Introducing Female Stress Signatures

Why Women Need a Translational Bridge

For most women, the world of academia, research and clinical care is a black box that is both inaccessible and incomprehensible. As Tia’s Chief Medical Officer, I am on a mission to change that by building tools that explain both to women and care providers why and not just what. And by forging a much-needed translational bridge between bench science, clinical research and real women-in-the-world needs.

Introducing Female Stress Signatures, by Tia

… a new science-backed quiz and toolkit made by the team at Tia to help women understand the distinctly female stress response, how chronic stress manifests four unique patterns (or “signatures”), and above all else —what we can do about it.

Because when women are aware of their stress signatures — and when providers, too, understand how chronic stress is a foundational lynchpin of female health — we can modulate it and minimize the cumulative wear and tear on our minds and bodies, key to helping women get healthy and stay healthy throughout their lives.

From stress research → stress quiz

Tia’s Female Stress Signatures is adapted from my book, So Stressed, co-authored with Dr. Beth Hamilton, and is a translational clinical construct bridging decades of research in the field of stress combined with clinical experience and patient observation. Head this way for a deep dive on the research supporting this effort!

More than a simple quiz, Female Stress Signatures is an educational tool that communicates five key concepts that every female and women’s healthcare provider should know:

#1: Female* stress is distinct from male stress.

Shocker! Males and females evolved to process stress differently. Even though our bodies react in a similar way (meaning, elevated blood pressure, increased heart rate, dilated pupils), female and male brains activate different pathways — even in response to the same stressors. This is why we need to both study and clinically consider female stress responses and triggers as distinct from male stress patterns.

*Looking to know how we define female with respect to the science of stress? Check out our glossary here.

#2: Not all stress is bad nor created equal!

Some stress is normal, healthy, and key to our survival. But other forms of stress — and too much stress — is not. Specifically, acute stress — which is stress that lasts anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours — is a natural physical and mental reaction to life’s experiences and is valuable (in doses).

But, when you let it run wild and stressors pile up, it can become negative This is called chronic stress and is what we’re committed to helping women better manage through Tia’s Female Stress Signatures.

#3: Chronic stress can make women sick.

Stress protects you during short-term threatening conditions, but increasingly, you’ll find yourself in situations where a quick resolution isn’t an option — like feeling constantly overworked or worrying about paying rent on time. And so, the amazing system designed to protect you begins to cause wear and tear instead. This is known as allostatic load.

How allostatic load presents itself in each individual woman depends on a multitude of complex, interactive factors: the nature, duration, and timing of the chronic stress, your genetics, epigenetics, and the cumulative effects of your lifestyle, good and bad.

When your brain and body remain alert and activated longer than is healthy, you can become more vulnerable to infections, heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, fatigue, gut dysregulation, and accelerated aging. This is why in a very literal way, chronic stress can make you sick!

#4: Stress is more than cortisol — it involves the two separate axes of energy and arousal.

Clinically, the burdens of chronic stress can be broadly grouped into four Stress Signatures:

These four Stress Signatures focus on the dominant components of the stress response — primarily the cortisol released from your adrenal glands and your autonomic nervous system. In other words, your Stress Signature is a byproduct of how fast you are to mobilize energy and how aroused your nervous system is.

Energy

When we say “Energy” in the context of stress, we’re talking about how eager your body is to mobilize — either a go-go-go Sprinter or a slow-your-roll Pacer.

• Sprinter: In comparison to Pacers, mobilizing energy is as easy as rise and shine. You’re ready to go-go-go from the moment your alarm goes off. But too much eager energy is taxing on your body, sending every cell in your body into overdrive, and bugging friends who’d rather not receive a brunch itinerary at 7AM.
• Pacer: In comparison to Sprinters, you’re slower and more gradual in the way you mobilize energy. Late nights equal Kryptonite. When your circadian rhythms are balanced, you’re able to win the slow and steady race. But when you’re out of sync, you’re really out of sync, from aches and pains to regretful outbursts.

Arousal

The other side of the chronic stress coin is your “Arousal Style” — we’re talking about how alert your nervous system is, that means both your brain and body — either Vigilant or Reluctant.

• Vigilant: In comparison to Reluctant types, you’re always on the alert. You’re beyond perceptive, which makes attention to detail under stress a strength. But imagine that your body is like a security guard who is always on watch — there’s only so many shifts your nerves can handle before it starts to breakdown.
• Reluctant: In comparison to Vigilant types, you’re more contained. You tend to be more inwardly focused and when stressed, that can mean you’re in your own world. Think: mindlessly watching reruns until Netflix shuts off. So imagine your body is like a turtle — you prefer to be in your shell and when stress strikes, you’re retreating even further.

#5: Stress is a spectrum. Unlike your high school prom pics, you aren’t stuck!

So first things first: whether you feel “stressed” day-to-day or not, everyone has a Stress Signature. And there’s no such thing as a bad, wrong, or weird Signature. How you modulate and manage your Stress Signature is the key.

In a perfect world, we’d all want to be near the center of the grid, but our world is far from perfect.

But unlike your high school prom pictures, you’re not stuck with your Stress Signature forever and with awareness and lifestyle, you can move towards the center and modulate its impact on your mind, body and longevity.

Take the quiz to find out where on the chronic stress spectrum you fall — and most important of all, what to do about it.

Take the Stress Quiz

So, there you have a peek at Tia’s Female Stress Signatures. We hope you take the quiz, dig into the science, and with the help of the Care Team at the Tia Clinic, put Tia’s science-backed toolkits into action to flourish in the face of stress.

Why we made this:

Foundational to our mission is an investment in experiences (like this one!) that translate our core medical competencies and scientific research into actionable tools with women at the center. We believe smart, sound, science need not be confusing, so our mission is to give women much-needed access to the conversation about how to best care for themselves and their bodies — so more women are empowered to flourish.