LINK for how you can easily test cortisol and read more about how it works in your body!

https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/stress-test?gclid=CjwKCAjw-e2EBhAhEiwAJI5jg_XWLFGVHGSbUqGzedJd0cxiPK8K_F84haDRv9-Vm6IvaXmz60inSBoC8U0QAvD_BwE

Brought to you by,

Katie Nelson, RD, CSCS and

6th Avenue Pharmacy