Should You Be Concerned About Cortisol?
Lindsay Knake
| 4 min read
Medically reviewed by Dr. Kristyn Gregory
While you may associate cortisol with bad stress, it’s a hormone essential to your body functioning in a healthy way. Trends and posts on social media blame cortisol for a host of problems, including fatigue and puffy faces, and promote diets and wellness drinks to lower your levels. But is this necessary and healthy?
Let’s take a look at what cortisol is, when it is unhealthy and what you should focus on when it comes to health and stress.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a naturally occurring hormone produced and released by your adrenal glands. It is essential for your body to regulate your circadian rhythm, metabolism, immune system response and blood pressure. This hormone affects nearly every major organ.
It is known as a stress hormone because it also helps your body stay alert after the initial “fight, flight, freeze or fawn” response, kicked off by the hormone adrenaline. Cortisol levels are highest about 45 minutes after waking to help you get your day started, and then they drop throughout the day, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
When you experience stress, your cortisol levels will rise again and then return to normal levels when the threat or perceived threat is gone. Chronic stress can keep cortisol levels elevated, and this can cause health challenges. When you experience ongoing stress, you can experience:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Digestive problems
- Cardiovascular disease
- Headaches
- Memory problems
- Muscle tension
- Sleep problems
- Weight gain
Focus on managing stress instead of cortisol
Everyone experiences periods of stress. If you have any of the above symptoms for weeks without relief, talk to your primary care provider (PCP). Your PCP can discuss your symptoms and habits and recommend any health screenings and treatment.
While elevated levels of cortisol can cause conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome, this is extremely rare and affects only 40 to 70 people in a million, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Most people don’t need to worry about cortisol levels. Focus instead on reducing stress through tried-and-true methods rather than hacks. That is easier said than done as stress from relationships, work and finances aren’t always a simple fix. However, there are things you can do to help:
Sleep and rest
Getting enough quality sleep and rest gives your body the chance to recover. Create healthy sleep routines and avoid caffeine after midday. Also consider giving yourself and your family evenings or weekend days without a packed schedule as spending time doing nothing can also help reduce stress.
Eat a nutritious diet
Eating a balanced diet with fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and lean protein is a foundation of physical and mental health. The Mediterranean diet, for example, may reduce inflammatory biomarkers, according to a study.
A Mediterranean diet includes:
- Whole grains, fruits and vegetables
- Healthy fats such as olive oil and avocados
- Lean proteins such as beans and fish and limited red meat
- Plenty of water
Exercise
Go for a daily walk or run, take an exercise class, do a yoga session or play a sport to reduce stress and improve your physical and mental health. Getting exercise outdoors has added benefits; being in nature is linked to lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression; decreased blood pressure; and lower heart rate.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and two muscle-strengthening activities each week.
Mindfulness and meditation
The moment-to-moment awareness of mindfulness and meditation practices have long been linked to better mental and physical health and well-being, according to the American Psychological Association. Whether it is going for a mindful walk, writing in a journal, a classic meditation or a breathwork practice, finding your preferred way of practicing mindfulness can help reduce stress.
Talk to a professional
If you experience ongoing stress and have difficulty managing it, talk to your primary care provider or a mental health professional. Therapy can help you learn about the root causes of stress and how to set boundaries or make changes to improve your well-being.
Image: Getty Images
Related:
