By London nutritionist Sylvia Hensher
What happens to our bodies during stress?
As a London nutritionist, I see many clients with stress-related health issues. We’re all familiar with stress but what we aren’t so familiar with is the body’s response to stress and the ways in which the stress we face today ends up depleting our energy and health.
When faced with a stressful situation, whether psychological or physical, our bodies rely on the 2 adrenal glands which sit on top of the kidneys to initiate our “fight or flight” response, which is an evolutionary mechanism designed to help us escape or fight off danger (stress). For the most part, our stress response evolved from short-term events. For our ancestors, this meant being able to run away quickly, fight or pursue an enemy or game, endure long periods of physical challenge and deprivation, and store up physical reserves when food was available. In modern life this means being able to cope with stressful circumstances such as difficult bosses, family quarrels, financial problems, too little sleep or illness.
Healthy adrenal glands which are supported by sound nutrition and a healthy lifestyle respond by releasing the hormone adrenaline, making us more alert and focused, and the hormone cortisol, which converts protein to energy and releases stored sugar in the form of glycogen, to fuel our bodies for a quick response. The adrenal response rapidly increases our heart rate and blood pressure while releasing energy, tensing our muscles, sharpening our senses, and slowing our digestion so we are primed to escape or fight back, whichever is needed. When the threat is gone, the body returns to normal — quickly with respect to adrenaline levels, less quickly with respect to cortisol.
The effects of long term stress on health and energy levels Continue reading “Re-Energise Your Fatigued Body and Mind”
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