Can stress cause a yeast infection?

Can stress cause a yeast infection?

 

Being under stress for a prolonged period of time can significantly lower your body’s immunity and therefore make you more susceptible to yeast infections. But how exactly does it happen?

 

When you’re under stress your body starts producing hormones that affect your health, the longer you’re under stress, the stronger the effect it can have on your body. There are three main stress-related hormones: cortisol, estrogen, adrenaline and norepinephrine. I’ll discuss each of them and their potential links to yeast infections.

 

  • Cortisol balances your fluids and blood pressure in stressful situations, however, if you’re under stress for a long period of time it can have a devastating effect on your immune system, increase your blood pressure and blood sugar levels. A weaker immune system will make it easy for Candida to multiply and cause a yeast infection. Also, elevated blood sugar levels will feed the yeast, allowing it to establish itself in your body and more difficult to treat. Apart from stress, caffeine, alcohol and sleep deprivation can also increase your cortisol levels and inhibit your immune system [1].

 

Can stress cause a yeast infection

 

  • Estrogen levels increase under stress. In cases of chronic stress, it can suppress your immune system by reducing thymus hormone levels in your blood. Low immunity will make it easier for Candida to multiply, leading to yeast infections.

 

  • Adrenaline is the hormone that makes you sweat and your heart pound in a stressful situation. It helps you focus and gives you an energy boost to quickly react to danger. I didn’t find any studies about links between Candida and adrenaline.

 

  • Norepinephrine, just like adrenaline, it helps you concentrate and shortens your reaction time. It drives blood to your muscles to make it easier for you to run from danger, or fight for your life! There are no studies about links between yeast infections and norepinephrine at the moment.

 

 

How can I  boost my immunity and avoid vaginal yeast infections?

 

There are many things you can do to reduce the damaging effect of stress on your immune system and keep Candida at bay:

 

  •  Avoid situations that can cause chronic stress or learn techniques to deal with stress:

 

  • Engage in any type of physical activity. Yoga is an excellent way to reduce anxiety and manage stress.

 

can stress cause yeast infections

 

  • Make sure you find time to relax every day and do something you enjoy.

 

  • Try to take every opportunity to engage socially, interacting with other people has got a soothing effect on our nervous system.

 

 

  • You can also use a dietary supplement called Cortisol Health, that helps maintain healthy cortisol levels. It contains compounds with proven ability to control cortisol response to stress: Phosphatidylserine, Ashwagandha Root Extract and Magnolia Bark Extract.

 

 

Can stress cause a yeast infection?

 

  • Meditate. Research shows that meditation significantly reduces cortisol levels in your blood.

 

  • Make sure you get enough sleep.

 

  • Avoid caffeine (coffee, chocolate, energy drinks) and alcohol.

 

  • Follow a healthy, balanced diet.

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

By following these tips you can make your immune system stronger and your body more able to naturally defend itself not only from yeast infections but also from harmful bacteria and viruses.

 

Buy Cortisol Health Supplement Today

 

It’s also important to try to keep your immune system strong once you happen to get a vaginal yeast infection. It will help you to get rid of it quicker and enhance your treatment, whether you choose medication or natural remedies.

 

I’m interested to hear about your experiences. Do you feel that stress triggers your yeast infections? What are your ways of dealing with stress? Do you do anything to boost your immune system? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

12 comments

  • I had been going through a rough patch in life. Was cheated on, let myself go, and was going through bodily changes I was not prepared for aka “One bad ass Yeast Infection” which threw my world further down. I had to get myself checked, I didn’t know what was wrong with me.

    I thought I had gotten an STD from my cheating partner. But no, the Doc tells me it’s Yeast Infection. Go figure, but it was a relief. Now the problem was curing it. The Doc gave me a cream to insert up my “woohaa”, and I had to insert It for 7 days. On the 7th day, I thought I was golden, hadn’t seen any sign of it, next day, BAM back again. Wtf.

    I found the Lady Soma Candida Cleanse. I wasn’t even skeptical at this point, I was DESPERATE. I needed a cure and I went for it. 1-2 weeks into taking two pills faithfully every day, my woohaa has cleared up. I have finally seen something positive. And my confidence has come back. Cause no one wants a bad woohaa. A bad woohaa means no woohoo. So I am very determined to continue taking these pills, and getting my life back on track.

    I want to make a note that Apple Cider Vinegar helps combat yeast infections, which I add 1 tbsp to a glass or cup of water daily, and taking a multi vitamin every day doesn’t hurt either.

    • Robin, I’m so glad you managed to get rid of your yeast infection for good. I’ll look into Lady Soma Candida Cleanse, I’ve never used it myself, but I’m really happy it worked. On the side note, I love “A bad woohaa means no woohoo”, just brilliant! It should be the tagline of my website. I wish you all the best and I hope that your yeast infection will never come back.

  • I had never really considered that stress can cause a yeast infection, but now that you mention it, it does make sense. When we are stressed, our whole system suffers, so I can see that with a weaker immune system it is easier for the candida yeast to develop and get out of control. Do you think, therefore, that regular meditation could be one of the things a person can do to prevent or even cure a yeast infection?

    • Hi Marcus, thanks for commenting. A recent study on the effect of meditation on cortisol levels shows that it can lower the cortisol levels in the blood, so it does reduce stress and stress-related diseases, such as heart disease, migraine and yeast infection. I don’t know how come I didn’t include meditation in the stress relieving techniques, I’ll have to update this article soon!

  • Thanks again for providing great information on how to reduce stress. I’m a little confused about the function of cortisol in the body. It seems it can be very good or very bad. Some people say that it keeps the body from releasing various substances that might cause inflammation.

    Yet, other people say that cortisol can weaken the immune system. Experts say that when people get stressed out, cortisol levels go up but that too much of it over a long period of time can actually damage the production of muscle and bone cells. How can we tell if cortisol levels are too high?

    And like I said before, learning to control stress is extremely important for optimal body health even when infections are not an issue. Thanks for sharing.
    John

    • Thanks for commenting John. You’re right that a temporary cortisol boost is beneficial for us, however when we’re under chronic stress and cortisol levels are constantly too high, it can affect our health in a negative way. It lowers our defenses and makes us more susceptible to infections, such as a yeast infection.

  • Thanks for the excellent post. I think learning ways to reduce stress are vital whether or not the issue of yeast infections are involved so I appreciate the information. It’s always helpful to learn natural remedies to keep the body healthy!

    • HI John, I’m glad you found some useful info about how to reduce stress. It definitely provides numerous health benefits apart from helping avoid yeast infections. Thank you for your feedback!

  • I actually came across your article while researching yeast infections of the skin as I suffer from this from time to time. Not thrush, but fungus yeast infections of primarily the back and chest areas, leaving either white or brown spots on the skin.

    I’ve browsed your website and it actually contains good information on various remedies and products that I think I might try. You have a great site here.

    • Hi Darren, you’re right, the natural remedies I discuss on this website have great antifungal properties and can be used for all sorts of fungal infections, not only vaginal yeast infections. I’m glad you found some useful info here, good luck with your treatment!

  • Hello Kams,

    Just came across this site and found a lot of helpful knowledge about yeast infection in women. You laid well all the information about how stress triggers yeast infection. I definitely agree with you about how stress related hormones have connection with this vaginal infection. And I believe if this infection is not treated, it may lead to serious problems. Your tips on boosting immune system I think are effective to avoid stress. Maybe I sometimrs have this infection, but not too serious. I will follow some of your tips so I can prevent this infection. Prevention is better than curing.

    Thanks for this helpful post.

    marcy

    • Hi Marcy, I’m glad you found some helpful information on my website. Sometimes we don’t realize how harmful stress is to our health, in this article I focused only on yeast infections, but there are so many other health issues that stress can trigger.

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