By now, we’re well versed on the impact of stress on our digestion, concentration, and mood. But, chronic stress doesmuchmore than impact us on a macro level; instead, living with stress for prolonged periods of time can actually change the way we behave, alter our hormones, and increase or decrease our appetite; these changes happen on a micro level, but can have a significant impact on the ways we show up for ourselves each day.
Stress often gets a bad rap, but it’s necessary for human functioning and survival. However, there is a fine line between necessary stress and too much stress. Feeling stressed out can have profound effects on overall health and wellbeing, including sleep. But, since stress and sleep are so deeply connected, when one is off-balance, the other is, too. This means that high stress levels can lead to a poorer quality of sleep, which, in turn, can increase stress levels, again.
We all know that sleep is one of the most important building blocks of good health. But with busy schedules, daily stressors and “just one more episode” of Stranger Things leading to a full on season binge, tossing and turning all night long may feel normal for many of us.
Have you ever experienced bloating at home, only to go on a (much deserved) vacation and realize your bloat is nowhere to be found? Or maybe you’ve noticed that in times of stress, no matter what you eat, your belly hurts like never before? That’s because our brain and gut are connected in a bidirectional way; this means, whatever we’re thinking or feeling emotionally can have direct and drastic effects on our digestive system!
Have you ever wondered how our bodies know it’s time to wake up? Or how we get tired at around the same time each night, why jet lag takes such a toll on our bodies, or why we feel that afternoon slump around 3 in the afternoon? We can blame all of this on our body’s circadian rhythm, or internal biological clock.