Stress is a normal physical, mental and emotional response to new or challenging situations and is experienced by everyone at one point or another throughout life. Thankfully, the body can effectively deal with short bursts of stress and these experiences can even be beneficial. But long-term, chronic stress can have a number of negative health implications.
Unfortunately, women are twice as likely to struggle from stress and anxiety compared to men and overtime this can lead to imbalanced hormones, decreased libido and even fertility complications. Knowing how to support your body through stressful times can make all the difference. Next time you’re feeling a little heightened, try implementing one of these coping techniques to help calm your nervous system and ensure your hormones are happy and balanced.
When you experience a stressful event, the tiny control centre in your brain — called the hypothalamus — is quick to respond to the presenting “danger”. The hypothalamus releases stress hormones that activate the sympathetic nervous system, initiating a number of physiological reactions that increase your breathing rate, heartbeat and body temperature, send a rush of blood to your extremities and release glucose for a quick burst of energy — all in preparation to get you out of danger. This sophisticated survival reaction is known as the “fight or flight” response.
The problem is, in today’s busy world, the fight or flight response is often activated when there is no actual danger present (unlike our ancestors who needed to protect themselves from predators). People are simply overworked, over-stimulated or pushing themselves in ways that are not conducive to a calm, centred and balanced nervous system. Unfortunately, the body cannot decipher between actual danger and perceived danger.
Stress is not always detrimental. Acute stress, such as what is felt before a big interview or deadline, is quite normal and can even be beneficial in helping you achieve targets and goals. Our bodies are well equipped to handle stress in small doses, but it is when stress becomes long term or chronic that it can have serious adverse effects on your wellbeing. Long-term stress can affect every system in the body, leaving you feeling fatigued, irritable, foggy headed, bloated, constipated, run down, strung out and with hormonal imbalances or fertility complications.
The stress impact
Irregular menstruation
High cortisol (one of the main stress hormones) can suppress the production and release of sex hormones, delaying ovulation and leading to absent or irregular menstrual cycles.
Libido
Many women are juggling work, family, personal and financial demands, which can feel overwhelming and stressful. High cortisol reduces libido and can lead to anxiety and depression, which may further impede your sexual desire and sexual energy.
Fertility and pregnancy
Stress can negatively impact a woman’s ability to conceive, the health of her pregnancy and her postpartum recovery. High levels of cortisol reduce egg quality and impede adequate levels of oestrogen and progesterone that are required for ovulation and maintaining a pregnancy. Additionally, stress can negatively impact foetal and ongoing childhood development and disrupt bonding with the baby in the weeks and months following delivery.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Stress may worsen premenstrual symptoms including cramping, fluid retention, bloating, tender breasts, mood changes and mood swings.
Menopause
Unfortunately, high stress can worsen the physical symptoms of menopause due to cortisol “robbing” the body of much-needed progesterone that is primarily created from the adrenals once ovulation ceases. Nourishing yourself during the perimenopausal phase is paramount to reducing adverse menopausal symptoms and easing the transition.
Worsen conditions of the reproductive system
High stress can exacerbate underlying reproductive conditions such as Herpes Simplex Virus (due to the immune system not functioning as well) or Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (due to blood glucose and other sex hormone dysregulation). These conditions in themselves can be stressful for women.
Reducing stress
Fortunately, there are a number of easy techniques that can help reduce stress in the body and calm down the nervous system.
Create a meditation or mindfulness practice: Meditation has been scientifically proven to reduce stress in the body by lowering cortisol and increasing your ability to cope with stress. Meditation can be daunting, but it’s important to remember there is no such thing as a perfect meditator. The goal is to create space and a moment of silence to sit and just be — monkey mind and all. I recommend the free app Headspace — it has guided meditations and mindfulness exercises for all levels.
Move your body: Regular exercise enhances the body’s ability to manage and cope with stress by improving cardiovascular and nervous system function, and encouraging feel-good hormones (dopamine and serotonin) and endorphins. Focus on low intensity, restorative practices to support your nervous system such as yoga, tai chi, Pilates, walking and swimming. Aim to move your body four times a week for at least 30 minutes.
Be social: Prioritise quality time with your loved ones. It enhances every aspect of your life and helps you realise what’s most important in life.
Cut back on caffeine: Caffeine is like fuel to a stress fire, stimulating the release of more cortisol and adrenalin, which negatively impacts the adrenals and overall hormonal health. Try swapping your morning coffee for something less stimulating, such as cacao, green tea, chai, dandelion root tea or a turmeric latte. If living without your coffee sounds like torture, ensure you’re having it after a wholesome breakfast, in the calmest state you can (seated while mindfully sipping and enjoying every mouthful, rather than rushing to work and chugging it down unconsciously) to reduce the impact it has on your stress hormones.
Prioritise sleep: We are increasingly reliant on technology and it can be very over-stimulating, particularly before bed.
I encourage you to create screen boundaries for the beginning and end of your day — such as one hour screen-free upon waking and before bed.
Blue light from screens interferes with melatonin production, resulting in poor sleep quality. A good goal is to aim for eight hours sleep a night and to be in bed before 10pm. When we sleep our body does its most intensive healing and the nervous system has a chance to unravel, resulting in a calmer, more balanced state in our waking hours. Some delicious teas to sip before bed to wind down and nourish the nervous system include chamomile, lavender, peppermint or passionflower.
Make time for play: When was the last time you fooled around at the beach, played a card game, did something that made you belly laugh? Yes, we are adults, but we’re never too old to play. Ensuring a work-play balance is very important for managing stress and helping you to not take life too seriously.
Learn to say no: It’s time to stop feeling guilty about saying no. Learning to say no not only honours your own needs, but creates boundaries so those around you learn to respect and honour your needs too. Tips for saying no: Keep your answer simple: “I’m sorry but I can’t help this evening.” Buy yourself some time — you don’t have to answer straight away. “I’ll get back to you on that.” Remember you are turning down a request, not a person; saying no does not mean you care for them any less.
Spend more time in nature: Nature truly is the best medicine and wonderful for unravelling a bound-up nervous system. Can you fit in a bit of nature time each day? Even if it’s going to a park to eat lunch or sitting in the garden in the morning sipping tea. Prioritise.
Ask for help: If you are not coping, please ask for help. You are not a failure if you can’t juggle all the things on your plate with a smile and laugh. Some days are hard and that’s okay. Friends, family, support groups and health practitioners are there for you— you just need to reach out and ask.
Ema Taylor is a naturopath, clinical nutritionist and certified fertility awareness educator.
For more, visit emataylor.com or @emataylornaturopathy on Instagram.
