The Fight Or Flight Response
I think we can all agree that stress isn’t great for our health. Excess stress can cause havoc on our bodies; affecting our sleep, mood, digestion and so much more.
When you’re stressed your body functions differently: Our adrenal glands (the small glands on top of our kidneys) release the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and this results in glucose, our primary source of energy, being released into the bloodstream. Your body does this to give you a boost of energy so you can literally ‘fight or flight’.
The ‘fight or flight’ mode is our body’s acute stress response, it’s your body reaction to a perceived threat: For example, say you found yourself in a situation where you’re running from a tiger (a bit far fetched we know) your body will trigger this response, providing you with a burst of energy to deal with the situation. However, in our current lives the daily stressors mostly arise from being overworked, money worries or relationship issues. This means that if we are constantly feeling stressed, our body is then releasing cortisol and glucose. This can act to potentiate inflammation, leading to various issues, including weight gain.