How Private Blood Tests Can Show What Stress is Doing to Your Body
We all encounter a certain degree of stress in our everyday lives, and while some stress is normal, too much stress can have a detrimental effect on the human body.
Psychological feelings of stress can lead to physical symptoms. Monitoring long-term stress, through testing adrenal function and cortisol levels, is one way to mitigate the effects before they cause more lasting damage.
Our DHEA-S Blood Test offers a quick, easy, and accurate way to measure your adrenal health and assess whether your body is being affected by the long-term effects of stress. This test can be booked individually or added as an extra test to our existing health assessment packages.
What does stress do to your body?
Whilst stress is a common problem in modern life, not all types of stress are the same. In order to better understand the effects of stress on the body, knowing which type of stress you are experiencing is key.
Stress can be categorised as being acute, acute episodic, or chronic. Examples of acute stress include a brief argument or a moment of road rage. Acute episodic stress is a series of acute stress events such as deadlines at work. Longer periods of stress, triggered by traumatic events such as bereavement, financial pressures or abuse, can be classed as chronic stress.
The body reacts to all three types of stress in the same way. The hormone adrenaline is released, which raises the heart rate and blood pressure, enabling a sudden energy burst and increasing alertness to manage the situation.
If the period of stress continues the hormone cortisol is also released from the adrenal glands. Cortisol affects the body's glucose levels, increasing glucose levels in the blood and the brain’s reliance on glucose for energy.
Once the period of stress has passed, the hypothalamus should signal to the body for functions to go back to normal., If the body is under chronic stress the release of adrenaline and cortisol continues, Certain body functions are affected by chronic stress, namely the digestive and reproductive systems as well as growth. Chronic stress can lead to physical reactions such as inflammation and the development of health conditions.
Some of the most common health issues attributed to chronic stress include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Obesity
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- Muscular pain
- Skin conditions
- Fertility issues
- Fibromyalgia
- Arthritis
What are the symptoms of stress
The influx of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol stop non-essential body functions that are not needed in a fight or flight situation. This is why during periods of stress you may experience disruption in the body’s normal function.
Stress does not always present itself in the same manner. There are many different symptoms of stress. You might be suffering from stress if you have experienced the following symptoms:
- Tiredness and fatigue
- Headaches
- Digestive issues
- Muscle tension and aches
- Irritability
- Sleep disturbances
- Fast heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Dry mouth
- Concentration problems
- Changes in appetite
- Sexual problems
What are the consequences of long term stress?
Chronic stress can lead to the development of physical health conditions as well as negatively affecting mental health. From cardiovascular issues to suppressed immune function, psychological stress can have a very real impact on health outcomes.
Immune system
Infrequent, small doses of cortisol can help the body in times of stress and combat inflammation, fight infections, and aid wound healing. However, constantly overloading the body with cortisol during periods of long-term stress can have the opposite effect and weaken the immune system. The body can get used to this constant supply of cortisol, so its regulatory and protective effects on stress lessen.
Stress affects the way the immune system works, disrupting the fine balance between anti-inflammatory and inflammatory processes. Chronic stress can cause the onset of inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
Digestive system
In terms of digestive issues, chronic stress sufferers often experience a reduced function of the digestive system. Stress is a primitive reaction to a possible threat that necessitates fighting or escaping danger. Therefore, digestion becomes a non-essential function, which results in bowel and stomach problems.
Cardiovascular system
Cardiovascular health can also be impacted by chronic stress. The increased inflammation and high blood pressure that chronic stress causes are risk factors for heart disease and stroke. In addition, stress leads to the development of coping behaviours such as smoking, overeating, and reduced physical activity that contribute to poor cardiovascular health.
Mental health
Lastly, stress has a huge impact on mental health, attributing to the development of anxiety and depression. As stress is a response to a perceived threat, it forces the mind to focus on the imminent danger in order to overcome it and survive. However, this negative mindset, in conjunction with an overload of stress chemicals, has been linked to the development of depression amongst the chronically stressed.
Cortisol testing - ‘the stress hormone’
Cortisol is the primary hormone involved in helping the body respond to stress. Levels of this hormone naturally increase during times of acute or episodic stress. However, with chronic stress, cortisol levels remain high for a longer period of time. This long-term increase of cortisol can lead to disruption of the body’s systems and result in higher inflammation risk.
One way to check cortisol levels and ensure that they are within the normal range is through a cortisol blood test. A cortisol blood test measures the levels of cortisol in the blood. Undergoing a cortisol blood test can help to diagnose problems with adrenal function, such as Addison’s disease and Cushing’s syndrome.
A DHEA-S test can also help to establish whether the adrenal glands are functioning as they should. DHEA-S, otherwise known as dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, is similar to cortisol and is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands. When conducting a DHEA-S test, should the results show low DHEA-S levels, this can indicate abnormally high or low cortisol levels. Therefore, testing DHEA-S levels is also useful for identifying cortisol imbalance and adrenal disorders.
Are you worried about your stress levels?
While occasional acute stress is part of everyday life, longer periods of stress should not go ignored. The symptoms of stress can make life uncomfortable, however, the health conditions stemming from chronic stress can be much more serious.
By taking stress seriously and checking your body’s response to stress, you can get valuable insight into how stress is affecting your health. A blood test can evaluate stress-related biomarkers to assess your adrenal function and rule out the development of adrenal disorders.
Undergoing a private blood test from Bluecrest will enable you to:
- Check on your adrenal function
- Measure DHEA-S levels
- Identify cortisol imbalance
- Detect adrenal disorders
Private Blood Tests for complete peace of mind
Our DHEA-S Test is specifically designed to check the levels of the hormone DHEA-S in the blood, in relation to a cortisol imbalance. This test can be used to diagnose adrenal disorder and assess whether or not your cortisol levels are abnormally high or low.
With our private DHEA-S Test, you can take the test at a time and place that suits you. With 350+ venues across the UK, we offer accurate and reliable private testing with no invasive procedures, long travel times or busy waiting rooms.
