Stress – How Does This Affect My Hormones?

Let’s get real here….

The COVID-19 pandemic has made a huge impact on our health, financial situation, social life and home life. Our mental health has declined as stress, anxiety, loneliness and fear have taken front stage. Elevated cortisol levels a.k.a high stress levels, also impact your reproductive system as well, as the nervous system and endocrine system are closely linked.

Stress depletes nutrients….

An imbalance within the production and release of certain hormones and neurotransmitters like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, serotonin, and dopamine – just to name a few, can throw off the balance of any system within your body. Stress depletes nutrients in order to produce hormones, and we need all the support we can get at this time.

Where to look for that nutrient support? Well… for one of them… look up in the sky. 

Weather permitting of course.

Vitamin D deficiency is common….

The “sunshine” vitamin, well known as vitamin D, is naturally produced by ultraviolet rays from sunlight that hits our skin and triggers the vitamin D synthesis. It’s the only nutrient your body produces when exposed to sunlight. According to a study, vitamin D deficiency is common, and estimated about 1 billion people worldwide have low levels within their blood.

Within females, Vitamin D3 (the active form of vitamin D) has many roles in reproduction, and one of them is its involvement in making estrogen. (Santos-Martinez et al.2014) 

Estrogen is one of the most important hormones needed to make you ovulate so you can get pregnant!

A study found that women with optimal vitamin D levels were significantly more likely to achieve pregnancy from vitro fertilization compared with women with lower vitamin D levels. (Brendikson and Rudick 2018)

Vitamin D is essential for men too! As it’s needed for healthy sperm cell development, maintaining semen quality, sperm count and increases testosterone levels.

GET ENOUGH SLEEP AND MANAGING STRESS

Managing stress through exercising, journaling, listening to music or even taking that selfcare seriously by setting aside some you time will go a long way with supporting your body’s needs. Head to bed early, at least before 11:00pm to regulate cortisol levels. This will support your body using vitamin D properly to prevent a deficiency.

INCREASE YOUR VITAMIN D THROUGH FOOD

Can’t get outside as much as you like?

Try these naturally rich vitamin D foods: 
- Fatty fish
- Mushrooms
- Egg yolks

This past year has been hard on a lot of aspects within our lives, and things are often out of our control. If we could just get outside, into that spring air where that natural vitamin D can embrace our skins – it may not solve our issues – but it can improve our mood, and support our wellbeing.

Disclaimer: I advise checking vitamin D levels within your system before taking any supplement(s). Consult your medical professional(s) about appropriate usage of a vitamin D3 supplement, as this may vary person to person.