Here are the 7 Ways Stress Wrecks Your Thyroid

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

Hypothyroidism is a common disorder, and, like many diseases is becoming increasingly prevalent in the 21st Century. In fact, one in eight women will suffer from hypothyroidism at some point in their lifetime, and men who are overweight are also at high risk.

A sluggish thyroid can often be undetected at first, but if it is not addressed, over time it can lead to a number of health problems, such as heart problems, depression, nerve pain in the limbs, infertility and an enlarged thyroid gland or goiter.

While there are many causes for thyroid dysfunction, stress is one of the main reasons why thyroid function slows and hypothyroidism takes root. Your adrenal glands that sit atop your kidneys are responsible for pumping out your stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) when you’re busy, constantly on the go, or working late nights. A sluggish thyroid can lead to heart problems, depression, nerve pain in the limbs, and infertility.

Your adrenals are connected to you via the HPA-axis or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, a dynamic and complex system that governs the body’s homeostasis and reaction to stress. The research is clear that stress slows the function of your hypothalamus – the master hormone conductor of the brain – and your pituitary, which is responsible for controlling thyroid function. 

Stress isn’t just the inability to cope or being too busy. If you suffer from digestive problems (e.g. gas, bloating, etc.), chronic inflammation, poor blood sugar control, poor immunity or autoimmune conditions, these are all “stressors” that impact your adrenal glands and ultimately your thyroid function. 

If we dig a little deeper, we also find that stress inhibits your thyroid gland’s ability to convert the inactive T4 thyroid hormone into the active T3 hormone in the body. 

Poor conversion of T4 to the active T3 leads sluggish thyroid function and increased likelihood of hypothyroid symptoms, such as cold hands and feet, weight gain, fatigue, and less frequent bowel movements or constipation.

Is your diet, exercise or lifestyle placing you at risk of hypothyroidism?

Let’s take a closer look at seven common ways stress negatively impacts your thyroid.

1. You’re Too Busy

In today’s 24/7 society, we are constantly on the go and busier than ever before. Stress is not simply the inability to cope, it’s also how “busy” you are throughout the day. While technology and connectivity can provide you with incredible tools to be more productive, it can also leave your brain and body stuck in “stimulation” overload.

(Read: 9 Ways to Beat Chronic Stress)

If you wake up early, hit the gym or prep your kids for school (or both!), are under pressure at work, eat lunch on the run and work late, or rush home to get dinner on the go, it’s easy to see how life has become a 18-hour sprint, every single day.

This leads to constant activation of the body’s “fight or flight” sympathetic nervous system, your adrenal glands and the production of stress hormones (e.g. adrenaline and cortisol), which takes its toll on the health of your thyroid. Sometimes, slowing down is the best thing you can do for your health.

2. You’re Too Caffeinated

This is a common theme for many people: you wake up tired, you need a boost of energy and you reach for a morning cup of coffee. While coffee has a vast array of health benefits, you can get too much of a good thing.

When life gets busy and your body is in sympathetic overdrive, you naturally crave caffeine (and sugar) to keep yourself going. One cup a day can quickly lead to two, three or four, and all of a sudden you’re having multiple cups in the afternoon to make it through your hectic day, evening workout or to have enough energy for your family or friends.

(Read: 11 Healthy Alternatives To Coffee)

Too much caffeine lingering in your system leads to poorer sleep quality at night. Remember, the half-life of caffeine (the time it takes to reduce by one half the original value) is about six hours, meaning your 3 p.m. cup of coffee (approx. 200mg of caffeine) will leave you with 100mg in your bloodstream at 9 p.m. and still 50mg at 3:00 in the morning!

While that’s great if you’re hitting the dance floor, it’s not great for deep sleep or the health of your thyroid. Ultimately this leads to more morning fatigue, more coffee, and the cycle continues. Cut off coffee at lunch time to support deep, rejuvenating sleep.

3. You Don’t Sleep Long Enough

You’ve likely heard the old saying “you’re burning the candle at both ends,” which effectively means you’re not resting enough to adequately recover from your busy days. Sleep is the most effective tool you have to “rebuild” the candle you’re burning at both ends during the day. The only problem is, you’re likely not getting enough.

(Read: The Best and Worst Sleeping Positions)

The average person now survives on 6.5 hours of sleep per night, about one and half hours less sleep than our grandparents had two generations ago. 

Over the course of a year, that is 500 hours less sleep than you should be getting (no wonder you’re tired!). The average person gets 6.5 hours of sleep per night, about one and half hours less sleep than our grandparents had two generations ago.

If you don’t sleep enough or fail to adequately recover, stress hormone levels increase and thyroid function beings to slow. Aim to get to bed by 11:00 p.m. most nights of the week to upgrade recovery and support a healthy thyroid.

4. You Check Too Many Emails At Bedtime

We live in an age where watching television on your laptop and checking emails are the norm at bedtime. While this may seem convenient, your brain and body have evolved over millions of years without the stimulation of blue light and Wi-Fi in the evening and the negative repercussions on deep sleep and rejuvenation are significant.

Research shows that exposure to blue light from screens too close to bedtime leads to poorer quality of sleep, impacting recovery and ultimately thyroid health. Turn off your your Wi-Fi devices and steer clear of TV and laptop screens 30-60 minutes before bed to support sleep.

5. You Crave Too Many Simple Carbs

What is the natural response to high stress levels? You guessed it, strong cravings for sugar and simple carbs. Whether it’s high-glycemic cereals or fruit-laden smoothies in the morning, midday snack bars or afternoon treats, constant and regular sugar cravings are a clear red flag your body is stressed, and it’s likely impacting your thyroid health.

Hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, or blood sugar highs or lows, deeply impact stress hormones and ultimately thyroid function. Even if you’re a “healthy” eater, you might find on closer inspection that you regularly use sugars throughout the day: maple syrup or honey at breakfast, sweetener in your coffee, constant fruit snacks throughout the day, and nibbling on chocolate before bed. Curb your sugar cravings with snacks with high protein and fat content, like grass-fed jerky and nuts, plain yogurt or an herbal tea before bed.

6. You Drink Too Much Alcohol

After a busy day, long week, or intense project at work many people find it relaxing to unwind with an evening drink. Alcohol is classified as a nervine, or substance that helps to relax the nervous system. While this can support recovery from stress, the key is the dose. A glass of wine might help take the edge off, but if you finish the bottle, your nervous system takes a serious hit. Try cutting out alcohol full stop for 4 weeks, or if you’re an avid drinker, reduce your intake by 50%.

It’s not just the extra calories that are a problem; alcohol also inhibits deep sleep. Your evening glass of wine might turn into two or three and eventually lead to poorer sleep and morning fatigue.

This raises stress hormone levels and cravings for more sugar and caffeine, both significant stressors on your adrenals. This is a classic cycle that exacerbates stress hormones and leads to sluggish thyroid function. Cut out alcohol full stop for 4 weeks, or if you’re an avid drinker, reduce your intake by 50%.

7. You Exercise Too Much

For many people, adding more movement to their day –walking, strength training, yoga – is a great way to relieve stress and improve resiliency. If you suffer from sluggish thyroid function, you may struggle with weight gain and then desire to add more exercise to shed those pounds.

However, if you’re already an avid exerciser, you probably don’t need more exercise, you need more efficient exercise. In general, reducing the workout time and increasing the workout intensity are important principles for those struggling with slow thyroid function.

The problem starts when you add more training volume (i.e., more training days doing the same type of training), in an attempt to lose weight, rather than ramping up training intensity. High volume training at the same intensity can dramatically raise stress hormone levels and doesn’t provide the right stimulus to improve fitness or body composition.

If you’re already a runner, more 5k runs during the week is not the answer. In general, reducing the workout time and increasing the workout intensity are important principles for those struggling with slow thyroid function.

Get the right amount of stress, and you build a resilient body, strong metabolism and healthy thyroid function. However, excess stress is a major contributor to sluggish thyroid function.

The hustle and bustle of modern living, fewer hours of sleep, excess sugar and caffeine consumption and too much pounding the pavement on the training front are all common stressors that can easily overtax your adrenals and ultimately your thyroid.

By creating an environment for rest, recovery and improved resiliency, you can maintain your productivity in today’s fast-paced world without sacrificing the health of your thyroid.

Watch this video – How Stress Causes Hypothyroidism | Thyroid & Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome | Samyuktha Diaries

Written by Dr. Marc Bubbs

Author Bio:

Dr. Marc Bubbs, ND is a Naturopathic Doctor, Strength Coach, Author, Speaker, and Blogger practicing in Toronto, Canada. He believes that diet, exercise, and lifestyle factors have the most profound impact on your overall health and performance. Marc is the author of The Paleo Project – A 21st Guide to Looking Leaner, Getting Stronger, & Living Longer and currently serves as the Sports Nutrition Lead for Canadian Men’s Olympic Basketball Team.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

The Truth behind Sugar Addiction and Is It a Drug

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

The sweet taste of sugar tends to evoke nostalgic cravings for our favorite beverages, pastries and manufactured concoctions. But is sugar addiction a real thing?

But how detrimental can sugar’s effects truly be? It has become socially accepted as a “harmless” way to have fun.

However, when sugar binges turn into daily habits, we suddenly have health problems. The current obesity pandemic is only one element of why sugar is killing our health.

Let’s look at the many biological effects occurring when we ingest too much sugar:

The Truth behind Sugar Addiction

Classifying sugar as a drug becomes controversial because sugar is not acutely toxic. Instead, it’s safe to argue that sugar is chronically toxic. While some people consume large amounts of sugar day after day, they become deeply entrenched in the addiction of sugar. These same people will likely suffer from metabolic syndrome – becoming a bigger problem than obesity.

It’s important to differentiate between metabolic syndrome and obesity for people who don’t appear overweight. People possessing great genetics and active lifestyles can consume larger amounts of sugar. This is why some people claim they’re thin on the outside and fat on the inside (aka T.O.F.I). However, what may be fine for some people can be deadly for most.

Metabolic syndrome won’t be noticeable by just looking at the person externally. And, since some subcutaneous fat is actually somewhat beneficial, it is vital that a DEXA scan be performed. This measures the real killer, visceral fat, and is known as one of the best predictors of potential disease.

This also goes along with a test called HbA1c, which will measure your average blood sugar over the past 3-4 months. It’s important for a variety of reasons, including finding certain risks linked to dementia.

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How Sugar Addiction Affects People with Diabetes

Now that we’ve covered metabolic syndrome, let’s look at sugar’s relationship to another worldwide problem: diabetes. Using data from 175 countries, a study showed that a 150 calorie increase in sugar availability (about 1 can of soda) was associated with increased diabetes risk factors.

This is one reason why eliminating soda is better for your health. Other studies have shown that intense sweetness is more rewarding than cocaine.

Research professionals have shown that food addictions are similar to drug addictions. This differs from behavioral addictions, like gambling, since food and sugar addictions affect neurochemical changes.

The more sugar you eat, the more downregulated your dopamine receptors become. Besides this scary adaptation, there are other neuronal changes including:

• Changes in opioid receptor binding
• Enkephalin mRNA expression
• Dopamine and acetylcholine release in the nucleus accumbens

Basically, the more sugar you eat, the more ways your brain changes for the worse.

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Sugar Addiction vs. Drug Withdrawals 

Of course, we musn’t forget the withdrawal effects of sugar.  We’re all aware of ensuing “sugar cravings” once you decide to go low carb, but the pronounced hangover-like effect largely comes from fluctuating insulin levels.

There are obvious reasons why sugar is terrible for your health. It contains no essential nutrients and will lead to cavities, when consumed in excess. On top of that, fructose, which is half of high fructose corn syrup and half of table sugar (sucrose), is largely processed entirely by your liver.

This occurs via the GLUT5 transporter. Since the rest of your body doesn’t use fructose for energy (unlike glucose) too much sugar can be bad for your liver. We see this in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). As stated in the name, it’s possible to achieve a similar version of this condition by drinking too much alcohol.

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Can Consuming Alcohol be Preferable Over Sugar Addiction?

In moderation, yes. Alcohol is largely self-limiting. Meaning, you can only drink so much due to its disinhibiting effects. However, your brain won’t process fructose like it does alcohol. Your body doesn’t self-limit the amount of sugar you can consume.

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So is Sugar Really a Drug?

While it may not be as strong as cocaine when it comes to withdrawal symptoms or the accompanying high, it certainly has addictive and detrimental effects. But is this only when consumed in excess?

New guidelines, outlined in London, call for sugar guidelines to be revised to just 14g of added sugar per day. This, in actuality, is what the guidelines should have been all along. It is only because organizations (which are largely controlled and influenced by food companies) have been extremely lax on reigning in our sugar consumption.

Meanwhile, we have seen everyone in the world get fat and sick as a result. Obesity rates are up worldwide, and we consume more sugar than ever before in human history. We continue to consume excess sugar, despite its link to heart disease deaths. It’s almost as if we can’t stop.

How Artificial Sugar Could Be Making You Gain Weight

Something more troubling is that “diet” sweeteners have been scientifically shown to lead to weight gain. This means that if you replace sugar with artificial versions, not only do you not lose weight, or even maintain your weight, but in fact you gain weight.

The thinking and reasoning behind this is varied. Though you aren’t consuming sugar, these artificial versions are hundreds of times sweeter than the real thing. This means that your brain is still stimulated – leading to cravings and possibly even a slight insulin response.

However, there are definitely differences in how artificial sweeteners affect your brain when compared with sugar. As researchers state, “… on the functional level, sucrose ingestion, compared to saccharin ingestion, was associated with greater activation of the higher gustatory areas such as the insula, orbitofrontal cortex, and amygdala.”

So, even though your brain is complex, the end result of unavoidable weight gain … is still the same.

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What Does This Mean for Most Americans?

It means that people need to start cutting out sweet-tasting foods on a large scale if they hope to maintain a healthy weight.

Foods with minimal sugar generally contain more nutrients, but will also keep you feeling full.  This is one of many reasons why a Paleo approach is so sensible and successful. You are eliminating foods which provoke an unhealthy psychological response and an unhealthy physiologic response.

Think of it like ending a bad relationship.

Since your body adjusts and adapts to what you’re eating, enzymatic changes and neurologic changes are two positive effects of cutting out sugar. The less you eat, the less you crave it.

Watch this video – What sugar is really doing to your body – Why sugar is poison! – Overcome Sugar addiction

Written by Casey Thaler

Author Bio:

Casey Thaler, B.A., NASM-CPT, FNS is an NASM® certified personal trainer and NASM® certified fitness nutrition specialist. He writes for Paleo Magazine®, The Paleo Diet® and Greatist®. He is also an advisor for Kettle and Fire and runs his own nutrition and fitness consulting company, Eat Clean, Train Clean®.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook

7 Diabetes Warning Signs + 3 Ways to Reverse Symptoms

 

Click HERE to Discover these 80 Keto-Friendly and Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes

7 Warning Signs of Diabetes & 3 Ways to Reverse Symptoms

Worried you might have diabetes? Here are a few quick ways to tell and what you can do to reverse those symptoms.

If you have diabetes, your pancreas either doesn’t produce enough insulin (type 1) or doesn’t use the insulin efficiently (pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes). As a result, your body can’t sufficiently move the energy you get from food out of your bloodstream and into your cells, which means that your blood sugars are higher than they should be.

Early detection and treatment are crucial for limiting the risk of long-term complications, so it’s important to be able to recognize the signs of diabetes as soon as they occur.

One of the problems with identifying the symptoms of diabetes is that, in many cases, it’s synonymous with simply feeling “under the weather.” In fact, indicators can be so subtle that they often go unnoticed entirely.

Since symptoms can develop over several years, they can also become so normal to you that you don’t even see it as a symptom anymore, but rather a part of everyday life.

One of the most common misconceptions about diabetes is that it’s a disease that mainly affects older overweight people who eat too much sugar. The truth is that you can develop diabetes despite being young and healthy.

Other factors, such as genetics, also play a significant part. Although the prevalence is higher in people older than 45, the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes among children, teens, and young adults are on the rise.

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7 Common Symptoms of Diabetes

There are seven common symptoms of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.

1. Frequent Urination

When you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels rise above normal levels. This makes your kidneys work harder to filter out the excess sugar, which your body disposes of through frequent urination.

Fascinating side note: The ancient Egyptians diagnosed diabetes by seeing if ants would be attracted to the “sugary” pee of the person they suspected had diabetes.

2. Excessive Thirst

If you feel like you could gulp down a large bottle of water every few minutes, it could be a sign of diabetes.

Increased thirst goes hand-in-hand with frequent urination. As your kidneys work to rid the body of the sugar in your bloodstream, you urinate more, which can make you dehydrated and cause excessive thirst.

3. Constant Hunger

Since you’re peeing out a lot of the nutrition you’re taking in from food, your body isn’t getting the fuel you need, and you’ll feel hungry. You might even notice that you can eat huge amounts of food and still maintain your current weight.

4. Extreme Fatigue

Untreated diabetes can leave you feeling utterly fatigued. Despite eating and drinking more, your body is both dehydrated and starved for energy. Plus, having constantly high blood sugars can leave you feeling cranky and “off.”

5. Blurred Vision

When blood sugars run high, liquid is pulled from the tissues, including the eyes, which can lead to blurry vision, so be sure to see a doctor if you experience any occasional blurry vision. If you are diagnosed with diabetes, be aware of changes in your eyesight and get frequent eye exams. Ignoring these symptoms can lead to potential long-term complications like vision loss or blindness.

6. Slowed Healing and Frequent Infections

Those with untreated diabetes might notice that cuts and bruises take longer to heal. Vaginal and bladder infections are also common, especially among women. While more research needs to be done on why exactly infections are more common, the theory is that the high levels of blood sugar impair the body’s natural healing process.

7. Tingling or Numbness in Hands and Feet

Nerve damage is another common complication of untreated diabetes. The damage to the nerves is caused by elevated blood sugar levels often combined with elevated triglycerides (fat) levels in the bloodstream.

Damage might express itself as a tingling, numbness or burning sensation in the hands and feet in what’s known as peripheral neuropathy.

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3 Things to Do NOW if You Think You Have Diabetes

If you’re familiar with the above symptoms and suspect you might have diabetes, take action immediately. If caught early enough, pre-diabetes can be prevented from developing into type 2 diabetes, and type 2 diabetes can still be put into remission.

1. Get a Correct Diagnosis

Schedule an appointment with your doctor so you can get tested and discuss treatment options. You don’t need to see a specialist; your general practitioner should be able to provide an initial assessment. After your diagnosis, regular visits to an endocrinologist is highly recommended.

To help prevent a misdiagnosis, you can request a few specific tests to help your doctor make the right call:

Blood glucose test – Will reveal what your blood sugar is when the blood is drawn.

A1C test – Shows your average blood sugar level for the last 2-3 months.

C-peptide test – Uncovers how well your body makes insulin.

2. Exercise Daily

Once you know what you’re dealing with, the next step is to start exercising and, if you need to, lose some weight. Losing as little as 7% of your body weight and moving 30 minutes a day has shown to lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by a whopping 58%. This guide to losing weight with diabetes can help get you started.

You should also consider adding resistance training to your weekly routine. Resistance training can increase insulin sensitivity significantly, and most people will see a reduction in glucose levels in the first few hours after exercise and up to 36 hours later.

See also: How Resistance Training Affects Your Blood Sugar).

Resistance training or other types of exercise characterized by shorter intense bursts of activity followed by rest (this method is defined as anaerobic exercise) is effective at increasing your insulin sensitivity and can help to consistently lower your blood sugar.

If you exercise regularly, the effect of anaerobic exercise overlaps from one workout to the next and you essentially achieve a permanent increase in insulin sensitivity.

3. Reassess Your Diet

It’s a good idea to take a closer look at your diet and assess whether you need to make adjustments. There is no such thing as a special one-size-fits-all “diabetic diet”, but it’s recommended that people living with diabetes start limiting saturated and trans fats, salt and sugar, and focusing on a diet rich in lean protein, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruit.

While all types of food will affect blood sugar levels to some degree, carbohydrates will have the largest impact. That doesn’t mean that you need to cut carbohydrates from your diet. Instead, choose low to medium-glycemic carbohydrates over refined carbohydrates. Healthy carbohydrates, like sweet potatoes and apples, won’t spike your blood sugar.

Watch this video – How to REVERSE or CURE diabetes TODAY WITHOUT GIVING UP ALL YOU LIKE?

The Bottom Line

Please know that being diagnosed with diabetes isn’t a death sentence. You can live a long, happy, and healthy life with diabetes, but it’s important to take it seriously and make the needed changes to prevent short-term discomfort and long-term complications.

Written by Christel Oerum

Author Bio:

Christel is a Los Angeles based diabetes coach, certified personal trainer, and diabetes advocate. She has been living with type 1 diabetes since 1997 and at an early stage decided that it wasn’t going to slow her down. Her motto is “There is Nothing You Can’t do With Diabetes”. She writes about how to be Fit With Diabetes on diabetesstrong.com. She also coaches people with diabetes from across the globe, online and in person, and supports them in meeting their health and fitness goals.

A lot of people have gotten results from the Keto diet, and enjoyed the foods that it has to offer. However, many of the people who are following this diet have a hard time finding the recipes that they need, especially ones that are quick and easy to complete.

Fortunately, Kelsey Ale, noticed this problem, and decided to do something about it. She’s found that making recipes in a slow cooker gives you meals which are not only delicious, but also take very little time to make. Mostly you just put a few simple ingredients in the slow cooker, and let it do the rest.

To find out more, click on – Keto Slow Cooker Cookbook