TIRED OF FEELING TIRED AND OVERWHELMED?
We live in a stressful world. No one is exempt from it. Whether it's physical, emotional, financial, relational or chemical stress, our bodies all perceive it as stress.
There is a process in our body know as the HPA Axis or Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal axis. It's the way our body response to and regulates stress. This is how it works:
Hypothalamus-
When we experience something stressful the hypothalamus (in our nervous system), senses the danger and releases a hormone called corticotrophin releasing hormone or CRH.
Pituitary-
The pituitary receives the signal of CRH from the hypothalamus and then releases a hormone called adrenocorticotrophic hormone or ACTH.
Adrenals-
ACTH prompts the adrenal glands to release glucocorticoids- cortisol and epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Cortisol-
The release of cortisol helps the body respond to the stressor by increasing glucose in the blood stream for more energy, suppressing the immune system and slowing digestion.
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine-
These keep the body vigilant and able to deal with stress by prompting alertness and increasing blood flow to the skeletal muscles. They also increase blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol.
Hypothalamus-
When we experience something stressful the hypothalamus (in our nervous system), senses the danger and releases a hormone called corticotrophin releasing hormone or CRH.
Pituitary-
The pituitary receives the signal of CRH from the hypothalamus and then releases a hormone called adrenocorticotrophic hormone or ACTH.
Adrenals-
ACTH prompts the adrenal glands to release glucocorticoids- cortisol and epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Cortisol-
The release of cortisol helps the body respond to the stressor by increasing glucose in the blood stream for more energy, suppressing the immune system and slowing digestion.
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine-
These keep the body vigilant and able to deal with stress by prompting alertness and increasing blood flow to the skeletal muscles. They also increase blood pressure, heart rate and cholesterol.
When cortisol levels get high, the body is designed to shut off this response to allow our hormones to return to normal levels. With chronic stress, we become resistant to this shut off response (negative feedback loop) which leads to the adrenal glands to over produce hormones. Over time the body's resources become depleted leading to constantly feeling tired and overwhelmed.
So what if, after reading this you decide this is you? Maybe your stress response isn't in a place you want it to be. One of the best places to start is..... with stress management!
Saliva testing is also very helpful to get a baseline to see how your body is responding to stress. Stress management and root cause testing are both part of my Personalized Wellness Package. Contact me if you are tired of feeling tired and want to be more energetic, happy and back to yourself again!
So what if, after reading this you decide this is you? Maybe your stress response isn't in a place you want it to be. One of the best places to start is..... with stress management!
Saliva testing is also very helpful to get a baseline to see how your body is responding to stress. Stress management and root cause testing are both part of my Personalized Wellness Package. Contact me if you are tired of feeling tired and want to be more energetic, happy and back to yourself again!
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