Are Stress Hormones Crushing Your Gut Health?
The Essential Truth
Picture this: you’re slammed at work, battling rush hour, and then racing to the grocery store, only to find yourself scrambling to throw dinner together at 8 pm. Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. And you’re not alone. Shockingly, nearly half of all Americans – 49% – report experiencing weekly stress, a number that’s alarmingly climbed over the past two decades.
While a little stress can be a motivator, a constant barrage? That’s when things start to break down, and our health takes a hit. These signs of stress manifest in various ways, from physical tension to mental exhaustion. I know this firsthand. Growing up in a household where worry was the norm, I didn’t realize how deeply it impacted my own health until much later. It’s a stark reminder that while our environment plays a role, ultimately, we hold the power to change it and find ways to relieve stress that work for us.
What is Cortisol?
So, how does this chronic stress actually manifest in our bodies? Let’s talk about cortisol, that ever-present stress hormone. Cortisol is a hormone that has many functions and is released by the adrenal glands. There is a whole process for the body to release this hormone and it starts with the pituitary gland in the brain. I won’t break down the whole process and bore you. What I will say is that if one process is off it can throw the whole system off making cortisol levels high or low. In essence, cortisol is our body’s built-in stress responder, a vital ally when we need it most.
Cortisol helps regulate stress. When our brains sense we are stressed it will release the hormone cortisol to help regulate the stress we are feeling making it easier to manage. This is great and what we want to happen. Cortisol has many roles from helping to control blood sugar to metabolism, stress, immune function, cardiovascular system, appetite and brain function. Cortisol is basically our friend that we want in our corner helping us!
Cortisol and Leaky Gut (Intestinal Permeability)
But here’s the catch: that helpful ally can turn on us when it’s constantly activated. Leaky Gut happens when the barrier between our gut and blood stream becomes compromised. This can look like a leak or holes in the gut lining, this is a very simplistic picture of course. Chronic stress has a direct effect on our gut. The more stressed we are, it starts to impact our digestive system, often leading to indigestion and other stomach problems. We can eat all the right foods but if we are living in constant fight or flight our body knows.
When stress becomes chronic, the brain sends constant ‘alert’ signals to the gut, disrupting its delicate balance and even altering the crucial gut bacteria we rely on for proper digestion. We need this bacteria to properly break down foods. If cortisol is constantly being released due to stress and the brain is sending signals to the digestive system that we are in stress mode it puts a halt on operating optimally.
Cortisol is also known to enhance or decrease our immune system. This is correlated with how healthy our gut is. It is predicted that around 70% of the immune system is produced and lives in the digestive system. The digestive system is the largest immune organ. If we can reduce stress and learn to manage it this can help to increase our immune systems.
What is Leaky Gut?
This disruption of the gut lining leads to a cascade of issues, particularly when it comes to our immune system. Leaky gut happens when the gut lining is broken down as mentioned above. There are small tight junctions almost like a fence that stick together that prevent proteins and enzymes from entering the bloodstream. This keeps our body in harmony.
When this is broken down these “foreign invaders” enter the bloodstream and can cause problems for the body. These food particles, chemicals and fake foods may be recognized as foreign and the immune system will mount an attack on the body. This is a broken down version of autoimmune disease. This occurs when we eat too much processed food, lack of sleep, stress and even medications can cause this.
Factors that Contribute to Leaky Gut
There are many factors that can cause leaky gut. Diet is one of the main factors. Too much sugar, processed foods, seed oils and additives/chemicals and foods can break down the gut lining. Think: doritos, donuts, chicken nuggets, fast food etc.
Gut dysbiosis is another reason. Dysbiosis is a fancy word for imbalance of bacteria in the gut microbiome. Our digestive system has trillions of different bacteria, they all play a role in digestion whether the bacteria is considered good or “bad bacteria”. We need them all. Think of it like an ecosystem: we need that balance of good and bad to thrive. Gut dysbiosis happens for a variety of reasons such as: food poisoning, eating the same foods without variety, stress, depression and so on.
Cortisol’s Role
Cortisol regulates stress by being released to manage stress. It is normal for cortisol levels to vary throughout the day. It is typically highest in the morning and trends down throughout the day and is at its lowest point at night when we are sleeping. Although this is different for night shift workers.
If we have chronic stress everyday that our body processes like we are being chased by a tiger in Africa cortisol levels may be constantly high. These high cortisol levels put a great amount of stress on our bodies and our gut lining. Over time stress alone can break down the gut lining and in part this is due to high cortisol levels.
Cortisol can contribute to breaking down the tight junctions that form the “fence” against the invaders getting into our bloodstream. When these chemicals and food particles enter the bloodstream it may mount a response and form an attack. If this happens repeatedly the immune system starts to attack the body and can present in different areas.
This creates a chronic inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation can cause the body to attack itself. This inflammation can present in many ways such as: joint pain, IBS symptoms, headaches, brain fog, low immune system, and many other autoimmune diseases. These are just some of the high cortisol symptoms and effects of stress that many people experience.
Stress also affects the gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is where all the gut bacteria live. You can think of this as an ecosystem that needs to stay in balance. As mentioned earlier the more stress presented and cortisol released the more damage it can play on the bacteria that live there. We need this bacteria to thrive and grow to help with digestion and boost the immune system. Especially since such a large amount of the immune system lives in the digestive system.
Cortisol and Autoimmune Diseases
The pressure of everyday life can cause us chronic stress. Maybe you are running on time for once but you spill your smoothie in the car. Now you don’t have breakfast and you are running late because you had to clean the car and find a new outfit to wear. How we handle and perceive this type of stress and handle it can determine how much cortisol our body releases.
Chronic stress is one of the top reasons for illness. It can range from catching a minor flu or cold or being diagnosed anywhere from heart disease to multiple sclerosis. Dealing with chronic stress can make us more susceptible to autoimmune flare ups. With this chronic stress cortisol levels may constantly be high. Cortisol helps regulate the immune system, if it’s always high then this can lower the immune system.
Strategies for Managing Cortisol and Leaky Gut
Now, let’s move beyond understanding the problem and focus on actionable solutions. Managing stress is the key to regulating cortisol levels and leaky gut! Let’s be real: eliminating stress entirely is impossible. But we can learn to manage it, and more importantly, how we perceive it. There have been studies that even when confronted with high amounts of stress it has been shown to have less impact on our body based on what we tell ourselves.
For instance when confronted with a stressful situation or problem it can be helpful to tell ourselves “this may be hard but I can handle it” or “I am up for the challenge.” The more we tell our brains this the more we can handle stress and it doesn’t become so paramount on our bodies. If we can stop the cycle we can decrease the chronic stress which will then lower cortisol levels from constantly being released. In turn this will help to heal the leaky gut and decrease inflammation which will decrease the risk of autoimmune disease and flare ups.
Stress management techniques
Some ways to relieve stress are mindfulness and meditation. This may not come naturally at first but if you stick with it, it becomes more natural and easy. Deep breathing is a great one as well to reduce stress! Yoga is a full body experience that can slow down and divert our thoughts. Nature has been proven to decrease depression and stress. Another one is singing or playing music, this is one of my favorite ways to decrease stress.
Dietary recommendations
And it’s not just about mental strategies. What we put in our bodies plays a huge role too. Diet wise the best thing you can do is eat a whole foods, non processed diet. Focus on nutritious foods that are anti-inflammatory. This can look like fresh fruits and vegetables, organic whole grains, non processed meat and organic dairy to name a few. Staying away from processed and packaged foods will decrease the amount of additives and chemicals in our food.
Gut healing foods:
- bone broth
- fermented foods: yogurt and sauerkraut
- some cheeses
Foods to avoid:
- highly processed
- high in sugars
- Long list of ingredients
- Chemicals and additives
Dietary recommendations
And it’s not just about mental strategies. What we put in our bodies plays a huge role too. Diet wise the best thing you can do is eat a whole foods, non processed diet. Focus on nutritious foods that are anti-inflammatory. This can look like fresh fruits and vegetables, organic whole grains, non processed meat and organic dairy to name a few. Staying away from processed and packaged foods will decrease the amount of additives and chemicals in our food.
Gut healing foods:
- bone broth
- fermented foods: yogurt and sauerkraut
- some cheeses
Foods to avoid:
- highly processed
- high in sugars
- Long list of ingredients
- Chemicals and additives
Lifestyle Changes
Sleep, exercise, and minimizing toxin exposure: these aren’t just buzzwords, they’re foundational for a healthy gut and balanced cortisol levels. Our lifestyle is one of the biggest predictors for our health outcomes. The connection between gut health and mental health is increasingly recognized by researchers, showing how our digestive system directly influences our mood and mental wellbeing.
Here’s the bottom line: cortisol, leaky gut, and autoimmune issues are all tangled up. We’ve seen how stress can throw your whole system out of whack, creating various stress symptoms from digestive issues to mood changes. But it’s not all doom and gloom! The good news is, you can make a difference. It’s about taking a holistic approach – looking at your diet, managing stress, and making lifestyle changes to lower cortisol levels. Don’t wait for a ‘perfect’ moment, start now! Even small changes can have a big impact on your gut microbiome and overall wellbeing. I know you’re busy, but your health is worth it. If you’re looking for more personalized advice on managing high cortisol symptoms or improving your gut health and mental health, I’m here to help.