Understanding the Fight or Flight Response and Its Impact on Your Body
And, although this response is protective, our bodies are not designed to operate in ‘fight or flight’ mode constantly. When you face ongoing stress, it eventually takes a toll on your body, and your health begins to suffer. We can only sustain this high-stress state for so long before the effects become apparent.
Let’s uncover why our body has been designed this way, and explore what happens when our sympathetic nervous system becomes imbalanced.
The Evolution of Stress: From Survival to Modern Life
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
In the past, our ancestors faced physical dangers like predators, rival tribes, or severe weather. Today, stress is more subtle – traffic jams, deadlines, an over-scheduled calendar.
The tiger is not chasing us, yet we feel unsafe in our own skin.
Despite this stress being psychological, rather than physical – it matters. When stress becomes chronic, it leads to long-term changes in your physiology that can make you sick.
Did you know:
- Our bodies are designed to have short bursts of stress, with time to recover so we can maintain balance (homeostasis) and health.
- The sympathetic nervous system activates ‘fight or flight’ response, including activating thyroid and adrenal glands to provide energy for survival.
- Given chronic stress, our body becomes destructive, taking energy from any source it can, as quickly as it can. It can break down muscles and other energy stores not normally used for these ’emergency’ functions.
When we don’t give ourselves a chance to recover, our body struggles to maintain homeostasis, leading to long-term health consequences.
You’re ok until you’re suddenly not!
If you stay in this ‘flight or fight’ mode… you will be burning through minerals, vitamins, potentially healthy muscle and other stores, and it will be detrimental to many systems – your digestion, adrenals and thyroid will be not working optimally over time. You may feel great now, and amazed at how you can ‘keep on keeping on’, but a major stressful life event can have you on the trajectory towards chronic illness, an autoimmune condition or persistent illness which you are unable to shake.
The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) when activated
- Increases heart rate
- Releases adrenaline & cortisol
- More glucose for energy
- Suppresses digestion, immune function, and healing
Short-term stress = Survival. Long-term stress = Health issues.
Effects of Chronic Sympathetic Activation (dysfunction)
- Digestive issues (bloating, IBS, food intolerances)
- Thyroid & adrenal dysfunction (fatigue, brain fog, hormone imbalances)
- Metabolic slowdown (stubborn weight gain, insulin resistance)
- Weakened immune system (frequent illnesses, autoimmunity, skin conditions
The sympathetic nervous system is keeping you alive, but not letting you heal.
We live in a world where so many of us struggle to relax. Constantly stressed at a psychological and physiological level. We don’t know, or cannot remember, any other way.
Your body is trying to make sure you survive until tomorrow.
Do you have
- Shelter?
- Enough nutrients to keep your heart beating and your brain working?
When the vital body systems are overworked, the rest of the body take the remaining resources – at any cost.
While we consume sweet treats or other ‘quick fixes’, our body senses that we are in danger, and keeps us hypervigilant and craving more quick fixes to sustain us.
Shouldn’t this mean I lose weight? I’ve changed my diet, but nothing helps!
Have you experimented with changing your diet? Maybe you’ve gone ‘low sugar, tried intermittent fasting, keto or even carnivore. At first you noticed changes but the benefits have diminished over time. You’re asking yourself why you just can’t lose weight.
Your body is likely sensing that you are not getting the nutrients truly needed, that you are hungry at the cellular level.
If your waistline has been expanding despite your efforts, it might be because your body needs less effort — and yes, that means reducing stress!
“Your body’s job is survival. But survival isn’t the same as thriving. Learning to break free from chronic stress is the key to long-term health.”
The Parasympathetic Nervous System: Nourishing and Healing
The parasympathetic nervous system is involved in nourishing, healing, elimination and regeneration of the body.
When the sympathetic nervous system is activated, the parasympathetic system is suppressed. This can disrupt essential functions like digestion, liver and pancreas function, and overall metabolic health.
The healing parasympathetic system gets ‘closed down’ to minimal operation when the sympathetic is active.
Your body simply cannot give much metabolic attention to your liver, kidneys, pancreas, stomach and intestines!
Remember, chronic stress and perpetual time in sympathetic mode can lead to:
- Digestive disruption – food intolerances/allergies, slow motility, low stomach acid levels, constipation or diarrhea
- Low energy availability – (where’s that energy coming from if you aren’t digesting?)
- “Dis-ease” in these organs – diabetes/insulin resistance/blood glucose regulation, low digestive enzyme availability, gallstones, low liver function and more.
- Auto-immune conditions – rheumatoid arthritis, coeliac disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, for example.
- Skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis.
How to Restore Balance: Tips for Managing Stress
If you want to support your body’s natural ability to heal and maintain balance, it’s essential to bring it into a parasympathetic state. This means REST.
Nourishing your body with the necessary vitamins and minerals will also help ensure you have the energy reserves needed for both everyday functioning and stress responses.
If you suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia, or similar conditions, managing these issues can be challenging. These conditions are often linked to mineral imbalances, so consider getting your minerals checked to understand how they may be impacting your body and brain.
Six Practical Tips for Reducing Stress and Improving
1. Identify and manage stress:
Take steps to remove or reduce sources of stress where possible. If stressors can’t be eliminated, find creative ways to minimise their impact.
2. Incorporate relaxation techniques:
Meditation, ‘me time’, and other relaxation practices are essential for promoting positive thoughts and reducing stress.
3. Gratitude practices count too:
What is ONE thing you can be grateful for right now? Make time for these activities every day. Commit to practicing gratitude for just 5 minutes a day and feel the shift in your mindset.
4. Focus on whole foods:
Choose whole, unprocessed foods and avoid additives, including iron, zinc, vitamin b and vitamin d fortification or other synthetic vitamins that are often hidden in foods. Choose the best you can for the moment – less ingredients you can’t pronounce on a packet is better than scrapping label reading completely!
5. Empower yourself with knowledge:
Educate yourself and your family about health, and trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right for you, listen to your body.
6. Consider mineral testing:
Get your minerals tested to understand imbalances and start addressing them before they worsen. If you’re running on empty, mineral imbalances can exacerbate the problem.
Consider checking out our appointment options and getting your minerals tested so you have a starting point. Remember, if you are always ‘running on empty’, this can be made worse by mineral imbalances and you are likely to continue to make the imbalances worse the longer you push through it.
Mineral imbalances don’t just fix themselves…nor do over the counter ‘quick fixes’ solve them. They are just band-aids…
Take Control of Your Health Today
Stress and mineral imbalances don’t just go away on their own, but the good news is you can start restoring balance today. If you’re ready to dive deeper into understanding how stress and mineral imbalances are affecting your body, consider getting your minerals tested with us.
Book in for a free 15 minute chat with a team member to find out about the best consultation to help you gain the clarity and insight you need to start healing from within. Don’t wait for a bigger health issue to arise—empower yourself to feel better, naturally.