Cortisol is our stress hormone and most people tend to think negatively towards it, but in reality, we actually need it. It is a glucocorticoid hormone (type of steroid hormone) that is produced by and released from your adrenals with your pituitary gland determining how much. It's main role is managing your body's response to stress , but it also plays a role in blood glucose, inflammatory response, regulating blood pressure and metabolism, as well as your sleep-wake cycle.
Types of Stress
Although we usually try to avoid stress, our body actually needs some form of stress. Here are the different types:
Acute: something sudden and only for a short period of time
Chronic: long term stress such as an illness or situation
Traumatic: experiencing an intense and even life threatening situation.
Most of us experiencing a large amount of stress almost daily due to our fast paced, demanding lifestyles.
Some things that can increase our cortisol:
- Exercise
- Life or work situation
- Injury or trauma
- Low carb or low calorie diet
- Overstimulation
Normal Levels
If your levels and the trend of your cortisol is normal, it will be at a normal peak first thing in the morning and then begin to taper off throughout the day. Many people experience an abnormal trend. It's important to do a self check throughout the day to try and determine your curve, or there are at home test you can purchase to determine this such as this one.
Some signs your cortisol is too high:
- You have a hard time falling or staying asleep
- Sick frequently
- You feel edgy, anxious or agitated
- Poor gut health
- Irregular cycle for women
- Weight gain in face and abdomen
- Hair loss
- Increased blood pressure and blood sugar
Some signs your cortisol is too low:
- You feel like you could fall asleep all day
- You feel uninterested or indifferent
- Low blood pressure
- Lack of appetite or weight loss
Some things you can do:
Exercise
It's best if you can exercise in the morning or early afternoon, but exercising any time is better than not at all. If your cortisol levels are high, you're going to want to do a good amount of strength training and little cardio, especially no high intensity cardio.
Fish Oil
Studies suggest taking an omega 3 supplement can help manage cortisol levels due to a reduced amount of inflammation. Most people have extremely high levels of omega 6's which cause inflammation. Your body likes a balance of the two. So, taking a supplement will most likely be beneficial. This is the one I recommend for its quality and potency.
Proper Hydration
Ensuring your body has enough minerals and electrolytes can keep your body from feeling stressed. If you are feeling some of the symptoms listed above, if you exercise frequently, if you're overweight, if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, or any combination of these, you need a good amount of minerals. Chugging straight water will only strip your body more of minerals. I recommend this electrolyte mix 1-2 times a day.
Nutrition
Like I mentioned above, under eating or not eating enough of any macronutrient can put stress on the body. I would encourage you, if you never have, to track your food intake for 3 days via an app such as MyFitnessPal and see what your average caloric intake is. If it's too low, try slowly increasing it while monitoring your weight. If you are doing a low carb or keto diet and feeling stressed, I would stop. I never recommend low carb diets and most people don't do keto properly to receive the full benefits. Eating enough nourishing foods will give your hormones what they need to function optimally.
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