Ways to Lower Your Cortisol Stress Hormones
Stress Kills! Well, long-term stress that is. There is a big difference in our bodies’ response to short-term versus long-term stress. Our body reacts initially the same to both by releasing Cortisol, which is the major stress hormone, along with adrenaline. This helps us increase our heart rate and blood pressure, releases sugar into the blood for energy and slows metabolism. This can be beneficial if we are reacting to short-term stressors like running from a tiger or getting the kids out the door to school on time. However, if our stress load remains high or we don’t have the tools to relax and let our body recover, we create a toxic environment for the cells in our body.
Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone that regulates:
“Fight or Flight” hormone
Helpful burst of hormone helps us survive
Chronic elevation is harmful to us
Glucose metabolism
Blood pressure regulation
Immune response
Inflammation response
Cortisol is produced in the Adrenal glands
Stimulated by the pituitary and hypothalamus
Levels are highest around 7AM and lowest at night
Causes of Elevated Cortisol
Long-term Stress
Depression and addiction
Drugs and alcohol
Overtraining
Malnourishment and nutritional deficiencies and obesity
Elevated estrogen levels and birth control
Hyperthyroidism
Kidney and liver disease
Inflammatory states and infection
Signs of excess cortisol include:
Weight gain around the middle
Mood swings and anxiety
Fatigue and poor sleep
Increased thirst and urination
Changes in libido and irregular periods
Muscle pains and bone mineral loss
Acne and puffy face
Elevated blood pressure
Increase risk of infections
Elevated cortisol has been linked with metabolic syndrome, weight gain, poor sleep, emotional problems, muscle and joint pain, elevated blood pressure, and increased risk for infections, auto-immune diseases and vascular disease including heart attack and stroke. With the passing of time, our adrenal glands, the source of cortisol, can fatigue or burn out.
Adrenal fatigue and burnout can lead to serious problems. When we cannot rise to the occasion with an appropriate response to stress this causes us to be susceptible to many diseases and may lead to fibromyalgia, thyroid issues, digestion problems, chronic fatigue syndrome and other illnesses. If you are feeling “burnt out” with lack of energy, decreased sexuality, depression and somatic complaints, you may be suffering with this commonly undiagnosed and untreated condition!
How can you be tested for this? Your Navigator can help you figure where you and your adrenal glands stand with a good history and some lab tests. Initial screening can be done with a morning blood draw, but sometimes a saliva test done throughout the day will give a much better picture of your adrenal glands ability to respond to the routine of your everyday life stressors.
What can be done if your adrenal glands are not functioning properly? The most important thing is to address the underlying issue! This can be related to stress, infections, injury, nutritional deficiencies, hormonal problems, etc. Sometimes we need to support the adrenals with vitamins and nutrients so that they can recover from stress and avoid depletion. Sometimes we need to cool down the adrenal glands and use herbal therapy and stress reduction to this end. Let your Navigator guide you based on your goals and desired course to regain a healthy balance of adrenal function.
Here are some of the things that we can discuss at Navigator Medical Consultancy to restore your most important adrenal gland to health and guide you to a life filled with vigor.
Meditation - can reduce cortisol levels by 20% over time
Mindfulness
Prayer
Breathing practices
Gratitude expression
Relaxation techniques
Prescription for nature therapy
Get up slowly in the morning
Sun salutations in the morning with positive affirmations
Get a massage!
Acupuncture
GET OUTSIDE
Essential oils
Heart rate variability training
Progressive muscle relaxation
Exercise!
Regular exercise 3-5 days a week
Mild to moderate activity
Your body produces more dopamine and endorphins
Reduce stress and cortisol levels
Reduce body fat
Belly fat high in cortisol receptors
Yoga
Journaling
Keeping track of what is good and not so good
Create healthy habits
Understand your triggers
Substitute healthy for unhealthy
Focus on the feeling of reward that you get
Sleep improvement
7-9 hours are necessary
Less than that can increase cortisol by 50%
Take a nap
Refer to my sleep blog for more information
Nocturnal rituals
Healthy habits
Supplements
Nutritional support
Graze more!
Eating 5 smaller meals a day is much healthier
Use an Anti-Inflammatory Diet
High in antioxidants, fiber and essential nutrients
Avoid processed foods and trans fats
Reduce high glycemic index foods
Avoid simple sugars
Avoid white flours
Plenty of vegetables
Spinach
Beans and barley
Microgreens and baby greens
Plenty of fruits
Citrus
Healthy nuts and seeds
Flax seeds
walnuts
Dark Chocolate!
Mushrooms in the diet
Reishi, shiitake, maitake
Supplements
Vitamins
Broad spectrum vitamins
B Complex vitamins
Folic acid
B5 (pantothenic acid) to make CoQA
Vitamin C
Omega 3 fatty acids
Minerals
Magnesium
Calcium
Zinc
Phosphatidylserine
GABA
Herbal therapy – adaptogens help to balance and restore the body
Ashwaganda
Valerian root
Panax Ginseng – most potent for this
Holy Basil
Astragalus root
Rhodiola – suppresses cortisol
Licorice root – use with care as it can increase cortisol