Stress & Hormones
As mentioned in the previous post 'Mental Wellbeing,' cortisol is the chemical compound that can cause great difficulties if released for too long. Cortisol is the stress hormone, can cause the flight or fight response fluctuate throughout the day based on what you are doing. Stress can lead to compromised immune system, weight gain, age faster, sleep deprivation and much more.
Stress & Hormones
Let's Talk About Cortisol
When cortisol is in balance, it starts coming up in the morning, peaks in the afternoon, and is coming down by evening. We should be able to jump right up in the morning and feel good all day. Go to bed at a decent hour, go right to sleep and stay asleep when cortisol levels are optimal. In today's modern world people often have elevated cortisol levels at all different times of the day and night.
Chronically high levels of cortisol cause problems with our immune system. With an over active immune system our adrenals make more cortisol to try to control the situation. After Excessive cortisol we can start to have problems with LOW cortisol which suppresses our immune system and is one of the primary factors resulting in chronic inflammation which leads to DISEASE. [2]
Lower level of cortisol symptoms include:
Chronic pain
Lower stamina, lethargy, weakness, constant fatigue
Difficulty staying asleep
Reduces recovery of injuries
Lower stress tolerance
Salt craving
Crying episodes
Reduced blood pressure
Light headedness or fainting, hypoglycemia
Vertigo
Profuse sweating
Confusion
Dilated pupils
High level of cortisol, If over stressed experience these symptoms:
Overly alert stuck in that constant vigilant state
Makes you exhausted mentally and emotionally, spiritually
Overly irritated
Sugar craving
Trouble falling and staying asleep, tired when you wake up
Memory lapses
Swelling in legs
Weight gain/ belly fat
Decreased libido
Erectile dysfunction
PMS
Problematic menopause
Thyroid issues and low stamina
Anxiety issues
Skin issues
Easily distracted
Severe digestive issues
Noises in the ears
Over reacting, startle easy
Adrenal Fatigue
The adrenal glands are small glands that sit right on top of both kidneys, they are part of the endocrine system. They produce hormones in the body that we cannot live without, including steroid hormones and cortisol. The function of the adrenal glands controls blood pressure, managing balance between potassium and sodium in your body. Cortisol regulates the reaction to stress along with managing metabolism, sugar levels and blood pressure. Adrenal fatigue is prolonged exposure to stress (emotional stress, loss of a loved one, illnesses, toxins in the body and more) can result in the adrenal glands to function at less optimal levels in the production of hormones.
Fat Storage
Daily adrenal rhythms are what make or break our health. Excessive cortisol levels cause abdominal fat storage. When we are pushing our adrenals too hard, and are only surviving and not thriving, we turn on the fat storage mechanism. [2]
What is Adrenal CRASHING?
The body tries to protect itself by going into kind of a forced hibernation. Cortisol made by the body is being reduced to prevent further damage. At this stage you need less on your plate and more time to care for yourself. Those with caffeine addictions have high adrenal levels.[2]
Manage Blood Sugar Levels
When your blood sugar drops off suddenly this causes the flight or flight response and your body works hard to make more cortisol. This fight or flight is the exact same responses as what fear causes. Teaching our children about managing blood sugar levels needs to be a top priority. High fruit corn syrup causes the cortisol levels to be up for hours. [2]
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Total stress load is a factor in PTSD. There are studies that show PTSD is very similar to the progression of adrenal stress. Excessive stress before or after a traumatic event increases the odds of PTSD symptoms. People that develop PTSD are more likely to have a dominant sympathetic nervous system. [2]
Sympathetic-Parasympathetic
The sympathetic nervous system mobilizes energy, preparing us to meet challenges of all types. This is known as the fight or flight response for SURVIVAL! The parasympathetic side allows the body to rest and prepare for the next challenges. It supports digestion and immune function. Think...REST and DIGEST! Deep breathing is a great practice for the parasympathetic. When the adrenals are overwhelmed and exhausted that leads to accelerated aging along with the following:
Susceptible to infections, run down, recurrent allergies, difficulty recovering from the flu, asthma, irritable bowel, cystitis.
Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, behavioral problems, ADD/ADHD, inward trembling, aversion to exertion also known as laziness.
Inflammation, aches and pains especially in the neck, upper back, knees, and wrists, fibromyalgia, extreme sensitivity to cold, hyper pigmentation, restless leg syndrome, leg length difference, headaches-migraines, mineral imbalances-osteoporosis, WRINKLES, and unresolved low back pain.
When Stress is Chronic
There is no relaxed state, no rest and digest. The number one killer in America is heart disease. Chronic stress is now believed to be the #1 cause of strokes and heart attacks. The imbalance between sympathetic and parasympathetic plays havoc with our very lives! A stress detox to recovery is contingent upon what we eat, drink, listen to, the thoughts we feed our minds, and the beliefs we base our very lives on. A healthy mind contributes a faster recovery. An unhealthy mind can be directly related to our disease. How we spend, conserve, and create our energy are all extremely important.
Emotions/Actions Associated with Adrenals-Heart-Thyroid
Lost, abandoned (including abandoning yourself), deserted, lost love or not feeling loved in return, vulnerable and heart broken.
Can't figure it out, up and down, emotional instability, paranoid, sluggish thinking or memory, lack of emotions, suppressed, non thinking, absent mindedness, and insecurity.
Rapid mannerisms, overly talkative
Change Our Internal Dialogue
Enjoy the journey, empower yourself and others by taking responsibility for the quality of your life...all of it! Teach independence and avoid, stop or correct enabling behavior. Be aware of and correct unhealthy codependency. Model healthy stress management. Ask for support. Be a powerful mentor by taking excellent care of yourself. Have the strength you need to be on top of your game! The way we treat ourselves can make an enormous difference in how our body, mind, and spirit respond. Talking to ourselves in only a positive way is a huge key to turning down the stress and dialing up the relaxation! If you're not using positive affirmations already make it a top priority to start doing so.
Loving yourself is about taking excellent care of yourself. What messages are you giving your cells right now? Your immune system gets confused when you put yourself last. The real health epidemic is a disconnection from self. When our bodies feel safe they can heal. Our body is designed to heal! Take care of the emotional piece of this puzzle or the adrenal stress will never go away.
What Steps Can You Take to REST & RESTORE the Adrenals?
Don't eat on the run! Stop using energy drinks including coffee.
Eliminate toxic load
Put your cell phones away as much as possible
Watch less television and news
Eat better healthy foods, regulate blood sugar, take high quality supplements such as Lifelong Vitality. LLV helps with that adrenal fatigue to not feel sluggish.
Light exercise, when you're overly stressed don't over due it here! When the adrenals are already fatigued and adding extreme exertion from overly exercising can be life threatening.
Schedule times for romance, rest, and play. Enjoy family time. Improve relationships, refrain how you see or perceive things and change how you REACT!
RELAX! Remove as much stress as possible. Do everything in your power to sleep.
Receive an AROMATOUCH often!
Roller bottle with 20 drops Clove and Lime in it, roll it behind your ears before eating. Enhance the Parasympathetic
Add 20 drops each of Clove and Rosemary to a roller bottle topped off with fractionated coconut oil. Roll along back of neck, back of the ears and around the Arsenal's daily. Apply a warm towel of heating pad.
Supplements & Essential Oils to Support Adrenals
Unwind with oils that sooth and calm by applying to mid lower back, the bottoms of your feet or diffused at bedtime. These following oils are really good for calming down the mind.
Magnolia - For someone who is wanting to lose weight. Need to think what is the cause why they are not losing weight? If stress levels are high that will raise the hormone cortisol it is impossible to lose weight when the cortisol is high. Need to heal the adrenals and bring the cortisol levels down. Magnolia is like lavender, apply by rubbing on the mid back.
Siberian Fir- diffuse during the holidays during get togethers, really good for grief
Black Spruce - if struggling with sleep diffuse along with Adaptiv at night. Apply black spruce on bottom of feet. Great for muscle soreness, grounding oil to help with emotionally, help clear out emotional clutter, help with joint pain and arthritis, stress, anxiety, expels mucus with a cold rub on chest, supports adrenal fatigue, great for hyperthyroidism, pituitary issues, overall fatigue.
Energize with:
Basil - Can help with the symptoms of the adrenal fatigue, support mood, no energy, not able to cope with life stressors, nervousness, anxiety and depression, burn out, addiction recovery. Apply on adrenal area or flex point on feet where the adrenals are
Clove - improves mental clarity, encourages, can help with sleep. Clove is the oil of boundaries, helps be true to yourself and have healthy boundaries, release codependences and victim.
Wintergreen - use wintergreen by diffusing to activate the right brain, the artistic and creative side, relieve a sluggish mind or feeling upset.
Use the grounding blend (Balance) EVERY DAY, it's called BALANCE for a good reason!
Jasmine
Jasmine is great for adrenal fatigue. Used for dealing with stress, reducing anxious feelings, increasing alertness, boosts concentration, helps to fight low energy, reducing menopausal symptoms or PMS, support better sleep. A study in Natural Product Communications found that jasmine oil used on the skin over an eight week period helped participants feel an improvement in their mood and decrease both physical and emotional signs of low energy. Fantastic for the skin, fades scars, helps to fight blemishes.
To balance the cortisol levels
Citrus oils tend to help calming
Wild Orange has more studies and more response rate, 80% saw reduced stress levels
Lime – apply topically on back of ear lobes
Lemon - can diffuse and add to your drinking water (use only glass or stainless steel)
Grapefruit - great if craving sugar, can diffuse helps with mood boost
Bergamot - Great for depression, combine with Frankincense
Copaiba - Sooth and calms Neurological stimulus to help with give your brain a pause like meditation
Ylang ylang - Great for PMS. Help increase Serotonin and Dopamine – Both hormones helps with happiness.
Dopamine - is for long term happiness, produced within the gut health. If your gut health has been compromised it’s harder for you to stay in a good mood. Dark chocolate helps activate dopamine levels, will get benefits from both Serotonin and Dopamine.
Serotonin – is short burst of happiness. Will notice if eat sugary treats feel great for a short period and then a sudden rush of sadness
Oils to help with these hormones; Dopamine & Serotonin
Internally
*Only talking about doTERRA essential oils when taken internally as they are CPTG (Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade)
Lavender - has most benefits when taken internally
Lavender lemonade
Regular lemonade and add 2 drops of Lavender
Helps with, relaxation, tension, helps increase production of collagen, reducing wrinkles, increase healing rate
Goes great with citrus oils (ex. Lemon)
Lavender in blueberry muffins/cupcakes can add citrus oils (lime or lemon) along too
Lemon water - add 1 to 2 drops of lemon oil to 8oz of water
Increase absorbent rate while taking vitamins
Balance PH if have high acidity in stomach
Rosemary has great benefits when taken internally
Add 1 drop Spearmint and 2 drop grapefruit together in a pitcher of water
Slice up some orange or grapefruit don’t include the rind
Grapefruit helps brake down cellulite
Topical
Unwind with oils that sooth and calm by applying to the bottoms of your feet or diffused at bedtime.
Destresser bath salt also helps with anxiety, perfect way to end a strenuous day
1 cup Epson salt
½ cup sea salt
15 ml Fractionated Coconut Oil
Diffuse Aromatically
Wild Orange - With multiple health benefits from internal use and an uplifting, energizing aroma when used aromatically
Feeling blue - Bergamot and Frankincense 1:1 ratio
Resources
(1) Dr. Dixy Short DM and PHD - Specialize in hormones. Visit www.askdrdee.com to see her blog and recipes for also gut health.
(2) Dr. Laurie Langfitt
