Stress is a normal part of life. While everyone feels stressed at times, it shouldn't affect your daily functioning. If you experience Chronic stress And exhaustion that affects your daily life can be a sign that something deeper is going on, such as a cortisol imbalance.
Both high and low Cortisol levels – Also known as the “stress hormone” – can leave you dealing with symptoms that make you feel “off” and unlike yourself. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to tune into your body and better manage your stress levels. If you believe you have a cortisol imbalance or are generally concerned about your health, be sure to consult a doctor before making any drastic changes.
What is cortisol?
Over-functioning adrenal glands lead to symptoms of exhaustion.
Cortisol is the body's primary stress hormone, he says Melissa Groves Azzaroregistered dietitian and author of A Balanced Approach to PCOS. The hormone is produced in the adrenal glands in response to internal or external stresses.
Most people know cortisol for its role in the fight-or-flight response, which is important, but cortisol actually plays a lot other roles in the body.
In addition to inhibiting any body functions that are non-essential in a fight-or-flight scenario, cortisol also:
Most of your body's cells contain receptors for cortisol, so it's an important hormone, but like any hormone, too much or too little of it can be harmful to your body and health.
Signs of Cortisol Imbalance
Everyone's experience with cortisol imbalance will vary, especially when distinguishing between high and low cortisol.
Symptoms of high cortisol include:
- Weight gain, especially in the abdominal area
- Anxiety and irritability
- Problems falling asleep and staying asleep
- Nervousness
- Shakakas
- High heart rate
- Blood sugar instability and blood pressure instability
Symptoms of low cortisol include:
- Overall low energy
- Feeling “wired but tired”
- Severe fatigue and lack of focus
- Cravings for sugar and salt
- Apathy
- Low libido
- Memory problems
What causes a cortisol imbalance?
Prolonged stress is the main cause of cortisol imbalance.
“In general, cortisol imbalances can occur as a result of extremely high stress or prolonged stress,” says Azarro. “While there are clinical diagnoses of high (Cushing's syndrome) and low (Addison's disease), which require medical treatment, there is a wide spectrum of 'out-of-range' cortisol levels or inappropriate cortisol patterns that can affect our daily lives.”
More importantly, cortisol imbalance is not always a simple matter of high or low. Having a cortisol imbalance can also mean that your cortisol is too high at certain times of the day or too low at other times, rather than a constant surplus or deficit.
Regardless, there are some common culprits behind cortisol imbalances of any kind.
Stress
Excessive and prolonged stress is a primary cause of cortisol imbalance, whether high or low.
“High cortisol happens when the body perceives stress,” he says Dr. Tara ScottDoctor of Functional Medicine. “Your brain doesn't know if you're running from a bear or if you have a deadline.”
Excess cortisol increases your heart rate, makes you more alert by increasing norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter that can also make you feel anxious), and raises your blood sugar, Scott explains.
“Low cortisol occurs after prolonged stress, when your body sends a negative feedback signal to the brain saying, 'We have a lot of cortisol here, don't stimulate more production!' “, says Scott. So your brain reduces adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, the hormone that stimulates cortisol production) and periods of low cortisol occur. Levels can fluctuate throughout the day or can be low all day, Scott says.
Exercise
Too much exercise can throw off your cortisol levels.
Exercise is considered eustress, or good stress, Azzaro says—up to a point. “While there is an immediate rise in cortisol with exercise, the overall impact is to improve mood and lower stress.” But if we excessive usestress becomes harmful,” she says.
Azaro recommends considering your overall life stress when planning an exercise regimen. If you're not getting enough sleep and you're dealing with high stress at work, it may not be the best time to incorporate high-intensity exercise, Azzaro explains.
“If you find yourself getting sick more often or feeling depleted after a workout instead of energizing, you're probably working too hard for your current cortisol levels,” she says.
Nutrition
The foods we eat can help lower cortisol or boost it, says Lauren Minchen, a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for Fresh. “Processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugar may immediately help lower cortisol at first, but the spike in blood sugar caused by these foods can actually, over time, increase stress, inflammation and the level of cortisol in the body,” says Minchen.
“Sugar is known to be one of the biggest triggers of cortisol, and white refined flour foods produce a similar blood sugar spike and cortisol effect, so eating foods high in these ingredients regularly can lead to elevated cortisol over time. of time”.
Alcohol and caffeine They also affect cortisol levels and consuming too much of either over time affects cortisol levels. Alcohol increases inflammation, which puts stress on the body, causing it to produce cortisol. Withdrawal from intoxication also stimulates more cortisol in the bloodstream, Minchen says.
“Depending on how much coffee you regularly drink and how high your cortisol levels are from day to day, increasing your caffeine intake may have little or no effect on raising cortisol even more,” Minchen says. “This effect can lead to feeling more tired with more caffeine, as a result of adrenal exhaustion. “The adrenal glands can only work so hard before they can no longer increase cortisol production.”
On the other hand, eating healthy carbohydrates with whole foods, such as whole grains, fresh fruits, legumes and potatoes, can provide help in managing cortisol. Also, consuming a balanced amount of proteins, carbohydrates and fats It helps your body get the energy it needs to keep blood sugar available and stable, which ultimately helps keep cortisol in check, Minchen says.
How to fix high or low cortisol
Rest is the best way to correct high or low cortisol.
“It's not super sexy,” says Azzaro, “but your body is telling you to rest. The dirty work of correcting a cortisol imbalance is identifying what the root cause of the imbalance is and then correcting it to bring cortisol back into balance. “
We discussed the common causes of cortisol imbalance above, but let's dig deeper. Go past “diet” or “exercise” and ask yourself if your hormone levels are up for:
- Your job
- Relationship stress (significant other or family)
- A culture of hustle/doing too much
- Lack of sleep
- Too much of one type of exercise (probably Hello)
- Consumption of alcohol or caffeine
- Lack of stress management practices or practices
It's also important to identify your specific imbalance, he says Ina Melamedpharmacist and functional medicine physician. Ask your primary care provider if they run hormone tests or if they can make a referral to an endocrine specialist. Or order a cortisol test online to take home and send to the lab.
This step is crucial because what works to correct high cortisol may not work to correct low cortisol. To really get to the root cause, “testing should ideally also be for cortisol, DEAsex hormones and even melatonin just to get a better picture of adrenal health,” says Melamed. Your symptoms may be the product of multiple hormone imbalances.
Correcting a cortisol imbalance will take a lot of work and patience. First and foremost, rest. When you're feeling rested, try to make a list of all the possible stresses in your life – and be honest.
Then, write down how you could cut back to reduce each stressor. Maybe you're cutting your weekly workout routine from five sessions to four; You may have a serious conversation with your partner about stress levels and domestic responsibilities; Maybe ask your boss to lighten your workload for a while (or better yet, take a break altogether).
High or low cortisol levels can make life much more difficult than it needs to be. Battling constant stress, anxiety and fatigue isn't easy, and as always, if you need mental health support, Use the resources available to you.