Stress symptoms: manage your cortisol level | cerascreen

Have you noticed unexplained weight gain recently? Do you wake up exhausted even after a full night’s sleep? Perhaps you feel anxious for no apparent reason, or your mind races when you’re trying to relax. These frustrating symptoms might all point to one common culprit: high cortisol levels.

Nowadays, elevated cortisol has become surprisingly common. Our physical bodies were not programmed to be stressed all the time, have endless lists of tasks, and always be connected. But that is what many of us have to deal with in our day-to-day lives.

However, the best thing is that knowing about cortisol and how to control it without medication can change your health. In this blog, we are going to learn what cortisol is, why yours may be high, and what action steps you can start taking today.

Cortisol: Our Body’s Alarm System

Cortisol is commonly referred to as the stress hormone, which is an oversimplified term to describe its purpose. This is a vital hormone that is produced by your adrenal glands during the day. Consider it the in-built alarm system and energy control system of your body.

Cortisol has essential roles in a healthy quantity. It provides you with vigour to get up each morning. It throws your mind into focus when you have to perform. Besides, it aids in the regulation of blood sugar, blood pressure and inflammation.

Nevertheless, this alarm system is always activated by modern life. There is a constant pressure on the work deadlines and finances, family situation and international news. More frequently, your body reacts and produces more cortisol.

Once the stress is chronic, your cortisol rhythm is interrupted. The levels remain high when they are not. This maintained high level brings about a chain effect of health issues. The body just could not be built to be in permanent emergency mode.

Why reason why your cortisol levels remain high

Chronic stress tops the list. Your stress response continues to be on due to the work pressures, financial concerns, and relationship tensions. Your body is not able to distinguish between a real threat and everyday worries. The bad sleep habits are also a trigger of cortisol. To the body, when you lack sufficient rest, it will be considered as stress. Also, staying late destabilises your natural cortisol rhythm.

Poor dietary habits make a major contribution as well. Too much caffeine, sugar and processed food causes the release of cortisol. Moreover, meal skipping leads to blood sugar crashes which strain your body. Physical inactivity is also a contributory factor. Your body cannot get rid of accumulated stress because of sedentary lifestyles. Simultaneously, excessive training without sufficient rest also peaks cortisol.
The environmental factors should not be neglected. There is always noise, increased exposure to artificial light, and inflammatory toxins to add to your stress load.

Symptoms of High Cortisol in Women & Men

There are certain signs that women tend to show in case cortisol is high. Knowing these symptoms will enable you to detect the issue in time.
Gaining weight around the waist is typical. This is due to the fact that high cortisol levels build up fat in your abdominal region hence this is termed a cortisol belly. Your arms and legs may remain skinny in the meantime. Irregular periods are probably common with high cortisol levels. Your menopause becomes erratic or ceases altogether. Moreover, the symptoms of PMS tend to deteriorate considerably.

Many women experience persistent fatigue even after sleep. You get up feeling fatigued and work hard. But, strange as it was, you may get wired at night. Change in skin also becomes apparent. There is increased flare-up of acne. Your skin can easily get bruised or take a long to heal up after minor injuries. The sustained presence of cortisol increases mood swings and anxiety. You may be grumpy, stressed out or always restless. Symptoms of depression may also come up or become severe.
The other typical symptoms are a loss of bone density, immunosuppression, and loss of libido. Cases of hair thinning and sugar cravings are common as well.

Natural Strategies: The Natural Drops in Cortisol

The good news? Cortisol can be minimised by the mere change in lifestyle. These are the effective time-tested techniques.

1. Give Priority to Quality Sleep

Sleep has a direct influence on cortisol. Target the seven to nine hours per day. Establish a pre-sleep ritual that informs your body to relax. Make your bedroom room cool, silent and dark. Do not sit in front of the screen two hours before going to sleep. In its place, some light stretching or reading is attempted as a form of relaxation exercise.
Always observe normal wake and sleep patterns even during weekends. This assists in correcting the amount of normal cortisol in your body.

2. Practice Mindful Movement

Exercise is good for dealing with stress. Nevertheless, nature and strength are important. Soft methods such as yoga and tai chi are effective. They are combined with breathing attention moving your nervous system. Moreover, they do not overtax your body which is already strained.
Nature walking is very advantageous. Movement, fresh air and natural environment reduce cortisol. In case of high cortisol, do not engage in too many high-intensity activities. They can in fact add to the stress hormones. Balance is key.

3. Nourish Your Body Wisely

Production of cortisol is very much dependent on diet. Focus on raw and nutritious foods that control sugar in the blood. Add plenty of colourful vegetables and fruits. These include antioxidants which combat stress induced inflammation. The advantages of berries and leafy greens as well as citrus fruits are particularly beneficial.

Eat protein with every meal. This keeps the blood sugar levels normal and prevents the spikes of cortisol.
Good examples include fish, eggs, legumes and nuts.Limit caffeine intake especially after noon. Even though such a coffee might appear necessary, it stimulates the production of cortisol. Try herbal teas instead. Restrict fructose and simple sugars. These lead to the ups and downs of sugar levels which puts strain on your body. Prefer more complicated carbohydrates, e.g. whole grains and sweet potatoes.

4. Introducing Stress-Reducing Practices

Relaxation practices are a big difference on a daily basis. Even five minutes make a difference when done regularly. Your parasympathetic nervous system is turned on with deep breathing exercises. You only need to practise this basic trick: count four inhaling, four-count hold, six-count exhale. Do this many times in your day.

Meditation does not have to be complex. It is as simple as sitting and thinking, which will decrease cortisol. Begin with only five minutes a day. Laughter truly is medicine. Watch a comedy, put yourself in the company of people who make you smile. Stress hormones are reduced instantly by laughter.

Moving Forward

Millions of people are impacted by high cortisol, yet it does not need to dictate your life. You can create a balance by knowing its causes and applying natural solutions. The practices we have discussed are synergistic. Healthier sleep enhances the resistance to stress. Less stress improves the quality of sleep. Both are favourable to proper nutrition.
Begin with what you have, and do what you can. Even minor actions toward stress management have an impact. Given the appropriate support, your body can do wonders to be healed.