Chronic Stress & Breathwork Practices | Ep 169

We know chronic stress is not good from a health perspective, but many of us have a hard time knowing how stressed we actually are. Even if we do know how stressed we are, it can be even more difficult to know what to do other than just “push through.” Chronic stress can have many downstream effects on our mental and physical health, and in today’s episode, Erin focuses on stress hormones, stress-associated disorders, and what she’s found to be extremely effective in helping to downregulate the nervous system.

You might see yourself in some of the things Erin unpacks, and you wouldn’t be alone -- these are all things she’s seeing an uptick of in her own practice. Listen in as Erin delves into detail about stress-related health problems that can arise, what to look out for (some of it may surprise you!), and practices to help you better regulate your stress and stress responses. We’re going to hit stress in our lives, but do we have the ability to recalibrate ourselves? Tune in to find out.

In this episode:

-Let’s talk about stress, baby [6:04]

-The uptick of stress-related symptoms seen in private practice [10:53]

-Stress, cortisol, glucose and weight gain [14:25]

-Markers that could indicate increased risk factors for disease and complications [18:08]

-Depression, anxiety and sleep troubles, oh my! (The link between low serotonin and chronic stress) [20:39]

-Why melatonin is so important for more than just sleep [22:49]

-What can you do about increased stress from external factors? [26:20]

-Why practicing stress management is so difficult for us [29:34]

-Dopamine and social media [32:46]

-Beneficial properties of breathwork [36:31]

-Becoming internally driven: a less reactionary way to live [39:15]

-Signs of an overly stressed system [43:19]

-Is exercise helping or hurting your stress response? [49:23]

-The key to reducing your overactive stress response [51:29]

Resources mentioned:

Your Hormone Revival™ (Enrollment opens Sept 1! Get on the waitlist to be notified first!) https://www.erinholthealth.com/hormones

Cortisol concentrations and mortality from COVID-19 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7491987/

FREE Guided Meditations https://mailchi.mp/erinholthealth.com/meditations

Organifi supplement powder (save 20% on your order with code FUNK) https://organifi.com/FUNK

Coyote River Hemp Co CBD products (save 10% & free shipping on your order with code FUNK10) https://coyoteriverhempco.com/

Follow Erin on Insta https://www.instagram.com/the.funktional.nutritionist/

Related eps: 168: Hormones, the Immune System and Autoimmunity https://www.erinholthealth.com/funktional-nutrition-podcast/2021/8/24/episode-168-hormones-the-immune-system-and-autoimmunity

157: Manifest Your Health https://www.erinholthealth.com/funktional-nutrition-podcast/2021/6/7/episode-157-manifest-your-health

140: Somatic Healing & Breathwork with Victoria Albina https://www.erinholthealth.com/funktional-nutrition-podcast/2021/1/25/episode-140-somatic-healing-amp-breathwork-with-victoria-albina

123: Creating Your Morning Ritual https://www.erinholthealth.com/funktional-nutrition-podcast/2020/11/3/episode-123-creating-your-morning-ritual