What is 'stress' and what causes it?
Stress is defined as a 'state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives by the World Health Organization.
We can have mental and emotional stressors stemming from relationships, finances, career environments, family struggles and self-perception issues, along with physical stressors like injury, gut infections, inflammation and an overall unhealthy diet/ lifestyle.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone released by the Adrenal Glands when the body, or mind, is under stress. The production and secretion of cortisol is regulated by the HPA axis and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. The Hypothalamus releases CRH (corticotrophin-releasing hormone), which then triggers the Pituitary gland to release ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone), finally stimulating the adrenal glands to release cortisol.
Cortisol is responsible for the increase in glucose metabolism, controlling the sleep-wake cycle, regulating blood pressure, suppressing inflammation and supporting macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein and fat) metabolism.
Daily Cortisol pattern
In the morning we get a slight cortisol peak to get us up and energized to start the day, as we move throguhout the morning, into the afternoon and eventrually into the eveing our cortisol slowly tapers off and is replaced with melatonin, our sleep hormone, to help us get to sleep.
image: dutchtest.com
Stress and Pimple connection
High cortisol levels lead to increased decreased digestive function, gut permeability, increased androgen levels and increased sebum production.
Decreased digestive function means less HCl production, so less nutrient absorption, and more susceptibility to gut infections- like SIBO, Candida and H. Pylori which can worsen any existing acne.
Gut permeability (leaky gut) increases immune responses in the body, along with systemic inflammation. Acne, by definition, is an inflammatory condition of the skin., so increased inflammation will lead to increased breakouts.
Increased androgens (male sex hormones like testosterone and DHEA-S) will ramp up sebum production in the skin, specifically along the chin and jawline, which increases skin congestion and skin congestion= breakouts!!
Holistic stress reduction
There are many ways to lower stress naturally and increase your resiliency to stress, from meditation practices to more alternative practices like emotional freedom technique tapping.
Alternative stress reduction
Emotional Freedom Tecnique Tapping
Ocular Yoga for the Vagus Nerve
Morning sunshine
Breathwork
Additional stress reduction
Meditation
Journaling
Yoga
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