Stress is a major trigger for autoimmune disease. In fact, many retrospective studies have found that a large proportion of participants with autoimmune diseases experienced stress prior to the onset of their disease. It’s also not a coincidence that both autoimmune disease diagnoses and chronic stress levels are on the rise. So, how does stress trigger autoimmunity and what can you do to start lowering your own chronic stress levels?
How Does Stress Trigger Autoimmune Diseases?
Stress negatively affects our bodies in two major ways, both of which are connected to autoimmune diseases:
HPA Axis
Chronic stress affects our HPA axis. This axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) regulates our stress response. The HPA axis works as a feedback loop to both initiate and dampen a stress response. However, when you are undergoing a lot of stress or chronic stress, this feedback loop stops working and your body is unable to shut down the stress response.
When this happens, your body stops recognizing cortisol, one of your major stress hormones. It essentially becomes desensitized to it. Cortisol is actually an anti-inflammatory hormone. So when the body can’t respond to cortisol, cortisol is unable to help you control inflammation. Therefore, body produces more inflammatory cytokines which raises systemic inflammation.
The Gut
Do you ever wonder why your stomach gets upset when you are feeling a lot of stress? That’s because stress also affects our digestive system. Stress can trigger:
- Dysbiosis. A study done on mice showed that stress changed the intestinal bacteria and stimulated immune cells to attack its own body.
- Leaky gut: Stress can increase intestinal permeability. And as I’ve said before, leaky gut is the hallmark sign and potential trigger of autoimmune diseases.
- Inflammation in the intestines: Stress causes inflammation in the intestines. One review study has shown increased inflammation for IBD patients with stress.
These 3 gut issues are highly correlated with autoimmune disease onset and flares. And stress may play a role in each of them.
Things that Help Lower Chronic Stress
The good news is, there are a lot of different techniques and modalities that help lower chronic stress. Here are a few to consider if this is an issue for you:
Meditation
Meditation is one of the most studied modalities for lowering chronic stress. There are a number of ways to practice meditation, including:
- Mindfulness based
- Mantra
- Focused
- Movement
One review found that meditation helped lower cortisol, inflammatory blood markers, blood pressure, heart rate and triglycerides. The key thing to remember about meditation is finding the one that feels best for you. I personally do a mantra-based meditation that I learned through Ziva Meditation. But there are many others you can try as well.
Nature
One easily accessible option for lowering stress is spending time in nature. A small study looked at participants’ salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase before and after spending at least 10 minutes in nature. Researchers found that the greatest drop in these markers happened after spending between 20-30 minutes in nature. Additionally, the Japanese have been practicing forest bathing for years. Simply walking intentionally through the forest, taking in the sights and sounds, can do wonders for both your mental and physical health.
Heartmath
Heartmath is based on years of research on the connection between the heart and the brain. In fact, the heart sends more signals to the brain than the brain does to the heart. With that in mind, this practice focuses on training your heart and your thoughts to influence the brain to help lower stress. It uses a coherence monitor to help you use positive thoughts and emotions to get your heart rate pattern into coherence. By doing this practice, you learn what it feels like to be “in coherence”, which is essentially a low stress state.
Therapy
There are several therapy options to help better manage chronic stress. Some of which include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): The goal of CBT is to help you identify negative and anxiety inducing thinking patterns and create helpful behaviors to improve your thoughts and emotions.
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): These are structured group programs that help people manage stress and cope with life challenges. The program emphasizes mindfulness and paying attention to the present.
- Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR): This is a form of psychotherapy that helps people rewire neural networks associated with traumatic or disturbing life experiences to new associations that are more positive and beneficial.
- Somatic Experiencing: This therapy focuses on sensations and imagery to help release stress from the body.
Stress is a huge problem for many people living with a chronic illness. The more you can understand and get a handle on it, the better you will feel. For more tips and tricks for managing stress and living better with your autoimmune disease, follow me on my socials (Instagram, Facebook or YouTube). You can also contact me to learn more about my approach and how I can help you thrive.
