When you are stressed out it seems like everything goes wrong. Besides having a bad day, you might even be on your way to a total meltdown. Often, when you are stressed you find yourself feeling constantly hungry, hopeless, helpless, and depressed. You might even start eating to feel better. Stress stimulates Cortisol which causes specific hormones to flood your body which causes your mood changes.
Have you ever noticed that when you were stressed, or depressed that when you were physically active you felt better? Exercise helps you to keep your stress hormones in check, and at the same time your serotonin levels stay normal, so that you feel good. It is amazing how something as simple as taking time to relax, take time to play, and exercise can keep those brain chemicals in balance.
Here’s how stress affects Cortisol: In a nutshell, stress triggers a bio-feedback system that triggers a hormone to tell the adrenals to release another hormone called ATCH (adrenocorticotropin hormone). ATCH sends another message to flip a switch to make the adrenal glands produce cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone, which is essential for us to live. When cortisol is produced, it flips a switch to cut off hormones that induced the production of cortisol. These chemical switches are a necessary part of the bio-feedback system to start and stop the flow of cortisol. Without this bio-feedback system we couldn’t live.
Sometimes something goes awry with the bio-feedback system and the body keeps producing cortisol. When cortisol levels rise to dangerous levels, you can develop physical and mental diseases and conditions brought on by chronic stress. The hormonal switches that trigger the production of cortisol trigger the fight or flight response. You may be stressed out over something rather minor, but your body will respond like it is being chased by a lion.
When your body is flooded with cortisol you stay in a state of stress. Soon the anxiety you have been feeling is now turning into a state of depression. The constant stress caused by the stress hormone, cortisol, depletes your body’s dopamine levels. Dopamine is the feel-good chemical in your body. The high level of cortisol behaves just like a steroid, which has negative effects on serotonin and noradrenalin levels. By depleting the pleasure chemicals, you soon begin to have a feeling of hopelessness and depression. Constant states of stress cause your body to destroy serotonin, thereby destroying dopamine, which is the neurotransmitter than allows you to feel good.
Controlling your reaction to stress will often get your bio-feedback back in order, so that you will not keep producing cortisol. It is important to take time for yourself, and do things that give you pleasure. Lying down, listening to calming music in a quiet room for 30 minutes will also help to reduce stress. In many cases the individual can control the production of overproduction of stress hormone by taking part in regular exercise, and other stress reducing activities.
About half of the people who have major depression disorder have a problem with the overproduction of cortisol due to slight malfunctioning of the hormones in the bio-feedback system. A routine of regular exercise can help your brain flip the switches from stressed to content and happy. If you are feeling depressed, or if you are constantly stressed consult with your physician. Don’t diagnose yourself. Your doctor can help direct you in a plan of action to get your stress and depression under control. Your doctor may even tell you to get more active, and if you don’t begin to feel better, he/she may treat you medically for short term or long term if necessary.
