So to start with, what is cortisol?
Cortisol is known as the fight or flight hormone, and is released by the adrenal glands in times of high stress and/or emergency. In Hunter-Gatherer times, the ‘fight or flight’ response was activated when fleeing from a dangerous situation, such as being chased by a wild animal. Cortisol is released into the bloodstream which in turn boosts the blood sugar levels and gives your body a small injection of energy to help you cope with the danger. Once the danger or stressor is removed, the adrenals will stop pumping out cortisol and the body will return to a state of calm (maintaining homeostasis). But what if we feel like we are in a state of constant stress? The adrenals continue to pump out more cortisol than the body can cope with over an extended period of time, creating an imbalance. After all, it’s meant to be a short-term solution, rather than an ongoing solution.
People try to fix their symptoms by drinking coffee or alcohol, or taking other upper or downers – and instead of fixing it, they exacerbate the problem. People don’t tend to realise that coffee raises cortisol, causing a state of stress and fight or flight. This is why we often feel a surge of energy, and sometime a bit ‘nervous’ after a cup of coffee. We get an energy surge, but at what cost? If cortisol is chronically elevated what effect does that have on Endocrine balance?
High Cortisol equates to low sex hormones
Typically if we are not in a state of stress, the body will utilise cholesterol and transition pregnenolone and progesterone into both cortisol AND the sex hormones such as DHEA, estrogen, and testosterone.
When our body is under high stress, the body feels that it needs to create more cortisol and it does so through an action known as ‘Pregnenolone steal’. The body uses its innate intelligence to determine that it can’t rest & repair as it is under a stressful ‘attack’. In this way it will funnel all of the pregnenolone and progesterone into producing cortisol, resulting in a lack of sex hormones. The imbalance of having high in cortisol and not producing enough sex hormones, means that we may experience several unpleasant signs and symptoms including:
- Low libido
- Exacerbating menopausal and PMS symptoms
- Impacting these hormones can affect our mood and cause depression and/or anxiety
- Amenorrhea (missing period)
Liver and pancreas affected
The liver and pancreas can also be directly affected. The liver is responsible for removing hormones that are in excess and no longer needed and so ongoing and elevated hormone levels, such as in the case of cortisol means that the liver has a high workload and will cause dysfunction over time. Elevated and excess cortisol blocks the receptor cells of the pancreas and the liver pathways and prevents insulin from doing its job properly. This creates a new problem for the pancreas, making it secrete more insulin, leading to high insulin levels. High cortisol can also lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease due to the over activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary adrenal axis.
Adrenal fatigue
Chronically elevated levels of cortisol can also result in adrenal exhaustion over time. Essentially, after an extended period of ongoing stress and high cortisol release from the adrenal glands, the body stops producing enough cortisol. The symptoms of adrenal exhaustion/fatigue vary from person to person and include:
- Depression
- Obesity
- Low Progesterone and other sex hormones
So how can we reduce our cortisol levels and in effect all the dysfunction that comes with it? Essentially we need to reduce stress and let our body heal as much as possible. You can help yourself in the following ways:
- Try to reduce the daily work stress. Is there a way of reducing your work stress? Make a daily plan, not take on too much, not over-commit.
- Take time out for you, whether it’s a walk at lunch, eating mindfully, reading a book or creating some art. It’s important to take out time for yourself and relax, with no pressure. Maybe Netflix is your way of relaxing.
- Get plenty of sleep. Not sleeping creates a stress on the body, as you’re unable to recharge and recuperate. Sleeping is when healing occurs so it’s super important. Being well rested will also ensure that you’re not grabbing a coffee and continually spiking your cortisol.
- Food and drinks, they can be stressors too. From alcohol to caffeine and processed and refined foods. By eating whole foods, that heal the body, not stress the body, you’ll be helping your adrenals.
- Relationships – nurture the relationships that give you joy. Let go of those relationships that bring you down.
- Lifestyle – overall it’s important to review your current lifestyle and think about the ways that you can reduce overall stress and stressors to help you deal with the day to day in a way that your body will thank you for.