From low libido to trouble sleeping – the seven signs that stress is getting to you
THE last year has caused unwanted stress for many people.
Whether it's juggling working from home, getting used to being allowed out to the pub once more or financial worries because of the pandemic - many of us have felt different types of stress.
Experiencing stress is a normal human emotion, but one expert has warned that chronic stress can lead to long-term damage to many of our daily bodily functions.
Speaking to The Sun, nutritional therapist Hannah Braye explained that this can have a number of knock on effects to our health.
She said: "When we are stressed we are in ‘fight or flight’ mode. Stress hormones flood the body and have a number of physiological effects, evolutionarily developed to keep us safe."
Here Hannah highlights the seven ways that stress could be affecting you.
- Have an orgasm!
This releases a wonderful cocktail of natural endorphins which help you relax and help your body get into a flow of REM sleep cycles to help you stay asleep which is also when T levels are replenished – winner!
- Ditch the booze
Not only does this reduce testosterone levels, it also impacts sexual performance leading to greater chances of erectile dysfunction. Not to mention causing disrupted sleep which again in turns reduces the restoration of T levels overnight.
- Remove distractions
Get rid of excess noise and light so that your room is quiet, calm, for sleep or dim the lights, light the candles, pop on some Barry White and let the good times begin.
- Rectify nutrient deficiencies
Vitamins in particular play a role in regulating our circadian rhythms, the 24-hour bio rhythms that control our sleep-wake cycles. As deficiencies are common most GP’s will now test key nutrient levels and you can then supplement and / adjust your diet accordingly. Vitamin D, Magnesium, Zinc and B6 are all crucial for happy male hormones.
- Lose weight
Losing just 5 percent of your starting can result in improved length of sleep and sleep quality (also extra fat produces oestrogen in men which robs testosterone levels)
- Be active
Spending some of your active time outdoors, seems to help protect against sleep problems (also tops up natural Vitamin D levels)
- Avoid eating close to bedtime and keep snacks out of the bedroom!
Eating late at night can affect your quality of sleep and put you at higher risk of developing diabetes and obesity. It’s also a passion killer sitting in bed whilst your other half wolves down a family size bag of Doritos….
- Minimise blue and artificial lights
Light from mobiles and laptops can suppress melatonin and can make it harder to fall asleep. Ditch them at least an hour before Z time…
5. Food intolerances
Food intolerances can manifest when the cells lining our digestive tract become damaged, allowing larger food proteins to cross into circulation (known as “leaky gut”).
Hannah said that this confuses the immune system, triggering an inflammatory response when certain foods are eaten.
7. Lowered immunity
Cortisol (our stress hormone), suppresses immune cells, meaning our ability to fight off germs, viruses and other foreign invaders is reduced, leaving us more susceptible to infections when we are stressed.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
The pressures of modern living lead many to experience stress on a chronic basis, and this chronic depression of the immune system can have serious consequences, Hannah says.