LGR Holistic Wellness

How do our bodies recognize and react to a threat? How is it possible that we seem to perform more efficiently when under time pressure? The answer is simple, a hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol primes our bodies to respond to stress by raising our blood pressure and blood sugar, while suppressing physiological functions that are deemed unnecessary to respond to stress, such as the immune system and the digestive system. Once the threat is gone, cortisol levels go down, and the rest of our body goes back to normal. This is all how it should work.

Changes in our cortisol levels are normal throughout the day. However, our fast-paced lifestyle makes it difficult for cortisol levels to go down. They can remain elevated all day! Constantly being exposed to stressful situations causes chronic stress, which is why our cortisol levels may always be elevated.

However, too much continual stress can also result in the body making too little cortisol, which is just as big a problem as too much. Optimally, we want them to be perfectly balanced!

Since high levels of cortisol increase our heart rate, blood pressure inevitably increases as well, making us more prone to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Heightened senses due to stress cause our bodies to feel constantly fatigued. Having problems with sleep because of stress also makes it hard to relax, as our minds are too busy and too wired to sleep well.

Now let us take a deeper look at these issues and the role cortisol plays.

The Role of Cortisol

Cortisol, our stress hormone, is a crucial hormone that plays a vital role in various physiological processes in the body. Here are some key aspects of cortisol and its role in adrenal health.

Stress Response

This is why it is called the stress hormone! It is one of cortisol’s primary functions, to help the body respond to stress. It is because of cortisol that we can react to danger; it is our instinctive fight-or-flight response. This helps to mobilize energy, increase alertness, and prepare the body to deal with whatever the stressful situation is.

Metabolism

Cortisol is involved in regulating your metabolism. It helps maintain blood sugar levels by promoting the breakdown of stored glucose (glycogen) in the liver and increasing the release of glucose into the bloodstream. This provides a quick source of energy during stressful situations.

Immune System

Cortisol has anti-inflammatory properties and plays a role in regulating the immune response. It helps to suppress the immune system’s activity, which can be beneficial in preventing excessive inflammation and immune reactions.

Blood Pressure Regulation

Cortisol helps regulate blood pressure by influencing blood vessel constriction and fluid balance. It works in conjunction with other hormones to ensure appropriate blood pressure levels.

Circadian Rhythm

The release of cortisol is closely tied to your circadian rhythm and has a significant impact on adrenal health. Cortisol follows a distinct pattern throughout the day, with its highest levels typically occurring in the early morning shortly after waking and gradually decreasing as the day progresses. This pattern is part of the body’s natural circadian rhythm.

Taking Care of Your Stress Hormone

Stress management can help you ensure that your body is not perpetually in stress mode, and ultimately, your cortisol levels. Stress will almost always be part of our lives, therefore we have to learn how to manage it.

There are different ways in which you can manage stress and maintain a healthy balance of cortisol. Breathing exercises, working out, journaling, listening to soothing music, meditation, yoga, and alternative therapies such as hypnosis and guided imagery can all help with stress management. Here are a few more.

Develop Healthy Sleeping Habits

Cortisol is directly affected by our sleeping habits. Prolonged sleep deprivation can increase your cortisol levels and can affect your sleeping pattern (or circadian rhythm). Develop a healthy sleeping habit by sleeping and waking up at around the same time every day. Aim to have at least seven to eight hours of rest and take in a healthy dose of sunshine upon waking.

Avoid Alcohol and Caffeine

While some may argue that alcohol helps them relax, its effect on the body is the complete opposite. Alcohol increases cortisol levels, and the more alcohol you drink, the more cortisol your body will produce. Caffeine, especially when taken at night, can have the same effect on your body. It can create a spike in blood pressure and can trigger symptoms related to anxiety too.

Exercise Regularly

Aerobic exercises, or exercises that raise your heart rate and make you break into a sweat can help lower cortisol levels and improve your body’s response to stress. This is one of the reasons why exercise is a healthy way to relieve stress. Not only does it help regulate cortisol levels, but regular exercise can improve your health in many other ways!

Take Supplements If Necessary

Having a healthy diet means taking in various micronutrients, however, you may not be getting the micronutrients you need from your diet. If so, supplementation can promote a healthy balance of cortisol levels and other hormones in our body.

Supplements such as fish oil, vitamins C, B5, and magnesium all ensure that our hormones are well-balanced and the entire body functioning properly.

Practice Mindfulness

The culprit of high cortisol levels will always be stress. So to lower stress levels, we need to find an outlet, a relaxation technique that allows us to return to a healthier level of cortisol. A simple relaxation technique is practicing mindfulness, where we focus our attention on the present. Meditation or yoga are two good mindfulness techniques.

In Summary

Maintaining balanced cortisol levels is essential for overall health and wellbeing. Having too little or too much cortisol can have significant health implications, so you want to aim for perfect balance! Adrenal health and proper cortisol regulation are critical components of the body’s stress response, metabolism, and immune system function, so take action and get healthy as soon as possible!