How Does Stress Affect Cortisol and Your Nervous System?
Stress affects your nervous system by switching on your fight or flight response, which signals your adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline. In short bursts, that’s exactly what your body is designed to do. But when stress becomes chronic, cortisol can stay elevated or fall out of rhythm, and that often shows up as fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, weight gain, and digestive issues.
No matter how you define it, stress seems to be an inevitable part of daily life. As a naturopathic doctor in Toronto, I see it with nearly every patient: looming deadlines, financial pressures, family situations, all of which take a toll on mental and physical well-being. In this article, we’ll break down the relationship between stress, cortisol, and your nervous system, the signs your stress response is overloaded, and what you can actually do about it.
What Is the Nervous System?
We talk a lot about our nervous system**, but** what is it exactly? Our nervous system includes our brain, the spinal cord and the network of nerves throughout our body. The job of this system is to send messages back and forth from the brain to the body. Through the nerves, the brain tells our body what to do, such as the function of our digestive system and the movement of our muscles. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and spinal cord and the peripheral nervous system includes our nerves. The peripheral nervous system is further broken down into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
What Happens to Your Body When You’re Stressed?
When faced with a perceived threat or challenge, your body initiates a complex physiological response known as the stress response, or what I like to call a house on fire! This innate survival mechanism is designed to mobilize resources and prepare your body to deal with the stressor at hand. At the heart of the stress response is the activation of the branch of the autonomic nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system, or the fight or flight response. With this response, the adrenals release stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. This response is automatic and is easily turned on with triggers and cues throughout the day.
How Does Chronic Stress Affect Cortisol?
The relationship between stress and cortisol is governed by a delicate feedback loop involving the brain and the HPA axis (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, basically the communication line between your brain and your adrenal glands). Under normal circumstances, cortisol levels are tightly regulated to ensure balance and homeostasis within the body. However, chronic stress can disrupt this feedback loop, leading to dysregulation of the HPA axis and further exacerbating the stress response. Elevated cortisol levels have been linked to a number of health problems, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, weight gain, digestive issues, and cardiovascular disease.
What Are the Signs of High or Dysregulated Cortisol?
When your stress response has been running on overdrive for a while, it tends to show up in pretty predictable ways. Some of the most common signs I see in practice:
Feeling wired but tired
Trouble falling asleep, or waking up between 2 and 4am
Afternoon energy crashes
Sugar or salt cravings
Weight gain, especially around the midsection
Feeling anxious, irritable, or easily overwhelmed
Bloating or irregular digestion
Getting sick more often than usual
Here’s the catch: a lot of these overlap with thyroid issues, low iron, blood sugar imbalances, and even perimenopause (I break that down more in Should I Start HRT in Perimenopause?). That’s why I don’t like guessing. Comprehensive lab testing helps us figure out what’s actually driving your symptoms.
How Can You Lower Cortisol and Calm Your Nervous System?
The good news is that there are steps you can take to manage stress and support your body’s stress response system**, and** this is where naturopathic medicine shines! From mindfulness practices and relaxation techniques to regular exercise and adequate sleep, incorporating stress-reducing activities into your daily routine can help mitigate the harmful effects of chronic stress. Additionally, herbal remedies, adaptogens, and lifestyle interventions can play a valuable role in promoting resilience and restoring balance to the nervous system.
Sleep is a big one here, since poor sleep and high cortisol tend to feed each other. If that’s where you’re struggling, check out my posts on 4 herbs to help you sleep better and acupuncture for insomnia, which is one of my favourite tools for calming an overactive nervous system.
By understanding how stress affects your body and implementing strategies to manage stress effectively, you can safeguard your well-being and cultivate resilience in the face of life’s challenges. Remember, prioritizing self-care and stress management isn’t just a luxury**. It’s** a necessity for thriving in today’s world.
Ready to Feel Like Yourself Again?
Through my unique processes of a full assessment, intentional testing options and individualized and manageable treatment plans, I’ve helped thousands of tired men and women balance their hormones, correct deficiencies & optimize gut health to feel recharged!
Book Now: Book a free discovery call and we’ll map out what’s driving your fatigue together.
Not quite ready to book? Start with my 5 Day Cortisol Reset, a simple way to start calming your stress response and feeling more like yourself this week.
