So far in this series, I have focused on the types of stress that might affect you. I want you to see that "stress" encompasses more than just your mental health.
Next, I will explain what happens when your brain senses stressors, and continue to focus on what you can do. This series is meant to help you 💥KNOW your stressors, ADDRESS what you can, and become more RESILIENT to the rest💥.
Let’s talk about your brilliant body…Your adrenal glands are two little organs that sit atop your kidneys. They produce a small % of sex hormones (more after menopause), manage blood pressure, regulate electrolytes, and respond to stressors. When your brain 🧠 (hypothalamus & pituitary) senses danger, it tells your adrenal glands to release cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline, setting off a cascade of reactions. The release of adrenaline results in an increase in heart🫀rate, and loss of CO2, while cortisol signals an increase in blood pressure and release of blood sugar (note this happens independent of food!) These are all part of your body’s alarm⏰ reaction and we call this system of communication your HPA axis (Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal).
Recognizing high levels of cortisol, your body then works to calm🧘🏽♀️everything down and restore balance. This requires breaking down your own thymus gland, skeletal muscles💪🏼 ,skin & AA from diet to provide energy. Meanwhile, your body is also working to minimize or halt what it considers non-essential functions such as sex hormone production, digestion, thyroid function, and in turn metabolism.
First⚡️I want you to see that this whole process is intended to help protect you from what it thinks is dangerous. And, that it goes to a LOT of effort to keep you safe, including breaking down your own tissues for support.
And second⚡️remember that what your brain recognizes as stressful is going to be different from person to person, and for you from day to day. What's more, this whole reaction might even be triggered from an activity that you consider healthy but your body is overwhelmed by.
Stay tuned for how this impacts health. In the meantime, what did you not know about stress?!