dr. Lisa Silvani Cortisol is known as stress hormone because the level of cortisol rises along with the level of stress.
While the functions of cortisol are widely varies and not only limited to mood and stress, constant high numbers in cortisol level can bring detrimental effects on our health and metabolisms.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone produced in adrenal glands that is involved in stress, adrenaline and fear. Cortisol also plays role in controlling our metabolism and body temperature. Although it may seem simple, the role of cortisol play further than what it said in the textbook. And this happens because the interconnection between our system.
What are The Common Causes of High Cortisol Levels?
A study found that having a job that brings stress in an hour a day can be a risk factor for developing high cortisol levels in a woman during the month of menopause. Another study also found that sleeping with your babies at an early age can cause a high cortisol level in pregnant women. What are other causes of high cortisol levels? Other studies have shown that stressful situations, physical exertion, poor sleep habits, poor diet, diet addiction, early bedtimes, hot flushes, menstrual cycles, spending time around children with ADHD and active children can cause high cortisol levels.
What is not always clear is how cortisol can remain high after the stressful event has passed. We know that cortisol has its own function and benefit. In a stressful event, our body produce cortisol mainly because we need more energy for our body to maintain our metabolism and our lives. So cortisol will increase the production of blood sugar and make sure that sugar is distributed to our primary organs, mainly brain and heart. This way, the supply of energy of both organs are enough during these tough times. After the stressful events passed, cortisol level will normally go down slowly and steadily. This is due to the need of sugar also decrease since the body doesn’t send any threatening signal that can crammed up energy production. Under not so normal conditions. The cortisol level persists. It often happens in long term stress, either mentally or physically.
What are The Cortisol Imbalances?
Cortisol regulation mechanisms helps in controlling the amount of cortisol present in the body by producing cortisol from cholesterol. There is a difference between "normal" and "higher" cortisol levels in the body. Normal cortisol levels are about 4 to 8 grams of cortisol per deciliter of blood. Higher levels of cortisol are found to be above 8 grams. All the above blood levels are found in people who are physically healthy. However, cortisol imbalance can also be caused because of several reasons such as heavy drinking or excessive physical stress. Cortisol is a stress hormone and levels of cortisol rise with the level of stress. And the level of cortisol will remain constant over the period of time unless you undertake strenuous exercises.
The Causes of Cortisol Imbalance
Most of the time, it's not a single factor that may lead to stress in the body but the combination of several factors that will raise the levels of cortisol. In the majority of cases, it's a combination of several factors like poor diet, lack of sleep, poor health, poor relationships, trauma, financial stress, etc. Diet And Eating Patterns Several studies have proved the link between diets and our cortisol levels. Sugar is one of the primary sources of foods that contain a lot of sugar. Studies show that increasing the intake of sugar leads to a huge spike in cortisol levels and can also lead to heart attacks. Drinking caffeinated or caffeinated tea can also lead to a high cortisol level because caffeine contains stimulants that trigger the cortisol production. But almost everything is a bout moderation. So keeping track of our daily consumption of sugar, fat and also stress can help us balance our cortisol level even in our most stressful events of life.
Strategies to Reduce Cortisol
Cortisol is very dangerous because it negatively impacts our metabolism by blocking important metabolic enzymes and processes. It can also directly affect our DNA. In addition, high levels of cortisol can interfere with the normal functioning of the immune system by triggering oxidative stress. According to the authors of The FIT Factor, it has been found that “people with higher cortisol have more cancer, cardiovascular disease and are at higher risk for metabolic syndrome, the “combination of excess weight, diabetes and high blood pressure”. They also stated that “women with higher cortisol levels are at an increased risk for postmenopausal osteoporosis. In case you find it difficult to manage your cortisol, it is always better to take simple measures to reduce your stress.
Conclusion
There are several ways that you can safely reduce and control cortisol level as well as prevent the negative effect of cortisol in your body. The following is a list of what you can do to reduce your cortisol level.
1. Increase fiber intake High fiber intake as mentioned above, helps the digestive system, lowers blood sugar levels and boosts energy. A diet rich in fiber is also known to prevent constipation and diarrhea, keep you regular, prevent obesity and heart disease, regulate weight and reduce your risk of various chronic diseases like cancer and diabetes. All of these actions that comes from consuming fiber will prevent the bad effect of high cortisol while also giving you a healthier gut and immune system.
2. Manage your stress level.
As we already talked about, stress hold big roles in cortisol production. Avoiding stress is also not possible, so the continuity of managing daily stress and learn how to incorporate healthy lifestyle to handle stress will play a big benefit in managing cortisol level.
3. Exercise regularly. Exercise can release endorphins, a hormone that can help your body to be relaxed and also reduce the negative effect of stress. By doing exercise regularly three times a week at minimum, we have bigger chance of managing stress and daily cortisol level production.
