“Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus”
Who doesn’t know this?! But did you know it goes deeper into how our bodies relate to hormones? You’ve heard us talking about the different hormones that we can control in our previous blogs and Cortisol is one of them. It is our “Stress hormone”. Did you know that stress affects our female body differently from men?
First, let’s get acquainted with our stress hormone. Let’s zero-in on Cortisol and how cortisol levels affect our body differently. We also get personal on how we manage this seemingly ‘double-edged-sword’ of a hormone.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone released by our Adrenal gland in times of stress. It naturally rises when we experience stress, be it physical stress (carrying dumbells during exercise), psychological/mental stress (preparing for a board exam), or emotional stress (loss of a loved one). Once the stressor or situation ends or abates, our body reduces the production of cortisol, going back to normal levels.
This hormone, despite it having a negative rap, is actually helpful to our body. Healthy cortisol levels affect our response to emergencies or unforeseen situations. It’s responsible for our ‘fight or flight’ response.
How Stress Affects the Female Body
Cortisol is best when it helps manage blood sugar levels, reduces inflammation, and helps balance salt and water balance in our body. Women particularly tend to have problems with water retention, and cortisol is one of the main hormones that affect this. This hormone can also help regulate metabolism, plays a part in the health / or illness of our brain, and memory functions. For child-bearing women, cortisol supports the developing baby during pregnancy. So cortisol, in its proper functioning levels, is integral in maintaining overall health and well-being. It’s when high, chronic stress begins to affect us that’s the problem.
Coach Bunny’s “Tell-Tale” signs of stress
For me, there were days when getting out of bed was already tiring. There were times I could not focus for long periods, and I couldn’t seem to finish regular house chores as efficiently as before. Back then, I had days when my head cold and sinusitis just would not go away, and my digestive health began to take a turn for worse. Stress manifests in many ways, but for me it was in fatigue, stress-eating, hyperacidity, and compromised immunity. These are my “tell-tale signs” of too much stress. With practice of mindfullness and awareness of my being, I can tell when stress starts to creep up, so I begin taking precautions.
Stress affects our female body differently from men in relation to Ghrelin.
Leptin and Ghrelin are our ‘hunger hormones’. Ghrelin tells us “EAT! you’re hungry!” Men get affected less when it comes to these hormones relating to each other– how lucky for them! Higher levels of Cortisol in women triggers a higher production of Ghrelin. However, if both stress hormone and hunger hormones are at high levels, guess what, you’ll be having unexplained eating urges — the thing called Stress-Eating! Oh No! You’re husband may see it as ‘hormones raging’ when he spots you in front of a bowl of chips, or half a cake is eaten away. Cortisol is the reason!
We tend to stress-eat more than men. This can develop into an eating disorder if left unchecked. The foods that are rich in sugar/ simple starch or carbohydrates tend to satisfy our cravings better, because of the dopamine (“Feel good” neurotransmitter) effects that it gives the brain. We may end up addicted to this effect on us, making us crave for more. Sugar turns into stored fat for us, much quicker than in men. Yikes!
And when Ghrelin is elevated, our Leptin hormone –the hormone that tells us “ENOUGH! You’re satisfied!” may not be stable, and we find it harder to stop munching away. And that triggers even more emotional stress in us! Arrgh! This could lead to weight gain, which tends to lead to obesity, higher levels of cholesterol, diabetes, and other metabolic illnesses. So keep those darn cookies away…
Stress affects our female body differently from men in relation to Estrogen.
Estrogen is our female sex hormone. Estrogen and Cortisol play a part in our sexual health. Cortisol changes our libido and menstrual cycle. It also causes vaginal dryness, pain during intercourse. Some women experience shortened or skipped menstrual cycles because of chronic stress.
Furthermore, because unrelenting high cortisol lowers estrogen levels, higher incidences of hot flashes, night sweats, sleep problems, and mood swings worsen in perimenopausal and menopausal women. No happy matrimonial bed with this one!
Coach Mia’s fun ways of “downtime” from stress
Before , I managed stress wildly —- like really beat my self with over exercise— even when I was tired. I thought excessive workout was the way to go. Little did I realize it was stressing my body and hormones more, and making me miss out on having quality sleep. I know I’m stressed when my blood pressure is erratic, I can’t focus, my shoulders start tensing up and my sleep is shallow and disturbed. I also crave for carb, the bad and sugary one — a lot!
Since then, I have built regular exercise , meditation and been mindful what I eat as part of my day, I can say I have been managing stress a lot better. But of course there are really days when stress is heavy and a bit too much. I have discovered ways to really de-stress that really helps me just relax and unwind and, make me just unwind and recharge.
We encourage you to find your own fun and relaxing ways to manage your stress within healthy limits.
Other ways high levels of stress affect our female body
- Our immune health is compromised. High levels of cortisol in our body cause a decrease in the body’s lymphocytes — the white blood cells that help fight off infection. The lower our lymphocyte level, the more at risk we are for viruses, including the common cold and cold sores. Who’d want that?
- Our digestive health is disrupted. People tend to experience gut problems when stressed. High levels of cortisol can cause a decrease in blood and oxygen flow to the stomach, causing cramps, imbalance in gut bacteria, and inflammation. If stress is unsettled, these symptoms can further develop into gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, like IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) and GERD–more physical stress!
- Our muscles and bones weaken. Osteoporosis is one of the top illnesses experienced in aging women. Chronic stress suppresses the absorption of calcium in the intestines. Furthermore, high levels of cortisol hinder the uptake of amino acids into our muscle cells. Our muscles aren’t fueled and repaired well enough and we feel weak. Daily physical activity becomes difficult to do. So, when cortisol is high, there’s no bone growth and no muscle growth. Go figure!
Imagine if
Stress is a part of our modern-day life, there’s no escaping it. As women, we tend to forget that we experience stress differently from men. Our tolerance for ‘pain’ and struggle is way higher than theirs, for sure! But it doesn’t mean we need to live with it–for a long period of time. Stress–emotionally, physically, and psychologically–when it becomes chronic, is devastating.
Imagine becoming attuned to your body, knowing when stress begins, how it manifests in us — how stress affects our female body– and taking action before it heightens. We encourage women to manage stress in just simple enjoyable ways, rather than addressing it with medication. Would that be good enough for you? Imagine what a FIERCE life you can have!
FYFG’s Programs particularly cover this hormone in our F.I.E.R.C.E Framework — not only in the CorrectHormone but in the Environment/Self-Care as well. It’s that important to us. To find out more about our program for women, visit our FIERCE Mindbody Programs, or schedule a free 1-1 call with us!