Have your reasoning skills and memory been failing you lately?
Long-term exposure to cortisol has a negative effect on reasoning skills and memory. Experiments with rats suggest that brain cells exposed to high levels of cortisol fire too frequently. Over time this inevitably can kill brain cells and even reduce the size of the brain. Chronic stress has a shrinking effect on the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning.
Has your blood pressure gone up?
The genes known to influence the narrowing of blood vessels are affected by cortisol among other stress hormones. The greater the supply of cortisol the more continuous the narrowing of vessels becomes. Stress doesn’t necessarily cause long-term high blood pressure but episodes of anxiety or stress responses can temporarily spike your blood pressure. If those temporary spikes are occurring on a regular basis, this can cause damage to your blood vessels, heart and kidneys as does chronic elevated blood pressure or hypertension.
Been feeling depressed and lethargic?
People with severe depression often have high levels of cortisol. These sustained high levels of cortisol suppress the beneficial neurotransmitters in the brain known to contribute to well being and positive mood. In addition, this cortisol abundance can become toxic unless you are burning off the excess energy through fighting or fleeing. If you’re a “freezer”, meaning you sit still and do nothing physically in that moment of stress, the cocktail of stress hormones and neurotransmitters essentially harm the body causing energy levels to plummet into exhaustion which can increase the risk for depression and illness.
Do you grind your teeth?
Grinding of the teeth or clenching your jaws is clinically called bruxism and often a sign of excess stress. The connection between the amount of anxiety, frustration and anger and the occurrence of bruxism is undeniable. Dentists can tell if you grind your teeth upon examination and can offer solutions to protect your teeth but the ultimate solution is to pinpoint the life stressors and eliminate or manage them in a healthier way.
Do you have unexplained weight gain?
Stress can influence many factors possibly leading to weight gain. For starters, excess cortisol can increase appetite, deter fat metabolism, enhance fat storage and hinder muscle repair in the body. Sometimes our own physiology seemingly works against us despite our best efforts to lose or maintain weight. Much of what’s going on is the result of our survival mechanisms kicking in to insure that we preserve fat and look for high calorie foods. The trick is to become aware of these physiological changes and outsmart your body by preparing for those hunger urges and insure that your post workout regimens are maximizing muscle repair. It’s interesting to note that research shows a correlation between elevated cortisol levels and preferential fat accumulation in the abdominal region.
