Did you know that stress affects your hormones, including cortisol, testosterone, melatonin, and estrogen?
When you’re stressed out, the hypothalamus signals your adrenal glands to release cortisol.
These changes can have both immediate and long-term effects on your overall well-being.
A small amount of stress is perfectly normal.
Under certain circumstances, it can actually be good for you.
“You always think about stress as a really bad thing, but it’s not.
Think about how you feel when driving a car or crossing the street.
Prolonged or chronic stress, on the other hand, can be detrimental to your health.
You may also experience headaches, changes in appetite, or sexual problems.
If left unaddressed, these issues can lead to heart disease, obesity, and other chronic illnesses.
But how exactly does stress impact your hormones?
Cortisol levels also increase in response to stress.
Cortisol may impact other hormones in your body, causing the symptoms above.
Elevated cortisol can affect testosterone levels, impacting your ability to get lean or build muscle.
A decline in testosterone levels can have similar effects in men.
Your sleep may suffer, too.
“Cortisol triggers the body to be more alert, and that blocks the process of falling asleep.
Next to that, factors that are involved in the synthesis of cortisol have been shown to suppress melatonin.
So, stress has been associated with low melatonin,” Dr. Roy Raymann toldBustle.
Now that you know how it impacts your hormones, take the steps needed tomanage your stress.
For starters, have a go at squeeze more “me” time into your schedule.
TheAmerican Psychological Associationrecommends meditation as a way to reduce stress and anxiety.
Mindfulness meditation is particularly beneficial, as it can trigger positive changes in the brain.
