hormones + stress
Have you ever wondered how stress and anxiety impact your body and mind? I'm sharing what I know with you today so that you don't have to study it yourself. (But I recommend you do!)
First things first, there's always been a huge part of me that loved school. Sadly, after 10 years as a psychology major, studying for my masters in mental health counseling, throughout my PhD program and dissertation process, never did I learn about how your physical health impacts your mental health and vice versa. This wasn't included in the curriculum…
About 6 months ago, I ran across a post on one of my favorite IG accounts (@nutritionbyrobyn) about cortisol, the stress hormone. Thus sparked my studying rabbit hole.
The main thing to note is that 4 types of hormones in your body impact stress, anxiety, and mood. It's thought that hormonal imbalances can cause anxiety, and anxiety can cause hormonal imbalances. Sort of like the chicken and the egg. A good step to minimizing hormone related anxiety is understanding your hormones:
Estrogen and Testosterone are your “sexual hormones" and play a large role in anxiety and mood. This is why anxiety tends to peak around puberty, your period (for women), pregnancy, menopause, etc. It's also why we understand that more women than men experience anxiety (our hormones change a lot more rapidly due to our cycle).
Cortisol and Adrenaline are know as the “stress hormones”. Both are released to initiate our fight-flight-flee response.
Thyroid hormones (especially an overactive thyroid) are known to induce feelings of anxiety, irritability, and nervousness. A healthy thyroid is key for mood and mental health.
Oxytocin is known as the “love or cuddle hormone" as it's released during hugging/physical touch (also think weighted blankets…). Oxytocin modulates anxiety, aggression, and the stress response. It helps you feel calmer.
Curious about how you can monitor or check cortisol and hormone levels?
The main ways are (1) to eat regularly and enough, (2) stick with a consistent sleep routine (i.e. get enough sleep), and (3) reduce your daily stress load.
p.s. If you feel you've tried all the natural remedies and still have issues, you can also get your cortisol, hormones, and thyroid checked via blood work from your primary care or functional medicine doctor.
xx
Dr. Nicole