How are ringing ears, scratches, and cold hands and feet connected to PTSD?
(PTSD — Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder)
The hormone cortisol is a vital element in our bodies. It's responsible for converting proteins into usable energy, helps maintain normal blood sugar levels, and regulates blood pressure.
Cortisol, which is produced in the adrenal cortex, plays a major role in the body's response to stress. It shuts down nonessential functions, such as reproduction and immune system activity, so the body can direct all its resources toward fighting the stressor. The period of cortisol's action should be enough to respond to the stress, and should decrease once the stressor is removed.
Unfortunately, with PTSD, the stress factors quite often remain in place, which helps keep cortisol levels elevated.
Prolonged exposure to elevated cortisol levels can lead to unexpected problems.
You may notice that you get scratches easily.
During the stress response, the outer layers of the skin become dehydrated. The skin becomes dry. It's possible the body does this to try to maintain hydration in the internal organs during stress. This leads to a reduced ability of the skin to heal itself.
Ringing in the ears — under stress, the normal flow of impulses from the auditory receptors to the brain becomes distorted. And your brain interprets this as ringing in your ears.
You may gain weight, especially around the belly. High cortisol levels in the blood are closely linked to overeating, especially sweet and fatty foods, and to gaining fat mass around the abdomen (visceral fat).
Digestive problems. With PTSD, the body tries to empty the intestines as quickly as possible to be able to run faster. High cortisol levels lead to increased gas, upset stomach, heartburn, and other intestinal issues.
Cortisol also acts as an antidiuretic and makes the body retain sodium. This leads to higher blood pressure and reduced blood flow to the internal organs.
Heightened sensitivity to pain.
High cortisol levels in the blood raise the level of the hormone prolactin, and as a result, your sensitivity to pain increases.
The anxiety that comes with PTSD can also keep your muscles in a constant state of tension.
Difficulty building muscle mass.
Your muscle mass doesn't grow, even though you're putting in the effort.
Cortisol limits the absorption of amino acids in muscle cells. Muscles don't grow, or they're lost very quickly. This can lead to overtraining, which in turn raises stress levels even further. This creates a vicious cycle.
Cold hands and feet.
Under stress, your blood flow is redirected away from your limbs toward your internal organs, which is necessary for your survival. This redirection can lead to reduced blood flow to your hands and feet.
Skin problems.
You may develop an allergic reaction to a cream or soap you've always used without issue, since the body's immune defenses are weakened.
Frequent yawning.
PTSD often causes increased sweating, and when the brain gets too warm, yawning helps cool it down. In addition, the rapid breathing caused by the anxiety that often comes with PTSD makes your brain think you aren't getting enough oxygen, which causes you to take deep breaths while yawning.
Allergies.
More than 60% of your immune system is located in your digestive system. If your digestive tract is inflamed due to elevated cortisol levels, your immune system's function will be seriously disrupted.
