Cortisol and Stress: What you need to know to stay healthy
Cortisol is an important hormone in the body. Normally it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning and it’s at its lowest at night. Normal levels are critical for maintaining steady energy throughout the day. Cortisol also controls the performance of other key hormones, like estrogen and testosterone, and of the thyroid.
Cortisol is commonly known as the “stress hormone”, because during periods of stress it runs amok.
While it is an important part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body activate its relaxation response so that its functions can return to normal after a stressful event.
In today’s fast-paced culture, the body’s stress response is activated so often that the body doesn’t always have a chance to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress. This contributes to a lot of problems, including anxiety, depression, excess belly fat and extreme fatigue, to just name a few.
How to keep your Cortisol levels balanced?
The best way to normalize Cortisol levels is to try stress management techniques and to make lifestyle changes. How?
Stay hydrated, because we get dehydrated under stress.
Include Omega-3 fatty acids and Vitamins C and B5 in your diet, because they have been shown to reduce cortisol secretion.
Practice relaxation, because your adrenal glands start producing high levels of cortisol as a response to stress.
Time your workouts in the morning, because your adrenal glands don’t care if the stress is mental or physical and they will pump out cortisol whenever you are under any sort of stress. Intense exercise raises cortisol levels, which is great if you are looking for an energy boost in the morning or mid-afternoon, but not so much in the evening because it can cause insomnia or anxiety.
Use adaptogens, which are natural substances, that have been used for thousands of years in Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, and are considered to help the body adapt to stress and restore cortisol levels. Examples are ginseng and rhodiola.
Get good sleep. Rest is key to restoring healthy cortisol levels, so even when you still have a lot to get done and are not sleepy at all, go to bed anyway. Sleep is huge when it comes to cortisol and we know that going from 8 hours to 6 hours of sleep will cause big disruption in cortisol patterns in less than two weeks.
