Stress and Motherhood: How Our Busy Lives Affect Our Health

In this guest article, Mill Valley naturopathic doctor Lisa Brent offers some insight into how stress affects moms' lives and how we can cope with it.

We love our children. They bring joy, love, and many gifts to our lives. We devote ourselves to our kids and we cherish our bond with them above all others.

At the same time, the work of caring for another human being can cause a significant amount of stress for women. The demands of motherhood impact many areas in our lives: our time, our sleep, our finances, our emotional lives, our relationships and more.

Motherhood also brings with it a whole new set of worries. We can become anxious about our children’s safety as well as about their behavior and social development. We often fret that we are not going a good enough job. Mothers are bombarded by advice and theories from experts about the right approach to motherhood. Much of this advice can be conflicting and may not fit with our particular child’s needs. This often leads us to question ourselves and become stressed out by the consequences of making a mistake. And every new stage in our children’s lives presents us with a brand new set of challenges.

How does stress affect our health?
The effect of these stressors on our bodies is significant. Many physiological systems are negatively impacted by constant stress but most especially our nervous, endocrine and immune systems. When we experience stress, the activity of epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, cortisol and DHEA increases. This is commonly referred to as our “fight or flight” response, which can be very helpful in life-threatening situations. When we are chronically activating this response, however, our stores of these neurotransmitters begin to deplete.

In the short term, this depletion can lead to symptoms such as:

• fatigue
• anxiety
• depression
• carbohydrate cravings
• addictions
• lack of focus
• difficulty losing weight
• hormonal imbalances
• sleep difficulties

Long-term health effects can include:

• heart disease
• hypertension
• stroke
• metabolic syndrome
• chronic immune deficiencies

While it may not be practical to remove the sources of our stress, there are some methods for helping to minimize the deleterious effects it has on our bodies. Practices such as meditation, yoga and regular aerobic exercise can help to balance out our nervous systems. Treatments like massage, acupuncture and cranio-sacral therapy can do wonders for relieving feelings of stress from our bodies. Warms baths with essential oils such as jasmine, lavender or vetiver are also very soothing.

Of course, regular exercise and luxuriously long baths are often just a fantasy for the busy mother. I think my last uninterrupted bath was in 2004. But even a quick soak in some warm, scented water or a short walk around the block in the evening can do wonders for clearing out our stressful feelings from the day.

A balanced diet and nutritional supplements can be very helpful in supporting our health when we are under stress. Eating regular, healthy meals and protein-rich snacks will keep blood sugar steady and prevent the emotional meltdowns associated with not having enough fuel in our tank.

Supplements such as vitamin C, magnesium, and B complex are often useful. Herbs like chamomile, rhodiola, kava and valerian can help to nourish the adrenal glands and soothe the nerves. There are a number of vitamin and herbal formulations designed specifically to help the body adapt to stress. It is always a good idea to consult with your medical practitioner before adding herbs and supplements to your regime.

Alternative medical practitioners offer easy-to-use test kits that measure how the nervous system and adrenal glands are functioning. The results of these tests can guide the practitioner in recommending the appropriate supplements to support the nervous and endocrine systems. The information provided in these assessments can serve as a guide for developing a program tailored to an individual’s unique biochemistry, making a positive outcome more likely.

The truth is, rur external stressors are often impossible to control. All we can do on a daily basis is to try our best to take care of our bodies, minds and spirits. Taking steps now toward minimizing the effects of stress on our bodies may help us to manage our stress better on a daily basis as well help to prevent serious health consequences in the long term.

Lisa Brent, ND, LAc is a naturopathic doctor specializing in women’s health and integrative gynecology at the Owning Pink Center in Mill Valley, CA. She can be reached at (415) 746-6140 or drlisabrent@gmail.com.