The role of stress on the immune system

Chronic stress literally shuts down our immune system, metabolism, and ability to heal our body on the cellular level.

Experts tend to agree that the biggest cause of most physical ailments and mental ill-health is stress.

Whenever we are under threat, whether perceived or imaginary, we activate the sympathetic nervous system (“fight-flight-freeze” response) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-axis). The HPA axis is our main stress response system, which involves various glands that all need to be functioning well so that it can respond in a coordinated manner.

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that keeps everything in balance and controls a lot of our automatic functions. The pituitary gland is often referred to as the “master gland” because it controls a lot of other glands in the endocrine system. The adrenal glands are small triangular glands, one of which is found on top of each kidney, and they play a key role in how our body manages stressful situations.

The hypothalamus acts like a security guard that is patrolling an area. When you are stressed, the hypothalamus raises the alarm by signaling to the pituitary gland that you are under attack. The pituitary gland is like the emergency operator. It receives this message and notifies the adrenal glands. The adrenal glands are like the local police department that dispatches its officers when trouble arises.

The surge of the stress hormones, cortisol and adrenaline, puts us in survival mode. They cause physiological changes, like increasing our heart rate, narrowing our blood vessels, and directing the blood towards our arms and legs so that we can run or fight. This physiological state takes preference over the parasympathetic nervous system, which is involved in the “rest and digest” response.

Think about it…

If your life is in imminent danger, digesting that hamburger you had for lunch is not going to be a priority. The problem is that, if you are chronically stressed, you can bet that your gut health is going to be impaired.

So, what does that mean for your immune system?

What’s important to understand is that 70-80% of our immune system is actually in our gut.

Our gut lining consists of certain cells that excrete massive quantities of antibodies. Plus, the healthy gut bacteria play a role in developing the white blood cells needed to help your immune system fight infection.

If all the blood flow and energy are going towards our limbs, we will be unable to digest our foods properly, maintain a healthy metabolism, or protect ourselves from infection. As a result, our body is unable to heal and repair itself.

Keep in mind we have about 37 trillion cells in our body, all of which have their own life-span. When these cells die off, they need to be replaced; and, to be replaced, we need to be able to digest and absorb the nutrients from our food.

And we can only do that, if we don’t have an activated stress response.

We can’t do both at the same time!

The medical literature always refers to our ancestors using this stress response for survival. The influx of energy enabled them to run away from a tiger or other predator. However, our living conditions and lifestyle have certainly changed since then.

These days, we are constantly bombarded with stressors that aren’t a sign of “life or death”, even though our body THINKS they are.

It could be our mobile notifications pinging all the time, long daily commutes, pressure from our jobs, financial worries, relationship troubles, or anxious thoughts – the list is endless.

Some experts say that every 7-10 years we are actually “new people” on a cellular level.

Every cell in our body goes through autophagy, which is planned cell death. That is our body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells. But we can’t repair and replace these cells efficiently if we are constantly in fight-or-flight mode.

For example, the lining of the gut has to be replaced every three days. If our gut lining isn’t maintained, it becomes more permeable, which makes it susceptible for foreign particles and pathogens to enter our bloodstream and cause chaos.

Most infections are opportunistic organisms, which means that they take advantage of a week immune system. If you are chronically under stress and unable to maintain a healthy immune system, then the organisms are able to take over. In that case, acute medicine and medical support may be required. However, you still need to address the underlying stress so that your system is able to do what it was designed to do, which is to protect you from foreign invaders in the first place. This doesn’t mean that you will never get sick, considering that we don’t live in a sterile environment, but you’ll be able to fend off the lurgies much more efficiently.

Chronic stress over the long term means that our health deteriorates, we start to show symptoms of disease, and we become more susceptible to infections.

Are you under a lot of mental stress right now?

Please contact me so I can help you restore your natural resilience.