Understanding Cortisol

Cortisol is well known for being the body’s stress hormone and if you’re easily convinced by what you hear you’d probably think it’s all bad. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Cortisol is actually essential for life and good health as it plays vital role in many of our body’s functions. The purpose of this article is to give you a greater understanding of why cortisol is so important and why having a healthy balance of this hormone rather then eliminating it is the key to better health.

What Is Cortisol

Cortisol is a steroid hormone which is made in our adrenal gland. Our adrenal gland receives signals from the hypothalamus and pituitary glands in our brain to help regulate the secretion of cortisol. Most of the cells in our body have cortisol receptors, and for this reason cortisol affects many different bodily functions. Cortisol helps to regulate our metabolism, control blood sugar, reduce inflammation, manage blood pressure, boost immunity and is also responsible for our body’s natural response to stress or danger.

Too Much Cortisol

Cortisol normally increases during high stress or high danger situations but should return back to normal quite quickly once stress has subsided. When you are under constant pressure, cortisol levels remain high which can have a negative impact on your health. Symptoms of high cortisol include weight gain, poor digestion, anxiety and depression, headaches, heart disease, issues with memory and concentration, trouble sleeping, acne and skin problems. In more severe cases people may be suffering from Cushing disease which happens when tumors develop on the pituitary or adrenal gland resulting in elevated levels of cortisol in the blood.

Too Little Cortisol

When our cortisol levels are too low we may experience symptoms such as continual tiredness, weight loss, muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In more serious cases low cortisol can lead to primary adrenal insufficiency or Addison disease. This is a rare autoimmune disease that can cause damage to the adrenal glands. Symptoms for this disease typically develop slowly but can become quite serious. People suffering from Addison disease may experience fatigue, weight loss, muscle loss, mood swings and changes to their skin.

Fortunately there is plenty we can do to keep our cortisol production at a healthy level. Exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, eating a healthy diet, meditating and limiting our exposure to high stress situations can help us to better manage our cortisol levels. If you have tried these techniques and still feel your cortisol production is out of balance the best thing to do is talk to your doctor, they may be able to do some further testing and recommend some other treatment options.

xx Tara

Do you struggle to manage stress? Let me know in the comments section below.

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