Longevity research has highlighted several longevity pillars, including stress, that contribute to living a long, healthy life. After a busy festive season, and a long January, you may be trying to destress as we enter the spring, and you should be! Read on to find out why.
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Stress
Stress is the next factor we are discussing in our longevity pillar blog series. Mental health is key to longevity, but is often overlooked, as factors affecting physical health, such as nutrition and exercise, are more obvious. Stress can have a variety of negative effects on overall health, including:
- Weakened Immune System: Chronic stress suppresses the immune system, making the body more vulnerable to infections and slower to recover from illnesses.
- Sleep Issues: Stress disrupts sleep, leading to poor-quality sleep, which contributes to everyday fatigue.
- Mental Health: Chronic stress is linked to increased risks of anxiety, depression, and mood swings.
- Memory and Concentration Problems: Along with mental health, stress can also impair cognitive functions, leading to difficulties with memory, focus, decision-making, and learning.
- Cardiovascular Strain: The constant “fight-or-flight” response puts strain on the heart and blood vessels, increasing the risk of long-term damage to the cardiovascular system.
- Weight Gain or Loss: Stress can lead to overeating or a loss of appetite, resulting in unwanted weight gain or loss.
- Digestive Problems: Digestive problems can also contribute to weight gain or weight loss, as stress can cause stomach upset, indigestion, and exacerbate conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, or ulcers.
- Muscle Tension and Pain: Stress causes muscles to tighten, leading to tension headaches, neck pain, back pain, and overall discomfort.
How Does Stress Affect Skin Health?
The brain-skin connection is real, and if stress is not managed, it can negatively manifest on the skin. Cortisol, the stress hormone, is responsible for many skin changes.
Cortisol & The Skin
Generally, cortisol levels naturally rise in a morning, and drop throughout the day, reaching their lowest point in the evening as you prepare to sleep. However, being constantly stressed means your stress responses are constantly active too. Continual exposure to cortisol impacts the skin in a variety of ways.
Increased Inflammation
Cortisol and other key hormones in the fight or flight stress response cause increased inflammation by directing immune cells from the bloodstream into the skin or by stimulating pro-inflammatory skin cells.
Excess Sebum
Cortisol disrupts other hormones within the body, leading to an increase in the production of sebum. Excess sebum clogs pores and reacts with bacteria on the skin, causing breakouts or intensifying existing acne symptoms.
Inhibits Hyaluronic Acid & Collagen Production
The prolonged, daily release of cortisol into the body inhibits hyaluronic acid production. This inhibition also impacts on collagen and elastin production. Depleted levels of each of these key elements results in an increase of fine lines and wrinkles. As a catabolic hormone, cortisol also breaks down existing collagen fibres, further contributing to signs of ageing appearing on the skin.
Skin Barrier Dysfunction
High stress and high cortisol levels cause skin barrier dysfunction, and also impair the healing process. A healthy skin barrier traps moisture in to keep the skin functioning properly, keeping irritants and pollutants out. Cortisol depletes the things your barrier needs to stay healthy, causing trans-epidermal water loss, affecting the microbiome and resulting in impaired barrier function.
Increased Oxidisation
Stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline increase the production of free radicals within the body, contributing to oxidative stress. Oxidative stress occurs when free radicals and antioxidants are imbalanced, so damage cannot be prevented.
Longevity & Stress
The Toxic Stress Load (TSL) is the term used to describe the accumulation of negative physical and psychological changes that result from chronic stress. When the load becomes overwhelming, evidence suggests it can trigger changes in the body that are similar to accelerated ageing. However, research also suggests the negative consequences of stress can be minimised by focusing on strengthening emotion regulation and self-control.
Emotional Regulation
Emotional self-regulation refers to the ability an individual has to manage their emotions and impulses, particularly when faced with strong emotions. When faced with a stressful situation, it is key to apply conscious thought to mitigate the negative effects of stress on the body.
Practicing Emotional Regulation
This means, if you are in a situation that prompts strong emotions, you should try to:
- Consciously notice the increasingly strong emotions you are feeling.
- Consider the consequences of any response you may take.
- Choose the responses that move you towards a positive outcome, despite possibly feeling negative emotions.
Emotional Regulation Strategies
If you find it difficult to respond positively in stressful situations, certain daily practices can help you strengthen your emotional regulation skills and minimise stress, including:
- Building social connections (talking with friends)
- Practicing mindfulness & meditating
- Engaging in healthy habits: exercising, getting adequate sleep
- Therapy
- Journaling
