Chronic Stress is a huge part of our society with more than 65% of the population in the United States, that's every 2 of 3 people are struggling with chronic stress. Which differs from just normal stress, where you have stressful situations for a short period of time. Chronic stress is feeling stressed for long spans of time. When we are chronically stressed it puts our body at risk for mental health disorders, hormone imbalances, deficiencies, and even lead to an autoimmune condition. What are the signs, symptoms and causes of chronic stress? In this article you are going to learn all of that and strategies on how you can improve your stress management and relax for good.
What Are The Causes of Chronic Stress?
Chronic stress is feeling overwhelmed or under consistent pressure for long periods. Chronic stress often occurs in high-stress environments, such as your job, home, relationships, and places where you feel expectations to fulfill some external stimuli. Wherever we go, we have expectations of how we might want to feel, what we might see, taste, smell, and hear. Our senses are what become heightened in a state of stress. Your blood pressure rises, and your mind begins racing. This process releases different hormones, such as adrenaline and norepinephrine, in response to the stress. This is pulled from your adrenal glands; when we experience this form of stress for too long, we experience something called adrenal fatigue.
Adrenal fatigue is when your adrenals can no longer keep up with the fight or flight response caused by the consistent stress. Over time, this can lead to thyroid issues, high blood pressure, hormone imbalances, and even prolonged anxiety.
What are the direct causes of chronic stress? There isn't one. It is generally a combination of consistently putting yourself in environments or consuming content that stresses you out. Some examples are the constant overflow of information on the news, social media, and the internet. Drinking too much content can cause stress in the brain and the body. Lack of sleep and needing more sleep calls on our adrenals for help throughout the day. A stressful household, complicated relationship, and dissatisfying job can all be contributors to chronic stress. Think of it this way: all of these things generally happen together, so to sum it up, the whole picture causes long-term stress.
A study on Pub Med found that long-term lack of sleep showed a consistent increase in overstress, depression, and anxiety. (Study)
Are Your Struggling With Chronic Stress?
How do you know if you are struggling with chronic stress? Chronic stress has distinct symptoms that can help you identify if you are struggling with stress. If you feel you are struggling with chronic stress, consider seeing someone who can professionally diagnose you. The symptoms linked to chronic stress are;
Aches and pains
Insomnia or sleepiness
Change in appetite
Increased substance use
Isolating behavior
Change in emotional response to others
Cloudy thinking or lack of concentration
Emotional withdrawal
What are the Long-Term Effects of Chronic Stress on the Brain?
Chronic stress affects three main parts of the brain: the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex. These brain parts are responsible for mental clarity, memory, and emotional regulation. When we are exposed to early childhood or adolescent stressors, it sets us up to be more vulnerable to stress as we get older. Studies show that chronic exposure to stress is associated with reduced volume of the amygdala, hippocampus, and frontal cortex, suggesting neurotoxic effects on the brain.
The brain is responsible for how our mind copes and handles internal or external stress. When we are under chronic stress, our brain changes its neurological architecture to cope with it in case we are confronted with it again. Over time, this can alter the way you deal with different kinds of stress. For example, when traffic used not to be a problem, you suddenly find yourself almost in a rage because the car in front of you wants to go. This is a response to changes in your neurological makeup. Your brain will adapt and do whatever it needs to to stay comfortable and alive.
Studies also show that chronic stress disrupts our excitatory amino acids and glucocorticoids, causing irreversible damage and leading to a chronic condition called Alzheimer's. The inactivation of the insulin receptor activator causes this. Understanding this, it is essential to note that there are multiple solutions you can use to boost your brain's resilience to stress.
What are the Long-Term Effects of Chronic Stress on the Gut?
We all know the effects of stress on the brain and the nervous system, but how does it affect our digestion and microbiome? When we are exposed to chronic levels of stress, it affects the way our brain and gut connect; through this, it causes an array of issues that can lead to gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal influx disease (GERD), and more.
The significant effects of stress on the gut include:
Gastrointestinal mobility (ebb and flow of your digestion)
Increase in visceral perception (painful sensation in the gut)
Changes in gastrointestinal secretion (absorption of your food and its nutrients)
Changes in the absorption and blood flow of the gut
Destroys microbiota
Your gut is the centerpiece of your health. It is where many bodily functions begin, as digestion, immunity, energy, metabolism and mu, and more—understanding that what we go through each day affects us better manage stress and begin to see better results from your gut with better digestion, less constipation and bloating, more energy, and better absorption of your nutrients.
What are the Long-Term Effects Of Chronic Stress on the Heart?
Our heart rate is regulated by how we deal with different stress forms. Like exercise, it is a form of stress on the body but also a way to train your body to adapt to good stress. Chronic stress puts your heart in the same situation, except it releases stress hormones such as cortisol, which creates oxidative stress around the heart and within your nervous system. This has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clots, and much more. Long-term stress makes our hearts work too hard all the time, and this can, over time, age your heart, making you age quicker. It can diminish your energy, destroy your mineral levels, and cause plaque buildup in your arteries.
So, noticing your heart rate each day is crucial for monitoring how your stress affects you. I recommend getting a heart rate monitor to see how your resting heart rate is doing because that can be a sign of whether you should see a doctor. Optimally, our resting heart rate should be around 50-60 beats per minute. If you are struggling with chronic stress, I suggest going and seeing a doctor to get your levels checked.
Ways You Can Naturally Manage Chronic Stress
When it comes to chronic stress, we have a lot of options to help cope and manage our overall stress levels. What are the best tools you can use to let go and relax?
Exercise: Exercise reduces the body's stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. Moving your body stimulates the production of endorphins, chemicals in the brain that help with balancing your mood and
Laughter: Comedy, laughing, and humor are all ways to increase feelings of oxytocin, happiness, and peace. Stress causes our body to tense up, and a good laugh can help to relax the body for up to 45 minutes. Try listening to stand-up comedy, or if you make a mistake, try laughing it off; just laughing can help relax you.
Mindfulness: Self-awareness is the key to understanding our feelings, thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Practicing mindfulness begins with identifying what your triggers are with stress and anxiety. I recommend journaling. It can be a great way to process what's happening in your mind and get it out on paper. I recommend journaling at the end of each day before going to bed. It can improve sleep and help you relax.
Disconnect: Taking breaks throughout the day is vital to categorize your tasks and create breathing space. Being able to do this will give you time to relax and focus on meditation, mindfulness, and even journaling. I recommend taking two breaks a day ranging from 2-5 minutes a piece for optimal results.
Adaptogens: **Please check with your doctor before adding herbs or supplements to your diet. Adaptogens increase your resistance to stress and decrease your sensitivity to stressors. This can result in stress protection and prolong the phase of resistance. This can help you stay in homeostasis, the body's equilibrium. The best adaptogens are:
Ashwagandha
Holy Basil
Rhodiola
Chandra
Lions Mane
Reishi
Turkey tail
Panax ginseng
Amino Acids: These are the building blocks of your neurons, muscles, gut microbiome, and much more. They are also helpful for supporting your brain with stress and relaxation. They help with the imbalance between your neurotransmitters. The best amino acids to supplement with are:
L-tryptophan
GABA
L-glutamate
L-Theanine
Takeaway
You have the power within you to stay relaxed and manage your stress healthily and efficiently. Be gentle with yourself and start with one deep breath.
Grammy retirement was the healing of her stress, and giving all of her worries to the Lord.