Effects of Stress
By Sarah Willis PhD.
So, how does stress affect my performance? In fact, stress can and does negatively impact athletic performance in several ways. First, let’s talk about muscle tension as in decreased flexibility and mobility making it hard to move fast which increases the risk of injury. When we ski/run/train with a tense body, we are not moving efficiently therefore costing us more energy to do the work, and we are not able to have quick subtle movements. Stress can also make us sleepy and disrupt healthy sleep patterns which increases the risk of injury due to fatigue. In addition, anxiety and decreased confidence make it hard to focus and lead to lack of confidence and self-worth. When we have ‘too much’ stress, this can lead us to have trouble focusing which limits our ability to learn and improve. Altogether, chronic stress weakens our immune system and increases susceptibility to illness and injury. Even leading to burnout which decreases performance and causes a loss of interest in training. Yikes! Take a moment to reflect on your experiences with these things. I am sure we have all had moments of great stress where we have noticed the health in our bodies and/or the decline in our performance.
What is stress?
Let’s talk about stress…first, let’s figure out what it is. Stress is a response from the body to prepare the body to handle challenges from an internal or external environmental change (i.e., stressors). If the exposure to a stressor is or even perceived as intense, repetitive, or prolonged, then the stress response is detrimental to our physiology and becomes a maladaptation. Chronic exposure to stressors can lead to depression, anxiety, cognitive impairment, and heart disease. Luckily, not all stress is bad, some stress is enjoyable, stimulating, and/or inspiring. Good stress is called eustress, and these positive stressors replenish energy, enhance cardiovascular health, enable improved endurance, and sharpen our mind. From here, stress can be categorized depending on the duration, source, and our response. These classes include: acute (fight-or-flight response of the sympathetic nervous system, SNS, to increase heart rate and adrenaline/epinephrine release to help the body ‘escape/fight/cope’), chronic (extended duration leading to physiological and psychological effects increasing risk of health problems related to the cardiovascular system), episodic acute (frequent episodes of acute stressors often in individuals leading chaotic or disorganized lifestyles with deadlines, commitments, conflicts which can impair health and daily function), traumatic (result of traumatic events such as natural disasters, accidents, violence which may lead to an inability to cope, along with post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD), environmental (challenging conditions in surroundings especially related to living conditions which can contribute to negative physical and mental health effects), psychological (stems from cognitive or emotional factors like worries and negative thoughts that are often including work-related pressure, academic expectations, comparison), physiological (body’s response to internal or external stressors that disrupt homeostasis such as injury, illness, lack of proper sleep, and poor nutrition, which can compromise health and wellness).
Now that we understand what we are talking about, i.e., that stress can encompass a variety of areas of our lives. We need to dig deeper and figure out how our bodies respond to stress. Many of our physiological systems are affected by stress including the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous, muscular, and reproductive systems. Our endocrine system releases hormones like cortisol to activate the body’s stress response, primarily through the hypothalamus region of our brain which stimulates the pituitary gland (brain) and adrenal glands (kidneys), along with our SNS to activate our fight-or-flight system. This leads to our cardiovascular system which will be stimulated in acute stress environments to increase heart rate, increase contraction in our heart muscle, and ultimately improve blood flow to provide oxygen due to increased demand and increased metabolic rate. It takes more energy from our body when we are stressed, do you feel it? Then the chronic effects of stress lead to sustained activation of the SNS and this increases the risk for atherosclerosis and vascular dysfunction which lead to disease through poor circulation in our vessels and limited blood flow (i.e., not enough oxygen). Our brain is also very active undergoing remodeling in response to stress (specifically the hippocampus, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex). We can often relate and understand this by acknowledging that early life stresses influence how we respond to stress and emotions throughout our lives. This can be combated by doing emotional and spiritual work and restructuring our brain again, more on that next time. Furthermore, stress impacts and impairs our immune system and even weakens the intestinal barrier allowing gut bacteria to enter the body and expose us to illness. Additionally, our body secretes hormones such as glucagon during the fight-or-flight response and converts it to glucose stores for energy availability. If there is mental stress (psychosocial), then extra glucose can aggravate metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. Stress is felt throughout our entire body and can lead to chronic maladaptation which negatively impacts our health.
Now what, how do we best handle stress? What can we do to minimize the effects?
It may sound simple or overrated, but maintaining proper hydration is crucial in sustaining a strong immune system and managing stress. Dehydration can impair immune function and exacerbate stress – no good. Time to hydrate! It is particularly important to consistently drink water throughout the day, but especially before, during, and after exercise, while replenishing electrolytes too. Specifically sport drinks that contain sodium, potassium, and magnesium, and paying extra attention to execute this well during intense sessions. Managing stress will include techniques of mindfulness, deep breathing, meditation, yoga, foam rolling, stretching, and sufficient sleep which will all enhance immunity and performance. Nutrition is also vital in boosting immunity through important nutrients of vitamin C, zinc, and vitamin D. All of these techniques have great effectiveness, while additionally you might seek professional support through counselling or sports psychologist for addressing challenges. For me, I always find benefit from getting outside and changing my perspective, preferably in the sun, but just getting fresh air can be a game changer. There is a lot to be found when going outside of our own minds and when we step into nature.
Keep in mind that what works for you might not work for everyone. Each of our bodies has their own rhythms and ways to adapt. It is important to continue regulating your stress, have a daily check-in with yourself about life, work, career, relationships, finances, health, etc. My best advice is to also share this with someone you trust, hopefully your coach too! Letting people know about things you struggle with will allow them to adjust and work together with you to find positive solutions and support you along the way. This is not an easy topic, but I want to encourage you to lean into reflection of your stress levels and to talk about it with others. In the long run, this will improve your performance and help you improve your overall health.