Cortisol is produced in the adrenal glands, where it is well known for its relationship to stress. It is release in reaction to danger and initiates the body’s fight-or-flight response. In other words, cortisol prepares the body to fight off a predator or run away from it. For example, you were to come face to face with your crush and no doubt your cortisol level would soar. It would then stimulate an increase in blood sugar and fatty acid levels, blood flow to muscle, strength, blood pressure, heart rate and contractility, pupil becoming smaller (dilation), the opening of airways, mental activity, and your metabolic rate. All this happens so that you can either man up and speak up or you just turn your back and act as if you’re doing something “more important” which we usually do that.
Besides that, cortisol is meant for other acutely stressful situation like dehydration, injury, infection, low blood sugar, or the ingestion of toxins. Although this hormone helps to block the sensation of pain during stressful situations, it also takes the body’s focus away from processes like reproduction, digestion, growth, energy storage, and sleep. So this is why during sports competition, when our opponent accidently bruise us or even cut us, we don’t feel the pain until the end of competition. This is because during competition our body is very stressful on our muscle and the focus is transmitted to our muscle activity rather than a newly bruise or cut during on the competition.
Aside from its role in stress reaction, cortisol influences mood, thoughts, weight, bone density, the immune system, protein production, hormonal balance, and fetal development. It is such an important hormone, in fact, that life cannot continue even one day without it. Cortisol levels are normally at their highest in the morning, helping the body wake up and prepare for the day. They then steadily decline into the evening. By bedtime, the amount of cortisol in the blood is typically low. Interestingly, while the production of other hormones tends to decrease over time, cortisol levels actually tend to increase with age, particularly if you lead a very stressful life.
The truth is that modern stress comes from family issues, work, finances, chronic disease, and other pressures. The problem is that cortisol does not differentiate stressors. Whether the stressor is a real emergency, such as car accident, or a perceived one, such as worrying about what someone thinks of you, the body’s response is the same. Because modern stress affects the body daily, the stress reaction can become chronic. Unfortunately, the body does a poor job of managing chronic stress. Over time, chronic stress can have negative affect on adrenal gland function and lead to hormonal imbalance or something we know as adrenal fatigue syndrome.
Today, the fast pace and heavy demands of work life, family life, and social life put excessive stress on many individuals everyday. Instead of producing cortisol to handle a quick burst of stress and then going back to normal, the body makes more and more of this hormone to deal with these constant worries and pressures. As such, cortisol levels remain elevated throughout the day. Meanwhile, other hormone production is put on the back burner, which creates further hormonal imbalances.
Many harmful effects are associated with chronically elevated cortisol. Remember, cortisol’s job includes ensuring that every stores are ready to use on demand in the face of danger. This increases glucose and fats in the blood stream, which, if allowed to stay elevated, can lead to diabetes or insulin resistance as well as high cholesterol. Unfortunately, glucose is best absorbed by fat cells in the belly, which means that chronically raised cortisol can also cause an increased waistline. Cortisol often steals protein from muscle in Oder to make more glucose, too, resulting in loss of muscle tissues.
SYMPTOMS OF HIGH CORTISOL
The following symptoms area typical of someone with high cortisol levels. IF you have more than half of these symptoms, it is likely that your cortisol production is elevated to an unhealthy degree :
Ultimately, if cortisol can remain elevated, it can lead to an entirely new stage of illness called adrenal fatigue. Here’s a glimpse of adrenal fatigue,
The day starts at 7.30a.m. as you hit the snooze button several times before you can muster enough energy to roll out of the bed. You get up and go through your morning routine, but feel very tired despite the reasonable amount of sleep you just had. Maybe you just aren’t a morning person? (which we always think about it) So you head down to the coffee shop, ordered yourself a cappuccino and sandwich and head back to your comfy office (or home). While at work, you finally feel like you are awake around 10a.m. and once you go through that email and something that needs to be done, but you could just care less. It just takes so much effort to go above and beyond like you used to. Work goes on, having your lunch break (sometime you just skip or feel like eating a few chips because you have indigestion), and then 3.00p.m. hits. You feel like you felt this morning, so you reach for a chocolate bar or maybe an energy drink to get through the workday. After dinner, though, you are feeling surprisingly good. You watch a few shows to get into sleep mode. It’s 10.00p.m. now and you’re tired, but something tells you it’s not time yet. So you scroll through your phone and you’ve been hooked on and before you know it, it’s 1.00a.m.! Oh well, maybe tomorrow you’ll get it through.
Here's another example why we grow pimples during high cortisol level:
So for the next situation is after a long term stress that you’ve been through and your cortisol levels have been depleted throughout both night and day. If you have more than half of the following symptoms, it is likely that you have already gone through the first two stages and are now suffering from adrenal fatigue:
The fact is that the best prescriptions for stress relief is not a pill, but rather lifestyle changes and coping skills. There are, however, some supplements that can also help the adrenal glands to regain proper function and balance. (we will see that on the case study)