Who’d have thought that stress can cause vaginal issues? But that’s exactly what studies are finding.
Stress affects not just your overall health. It can also mess up your vaginal microbiome. And some women who struggle with vaginal issues have no idea stress could be the real culprit.
So if you’re always on the go and you’re struggling with vaginal issues, you’d want to take stress off the checklist.
In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know about stress… how it affects your vaginal health… and what you can do to reduce its impact.
How stress directly affects your vaginal microbiome
The process the body uses to handle stress is linked to your vaginal health.
First of all, when you’re under stress, your sex hormones take a hit. Your body begins to reduce the production of sex hormones, estrogen and progesterone. And once these hormones drop, the vagina feels the impact.
The first thing that goes off-kilter is the vagina’s pH. Next, your vaginal moisture starts to fluctuate and can even reduce. And as you may know, stress can also tank your libido and sexual desire.
But that’s not all. Stress affects your vaginal health in a more profound way.
It causes your body to produce a hormone called cortisol. And with cortisol in the body, your good vagina bacteria will start to die in droves.
Here’s how that happens:
You probably already know that your vagina has a natural cleaning mechanism.
Your vagina’s natural cleaning mechanism is based on the good bacteria and the bad bacteria. The good bacteria (called Lactobacillus) fight the bad bacteria that cause infections.
Your good bacteria fight off the bad bacteria by making lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide. And it’s those two ‘chemicals’ that kill bad bacteria while also regulating your pH at the same time.
But your good bacteria need food, and their food is called glycogen. The problem is that vaginal cells don’t always make enough glycogen.
What can make your vaginal cells to produce less food for your good bacteria?
Cortisol… the same hormone your body produces when you’re under stress.
Yes, stress raises your body’s cortisol levels. Excess cortisol will reduce the production of glycogen in the vagina. And once glycogen production drops, your good bacteria starve to death… and bad bacteria start to cause infections.
This is one of the root causes of chronic vaginal issues in most women.
That’s right. For most women, their only problem is that their good bacteria aren’t getting enough food.
That’s why every woman needs to manage her stress and anxiety. This is more important for those that have struggled with vaginal issues in the past.
Stress also tanks your immune system
One more reason why you must address your stress levels is because it affects your immune system. Yes, studies have proven that if you are always under stress, your immune system will weaken over time.
How does that happen?
The stress hormone, cortisol, is also an immunosuppressant. It can weaken your immune system and slow your body’s normal response to harmful bacteria and viruses.
And that’s not all.
You know that your whole body depends on your immune system to fight off infections. And that includes your vagina too.
So the weaker your body’s immune system, the weaker your vaginal microbiome will get. And the more you can easily succumb to vaginal issues.
If you do nothing about your stress levels, your body may find it more difficult to fight off infections.
So as you can see, stress has some bad effects on your entire body… and your vagina in particular.
But here is some good news:
You can naturally reduce the amount of cortisol in your body. And once your cortisol level drops, your body and your vagina will soon begin to heal itself.
Your vagina’s good bacteria will get glycogen again, and kickstart your natural cleaning process. Your body will begin to fight off vaginal issues on its own whether you get treatment or not.
But to get there, you need to get your stress levels under control.
Use these techniques to manage your stress levels
It’s amazing how your mood, energy and sex life will improve once you get your stress levels under control. That’s a few benefits you get once you get your stress levels under control.
But to get your stress levels under control, you don’t need to become a couch potato and do absolutely nothing.
There are simple health tips that can help your body handle stress better. Add them to your routine and watch your mood, energy and sex life improve.
Here are some of these tips for managing stress better:
4 natural stress management tips you can start using today
Human beings have always had access to proven ways to manage stress. But in our busy world, we tend to forget them.
Here are 4 things you should start doing today:
- Meditation,
- Getting good sleep,
- Exercise,
- And a healthy love life.
Don’t just read them and move on like most people.
You really need to learn how to quiet your mind and relax. You need 7 hours of sleep or more each day. You need to do exercises that promote better vaginal health. And a hot, steamy sex life can do wonders for your relationship and your vaginal health.
Yes, all four tips are proven to reduce stress and promote a healthier immune system.
Start doing them today. And if you’re doing them already, make sure you’re getting enough of them.
Conclusion
You can see how important it is to manage your stress levels. Once you understand how your body reacts to stress... you’re already on your way to optimal vaginal health.
Now, follow through by doing what you need to do.