It is important for every person to know what cortisol is and how to influence its level. Why it rises, especially during pregnancy or during stressful situations.
What is the hormone cortisol responsible for?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that is produced by the adrenal glands and is carried with blood throughout the body. Activation of the hormone occurs when stress occurs, when it is necessary to make the right decision to control the situation. It stimulates the brain, focuses to overcome the situation.
If it is not possible to solve the problem in a short time, then the cortisol level remains elevated for a long time and can cause significant harm to the body.
What is cortisol for?
What is cortisol? It is commonly called the stress hormone, because it is produced during the onset of unusual situations. It helps regulate metabolic processes in the body, activates the brain and helps the immune system.
During the period of stress, the hormone prevents the drop in blood pressure. Therefore, in such cases, it will not be able to achieve low rates. Cortisol has an effect on blood vessels and constricts them. Therefore, blood pressure rises. When hunger occurs, it is cortisol that helps maintain the necessary level of glucose in the blood.
Why is cortisol called the hormone of death?
Some experts call cortisol the death hormone. Usually, its increase occurs under severe stress.
During this period, the human body begins to work within its capabilities, which can hypothetically lead to death with a prolonged increase in hormone levels.
How to lower cortisol levels? Can an increase in hormone levels really lead to such dire consequences? Its release into the blood is one of the oldest reactions of the body to a change in the environment.
The reaction of the body to stress in the form of the release of cortisol into the blood leads to the appearance of the following:
- decreases the activity of the immune system;
- cognitive functions are inhibited;
- for greater energy production, an accelerated breakdown of proteins and carbohydrates occurs.
As a result, the body quickly becomes fatigued, the work of the heart and blood vessels is disrupted, and the protective functions of the body are reduced. In some cases, with a prolonged increase in cortisol levels, memory impairment and depression may occur.
The main causes of increased cortisol
There are several reasons that can cause increased production of cortisol:
- Constant stressful situations make the human body work to the limit, which causes the use of all available reserves.
- Increased physical activity.
- The use of coffee in large quantities leads to an increase in cortisol by 1/3.
- Prolonged fasting or unbalanced nutrition. In this case, the glucose level decreases, and the level of cortisol increases. Such processes can occur with a strict diet.
The interconnected effect of many factors leads to an increase in cortisol levels.
How does the body respond to increased levels of cortisol?
How to lower cortisol levels? An increase in hormone levels results in the following symptoms and predispositions:
- A high level of cortisol leads to a decrease in muscle mass.
- There is an increase in body weight, since an increase in the level of the hormone leads to a change in addictions towards sweet food.
- Fat deposition occurs in the abdomen, which turns the figure into an apple shape. This is especially noticeable when cortisol is elevated in women.
- If there is an increase in the level of the hormone, then the production of insulin under its influence becomes much lower. This leads to type 2 diabetes.
- Potency impairment in men occurs due to the influence of high levels of cortisol on the production of male hormone - testosterone.
- There is a decrease in immunity.
- Increased hormone levels contribute to an increase in heart rate. Therefore, there is a risk of strokes and heart attacks.
- There is nervousness and irritability, because cortisol exacerbates all body reactions.
- Flatulence or diarrhea occurs, sometimes inflammation of the mucous membrane of the large intestine occurs.
- Frequent urination, especially in men, is caused by inflammation of the prostate.
- An increase in cortisol can lead to the development of osteoporosis.
High cortisol is subject to correction, because there may be disturbances in the work of many organs.
Lowering hormone levels in the body
What is the hormone cortisol responsible for? In the body, a decrease in its production may occur, which can cause the following processes in the body to occur:
- kidney function is impaired;
- if you are on a strict diet, there is a sharp weight loss;
- decreased pituitary function;
- there is a drop in the production of basic hormones;
- there is a tuberculous process.
A prolonged lack of this hormone can lead to the following pathologies:
- weight loss;
- low blood pressure that occurs with small physical exertion;
- headaches, sometimes dizziness;
- lack of appetite;
- occasional diarrhea or constipation;
- Depression
- irritability.
What is the danger of stress hormone in women?
The main problem of reducing or increasing the level of cortisol in women is violations in the sexual sphere. During pregnancy, an increase in hormone levels is considered normal, in other cases, this leads to a change in the nature of the discharge during menstruation. In some cases, infertility or polycystic ovaries may occur.
A variety of diets that lead to hormonal imbalance can affect the level of cortisol in women.
Having refused fat and carbohydrates, passing on protein food, the woman gets into a state of stress. In this case, the level of cortisol rises, which leads to fat deposits in the abdomen and face. With diets, a violation of the mineral balance also occurs.
To avoid such problems, you must follow a balanced diet, which will contain in sufficient quantities fats, proteins and carbohydrates.
When a woman's cortisol is elevated, it can be returned to the correct norm, if you find out the exact cause of the deviation.
The danger of increased cortisol in athletes
High levels of the hormone in men can lead to the destruction of muscle mass. At the same time, blood pressure rises and blood moves glucose to the brain. Adrenaline rises.
Increased levels of cortisol can cause athletes a constant feeling of fatigue and chronic stress. Metabolism slows down.
All these processes can cause fat deposits in the abdomen in men and in the thighs in women.
Regular excess of the duration of physical activity does not lead to an increase in muscle mass and normalization of the figure, but to the opposite effect.
How to lower cortisol levels? So that the level of cortisol in athletes does not change, it is necessary to balance nutrition and normalize the intensity of physical activity.
Analysis Features
To determine the level of cortisol in the blood, the analysis is carried out in the morning, up to 10 hours. The results of the analyzes are influenced by: emotional state, chronic diseases, food intake and alcohol.
Two weeks before the analysis, you must stop taking alcohol and drugs. The analysis can be carried out several times to exclude false research results.
With normal test scores, problems with the adrenal glands are not completely ruled out. Additionally assigned: ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.
In an adult, the level of the hormone is considered normal at a concentration of 145 to 600 nmol / liter. In children under 16 years old - 85-500 nmol / liter.
This difference is caused by the acquisition in adulthood of various chronic diseases and pathologies.
The specialist prescribes hormone therapy; in rare cases, surgery on the adrenal glands is used. The most commonly prescribed drugs are Prednisone or Dexamethasone.
In addition to taking medications, you can normalize cortisol using other methods.
How to normalize indicators?
How to lower cortisol levels? There are several ways to reduce elevated hormone levels:
- normalize the duration of physical activity;
- balance nutrition with the exception of coffee, alcohol and fast carbohydrates, and add fats and slow carbohydrates to the diet;
- prevention of stressful situations;
- positive emotions;
- taking supplements to lower hormone levels;
- night rest should be at least 8 hours;
- inclusion of vitamins and amino acids in food.
Feeling hungry is not recommended. If there is a skipping meal, be sure to use small snacks. You can use nuts, dried fruits. Eat these foods before the onset of hunger, because in the opposite case, no prevention will work.
It is necessary to follow the advice of experts on proper nutrition, move more and walk on foot, which will help reduce the level of cortisol in the blood.
Sports exercises in human life must be present, but do not devote much time to training. After all, exhausting physical activity can not always bring benefits to the body, and in some cases can harm.
To reduce the level of cortisol, it is necessary to use vitamin C, which is able to positively affect the metabolism and increase immunity.
Reduced or increased levels of cortisol in the blood of women and men are equally dangerous, so you need to lead a healthy lifestyle and eat right.