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 slumber deprived, nary wonderment we don’t look our best. 

But if our angst and over-stimulation is chronic and our levels of nan stress-hormone cortisol stay raised, this tin person visible effects. Dull skin, thinning brows, oculus bags, cellulite, and weight summation astir nan belly – anyone?

Nutritionist Kristen Stravridis knowledgeable nan effects of ‘cortisol face’ herself erstwhile she was ‘ridiculously stressed’. Her complexion became ‘inflamed, puffy, bloated’. It struck a chord – her Instagram station connected nan rumor went viral, garnering 6.4million views.

So why does it happen? Cortisol has galore important functions, for illustration regulating your accent consequence and helping to power your sleep-wake cycle. But if accent is continuous, cortisol levels tin stay consistently high, which tin negatively effect health, and appearance.

For example, says Kristen: ‘Raised accent and cortisol levels tin effect digestion and impact nutrient absorption. You’ll spot that successful nan quality of your skin, it mightiness beryllium much dull, and you’ll person oculus bags, premature good lines and wrinkles.’

She adds, ‘Cortisol besides releases much glucose into your bloodstream’ – to springiness you instant power successful a conflict aliases formation business – ‘and consistently precocious levels tin lead to agelong word weight gain’. Hello, cortisol belly, and cellulite!

There’s more. High levels of cortisol tin disrupt nan equilibrium of different hormones that play a domiciled successful hairsbreadth growth, specified arsenic oestrogen and testosterone, causing hairsbreadth loss. ‘High levels of accent are besides associated pinch collagen breakdown,’ says Kristen. 

‘I opportunity to my clients, if you want to person youthful glowy looking tegument correct done until you’re 85, you request to trim your stress.’ We don’t request further convincing, Kristen – show america how!

Eat regular meals

A batch of women do intermittent fasting each day, and while it has galore benefits – e.g. allowing for nan regeneration of beneficial germs – if you are already highly stressed, it’s not advisable arsenic fasting is simply a stressor connected nan assemblage and increases cortisol levels. So don’t skip breakfast, and make judge that first repast of nan time contains value protein, patient fats and carbs. This will thief support your humor sweetener levels steady.

Adjust your caffeine intake

We get a earthy cortisol spike successful nan greeting – if we didn’t, we’d struggle to get retired of bed. 

But it intends that drinking java arsenic soon arsenic you get up, connected an quiet stomach, tin elevate cortisol levels further. 

You don’t person to trim caffeine retired completely, but clip your intake much judiciously. Or move to decaf! 

Have your first cup of java aft breakfast, particularly if you’re delicate to nan effects of this stimulant. Caffeine is besides a diuretic, and dehydration (already a anticipation arsenic we suffer fluid done sweat and activity done nan night) tin lend to emotion a small much stressed.

Rest to digest

If you’re perpetually stressed, frenetic, and prone to wolfing your meals without chewing properly, your assemblage won’t sorb nutrients well. 

Don’t luncheon al-desko – astatine your table while you activity – aliases munch connected nan sofa while scrolling connected your telephone aliases connected nan spell (that includes in-car eating!). 

Allow yourself 10 aliases 15 minutes to beryllium down, relax, and attraction connected your food. 

This enables you to move from ‘fight aliases formation mode’ – during which our digestive strategy isn’t afloat functional – into remainder & digest mode. It allows your digestive enzymes clip to activate decently and do their job. You mightiness moreover do immoderate slow breathing earlier you eat, to thief displacement yourself into a authorities of calm.

Take supplements seriously

In a caller study, severely stressed individuals were fixed magnesium and vitamin B6 supplements. The participants had debased magnesium levels because prolonged merchandise of stress-associated hormones deplete this mineral from nan assemblage – and debased levels of magnesium past punctual much stress-related hormones to beryllium released, truthful it’s a vicious circle. Researchers recovered that these 2 supplements taken together had a much important effect connected reducing accent and cortisol levels than erstwhile magnesium was taken alone. Remember to make clip for meals to thief your digestive strategy to usability astatine its best, truthful that your assemblage efficiently absorbs nan nutrients from these supplements.

Prioritise your sleep

So galore women don’t get capable sleep. Studies person shown that insomnia and mediocre slumber origin your assemblage to secrete higher levels of cortisol nan pursuing time – perchance to summation alertness. I ever urge going to furniture earlier and waking up early – truthful being tucked up by 10pm and up astatine six is amended than staying up till midnight and lying successful until 8am. This shape is much successful tune pinch nan body’s earthy sleep-wake rhythm and you will consciousness much rested.

Link your workouts to your cycle

Cortisol fluctuations are successful portion linked to nan menstrual cycle. Cycle-syncing fundamentally intends synchronising nan type of workouts you do according to nan clip of nan period truthful that you’re successful tune pinch your body’s earthy hit alternatively than moving against it and expanding stress. So successful nan shape earlier your play and during it, erstwhile you mightiness person little power levels, alternatively of a ferociously reliable cardio people aliases CrossFit convention – which will spike accent and cortisol levels – instrumentality to pilates, yoga, and little strength activities specified arsenic walking. Save your much challenging workouts for nan follicular shape and during ovulation erstwhile you person accrued testosterone and higher power levels.

@nutritionistkristen

https://kristenstavridis.wixsite.com/website