Ten ways in which STRESS can affect our body and your Stress Management Toolkit!

Stress has become such a familiar word in what can be a demanding world for many.

I’m sure I’m not alone in wishing for additional hours in the day to tackle and juggle life, work and everything in between.

But the real question lies in what effect stress has on our body and the many ways it can affect our weight.

Here nutritionist Laurann O’Reilly and owner of Nutrition By Laurann guides us through this important topic, the impact on our bodies, along with some practical tools and recommendations to manage stress and improve our overall health.

What is stress?

- Good stress: Believe it or not, stress isn’t all bad, a small amount of healthy stress helps protect us and make us more alert.

- Acute stress is short-term stress and lasts a couple of hours to a few days. This type of stress is normal, and an essential experience for humans and other living beings to identify new or risky situations, respond in the best way possible, and learn from the experience.

- Chronic stress is stress that lasts several weeks or months. In this state, levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, are constantly high, which has numerous negative effects on the body and mind.

How excessive stress can affect our health

1) Low energy/fatigue: Prolonged stress and disruptions in sleep, which may result in chronic fatigue. Rest and taking time for self-care where possible is of most importance here. It can also be helpful to supplement with a good Vitamin B complex which can help to support your nervous system and your body’s energy production.
Recommended supplement: Sona Vitamin B Complex Time Release

2) Brain fog: Also described as ‘mental fatigue’ can include symptoms such as memory problems, poor concentration, reduced information recall and an inability to focus. When we are overwhelmed and our brains are going ninety, this can be a natural response and a sign that your brain needs to rest.
Tip: If you have been experiencing brain fog symptoms for a prolonged period of time, please consult your GP who can provide you with guidance.

3) Sleep: Stress may also disrupt sleep and cause insomnia, which can lead to low energy. Lack of sleep also causes an increase in the hunger-stimulating hormone ghrelin which can leave us feeling constantly hungry.
Tip: As we are meant to go into a state of starvation whilst we sleep (rather than digestion), it’s best to avoid heavy meals close to bedtime to allow our bodies to repair and rebalance.

4) Food cravings: Stress can not only increase one’s intake of food overall, but also affect the kind of foods that are eaten. In general, stress triggers greater consumption of appetising, calorie-dense foods high in fat and sugar.

5) Overuse of stimulants: The combination of fatigue, lack of sleep as well as the energy zapping toll that stress has on our body, may result in us reaching for stimulants such as the quick sugar fixes as we’ve just mentioned as well as excessive caffeine.

6) Gut health: We often underestimate the role of the gut in helping us to combat stress. Afterall, they call the gut the second brain. With almost 90 percent of our mood and stress regulation chemicals such as dopamine (reward), serotonin (happiness) and GABA (stress regulation) being produced in our gut, giving our tummy some love during these times can be of huge benefit.

7) Reduced immunity: Stress may take a toll on your immune system. With our body focusing on the immediate stress at hand, this results in a reduction in our white blood cells which are responsible for fighting off infection.

8) Heart health: Stress not only increases our heart rate and blood pressure but the accompanying behaviours that we use as coping mechanisms such as unhealthy diet habits, smoking, alcohol consumption and reduced/low physical activity levels all combined can increase our risk of heart related conditions.

9) Low mood/irritability: It can often be hard to run on an empty tank and whilst trying to tackle all that life throws at us. During these times, this is when self-care is absolutely essential, after all you are only human. See my tips below.

10) Weight maintenance: Whether you are attempting to lose, gain or maintain your weight, stress can often wreak havoc on your efforts. In combination with our loss of energy, disturbed sleep and busy minds, the hormone cortisol can also result in a reduction in metabolism and storage of fat in the visceral (tummy region).

Your Stress Management Toolkit

Hydration: Water accounts for 75% of brain mass and mild dehydration of 1-2% can affect brain function. Dehydration can cause headaches, fatigue and low energy levels.

Movement: Physical activity of any form, be it a 20 minute brisk walk, a gym workout or some gentle exercises such as yoga can help to release your body’s natural mood enhancing chemicals

Watch your caffeine intake: Remember 400mg/day (4 shots of coffee/5 cups of tea) is the upper limit. I would also recommend avoiding caffeine in the late afternoon as this can have an impact on our sleep resulting in a vicious cycle of again requiring stimulants to stay alert.

Limit the sugar: Whilst reaching for a quick sugar fix can be a natural response, high sugar foods will only result in a crash and crave response and will leave you feeling more tired. Instead opt for wholegrain foods, healthy animal (such as yogurts, lean meats, poultry and fish) as and plant based (nuts, seeds, peas, beans and tofu) proteins, fruit and vegetables that will nourish the body during challenging times.

Avoid heavy meals before bedtime: Aim to have your last meal 3-4 hours prior to bed at the latest, small easy to digest snacks such as a yogurt or a piece of fruit are fine.

Sleep: Aim to get a minimum of between 5-9 hours sleep per night (the required amount may vary for each person). Also don’t underestimate the power of a nap no matter how small, as during periods of stress all rest counts.

Mind your gut: It may be worth taking a course of probiotics to get your gut back in sync and nourish your gut with healthy foods such as oats, rice, bananas, apples.

Recommended Probiotic: Udos Super 8 Microbiotic (available in most health stores and pharmacies).
Build up your support system: It’s so important to talk.

The smallest stress when bottled up can become the biggest problem and you will often find but when you have said it out loud it’s not as bad as you think it is.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to someone you know there are plenty of confidential helplines (in Ireland, call Samaritans on 116 123 or Aware on 1800 80 48 48) for full support.