Is Stress Preventing Me From Losing Weight?
Stress seems to be a constant in life. No matter where we go, or what we do- it always seems that between work, family, and health, stressors are around every corner. Some individuals seem to be blessed with the ease of weight loss. But for many, despite every effort, the inches still seem to add up. When diet and exercise fail, what are other things that may be preventing the weight loss that is so desired?
Stress tends to be a major contributor to the inability to lose weight. To illustrate how weight gain and stress are connected, we first need to discuss how stress affects our nervous system. Our nervous system is intricately designed to respond to different stressors and lead to resolution in a fast and effective manner. For instance, if you are in a dangerous or stressful situation, your body goes through a precise series of actions. First, your pituitary gland releases a hormone, ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete cortisol. Cortisol, then, stimulates the liver to start making more glucose. Glucose is shunted into the large muscles of the lower extremities to give them immediate access of fuel for running or getting out of danger. This is a very smart adaptation by the body. Muscles need glucose for energy and function. Therefore, flooding the body with extra glucose makes quick reactions to emergency situations possible.
Additionally, the release of cortisol in response to the stressor, causes the blood vessels to constrict. This constriction increases blood pressure and speeds the entry of blood into the tissues. Again, this is a very smart adaptation to help in dangerous situations. This increase in blood flow allows the heart to optimize profusion of the large muscles in the lower extremities, aiding in the “fight or flight” response to the perceived threat.
However, the problem is that the body responds to all stressors the same. It doesn’t matter if its running from a bear, being stuck in traffic, or a fight with your spouse. Your body responds to each scenario in a similar situation. If stress is a constant, and the daily transition is from one stressful situation right into the next, the body never has time for these hormones to come back to normal levels. Therefore, high blood sugar and blood pressure often occur. This constant increased blood glucose levels lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance leads to weight gain.
When the body is insulin resistant, it means that the insulin receptors are no longer allowing glucose to enter the cells. However, these cells still need fuel; therefore they send a signal to the brain, demanding energy. This in turn increases appetite to gain this fuel for the cells. This increase in appetite simulation results in excess food consumption, often resulting in weight gain. The problem is that there is enough glucose in the blood stream, which is why insulin resistance occurred in the first place.
When someone is stressed, cortisol is released from the adrenal glands. Cortisol, directly affects the hormones that are involved with satiation. Ghrelin is the hormone that is in change of feeling hungry and leptin is the hormone that is released when you have the sensation of being full. When there are high levels of cortisol in the blood stream, it impairs the ability of these hormones to work together, leading to an increased appetite.
Therefore, appetite is stimulated directly through imbalance of hormones, and indirectly due to the body’s interpretation of lack of glucose in the blood stream. Insulin resistance impairs the ability of glucose to enter cells, but it doesn’t end there. It also impairs the ability of other substances to leave cells, such as toxins and chemicals. An overload of toxins in the cells leads to increased systemic inflammation and a reduction of communication between cells. This results in increased pain, decreased function and increased weight gain.
Two major medical conditions demonstrate the connection between cortisol and weight gain: Cushing’s disease and Addison’s disease. Cushing’s disease is noted by weight gain, high blood pressure and low menstration. These symptoms are caused by the dramatic high levels of cortisol in the blood stream. On the opposite side of things, Addison’s disease is marked by low cortisol. This low level of cortisol is often marked by low body weight, low blood pressure, dizziness, excessive urination and darkening of the skin.
Reducing the causes of stress is difficult, and at times can be impossible depending on our individual situations. Therefore, it becomes important to optimize the things that we can control – sleep, exercise and diet. Mindfullness meditation, yoga and exercise are great ways to decrease the perception of stress within our bodies. Deep breathing is a great way to optimize blood flow, improve mental clarity, and reduce stress. If possible, focus on deep breathing through your belly, this engages your diaphragm, allowing for deeper breaths and increased oxygen perfusion to your tissues and brain. As stress management improves, the direct and indirect stimulation of appetite decreases, often resulting in a reduction of weight. Adopting an anti-inflammatory diet, rich in cruciferous vegetables, berries, wild caught fish and organic nuts and seeds, is a great option to give the body the fundamental building blocks for managing stress.
Additionally, chiropractic is a great tool to optimize the nervous system and its response to stressors. Specific chiropractic adjustments can be used to stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system, helping the body to restore balance and initiate the calming response. The nervous system, as with any system, needs repetition to create new preferred pathways. Therefore, a regular regimen of chiropractic and acupuncture can help with rehabilitating the nervous system to better respond to stress.
Unfortunately, life is always happening. No matter how hard you try – health issues, work demands, traffic, and all of the complications of life can still pop up. Therefore, the best thing to do is to optimize your nervous system to effectively MANAGE the stress that is inevitably going to happen. Chiropractic, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, an anti-inflammatory diet, and exercise are essential tools to optimize stress management.