Release Your Stress

Understanding chronic stress beyond buzzwords and its real-world impact with naturopath, clinical nutritionist and anti-ageing expert Michaela Sparrow

What is chronic stress – and is it ageing you?

Chronic stress – probably a term you’ve heard, feel like you experience from time to time, but really aren’t quite sure. It’s a term casually thrown around in conversation, but for those suffering – waking up each morning feeling more tired than when you went to sleep, feeling unmotivated at work and overall, exhausted, it’s a very real, and serious, condition. Appreciating that knowledge is power, we interviewed naturopath, clinical nutritionist and anti-ageing expert Michaela Sparrow to find out everything you need to know about chronic stress.

How does stress impact ageing?

When our body is in state of stress, our adrenals produce cortisol (also known as fight or flight). In small amounts, at the right time, cortisol is ok – but when it’s chronic and excessive, this is hugely detrimental.
Not only does it accelerate cellular ageing, making us look and feel older than we actually are, it damages DNA through oxidative stress and creates chronic inflammation – believed to influence the development of cancer, heart disease and more. Further, high cortisol can increase insulin levels, increasing fat storage; reduce your ability to absorb vitamins and minerals, and as a result, contribute to nutritional deficiencies and related illnesses.

Key signs of chronic stress?

• Waking up unrefreshed
• Afternoon energy crashes
• Feeling wired but tired in the evening/night owl
• Struggling to sleep properly
• Weight gain, especially around the abdomen and face
• Cravings for salty, sugary or fatty foods
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Irritability, anxiety, overwhelm
• Irregular menstrual cycle & fertility issues
• Low libido

If we are chronically stressed, what can we do?

• Eat breakfast, ideally within 1 hour of waking
• NO coffee on an empty stomach
• Load up on vitamin c
• Eat plenty of zinc & magnesium rich foods, such as green leafy veg, hemp seeds and chia seeds
• Embrace whole salts – think Himalayan, sea and Celtic – they can help rebalance your system
• Improve sleep hygiene – at a minimum, block out blue light, take magnesium glycinate and keep your room cool
• Supplement up with stress reducing herbs such as withania, Siberian Ginseng, Passionflower, Lavender and Rhodiola

To learn more about Michaela and how she helps women with chronic stress, visit www.thelongevityremedy.com, or follow her on Instagram via @thelongevityremedy

For the full article grab the February/March 2024 issue of Women’s Fitness Australia from newsagents and convenience locations. Subscribe here.