By Evie Breedlove-Mangapora, ARNP & Deborah J. Post, ARNP
The following is a snapshot of daily life for most of us, do you relate?
11:00 PM: watching local news and weather: trying to relax & unwind (unless you’re still at work).
Midnight-1:30 AM hit the pillow exhausted and either start solving the problems of the world for an hour then fall asleep or immediately fall asleep.
3:42 AM: Wake up & mentally start solving more problems. Toss and turn for an hour or more, then fall dead asleep only to blast up with the alarm at . . .
5:30-6AM: Drag yourself out of bed. Get to work on autopilot, doesn’t feel good to eat, so it’s just coffee, maybe grab a donut as you slog on till about . . .
10-11 AM: Finally, you start to really wake up. Wolf down lunch because NOW you ARE hungry; then you wind down until . . .
2:30-3:30 PM: It’s coffee or M&M’s to the rescue, or whatever gets you through the end of the work day.
After work you run home, mildly to moderately irritable, you get dinner going, try not to yell at anyone, and get a little surge of energy after dinner.
Now, there are chores to do, emails to answer, kids’ lunches to make and homework help, laundry, pets, parents, life and its 11:30-12PM and you fall in bed and start it all over again…….Does anyone relate to this?
Now add to this picture car problems, family visits, taxes, the economy, meetings, kids sports, birthdays, sick pets or parent……….and on and on. Whoa……
Symptoms of STRESS
• Food craving, salt then sugar (when you’re really burnt out) and if you’re a healthy carbo junky it’s not candy, but bread and pasta, granola and rice cakes, organic chocolate!
• Mood swings, irritability, brain fog, anxiety, panic attacks, palpitations, headaches and migraines, depression or apathy, loss of interest in previously enjoyable things, like sex…
• More colds, bronchitis, sinus infections, allergies, aches, pains, injuries, difficulty healing
• Weight gain around waist and hips, trouble losing weight. GERD or heartburn and digestive issues.
• Heavy menses, PMS, bloating, breast tenderness, for the women.
• Insomnia despite exhaustion. AND THESE ARE THE MILD SYMPTOMS!
Dr. Hans Seyle discovered that stress is stressful whether one receives good or bad news. He pointed to an alarm state, a resistance state, and an exhaustion state and coined the phrase FIGHT OR FLIGHT.
Fight or flight is our primary triggering survival mechanism. Dr Seyle found after extreme stress organisms needed 48 hours or more to recover and sometimes more depending on the stressor.
Stages of Stress
Stage I: Adrenal Stress. You may feel tired or mildly stimulated, maybe a bit of trouble falling asleep, a frequent cold or sinus problems, headaches, general joint aches, some upset stomachs, or an “iffy” feeling especially in the AM.
Stage II: Adaptation. Stressors continue without a break. All the irritating feelings described above become “normal” thanks to the elevated stress hormones surging through your body continually.
Stage III: Adrenal Exhaustion. Well the honeymoon is over. Your body starts to lose the ability to compensate. You may become allergic to things that you previously were not. You get sick a lot; have increased PMS, infertility, low sperm count, no libido, apathy, anxiety, increased blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugars, heart palpitations, weight gain (or loss). You feel bloated and gassy and skipping breakfast is a frequent event. You need sugar fixes more and more to get through the day. You don’t want to be irritable but you just are, and a good night’s sleep is a cause to celebrate, and a glass of wine or two is needed to chill out most nights.
Stage IV: Burnout. If you don’t turn things around, small problems get much bigger and now you have a few more. You’re exhausted but can’t get enough sleep, or any sleep. Your immune system is compromised and chronic diseases are problematic, depression, IBS, colitis, GERD, chronic fatigue to start. Blood pressure meds are suggested by your doctor and maybe a statin to go with it. Possibly the opposite is happening and your blood pressure is getting very low and you have hypoglycemic episodes. Autoimmune diseases often step in due to adrenal depletion: Fibromyalgia, diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, ADD, Neurodegenerative diseases, and others as well as Cancers. Often drug abuse and more alcohol become an answer and the drug abuse can be pharmaceutical, Xanax for the anxiety, Ambien for sleep, Prozac for depression, and the purple pill for heartburn. Loss of adrenal function or erratic function signals the breakdown in the immune and endocrine systems… YOU ARE OUT OF GAS!!
We as humans go up and down in the stages as stress rises and wanes, and we learn better ways to support the body under stress. Part 2 is how we can support you individually in reducing the effects of stress. We were given a spectacular brain to observe the world and learn and interact with life. The most important part of our body to protect is the brain because it’s here that we remember what the heck stressed us out in the first place and hopefully learn not to do that again! Stay tuned for Part 2 next month.. . .
How we can help:
You don’t need to wait until next month’s issue to get a jump start on reducing the effects of stress in your life. Call our office to RESERVE YOUR SEAT for an educational presentation.
Stress, Hormones & Health.
CALL NOW to reserve a seat.
RSVP is required
(239)560-8334
July 6, at 6:30 p.m – Food & Thought
2132 Tamiami Trail N., Naples
(Free $10 gift card to Food & Thought to
first 10 people to RSVP & attend)
OR
July 19 at 6:30,
9200 Bonita Beach Rd., Bonita Springs
OR
July 26 at 4:00p.m.,
Kunjani Craft Coffee
& Gallery, 780 Seagate Dr., Naples
(Enjoy complementary organic coffee & tea)
Evie Breedlove-Mangapora, ARNP
Inner Essence Health, LLC
(239) 777-4647
inneressencehealth.com
Deborah J. Post, ARNP
Wellbridges, Inc.,
(239) 481-5600
Debpost.com