Does Stress Age You? Yes. Are You Fighting Stress with Stress? Biohack for Calm
Overworking, overeating and overspending? You’re overdoing it!
They’re all signs our minds and bodies aren’t coping with what’s on our plates - which are, of course, spinning, out of control, and the whole shebang’s about to come down on top of us. Modern life is rubbish for setting stress boundaries. Nothing comes with an off switch: we’re constantly contactable, filled with the latest bad news and we’re slaves to beeping machines supposed to save time and effort. Looking at you, dishwasher, washing machine, laptop combo!
Does stress age you? Quick answer: stress and longevity do not go hand in hand
Yes. It ultimately interferes with the mitochondria of cells so they don’t function properly. If you already have stress and then you try to deal with it through behaviours that cause more stress to the body, like overworking, overeating sugar or consuming alcohol, then you’re creating a cycle of stress that you’re trying to soothe with more stress. It won’t work.
Stress can shave years off your healthspan...
You have a higher risk of inflammation and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. In short, in its chronic form, it does you no favours. It’s a cruel list of things in our bodies that can go wrong under stress:
- Can stress cause early menopause? The symptoms of stress can mimic the symptoms of menopause. If you are already in perimenopause or menopause, you may be getting a ‘double dose’ of symptoms, some caused by hormones and others caused by stress.
- Can stress cause sore joints? Yes - we tense muscles when stressed. The inflammation caused by stress also affects joints.
- Can stress cause hair loss? Yes. Stress can put your hair follicles into an early ‘rest’ phase and then, a few months down the line, we experience increased hair fall.
- Can stress cause autoimmune disease such as hypothyroidism? The dysregulation that occurs in the nervous system over time when we’re under stress can affect our thyroid function. Support with a Thyroid Support Precursor if you are experiencing a period of stress. Get a blood test from the doc.
However, you can’t eradicate your body’s stress response entirely and you shouldn’t want to. You need cortisol to function. But you don’t need it coursing through your veins 24/7.
What is Stress?
Stress responses come in two waves. Let’s surf!
Adrenaline Ahoy - the flood of sudden and immediate stress response:
Someone cuts you up as you drive, the bombshell email drops (insert your particular Room 101 scenario) … You’re awash with adrenaline before you’ve had a thought and your armpits prickle. You’re quick on your feet and ready to fight or fly.
The Cortisol Wave - just in case the battle continues:
About 20 minutes after the earthquake, comes the cortisol tsunami. It increases accessible energy through glucose release, controls blood pressure, reduces inflammation and increases alertness. Get you, all revved up! That continued stressor doesn’t stand a chance.
These two waves are completely natural and they’re why humans got to where we are. It’s only when we end up trapped in a sinkhole of constant cortisol that problems float to the surface.
Of course we’ll take you through the whole deck of hacks we’ve got up our sleeves to mitigate stress, but, first, take a peek in your WillPowders stock cupboard and see how shielded you already are for what the Stress Gods (AKA kids, partner and boss) have to throw at you!
WillPowder pit stops to stop the jangles in their tracks? Here’s a list of our favourite supplements to reduce cortisol:
FUTUREPROOF: Take a deep dive with the queen of biohacks herself. Take control of inflammation, eating for healthspan and a whole chapter on stress and how to Calm the F*ck Down - some of which we cover here.
Calm: L-Theanine for alphawaves brain activity. Hello tranquillity and relaxation. It’s definitely an antidote to a cortisol riptide.
Bovine Collagen: Get a scoop (or two) of this odourless and tasteless super fuel in your cuppa, soup, water, smoothie and calm the f*ck down. 10-15g at bedtime? You won’t need much rocking …
ElectroTides: Don’t be stuck in a desert - that’ll soon stress your body out. Stay flush in electrolyte minerals. Flush out stressful toxins. No stress necking these, whatsoever.
Ah-ha: Not just for memory moments. A layer of this nootropic stack is lemon balm - a stress reliever. Ahh, that’s better. Soothed. Sharp. Perfect.
Brain Powder: Stressed? Focus ghosts us. And it kicks dopamine’s ass. Motivation moves out. When you’ve got to get sh*t done, and a ticked to-do list makes you feel better, Brain Powder goes to battle with you. Talking of getting sh*t done …
The Karen Candle: You can’t eat it, but scent fires up dopamine production - THE get sh*t done hormone. And did you know our non-toxic candle doubles up as a moisturiser? Giving yourself a little hand massage with the wax releases oxytocin - the love hormone. Cosy!
Kombucha: Did you say psycho? No, psychobiotics. Yup - a functional drink for body and mind. Our prebiotic’s chosen to help lift your mood and ‘normalize the cortisol awakening response (CAR) and evening cortisol levels’. Sip your way to not giving a flying frig long term!
Stash Tin for Stress Control on Tour: Plenty of stress-be-gone secrets in a tin and some wiggle room to pop some of your other ‘jog on’ stress faves in too. That overnight stay with the in-laws never looked more manageable!
Let’s get you genned up on how to manage stress
Comrade cortisol: That’s right - it’s not the enemy!
On a good day, you and cortisol are out to take on the world Mr and Mrs. Smith style (espionage optional). When you wake, cortisol is naturally high. Time to get shitty jobs and tricky conversations thrashed. Then you’ve got clear space in your diary as cortisol subsides, ready to roll into evening and bed, roll over and sleep. Or whatever …
We need cortisol. Without it, we’re not healthy. But, too much isn’t healthy, either. When it doesn’t naturally subside, it can become a toxic companion. That’s when you need to pull your big girl pants on and take action. Stress will never disappear completely. Life sees to that. But we need capacity for a tad more crap to be thrown at us, so mitigating stress where we can is good sense. What we’re aiming for is to not get caught in cortisol’s permanent grip.
Where are you on the tribe’s cortisol and stress spectrum?
We’re all different. Davinia enjoys the drive of a buzzy bit of cortisol in her day. For others, anything over our comfort amount and it's acid in the veins.
It takes all of us to be the tribe. But, take the wrong role over an extended time, being the hunter gatherer, when you’re really a homesteader, or vice versa, and cortisol induced by stress rears its head in the shape of:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Insulin resistance
- Weaker bones
- Depleted muscle mass
- Weight gain
Cortisol always wins the battle: it's the master hormone. Cue: puffy face; cortisol belly and that list of invisible depletions going on in mind and body.
Adrenaline won’t help either, that can also herald insulin resistance
Too much demand for cortisol can lead to adrenal fatigue:
- Extreme fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Feelings and physical effects of ‘flatlining’
- Depleted immunity
Yup: burnout.
FUTUREPROOF stress levels in the real world: optimise cortisol with WillPowders
Need to know how to reduce stress? Here’s 5 ways to manage stress everyday:
1. Rethink alcohol
Problem: The world’s geared up to make us believe alcohol relaxes us.
In fact, it:
- Interferes with REM sleep
- Drives cortisol up at night
- Creates hangovers aka hangxiety
Doesn’t sound quite so relaxing now, right?
Solution
Mitigate with Rise and Shine Indulgence Recovery if you do have a glass or swap for a health boosting, rather than health busting, drink such as WillPowders Kombucha. We popped the psychobiotic Lp37 in there for your microbiome because it ‘has proven effective in preventing chronic stress-associated behaviors from developing in two recent pre-clinical experiments’.
3: Don’t be a tough mudder
Problem: Exercise, yes. But, longer and tougher isn’t necessarily better. Bollocks to no pain, no gain messaging. Aim to be nuanced. Moving is good for the body - it loves it. But endurance? That’s just another spelling of stressful when you’re stressed, right?
Solution
Build strength with resistance training - it’s why we developed Creatine and Shilajit Protein Powder. Consider how moving your body for functional living is part of what you need. No need to be a yogi master but remember: sitting down might feel comfy, but hold any one position or stance for too long, no matter how ‘comfy’ and it’s stressful for your body. Give it variety of movement and it dispels stress naturally.
4: Get Shit Done
Problem: Remember when we thought we were flaky because we couldn’t wade through a day? Then we went A.D (after Davinia saved us) and realised we could hack hormones to get busy. No personality flaw, just that modern life and UPFs deplete us! But, we forget, especially under stress.
Solution
No motivation? If you have a freeze stress response, Brain Powder could help smash your list to ease the day. Dropping the ball on tasks during peri- or menopause? Ah-Ha supports memory and cognitive function. Calm also offers cool, clear focus.
5: Had an unexpected stress event?
Problem: Someone cut you up, school rang, your ex breathed, the cat’s missing … Adrenaline flooded your system. It’ll be followed by cortisol in 20 minutes. But, you can get ahead …
Solution
The Physiological Sigh. You know how kids do that double intake of breath when they cry? That’s it. For you, fill your lungs three quarters full, snatch another breath and breathe out slowly. Great video of Huberman discussing the physiological sigh for you to watch here. For best results, breathe out through your nose. Science, innit?
All this will also help amino l-tyrosine
Stress is not favourable for amino acids such as l-tyrosine and tryptophan. This can be problematic for brain function and cognition. Those two hormones help to produce your feel good hormones. L-tyrosine benefits dopamine production and, if you’re asking what is tryptophan, that’s the amino acid that helps produce serotonin. The irony is that stress can suppress appetite so try a protein powder to keep you fully ammo-ed in amino acids. Make it with water and carry it with you during the day. Our Mixer is great for that job.
Finally, let the sunshine in!
Daylight supports Vitamin D and circadian rhythms. Who doesn’t feel more cheerful in the sun? If there’s no sun, daylight’s still sunlight. Take a cuppa outdoors and drink it in.
Life’s not easy, but we don’t have to put up with all the stressors. Hack yourself happier so that you’re here for a good time and a long time.
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