I'm a nutrition expert - here's the REAL reason you're experiencing weight gain, hair loss and ageing skin... and the 6 steps you can take to solve the problem

When we’re tired, wired, caffeine addicted, and sleep deprived, no wonder we don’t look our best. 

But if our angst and over-stimulation is chronic and our levels of the stress-hormone cortisol remain raised, this can have visible effects. Dull skin, thinning brows, eye bags, cellulite, and weight gain around the belly – anyone?

Nutritionist Kristen Stravridis experienced the effects of ‘cortisol face’ herself when she was ‘ridiculously stressed’. Her complexion became ‘inflamed, puffy, bloated’. It struck a chord – her Instagram post on the issue went viral, garnering 6.4million views.

So why does it happen? Cortisol has many important functions, like regulating your stress response and helping to control your sleep-wake cycle. But if stress is continuous, cortisol levels can remain consistently high, which can negatively impact health, and appearance.

Nutritionist Kristen Stravridis

For example, says Kristen: ‘Raised stress and cortisol levels can impact digestion and affect nutrient absorption. You’ll see that in the appearance of your skin, it might be more dull, and you’ll have eye bags, premature fine lines and wrinkles.’

She adds, ‘Cortisol also releases more glucose into your bloodstream’ – to give you instant energy in a fight or flight situation – ‘and consistently high levels can lead to long term weight gain’. Hello, cortisol belly, and cellulite!

There’s more. High levels of cortisol can disrupt the balance of other hormones that play a role in hair growth, such as oestrogen and testosterone, causing hair loss. ‘High levels of stress are also associated with collagen breakdown,’ says Kristen. 

‘I say to my clients, if you want to have youthful glowy looking skin right through until you’re 85, you need to reduce your stress.’ We don’t need further convincing, Kristen – tell us how!

Eat regular meals

A lot of women do intermittent fasting every day, and while it has many benefits – e.g. allowing for the regeneration of beneficial bacteria – if you are already highly stressed, it’s not advisable as fasting is a stressor on the body and increases cortisol levels. So don’t skip breakfast, and make sure that first meal of the day contains quality protein, healthy fats and carbs. This will help keep your blood sugar levels steady.

Adjust your caffeine intake

Have your first cup of coffee after breakfast, especially if you’re sensitive to its effects

We get a natural cortisol spike in the morning – if we didn’t, we’d struggle to get out of bed. 

But it means that drinking coffee as soon as you get up, on an empty stomach, can elevate cortisol levels further. 

You don’t have to cut caffeine out completely, but time your intake more judiciously. Or switch to decaf! 

Have your first cup of coffee after breakfast, especially if you’re sensitive to the effects of this stimulant. Caffeine is also a diuretic, and dehydration (already a possibility as we lose fluid through sweat and breath through the night) can contribute to feeling a little more stressed.

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Rest to digest

If you’re constantly stressed, frenetic, and prone to wolfing your meals without chewing properly, your body won’t absorb nutrients well. 

Don’t lunch al-desko – at your desk while you work – or munch on the sofa while scrolling on your phone or on the go (that includes in-car eating!). 

Allow yourself ten or fifteen minutes to sit down, relax, and focus on your food. 

This enables you to switch from ‘fight or flight mode’ – during which our digestive system isn’t fully functional – into rest & digest mode. It allows your digestive enzymes time to activate properly and do their job. You might even do some slow breathing before you eat, to help shift yourself into a state of calm.

Take supplements seriously

In a recent study, severely stressed individuals were given magnesium and vitamin B6 supplements. The participants had low magnesium levels because prolonged release of stress-associated hormones deplete this mineral from the body – and low levels of magnesium then prompt more stress-related hormones to be released, so it’s a vicious circle. Researchers found that these two supplements taken together had a more significant effect on reducing stress and cortisol levels than when magnesium was taken alone. Remember to make time for meals to help your digestive system to function at its best, so that your body efficiently absorbs the nutrients from these supplements.

Prioritise your sleep

So many women don’t get enough sleep. Studies have shown that insomnia and poor sleep cause your body to secrete higher levels of cortisol the following day – possibly to increase alertness. I always recommend going to bed earlier and waking up early – so being tucked up by 10pm and up at six is better than staying up till midnight and lying in until 8am. This pattern is more in tune with the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle and you will feel more rested.

Link your workouts to your cycle

Cortisol fluctuations are in part linked to the menstrual cycle. Cycle-syncing essentially means synchronising the type of workouts you do according to the time of the month so that you’re in tune with your body’s natural rhythm rather than working against it and increasing stress. So in the phase before your period and during it, when you might have lower energy levels, instead of a ferociously tough cardio class or CrossFit session – which will spike stress and cortisol levels – stick to pilates, yoga, and lower intensity activities such as walking. Save your more challenging workouts for the follicular phase and during ovulation when you have increased testosterone and higher energy levels.

@nutritionistkristen

https://kristenstavridis.wixsite.com/website