Definition: Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands and helps regulate blood pressure and cardiovascular function, as well as the body’s use of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Cortisol secretion increases in response to physical and psychological stress during the fight or flight response, which is why it’s sometimes called ‘the stress hormone’.
It is involved in the following functions and more:
* Proper glucose metabolism
* Regulation of blood pressure
* Insulin release for blood sugar maintanence
* Immune function
* Inflammatory response
Cortisol controls the stress levels in your body. Due to the very nature of Cortisol hormone production, your body has the highest level of Cortisol in the morning, while it continues to fall through the day leading to be the lowest at night. If you were to test your Cortisol hormone level in the morning and if it comes out to be between six to twenty three mcg/Dl (micro grams per deciliter) it is considered to be normal. However, if the test result shows a number over this range, you may be experiencing abnormal Cortisol levels.
Normally, it’s present in the body at higher levels in the morning, and at its lowest at night. Although stress isn’t the only reason that cortisol is secreted into the bloodstream, it has been termed “the stress hormone” because it’s also secreted in higher levels during the body’s ‘fight or flight’ response to stress, and is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects:
* A quick burst of energy for survival reasons
* Heightened memory functions
* A burst of increased immunity
* Lower sensitivity to pain
* Helps maintain homeostasis in the body
While cortisol is an important and helpful part of the body’s response to stress, it’s important that the body’s relaxation response to be activated so the body’s functions can return to normal following a stressful event. Unfortunately, in our current high-stress 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.
Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:
* Impaired cognitive performance
* Suppressed thyroid function
* Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia
* Decreased bone density
* Decrease in muscle tissue
* Higher blood pressure
* Lowered immunity and inflammatory responses in the body, slowed wound healing, and other health consequences
* Increased abdominal fat, which is associated with a greater amount of health problems than fat deposited in other areas of the body. Some of the health problems associated with increased stomach fat are heart attacks, strokes, the development of , higher levels of “bad” cholesterol (LDL) and lower levels of “good” cholesterol (HDL), which can lead to other health problems!
