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Cortisol is a hormone made by the two adrenal glands (one located on each kidney) and it is essential for life. Cortisol helps to maintain blood pressure, immune function and the body’s anti-inflammatory processes. Located inside the brain, the pituitary gland regulates the amount of cortisol released by the adrenal glands.

The role of cortisol in the body…

Cortisol can:

• help the body to manage stress

• convert protein into glucose to boost flagging blood sugar levels

• work in tandem with the hormone insulin to maintain constant blood sugar levels

• reduce inflammation

• contribute to the maintenance of constant blood pressure

• contribute to the workings of the immune system.

The cortisol hormone is a key player in your body’s timeless fight or flight stress response and vital for supplying energy - fast! Cortisol stimulates the release of glucose, fats and amino acids into the bloodstream to meet those demands.

But… too much of it for too long is a recipe for disaster!

Today, each of us responds to stress on an almost non-stop basis. Issues dealing with family, money, your job, deadlines, bills, traffic, noise, rushing here and there… you get the picture. Your switch is always ON pumping out needless cortisol hormone!

If you live with a lot of pressure or are routinely being challenged in any way, it’s quite alarming to know how this little stress hormone is affecting your health in a BIG way!

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid and one of the primary stress hormones. Production is stimulated within the endocrine system’s hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Secretion comes from the adrenal glands, which sit just above the kidneys.

Ironically named the master “stress” hormone, cortisol regulates the way your body uses various fuel sources and is essential for recouping energy following stress.

Normal cortisol hormone levels tend to follow a 24-hour circadian rhythm. The lowest level being at night during sleep that gradually increases to when you need to wake up and get moving. The high cortisol levels present in early morning rapidly drop off and then continue to decline for the remainder of the day.

Under ideal conditions, your cortisol levels should be neither consistently high nor low, but fluctuate in a fairly rhythmic pattern. A cortisol rhythm that is keeping balance, adjusting to BOTH stress and relaxation is most desirable and considered a healthy response.

Cortisol and Stress

Unfortunately, a “normal” day for most people is a far cry from what you would call “ideal”. In the real world, your day is more likely than not, to include a fair amount of distress... sometimes a LOT!

Factors such as emotional and physical stressors, exercise, lack of sleep, illness, injury, hunger, dieting, anxiety and depression, estrogen hormone therapy, or pregnancy can raise your cortisol hormone levels—so can mild stimulants such as caffeine.

Scientific and medical evidence clearly show that persistent elevated cortisol is associated with chronic health conditions such as:

• Obesity

• Heart disease

• Depression/anxiety

• Alzheimer’s disease

• Diabetes

• Osteoporosis

• Fibromyalgia

• Chronic fatigue syndrome

Those who have hectic lifestyles and who are under pressure - always feeling rushed, eating a diet of fast food and not getting enough sleep or exercise are prime candidates for having an overexposure to cortisol.

Your body was designed to respond to stress very quickly by using up that surge of fats, sugars, and protein for fuel. Stress hormones were meant to come onto the scene and immediately get depleted - NOT get stored and stick around!

High Cortisol Symptoms

As mentioned, the cortisol hormone maintains the important role in the body’s metabolism of regulating blood sugar, fatty acids and proteins.

A term, metabolic syndrome has been given for people suffering the effects of cortisol overload. They can be recognized by their apple-shaped accumulation of stored abdominal fat.

Other symptoms that stress-cortisol hormone levels may be too high:

• Increased appetite and food cravings

• Rapid weight gain

• Increased body fat

• Decreased muscle mass

• Decreased bone density

• Mood swings – irritability and anger

• Increased anxiety and depression

• Reduced sex drive

• Impaired immune system

• Learning and memory impairment

• Increased PMS and menopausal symptoms

• Irregular menstrual periods

• Hypertension

• Insomnia

• Headaches

• Ulcers

• Fatigue

Addison's disease is a condition in which you do not make enough cortisol and other hormones in your adrenal glands. Various symptoms develop if the cortisol level becomes too low. A very low cortisol level can be life-threatening.

If the level of cortisol falls to become very low you can become very ill in a short time. This is called an Addisonian crisis. In this situation symptoms include: severe vomiting and diarrhea, pains in the back and abdomen, dehydration, low blood pressure, and collapse. You may become severely ill and may die if the cause of the symptoms is not diagnosed and treated quickly.

An Addisonian crisis may suddenly develop after a period of less severe symptoms (described above). The crisis is often triggered by another illness such as an infection, or a stress such as a surgical operation. During these times your body needs extra cortisol. But, if you have Addison's disease you cannot make extra cortisol, and you may then quickly develop these crisis symptoms. In some cases an Addisonian crisis develops when there have not been any previous symptoms.

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