S3 E10 - Managing Modern Stress: Strategies to Protect Your Health and Well-Being
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S3 E10 - Managing Modern Stress: Strategies to Protect Your Health and Well-Being

In this episode, Dr. Alfred Alessi and Matt Tack delve into the pervasive issue of stress in the modern world. They examine the health impacts of chronic stress on the autonomic nervous system and discuss hormonal imbalances involving cortisol and adrenaline. The conversation highlights the effects of modern stressors on overall health, including their connection to gut health, immunity, and cardiovascular disease. Comprehensive strategies for lowering stress are shared, alongside practical daily habits and steps for stress management. Listeners are encouraged to interact for personalized help, with closing remarks providing contact information and a call to action. (0:00) Introduction to Health Decoded and stress in the modern world (1:02) Chronic stress: Health impacts and the autonomic nervous system (3:50) Cortisol, adrenaline, and hormonal imbalances (6:40) Modern stressors: Effects on health and well-being (12:09) The connection between stress, gut health, and immunity (14:13) Link between chronic stress and cardiovascular disease (16:06) Sponsor: Authentic Nutrition (17:27) Comprehensive strategies for lowering stress (25:03) Daily habits and practical steps for stress management (26:06) Encouragement for audience interaction and personalized help (26:57) Closing remarks, contact information, and call to action

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And these nonstop notifications that are dinging us all the time, they keep the body in

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this low grade level of fight or flight twenty four seven.

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Another big one, doom scrolling and information overload.

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These contribute to chronic stress as well because we're constantly being flooded with

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negativity from the news.

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Right?

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When is the news ever positive?

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When are

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they ever talking about good stuff?

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Welcome to Health Decode, your number one source for real health information with your

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host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tac.

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Alright.

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Welcome back to another episode of Health Decoded.

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I'm your host, doctor Alessi.

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And your host, Matt Tac.

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Mattie Tack.

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Matt Nudy Tack.

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Don't ask him how he got that nickname.

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I'm just kidding.

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Alright.

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Well, welcome back to another episode.

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Thank you for joining us.

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Today, we're diving into a really cool topic.

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Something that is ruining people's health without them even realizing it.

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What is it?

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Drum roll.

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Stress.

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Chronic stress isn't just in your head.

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It's a biological wrecking ball driving inflammation, hormone imbalance, gut

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dysfunction, and even chronic disease.

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If you've ever felt burnt out, constantly wired, or like your body just isn't recovering

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the way it should, this episode is for you.

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What you'll learn in this episode is why stress is the hidden root cause of so many chronic

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illnesses, the science of stress and how it impacts hormones, the immune system, and even

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gut health, actionable ways to reduce stress and support your body's central nervous system.

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Chock full of information today.

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Looking forward to this episode.

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Thank you for joining us.

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Well, let's get into it.

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Let's talk about first off, what is stress?

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Right?

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And I think at the base level, this is the knowledge that people need to know before you

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try to take action.

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Right?

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So, essentially, stress is a biological survival mechanism.

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This is designed to help us react to threats.

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So the body's ability to rapidly mobilize energy, sharpen focus, and enhance physical

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performance in response to danger, this is an evolutionary advantage.

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However, when this response is constantly activated in modern life, it leads to chronic

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disease rather than short term survival benefits.

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So, basically, the autonomic nervous system is responsible for this stress response.

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Now the automatic nervous system has two primary branches, the sympathetic nervous

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system, which is our fight or flight, and the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our

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rest and digest.

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Now the sympathetic nervous system, when the brain perceives a threat, whether it's real or

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perceived, right, the sympathetic nervous system is gonna kick into gear which floods the

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body with stress hormones, things like cortisol and adrenaline.

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This is gonna then trigger down to cascade down physiological changes, things like increased

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heart rate and blood pressure, dilated pupils to enhance our visual acuity, rapid breathing

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to maximize oxygen intake, and then the suppression of digestion and immune function.

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That way we're conserving energy for that immediate survival.

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Right?

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Again, this is an evolutionary thing that was built into the human beings by God.

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That way, if in a case of danger, we're ready to react and we can get out of there.

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Everybody's been in that kind of situation.

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However, that's not optimal to be on all the time.

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Right?

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And so the parasympathetic nervous system, which is then the other side of that, the rest

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and digest, this is responsible for healing, digestion, and recovery when the body is not in

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danger.

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So this lowers the heart rate.

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It lowers blood pressure.

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It stimulates digestion and the motility of the gut, and it allows for deep recovery.

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Chronic stress is what keeps the fight or flight response dominant, thus preventing the

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parasympathetic response from doing its job.

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So a study in the journal of American College of Cardiology in 2020 showed that chronic

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sympathetic nervous system stimulation activation is linked to an increased risk of

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metabolic disorders, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative conditions.

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So that's really important because if we're constantly in that state, our body's not gonna

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be able to repair and do its job on the other side.

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So, you know, really the the role of cortisol and adrenaline and and why this, short term

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stress is normal, but chronic stress is destructive.

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Right?

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So cortisol and adrenaline are crucial in these short bursts, but when they're elevated for

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long times can be detrimental.

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So let's just talk about what they are.

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Right?

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Adrenaline or epinephrine, this is the immediate stress hormone.

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This gets released from our adrenal glands, and then adrenaline prepares the body for instant

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action.

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It increases your heart rate, boosts energy by breaking down glycogen, which is stored sugar

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in the muscle, and then enhances your focus.

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So once the immediate stressor is gone, adrenaline levels are gonna drop very quickly.

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Now cortisol is the long term stress hormone.

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So if the stressor persists, cortisol is gonna take over as the primary stress response.

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It raises blood sugar to provide that sustained energy for the fight or flight.

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It's gonna suppress inflammation, and it's gonna break down muscle tissue for fuel if

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necessary, leading to obviously, this is how why why it's hard to recover.

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So chronic high cortisol can lead to increased fat storage, especially around the belly.

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It promotes fat accumulation in the abdomen, increasing the risk of obesity and metabolic

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syndrome.

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Go back a couple episodes.

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We talked in-depth about that.

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It's gonna increase insulin resistance because it disrupts insulin function contributing to

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diabetes.

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It's gonna weaken the immune system because it's lowering our immune defenses, making the

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body more vulnerable to infections.

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Elevated cortisol disrupts our gut bacteria balance, which leads to digestive issues and

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systemic inflammation, and it can cause brain fog and memory problems.

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A review nature's review of neuroscience in 2018 showed that chronic stress actually

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shrinks your hippocampus, which is the brain's main memory center.

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So ever wonder why you're stressed all the time and you can't remember anything?

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It's because it's inhibiting that.

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So chronic stress leads to elevated cortisol levels, which are then associated with higher

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rates of obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease.

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Gonna drive that one home here.

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So the the human stress response has evolved to handle short term threats, things like escaping

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predators, hunting for food, or surviving harsh environments.

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Now what's the problem with that, Matt?

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We no longer live in that kind of world.

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Right?

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So modern stressors are constant, and they're inescapable.

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Things like emails, deadlines, financial stress is a big one.

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The bombardment of social media, and just just media in general, and these nonstop

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notifications that are dinging us all the time.

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They keep the body in this low grade level of fight or flight twenty four seven.

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Another big one, doom scrolling and information overload.

00:07:19
These contribute to chronic stress as well because we're constantly being flooded with

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negativity from the news.

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Right?

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When is the news ever positive?

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When are they ever talking about good stuff?

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And so a study in 2022 in psychosomatic medicine found that persistent digital stress,

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which is basically excessive screen time, social media, twenty four seven connectivity,

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disrupt sleep, elevates cortisol, and increases anxiety and depression risk.

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Massive.

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So what's the bottom line here?

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Short term stress is normal and even beneficial for survival.

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Chronic stress is destructive and can lead to a whole host of issues like we discussed, hormone

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imbalances, inflammation, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular disease.

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Your nervous system was not designed for this.

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It wasn't designed to handle this constant digital stress, financial pressure, and poor

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sleep on a daily basis.

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So if you're feeling constantly overwhelmed or exhausted or burnt out, more than likely your

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body is in a chronic stress state, but the good news is you can really rewire your stress

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response and shift your body back into healing mode.

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So we're gonna definitely talk about some more science backed solutions in this next segment.

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Yeah.

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I think that's, you know, a lot of that comes into the habit structure, but let's dig into

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that a little bit segment two and how chronic illness or chronic stress leads to chronic

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illness.

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So we're gonna call this hormonal havoc.

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So when stress becomes chronic cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone stays elevated

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for longer than it should.

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So this leads to a cascade of metabolic and hormonal imbalances.

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This is a good way to get blood work done to really understand where your hormonal balances

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are.

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Right.

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So that's something we offer, but weight gain and insulin resistance are really key to

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triggers.

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So cortisol triggers fat storage, especially in the abdominal area, as we talked about.

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Right.

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It increases glucose production, which over time makes cells less sensitive to insulin,

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raising the risk of type two by diabetes.

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That is something that's cascading America right now as type two diabetics.

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Right?

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So chronic stress can lead to cravings for sugar processed carbs, which open up your cab,

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the cabinet.

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And how many coffee processed carbs do we have in there?

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Right.

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Creating cycles of blood sugar spikes and crashes immediately.

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How often do we have that throughout the day?

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So, especially when we're sitting in a static state, a lot of times you'll get that, you'll

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get that spike and then that crash.

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So a study, a 2020 review and the endocrine reviews found that cortisol dysregulation is a

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major driver of metabolic syndrome, linking to chronic stress, to obesity, insulin resistance,

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a cardiovascular disease, something that we talk about as an ability.

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And we'll talk about in future episodes is your ability to reduce that insulin resistance by,

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resistance training.

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So, that's something that's paramount, and, and utilizing and creating new habits.

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Right?

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So thyroid dysfunction is another thing that we want to talk about.

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Why stress slows your metabolism.

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So chronic stress reduces T3 and T4 production, slowing metabolism, the metabolism, and leading

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into fatigue, weight gain and sluggishness.

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So this is a way just to do a kind of a reprieve, sit down.

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How often do you experience this?

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Ask yourself that I think these are some good questions to ask.

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Like, how often do I experience this throughout the day?

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Fatigue and sluggishness?

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Cause that ultimately may lead to your weight gain.

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Right?

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So high cortisol blocks, the conversion of the T four, the inactive thyroid thyroid hormone to

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a C T three active thyroid hormone, leading to low energy, brain fog and poor digestion.

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Stress also increases T three or our T three, which blocks normal thyroid production.

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This again is something that you can get blood work done and you can really understand the

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evolution of what that looks like.

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So burnout and adrenal fatigue and why you feel exhausted, but wired at the same time.

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So over time, chronic stress, exhausts, the adrenal glands leading to low cortisol output

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often misdiagnosed as adrenal fatigue.

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So the result you wake up tired, you feel wired at night and crash midday.

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So symptoms include again, brain fog, dizziness, sugar cravings, and feeling

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overwhelmed by small tasks.

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So what does it look well by small tasks.

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So what does that look like?

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Gut health and immunity dress disrupts, gut bacteria and tributes to leaky gut.

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So many people don't know that they potentially have leaky gut.

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Right.

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One of the big ways is you can actually check your stool.

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So we can dig into that in the future episodes, but your gut and brain are in constant

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communication through the gut brain access.

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As, many people say that your gut is actually your first brain.

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It's sending those signals to actually process things before you actually think, right?

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Chronic stress throws this delicate balance off wreaking havoc on digestion and immune

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function.

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So gut dysbiosis and leaky gut and how stress weakens digestion.

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Right?

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So stress reduces gut motility, leading to bloating, constipation, and indigestion.

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Right?

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So chronic stress alters gut bacteria.

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There's two forms of this.

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You have healthy gut bacteria and bad gut bacteria, right?

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Leading to dysbiosis and microbial imbalance and increased intestinal permeability, which is

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leaky gut, leaky gut allows toxin, undigested food and bacteria to escape into the

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bloodstream, triggering systematic inflammation.

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So a study in 2019 and frontiers of microbiology found that stress included gut

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dysbiosis is directly linked to increased intestinal permeability, setting the stage for

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chronic inflammation and auto immune diseases.

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Let's dig into this a little bit more in immune system suppression and why you get sick more

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often.

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We see this firsthand every day, right?

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70% or more of your immune system resides in the gut.

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Meaning stress weakens your body's first line of defense, chronic stress lowers secretary IDA

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and antibody crucial for gut immunity, making you more prone to infections, stress can

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trigger or worsen autoimmune condition like Hashimoto rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.

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And one of the big things is now heart disease and inflammation.

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So chronic stress doesn't affect weight and digestion.

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It's a major driver of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and artery damage.

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Those are some things that actually I looked at within my blood work and I had to, bring it

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back home.

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I had to look at those.

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We get our blood work done roughly around every quarter, and I wanted to get the proper supple

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supplements, maybe even change around, the way I exercise to promote lower blood pressure.

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And so I don't have that artery jam at artery damage and that block up.

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Right.

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So cortisol raises blood pressure by increasing sodium retention and constricting the blood

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vessels over time.

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This constant strain weakens the arteries, increasing the risk of hypertension, stroke,

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and even heart attacks.

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So chronic inflammation, the root cause of cardiovascular cardiovascular disease stress

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increases, pro inflammatory psychogen, cytokines, which contribute to plaque buildup

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in the arteries.

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This inflammation makes artery wall stiff and brittle reducing blood flows, blood flow, and

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increasing the risk of heart disease.

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Another study, in circulation found in 2018, the chronic stress is a significant risk factor

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for hypertension, heart disease, stroke due to its role in elevated cortisol, increasing

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inflammation and damaging blood vessels.

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So the bottom line is chronic stress disrupts hormones, slows your metabolism, weakens the

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immune systems and fuels heart disease over the long term.

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If you're struggling with weight gain, digestive issues, brain fog, or constant

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exhaustion, stress could be the hidden driver.

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The good news is you can reverse the damage by regulating your body's central nervous system

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and adopting stress reducing habits, which we'll get into future episodes.

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In this next segment, we'll dive into practical science backed strategies to lower stress and

00:16:05
reclaim your health.

00:16:06
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Now back to the episode.

00:17:34
Alright.

00:17:34
Welcome back.

00:17:36
Now let's really get into some nuts and bolts here, and let's talk about what we call the

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stress fix.

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Right?

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Here's some science back ways that we can lower stress, regulate our nervous system, and

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ultimately avoid some of those pitfalls that we talked about earlier.

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So, you know, chronic stress isn't really just a mindset issue.

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It's a full body imbalance.

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But the good news is we can rewire the nervous system to balance hormones, build stress

00:18:01
resilience with scientifically proven methods.

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Now what do we what do we talk about with a nervous system reset?

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So when stress is high, we're in this constant state of sympathetic overdrive.

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Right?

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Fight or flight is the dominant mode.

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Now the key to reversing this is to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, the rest

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and digest mode because your body can realistically only be in one at a time.

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So it's gonna bounce back and forth, but it can never be in both states.

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So we utilize things like breath work and HRV training.

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So this is how you can instantly lower stress.

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HRV, which is heart rate variability, is a key marker of stress resilience.

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The higher your HRV means the better your nervous system regulation.

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So things like box breathing, where you do a four four four four count.

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Right?

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You do a four second inhale, four second hold, four second exhale, four second hold, four

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second inhale, and repeat.

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That or the four seven eight breath technique where you're gonna inhale for four, hold for

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seven, and exhale for eight.

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These techniques are gonna increase your HRV, lower your cortisol, and calm the nervous

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system, and they happen almost automatically.

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So if you find yourself in a stress state where you feel your heart pumping, you feel your

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body's kinda wired up, you can use these techniques to shift into parasympathetic tonia.

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So slow deep breathing is gonna shift the vagus nerve into that parasympathetic mode, which is

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gonna then reduce anxiety and also improve focus.

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Some other hacks, some things that we definitely are proponents of, cold exposure and

00:19:34
sauna therapy.

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So this is the concept of hormetic stress.

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So cold exposure like ice baths and cold showers are gonna lower inflammation and teach

00:19:44
the nervous system how to handle stress better.

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Because if you can handle your breath and maintain a calm state in a freezing cold ice

00:19:52
bath, then you can do it anywhere.

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Right?

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We talk about eating the worm, doing the hard thing.

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So sauna therapy also boosts heat shock proteins, which are gonna reduce oxidative

00:20:03
stress and support your body's detoxification pathways.

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A study in the journal of internal medicine found that frequent sauna use lowered the risk

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of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality by forty percent likely due to its

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ability to regulate stress hormones.

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So here's a quick takeaway from that.

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Just five minutes of breath work, cold therapy, or sauna use per day can help shift your body

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into a calm and balanced state.

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Now how do we incorporate blood sugar balance and nutrition to manage stress?

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So what you eat directly impacts your stress response.

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Blood sugar spikes and crashes are gonna make stress worse, while the right nutrients can

00:20:43
actually support cortisol balance and nervous system health.

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So how do we do that?

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Something we preach all the time.

00:20:50
Stabilize blood sugar with protein, healthy fats, and fiber.

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Protein from grass fed meat, wild caught fish, and eggs is gonna support neurotransmitter

00:21:00
function and keep your blood sugar levels stable.

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Healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and omega threes are gonna reduce inflammation and

00:21:09
those those cortisol spikes.

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And then fiber from things like chia seeds, flax seeds, cruciferous vegetables, these are

00:21:16
gonna slow the glucose absorption, preventing crashes and those spikes highs and lows.

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So then some other really cool things we can we can add in there.

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Right?

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These are not just daily dietary things.

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These are more like enhancers or supplements.

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Right?

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Adaptogens, which are natural cortisol regulators.

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So the cool thing about adaptogens, herbs, and different kind of, things that we can use is

00:21:38
that they are gonna balance you.

00:21:39
If your blood pressure is high, they're gonna lower it.

00:21:42
If your blood pressure is low, they're gonna elevate it.

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They're gonna help you find equilibrium.

00:21:46
Your body can never really overdo it.

00:21:48
So really good options are things like ashwagandha, which has been shown to lower

00:21:52
cortisol by up to 30% and improve sleep quality.

00:21:55
This was verified in a journal of clinical sleep medicine.

00:21:59
Rhodiola rosea supports adrenal function, reduces fatigue from chronic stress.

00:22:04
Holy basil and ginseng are fabulous herbs to help regulate the hypo hypothalamic pituitary

00:22:10
adrenal axis, which is basically the axis that controls cortisol output.

00:22:16
Other really great nutrients are magnesium and b vitamins.

00:22:19
These are anti stress nutrients.

00:22:21
Magnesium can be found in dark chocolate, leafy greens, pumpkin seeds, or supplementation, and

00:22:26
it plays a key role in relaxing the nervous system, reducing cortisol and anxiety.

00:22:31
And then b vitamins, especially b six and twelve, are gonna support healthy energy

00:22:36
production and reduce stress related brain fog.

00:22:40
So a study in 2020 in the journal nutrients found that magnesium deficiency is actually

00:22:45
linked to higher cortisol levels, increased anxiety, and poor sleep.

00:22:50
So takeaway here, eating for stress resilience means prioritizing whole nutrient dense foods

00:22:56
and key supplements to keep cortisol in check.

00:22:59
Yeah.

00:22:59
And then, we want to talk about sleep recovery, obviously with that supplementation, without

00:23:05
quality sleep, cortisol stays high, the brain stays inflamed and the body can't repair

00:23:09
itself.

00:23:11
Most people underestimate how much poor sleep fuels stress and chronic illness, blue light

00:23:18
and late night stress connection.

00:23:20
You're in front of a screen.

00:23:21
A lot of people have blue, blue light glasses, that deflect, some of the, some of the reds and

00:23:28
greens, that would inhibit your sleep.

00:23:30
So you want to think about those things.

00:23:32
Blue light from screens, blocks, melatonin, making it harder to sleep, fall asleep and

00:23:37
keeping cortisol elevated at night.

00:23:41
Doom, scrolling emails and light network, keep the brain in fight or flight mode, making sleep

00:23:47
nearly impossible caffeine after 2PM.

00:23:50
Can delay melatonin production by several hours leading to restless sleep.

00:23:54
Another thing people don't get outside in the morning, right?

00:23:57
That's where our body is absorbing vitamin D indirect sunlight exposure are other good ways,

00:24:04
to build up your melatonin supply to prepare your body for the night's sleep.

00:24:07
So it happens earlier in the day and at night, but the power of consistent sleep schedules and

00:24:12
morning sunlight.

00:24:13
So going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

00:24:16
Yes.

00:24:16
Even weekends keep cortisol and melatonin balanced.

00:24:21
Get sunlight in the morning before 10AM sets your circadian rhythm, helping your body

00:24:26
naturally lower cortisol at night, a dark, cool bedroom, 65 degrees and avoiding screens sixty

00:24:33
minutes before bedtime, improve deep quality sleep.

00:24:37
A study in a 2020 review and the sleep medicine review found that the lack of sleep leads to

00:24:42
increased cortisol, higher inflammation, and slower recovery from stress.

00:24:46
So prioritizing sleep hygiene and daily sunlight exposure to regulate cortisol and

00:24:51
build stress resilience along with supplementation.

00:24:55
So the final thoughts here, fixing stress at the root chronic stress doesn't have to control

00:25:00
your health.

00:25:01
Your central nervous system is adaptable.

00:25:03
It's all within our habits.

00:25:05
The best stress fixes daily breath work, cold exposure.

00:25:10
I love the idea of cold showers, just getting in there for thirty seconds to a minute before

00:25:15
you warm up your body, central nervous system movement, whole foods, adaptogens, and quality

00:25:20
sleep.

00:25:20
So things that we four mentioned earlier, when you manage stress, you improve everything, your

00:25:25
metabolism, digestion, hormones, and your overall longevity.

00:25:29
Yeah.

00:25:30
So

00:25:30
chronic stress, isn't just mental.

00:25:33
It's a physical wrecking ball that destroys hormones, gut health and longevity.

00:25:38
So small daily habits can reset your stress response and protect chronic stress, protect

00:25:47
your body against chronic illness.

00:25:49
So taking action here, prioritize your health, stabilize your blood sugar and practice central

00:25:56
nervous system recovery based on things we said.

00:25:58
So this episode helped you in any way, share it with someone who you know needs to hear it.

00:26:06
And always like, subscribe, and leave a review so we can keep bringing you real science backed

00:26:10
health confidence.

00:26:12
That's good stuff, man.

00:26:13
And, again, these are all things that are habits that we can integrate in a daily basis.

00:26:17
Simple things like the breath work, moving our body, the adaptogens, the micronutrients.

00:26:22
And we do this within our clinics as well.

00:26:25
So if you need help, if this is overwhelming to you and you're like, where do I start?

00:26:29
What do I do?

00:26:30
Reach out.

00:26:30
We would love to provide you with some some more information and practical ways that we can

00:26:35
help you take the next step to obviously get ahead of that stress, destress your body, and

00:26:40
get on, on a path of optimal health.

00:26:43
So if you have pressing questions, you can send them to ask at alessi f x health dot com, and

00:26:50
we will answer them on an upcoming episode.

00:26:52
As always, we wanna thank you for joining us on this episode of Health Decoded.

00:26:57
I'm doctor Lessie with my boy, Matt Tack.

00:27:01
And as always, stay curious, stay empowered, and remember your health is in your hands.

00:27:07
Thank you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the truth about all things

00:27:12
health and empower you to take charge of your well-being.

00:27:15
If you found value in today's episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with

00:27:20
someone who needs to hear this.

00:27:22
For more resources and personalized support, visit us at Alessifunctionalhealth.com and sign

00:27:28
up for our newsletter.

00:27:30
To hear your questions answered live on the show, send them to ask@alesifxhealth.com.

00:27:36
That's ask@alessifxhealth.com.

00:27:41
Until next time.

00:27:42
Stay curious, stay empowered, and remember, your health is in your hands.