Have you ever gone on a jog before and been drained, only to look across and see someone else totally unfazed? Yes, it happens to the best of us! It’s not that the other person has not undergone the same intense activity as you; their body is better at handling such intensity and has a higher stress tolerance. It is the same with stress in the body.
Depending on your stress tolerance, you may be at a greater risk of breaking down from stress than others. That is why understanding the principles of stress resilience and tolerance, and even more importantly, knowing how to raise your stress tolerance levels, can significantly protect your quality of life.
A person’s stress tolerance measures their ability to remain relaxed, positive, and composed in the face of stress. According to the WHO, stress is a natural human response characterized by worry or mental tension from difficult situations. This definition implies that everyone experiences a degree of stress. Therefore, stress response is how well individuals can withstand and manage daily stress.
If stress tolerance is a measure, then there has to be a stress tolerance spectrum. This means there will be individuals with high stress tolerance levels and those with low stress tolerance levels. The goal for all individuals should be attaining high stress tolerance, as low stress tolerance is often accompanied by a range of unpleasant symptoms like anxiety, irritability, fatigue, gastrointestinal problems, pain, headache, and poor sleep. Certain inflammatory conditions, like psoriasis, have also been linked to a low stress response.1
Research has also frequently shown that exposure to stress over a long time can lead to chronic stress, which is on a different scale of severity to acute stress. Chronic stress poses serious health risks for the brain, immune system, heart, and musculoskeletal system.2 As you would imagine, these all have weighty consequences for your overall state of health.
While many use them interchangeably, stress resilience differs from stress tolerance, although they almost always follow the same trend. The relationship between stress and resilience is as important as that of stress and tolerance.
Stress resilience is defined as an active process that helps avoid the negative consequences of increasing stress levels in the body. So, in simple terms, while stress tolerance is how well an individual can withstand stress, resilience is the process and outcome of adapting to and avoiding any damage from the stress the body is exposed to.
People with low stress resilience, as with low stress tolerance, are at a much higher risk of developing different mental and physical health issues in the presence of stress.3 Therefore, tolerance is not enough to overcome stress. It would be best if you had resilience, too.
Low-stress tolerance occurs when an individual cannot effectively withstand and manage the daily stressors they face positively and composedly. Multiple potential causes and risk factors of low stress resilience and tolerance exist. Understanding these causes is critical to developing strategies for improving tolerance and resilience. These are some of the possible causes of low stress tolerance and resilience.
Sex is one of the broadest biological classification groups of humans. Studies have generally found that stress disorders and conditions are more prevalent in women than in men. This study's findings also reflect the respective stress tolerance levels across the two sexes. More specifically, hormonal differences, evolutionary changes, and the type of trauma each group is exposed to all play a part in the difference in stress resilience and tolerance in men and women.
Beyond the biological differences in sex, individual differences may also contribute to low stress resilience and tolerance. As we often say in the medical world, “Everybody is different, and everybody is different.” Our genetics play a huge part in our existence and the features we exhibit. Some people are just more resilient to stress than others. There is not much in the way of explanation that science can give for this, but people who have had parents or direct family members with stress disorders will be more likely to have low stress tolerance levels.
The cause of low stress tolerance may be a health condition, too. This cause is more common than you may imagine and is often connected to chronic stress. To be clear, a long-term stressor causes chronic stress and lasts for several months or years. The stressor may be internal or external.
Normally, when there is stress in the body, the adrenal glands get to work and secrete a hormone called cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol is the anti-stress hormone that helps resolve stress and return the body to normal. The system that oversees the entire stress management process is the NeuroEndo Metabolic (NEM) Stress Response, which comprises six circuits that span several body organs.
However, the NEM dysregulates in chronic stress, and the adrenal glands have to do more work as the body’s cortisol requirement increases. The circuit most concerned in cases of low stress tolerance is the Neuroaffect circuit. This may then cause the adrenal glands to tire out. If this persists, Adrenal Fatigue may result. This is a condition where the body cannot keep up with long-term stress, resulting in various nonspecific symptoms such as tiredness, sleep disturbances, anxiousness, and weight gain.
When someone has Adrenal Fatigue, their ability to manage stress takes a massive hit, which corresponds directly to a reduction in their stress resilience and tolerance levels. In a vicious cycle, this means the accumulation of more stress in the body and the progression of Adrenal Fatigue through its various stages into total adrenal failure.
Considering the dangers associated with low stress tolerance, it is unsurprising that several functional health experts have reviewed different ways to raise it. Fortunately, the resources and skills associated with stress resilience can be cultivated and practiced. Here are seven practical steps that can help increase stress tolerance.
As obvious as it seems, it is a crucial point to make. When your stress tolerance is low, the last thing you want to be around is a potential stressor. Of course, the more acute stressors are easy to spot. For instance, working overtime at work or school, which affects your daily schedule and gets you very tired, can qualify as an acute stressor. Still, it would be best if you were on the lookout for chronic and subtle stressors as well, which may be a lot more difficult to spot. For instance, environmental pollution in your home and workplace can be a chronic stressor on your body.
Although it is impossible to avoid stressors in the environment and internally totally, you need to make conscious efforts to avoid stressors around you. This will entail making compromises at work, school, home, and other areas of life that contain potential stressors. In this initial stage, your priority should be improving your stress tolerance and resilience. Remember that it is okay to say no sometimes.
Diet is one of the biggest contributors to chronic inflammation and stress, which can then lower stress tolerance levels and worsen chronic conditions like Adrenal Fatigue. Therefore, you will want to pay closer attention to your diet to improve your stress tolerance levels.
Any food that can cause or worsen inflammation in the body is a no-no. This includes red meat, processed meat, high-fat foods, sugary, salty, and other ultra-processed foods, as well as alcohol and caffeine.
On the other hand, you will want to favor foods that contain antioxidants and can reduce inflammation. These include green leafy vegetables, vitamin B and C-containing fruits, whole grains, fatty fish, legumes, and seeds. Prebiotics and diets that can help rejuvenate the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and adrenal systems also improve stress tolerance.
An excellent way to incorporate necessary nutrients into your diet is supplement use. So many supplements are on the market today, advertised for virtually every condition known to man. This may reduce your trust in them, and understandably so. However, with the right supplements from the right vendor containing the right ingredients, you can help raise stress tolerance and resilience in the body.
One such supplement is Adrenal Stress Control by Dr. Lam®. This supplement contains a proprietary blend of collagen-supporting elements, including vitamin C, lysine, proline, and ascorbyl palmitate. These elements are thoroughly justified, considering that collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and supports different body parts, including the adrenal gland. Moreover, the presence of lysine and proline also offers cardioprotection, which is essential to maintaining good overall health and keeping stress levels low and tolerance high.
A word of caution, though. No supplement can replace a healthy diet and other lifestyle parameters important to maintaining good health. Supplements are only meant to supplement and assist these other options. Also, supplements cannot and must not replace your healthcare provider’s advice for people on medications for underlying health conditions.
It may sound counterintuitive, but increasing physical activity may be the key to reducing stress levels and increasing stress tolerance. Studies have linked regular exercise to stress resilience.5 These studies are also supported by relevant health organizations in and outside the country.
The CDC recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise. Exercise options like High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) may be useful for individuals who cannot meet this quota. However, it's best to confirm with a functional medicine expert before proceeding if this is right for you.
Relaxation practices are what they sound like – practices and activities that promote a restful state. These practices are essential to improving stress tolerance and resilience because they give the body a break from the stressors it faces. By far, the most important type of rest you can get is a good night's sleep. It's also critical to adopt sleep hygiene practices that improve sleep health.
In addition, relaxation practices like meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, mindfulness, journaling, and tai chi can help relax the body. For these activities to be effective, you must be consistent with them in a routine. Do not make too many alterations to your routine if you are trying to improve stress resilience and tolerance.
The social component is key to improving stress tolerance. While it may be more difficult to attend social events and socialize generally, this is when you need to rely on your friends and family the most. Find people you can trust and ensure you keep in touch with them for reassurance and calmness of mind, especially when your stress levels are starting to rise. You don’t even have to go through the stress of traveling to see them, as video and audio calls will suffice.
This step is as important as any other step on this list. Talking to your family and friends may reassure you, but they do not compare to a professional when it comes to advising on certain issues. For instance, if you feel constantly overwhelmed and your efforts to improve your stress resilience do not yield any positive results, you will want to see a professional for valuable advice.
Aside from the advice you get, you may also need further therapy options to manage your situation. You may need some tests to assess your body and determine if there are any nutrient deficiencies, sensitivities, or hidden health issues reducing your stress tolerance. If you want holistic management of your condition, the professionals you seek will be functional healthcare providers. You can call us if you’re looking for experience mixed with expertise. We assure you of personalized therapy and a comprehensive examination to identify the root of your problem and the best course of action.
Stress tolerance and resilience are important aspects of managing daily stress and living a fulfilling life. People with low-stress tolerance can raise their tolerance levels with the right steps, including avoiding stressors, eating well, taking supplements, engaging in physical activity, relaxing, maintaining social interactions, and getting professional advice.
Contact us at +1 (626) 571-1234 for more information about these areas. Remember, as effective as these steps may be, they do not replace the opinion of your healthcare provider, especially if you have underlying health conditions.
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Laskowski, M., et al. "Influence of Stress Resilience in Adolescence on Long-Term Risk of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis among Men: A Prospective Register-Based Cohort Study in Sweden." Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, vol. 00, 2024, pp. 1-8, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jdv.20069.
Mariotti, A. "The Effects of Chronic Stress on Health: New Insights into the Molecular Mechanisms of Brain-Body Communication." Future Science OA, vol. 1, no. 3, 2015, FSO23, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28031896/.
Faye, C., et al. "Neurobiological Mechanisms of Stress Resilience and Implications for the Aged Population." Current Neuropharmacology, vol. 16, no. 3, 2018, pp. 234-270, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28820053/.
Olff, M. "Sex and Gender Differences in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: An Update." European Journal of Psychotraumatology, vol. 8, sup4, 2017, 1351204, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/20008198.2017.1351204.
Childs, E., and H. de Wit. "Regular Exercise Is Associated with Emotional Resilience to Acute Stress in Healthy Adults." Frontiers in Physiology, vol. 5, 2014, 161, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24822048/.
Stress tolerance can be viewed as a skill because there are actionable steps and practices that can increase tolerance levels and help the body better manage stress. However, the extent to which these steps and practices work may depend on other factors like preexisting chronic conditions and genetics.
