Caution: 10 signs of high Cortisol levels!

Today`s life is extremely stressful – job responsibilities, deadlines and personal commitments and any kind of personal duties. Therefore it is very important to be able to rest well and to accept calmly what we do not like it. In this article Caution: 10 signs of high Cortisol levels! we will show you how important is to keep calm and to live a healthy lifestyle.

Everyone knows what it feels to be under stress, but only few people are aware of what reactions causes the negative experiences and emotions in our body.

When you’re stressed, the hypothalamus – the supreme center of the autonomic nervous system begins to alert other organs and systems in the body with signals.

This causes some nerve and hormonal reactions as a result of which the adrenal glands begin to secrete hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.

What is cortisol and what does it do? Cortisol meaning

Cortisol is a steroid hormone, or more precisely – a glucocorticoid, which is secreted by the adrenal cortex. All we need cortisol to live, but we need to have this hormone in normal levels.

Benefits of the release of small amounts of cortisol in the body are:

• it helps the body to control stress.
• cortisol is involved in the regulation of blood pressure.
• it is involved in the regulation of blood sugar and transforming sugar and fat into energy.
• the hormone cortisole is important for proper function of the immune system.

Maintaining high levels of cortisol, however, can lead to very negative consequences. If this condition continues for a longer period of time the so called Cushing’s syndrome can be developed.

Cushing’s syndrome

A metabolic disorder caused by overproduction of corticosteroid hormones by the adrenal cortex and often involving obesity and high blood pressure.

Some of the reasons for the development of Cushing’s syndrome are:

• chronic stress
• malfunctioning of the adrenal glands that produce increased amounts of cortisol
• taking steroid medications
• alcohol abuse
• severe depression

High levels of cortisol (Cushing’s syndrome) – Symptoms

1. Mood swings. Irritability, depression and anxiety more intensely and more often than usual. It is quite normal to feel emotionally bad sometimes. But if these conditions are becoming more intense, it is very likely to result from long-term effects of cortisol on the synthesis of serotonin and dopamine.
2. Digestive problems. The high cortisol distorts the production of the enzymes necessary for digestion of food and reduces the absorption of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. It was found that stress is counted among the top causes digestive system is not a functioning properly.
3. Heart disease and hypertension. The too stressful lifestyle can lead to increased blood pressure levels and increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
4. Sleep problems. Usually, the synthesis of cortisol is increased in the morning when you have to be fresh and energetic. But people whose adrenal glands produce more cortisol than necessary feel tired in the morning and are very energetic in the evening.
5. Weight gain. Cortisol is a potent stimulator of appetite and also increases the desire for sweets. The high concentrations of cortisol in the body for a prolonged period of time increase the desire to eat oily (fatty) and sweet foods in large quantities.
6. Premature skin aging and wrinkles. High levels of cortisol dehydrate the skin, which naturally – leads to premature formation of wrinkles.

Common symptoms of high cortisol levels:

• Backache and neck
• increased susceptibility to infections due to weakened immune defenses in women
• facial hair in women
• the appearance of stretch marks with a pink hue (like stretch marks that appear during pregnancy)

How to reduce the overproduction of cortisol and lower the high cortisol levels?

Reduce the caffeine! It was found that about 200 mg of caffeine increased cortisol levels in blood by 30%. If you are passionate coffee lovers, try for at while, for two weeks for example, to replace it with something else. This will determine if caffeine actually affects the cortisol levels in your body.

Sleep more! Go to bed earlier! Try as often as you can to go to bed no later than 22 pm., It is very important for your body to be at sleep between 22:00 and 00:00! Quality night’s rest decreases the secretion of cortisol and restores all organs and systems in the body.

Keep your blood sugar stable! You will need to stop your eating and start to eat less, more often and in fixed hours of the day.

Give up refined sugar, “fast” carbohydrates, sugar-sweetened beverages, products from white flour and all sorts of chips, pretzels, cookies, waffles and under.

Let your diet consist of a balanced combination of protein, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Warning: diet rich in complex carbohydrates keeps cortisol levels much lower than any low-carb diet!

Take fluids! Drink a lot, a lot, a lot of water! And one important detail: drinking a glass of water in the morning immediately after getting up and a cup in the evening – just before bedtime, greatly helps to maintain low levels of cortisol!

Anti-stress, high cortisol levels lowering supplements.

The most effective against high cortisol supplements are:

Group B vitamins

Magnesium

Zinc

Chromium

Vitamin C

Alpha-lipoic acid

Grape seed extract

Coenzyme Q10

Learn more about Cortisol vs Cortisone – Meaning, Definiton, Function & Effects on Body

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