Stress is your body’s way of protecting you from perceived or real danger. A product of the fight or flight response, stress causes a hormonal reaction in your body that can have major consequences for your health. Balancing hormones addresses insulin resistance and negative consequences of excess stress hormones.

In response to stress, your adrenal glands produce cortisol and adrenaline hormones. The small adrenal glands regulate your metabolic system, including your insulin levels. Insulin is a hormone which helps you metabolize sugar into energy. When your body produces too much adrenaline and not enough cortisol, your body cannot regulate your insulin response properly. Damage to your metabolic system is a major cause of diabetes.

Under stress, your adrenal glands signal your body to raise your blood sugar levels to produce enough energy in order to respond to danger. With enough stress, these glands become fatigued, which can result in wide fluctuations in blood sugar levels and hypoglycemic symptoms. These symptoms include nervousness, irritability, and light-headedness. Maintaining blood-sugar balance is essential for good health, and continual stressors disrupt this balance.

There are wider consequences of the stress response on your hormones. Not only can there be a disruption of the adrenaline/cortisol balance but your sex hormones are affected, as cortisol levels play an important part in regulating sex hormones. Because it helps your body convert sugar into energy, unbalanced sex hormones are associated with a poor insulin response. One female hormonal disorder, PCOS, causes the body to not be able to process insulin correctly.

Stress-induced hormonal imbalances not only affect your insulin response, it can cause problems with digestion, the cardiovascular and immune systems, and depression. However, all these negative symptoms are linked to the overworked adrenal glands, trying to balance your hormonal system in order to respond appropriately to stress.

Providing support for your adrenal glands is essential for your body to regulate hormones and its insulin response. Luckily, there are a number of natural ways to provide this support. Natural remedies are preferable over synthetic ones because they address the whole body rather than just the symptoms. Drugs rarely address the multi-system failure that occurs from fatigued adrenal glands and insulin resistance.

One way to help your body better respond to stress is with the Chinese herb Ginseng. It is a root which grows to two feet or more and is an ancient treatment for hormonal problems. It has been revered for its wide-ranging positive health effects, including its ability to combat fevers and improve energy levels. It works by stimulating the central nervous system, which in turn helps support adrenal-gland function. Options include ginseng tea and tablets, which, when taken in moderation, can help you deal with your body’s stress response. As a consequence, your insulin levels are able to return towards normal.

Another root, Ashwagandha, is from India’s Ayurvedic medicinal tradition, and can help to balance cortisol levels. When your body creates too much cortisol in response to stress, your adrenal glands are overworked. Eventually your body stops producing enough cortisol your glands are not functioning properly.  and insulin levels

Vitamins also play an important role in supporting your adrenal glands. Adequate amounts of B vitamins are essential for managing your body’s reaction to stress and thus your appropriate insulin levels. These vitamins, including B-12 and B-6 in particular, improve cell metabolism and help with energy production and cell repair. Vitamin C is also important for healthy adrenal glands regulating your hormonal system and insulin response. It is essential in proper cortisol production.

Treating the whole body is important for maintaining proper feedback loops between your adrenal glands, hormones, and insulin levels. To learn more about how to maintain that balance, please contact me.