by Ingredia USA | Dec 22, 2020 | Stress Management
Do you ever feel like you spend more time stressed than not? Do you find yourself getting tension headaches, clenching your jaw, fighting back anxiety, or dealing with mood swings? Do you have trouble sleeping and concentrating, or do you always feel like you’re about to experience a fight or flight response?
If any of this sounds familiar, you could be dealing with high cortisol levels. Read on to learn more about this hormone and the role it plays in our bodies, for good and for ill.
What Is Cortisol?
Cortisol is one of the many hormones your brain produces to regulate your moods, circadian rhythms, and more. It’s known as a stress hormone, and it gets a bad rap. But while high levels of stress can be a problem, cortisol is critical for keeping you alive, as we’ll discuss more in a moment.
Cortisol is a sort of natural steroid that increases your heart rate and helps to regulate things like your blood sugar. It’s a product of your adrenal glands, located at the top of your kidneys. In addition to controlling your stress response, it also helps to control your metabolism, immune system function, and more.
Why It’s Important
If you woke up this morning, you can thank cortisol. It’s one of the hormones your body releases when it’s time for your brain to wake back up from a night’s rest. Cortisol is also one of the hormones that regulates your circadian rhythms and keeps you alert throughout the day. And if any threats appear, cortisol signals your body to kick into fight or flight mode.
Cortisol can have an anti-inflammatory effect that helps keep your body healthier. It has an impact on your cognitive function, memory, and overall brain health. And it helps to regulate your immune system, helping you fight off diseases that try to attack your body.
How It Connects to Stress
Although cortisol is present in your body’s normal daily functioning, it does increase in response to stress. Whether you’re being chased by a wolf or you’re just giving a class presentation, your cortisol levels rise in response to the heightened stress. It’s a way of preparing your body to run or fight — the body’s two instinctual responses to threats.
When you get stressed, your adrenal glands kick into high gear, producing cortisol to raise your blood pressure in case you need to run. This will prevent you from fainting due to a lack of blood flowing to the brain. It will also tell your body to kick up your blood sugar levels so you have the energy to run or fight if needed.
Problems of a Modern Stress Response
When we were living in caves and hunting our food, cortisol was a critical part of keeping us alive. It gave our bodies the resources they needed to run, fight, and hunt. But the problem is that even though we live in a modern world where those threats are rarely present, our bodies are stuck in the Stone Age.
Any time you get stressed, your body produces that same age-old fight or flight response. And in our modern world, there is no shortage of stressors: job interviews, first dates, school deadlines, bad traffic, delayed flights, and so on. We spend way more time being stressed out than our ancestors, who only had to worry about living through that fight with a bear.
Impact of Long-Term Stress
Although our bodies were designed to handle some short-term stress, we weren’t designed to live with constant stress for months or years on end. When you’re under constant stress, your cortisol levels may begin to interfere with your other brain chemicals, including serotonin and dopamine. You’ll be at higher risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
Chronic stress can also take a serious toll on your body, increasing your risk of heart disease. You may begin to have digestive problems, and you could experience more headaches. You may have trouble sleeping, might gain weight, and may have trouble concentrating.
Symptoms of High Cortisol Levels
It may seem like figuring out if you have high cortisol would be easy — check if you’re stressed or not, and if you are, you have high cortisol. But in our no-breaks world, high stress levels can become a sort of standard background noise for our life. There are a few symptoms, aside from constant feelings of stress, that can clue you in that your cortisol levels are high.
If you menstruate, you may notice changes in your cycle, including longer or shorter bleeding days or more or fewer days between each period. You might notice that your sex drive is lower or that you have more frequent mood swings.
If you develop Cushing Syndrome, a potential side effect of high cortisol levels, you may notice that you’re gaining weight — especially around your midsection or face — or that cuts and scratches are slow to heal.
How to Manage Your Stress
One of the best ways to lower your cortisol levels is to manage your stress. Start by becoming aware when you’re stressed and taking time to acknowledge that feeling. This can help you find a baseline of lower stress and take the actions you need to cope with higher stress levels when they happen.
Try to work out regularly. Exercise releases endorphins, which can combat high cortisol levels. Also, focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet to ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs. And finally, don’t forget to take time to care for yourself, spending time with people and activities you enjoy.
Keep Your Cortisol Levels in Check
Cortisol plays a critical role in keeping us alive and alert every day. But chronic high cortisol levels can have a serious impact on your health. Our bodies were not built for the kind of constant stress we live with today, and we pay the price. Try to become more aware of your stress levels, and take time to relax when you can, allowing your body to release that stress and return to normal.If you’d like to discover more ways to improve your overall health, check out the rest of our site at Ingredia. We are North America’s number-one source for quality dairy ingredients. Contact us today to discover the difference Ingredia can make.
by Ingredia USA | Dec 21, 2020 | News & Press, Stress Management
A night of lost sleep is pretty common and may be due to stress or too much screen time. However, it’s not normal to have trouble falling and staying asleep most nights. If that’s the case, it may be time to see a doctor.
Sleep disorders can affect people of all ages. The American Family Physician reports that up to 50% of children will experience these issues at some point. Sleepwalking, nightmares, restless leg syndrome, and obstructive sleep apnea are just a few to mention.
The same source notes that sleep problems may lead to mood swings and daytime sleepiness. In the long run, they may affect children’s behavior and learning abilities.
Insomnia and other sleep disorders are even more common in adults. These conditions disturb your normal sleep patterns, causing difficulty breathing, fatigue, or unusual behaviors.
If left unaddressed, sleep disorders can affect your ability to function normally. You may find it difficult to wake up in the morning, stay focused at work, and think clearly.
Interested to find out more? Let’s take a closer look at the most common sleep disorders and how they affect your health.
Insomnia
Acute insomnia affects about one in four Americans each year. About one-quarter of sufferers develop chronic insomnia and other complications.
This condition makes it difficult to fall and stay asleep. Its symptoms vary from one person to another and may include:
- Frequent nighttime awakenings
- Waking up too early
- Daytime sleepiness and fatigue
- Irritability
- Tiredness
- Difficulty focusing on tasks
Watching TV late before bedtime, eating late at night, and other habits can worsen insomnia. Its symptoms may also present when you’re traveling.
In some cases, this sleep disorder may be due to depression, diabetes, or chronic pain.
Parasomnias
Has someone in your family told you that you’re walking or eating in a sleep-like state? Do you wake up crying or screaming for no obvious reason? These are potential symptoms of parasomnias.
Sleep eating, sleepwalking, night terrors, and other parasomnias cause abnormal behaviors during sleep. Although they are more common in children, they can affect adults as well.
An earlier study reports that extreme tiredness, shift work, and mental disorders are common causes of parasomnias. Substance abuse and certain diseases may contribute to these issues too.
Parasomnias can lead to injuries, risky behaviors, weight gain, fatigue, seizures, and more. They may also increase your risk of household accidents, especially if you live alone.
Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome is one of the most common types of sleep disorders. Its symptoms include tingling, burnings, and aches in the legs and occur mostly at night. Some people may also experience itching, creeping, crawling, and other unusual sensations.
Researchers can’t tell the exact cause of restless legs syndrome. Some say that it may be due to iron deficiency. Others believe that it may result from dopamine imbalances in the brain.
While this condition isn’t life-threatening, it can affect your health in the long run. In severe cases, it may lead to depression, fatigue, and diminished mental function.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
About 22% of men and 17% of women suffer from obstructive sleep apnea. The risk of developing this condition increases with age. Smoking, obesity, alcohol use, and other factors may further worsen its symptoms.
This disorder causes your breathing to stop for brief periods during sleep. Its primary symptoms include:
- Nighttime sweating
- Awakening with a sore throat or dry mouth
- Loud snoring
- Daytime drowsiness and fatigue
- Mood swings
- Diminished mental focus
- Waking up choking or gasping for air
Obstructive sleep apnea affects the throat muscles. Its symptoms occur repeatedly during sleep, leading to unexplained fatigue and tiredness.
Without proper treatment, this condition may increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and glaucoma.
Sleep Paralysis
Do you ever wake up at night and realize that you’re unable to speak or move? That’s a classic symptom of sleep paralysis. This disorder may also cause hallucinations, imagined sounds, and intense fear.
During sleep paralysis, you may feel like someone is sitting on your chest. You may also hear zapping, hissing, or humming noises, as well as roars and whispers. These symptoms may occur during sleep or as you’re waking up.
Clinical evidence reports that nearly 30% of students and more than one-third of psychiatric patients experience episodes of sleep paralysis. About 7.6% of the general population has this problem.
The exact cause of sleep paralysis is unknown.
Scientists believe that sleep deprivation, substance abuse, and mental disorders may contribute to this problem. Other sleep disorders, such as narcolepsy, play a role too.
What Can You Do About It?
Sleep disorders can be frightening at the least. Imagine waking up at night and gasping for air or feeling like someone is trying to hurt you! Not to mention the tiredness that follows a bad night’s sleep.
The best thing you can do is to reach out to a sleep doctor. In the meantime, try changing your diet and lifestyle habits.
Cutting back on sugar and trans fats is a good starting point. Fill up on slow-digesting protein for dinner and refrain from eating before bedtime. Cottage cheese, casein shakes, Greek yogurt, and other high-protein foods are all excellent choices.
Reach for a low-carb, high-protein bar, or other small snacks if you’re feeling hungry before bedtime. Avoid fatty foods and heavy meals at night. Schedule your workouts in the morning or afternoon rather than late in the evening.
Note that certain foods contain tryptophan, an amino acid that converts to melatonin in your body. Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, supports immune function, and protects your brain.
Beef, turkey, salmon, eggs, milk, and dairy products are all an excellent source of tryptophan. Consider drinking a cup of milk before bedtime to boost melatonin production and enjoy a good night’s sleep.
Better Sleep, Better Health
Sleep deprivation does more than just make you feel tired. It can also affect your metabolism, immune function, and heart health. Over time, it may have devastating effects on mental function and work performance.
Don’t wait until it’s too late! If left unaddressed, sleep disorders can take a toll on your health and affect how you look and feel. Contact us today to learn more about our products.
by Ingredia USA | Dec 21, 2020 | Stress Management
In a recent survey, over 23 percent of participants reported having experienced burnout syndrome. The phenomenon of stress leading to burnout is not uncommon. Yet, most of us do little to alleviate the stress we feel every day.
Perhaps it is because we believe that it could never happen to us. Maybe we enjoy the idea of feeling in control too much to admit that we need to take a break.
Whatever your reasons are, it’s time to change.
Today we outline the major symptoms of stress and take a look at how chronic stress can lead to burnout syndrome. Let’s start with the basics!
What Is Stress?
Stress refers to the emotional tension we feel. The objects or situations that trigger this tension vary for all of us, but none of us are alien to stress.
Now, stress is not all bad. In fact, in small doses, and in certain situations stress is necessary for us to perform well, or even survive. However, when the stress we feel is consistent and prolonged, it begins to take a toll on our mental and physical health.
The Impact of Stress
Work or career-related problems happen to be one of the most common stressors for us all. In addition to this, there is also relationship-induced stress, financial stress, and school-related stress.
Here are a few of the immediate effects of stress that we experience.
Poor Time Management
Feeling the pressure of achievement can cause us to take on more than we are able to accomplish given the time that we have. We may take on additional tasks in the hopes of doing more, but what really happens is the quality of our work begins to decline over time.
Neglecting Your Needs
As you try to accommodate more tasks within the limited time that you have, you begin to neglect your physical and emotional needs. You compromise on your health, develop poor sleeping habits, and neglect your overall well-being in the hopes of making yourself more productive in school, work or even in your relationship.
Decline in Productivity
While feeling a little bit of stress might motivate us to meet deadlines or exercise caution, an excess of stress can hinder our progress. Additionally, the neglect of our physical and emotional needs, causes us to feel exhausted. We may feel so overwhelmed by the pressure of perfection or success that it may in turn inhibit our ability to be productive.
Loss of Focus
Stress can take a toll on your cognitive abilities by hampering your ability to concentrate and focus on a specific task. An excess of stress can often build up to anxiety causing you to be distracted by the worry of not doing your task the right way, rather than actually focusing on your task.
The Long-Term Consequence of Leaving Stress Unaddressed
It is common to be in denial of what we are experiencing. We may be unable to admit to ourselves that we are tired, or taking on more than we can chew. However, the refusal to address and manage our stress is the very thing that leads to burnout syndrome.
So, what really happens to us when we’re experiencing burnout?
Burnout Syndrome
A person experiencing burnout feels emotionally and physically exhausted. In this state, we lose our drive, motivation, and ability to deal with any kind of stress. Our body is numb to the stress, and we feel drained out of any energy.
This state is often accompanied by feelings of loneliness, isolation, depression, cynicism, and irritability.
If you or someone you know is experiencing burnout, it is best to seek out a therapist or psychiatrist to get the help you need. Know that there is no shame in asking for help.
What You Can Do to Prevent Burnout
If you feel like you or someone you know is on the path to a burnout, it is better to address this sooner than later. Here are a few things you can do to relieve yourself of some of the stress you are experiencing.
Finding Enjoyment in Other Things
Do you feel excessive stress about your job? Are you unable to focus on anything besides your schoolwork?
Sometimes we hyperfocus on a few things, and neglect the other enjoyable aspects of our life. The truth is, it’s all about balance. If your work is stressing you out, do try and dedicate some time to focus on other relationships, hobbies, and interests that you have.
Taking your focus off the stressor can be helpful in reducing the associated pressure.
Setting Realistic Goals
It’s time to try and go easy on yourself and the expectations you have. While it’s great to have big dreams, we must also make sure to set realistic and achievable targets for ourselves.
This does not mean that you have to forego the big dreams that you have, rather, it means that you must break your dream up into smaller milestones that you can accomplish over a realistic period of time.
Mindfulness
Finally, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Take time out of your day to just take a few deep breaths and focus on the simple things.
Learning to be present with yourself, focusing on your breathing, and just appreciating the little joys of existing within a particular moment are great ways to ground yourself and forget about life’s pressures for a while.
Self Care Starts With You
It all begins with you! Simply being aware of the idea that burnout syndrome is a real possibility can be a real game-changer for the way you live your life.
Make a change today, and begin by taking small steps towards addressing your stress and leading a better life.
At Ingredia, we’re dedicated to helping promote the idea of a balanced and healthy lifestyle. Learn more about what we do and what we can do for you right here.
