To answer the question of what are cortisol blockers, you need to figure out whether it is actually harmful, what is its role in the body. Cortisol, in principle, is not so scary for ordinary people. Here, with whom he is not friends, it is with athletes. This hormone is almost the main enemy of bodybuilders. Negative processes occurring in the body are attributed to its action. Let's figure it out together.
Ancestral Reaction
Cortisol is called the stress hormone. It is synthesized by the adrenal cortex. When does its development occur and why? The oldest reaction of an organism inherited from our very distant ancestors is the release of this hormone into the bloodstream. This happened exactly when they had stress at the time of the attack of the beast or the enemy, and also in the fight against the elements.
During stress, hormone production occurred, and he was responsible for the rush of blood to muscle tissue and its outflow from other organs. As a result, the person became sturdier and stronger in the fight. Naturally, our ancestors were not interested in cortisol blockers, and they did not suspect that they needed them. Everything was simpler for them, having received a signal in the brain that stress had passed, the body began to synthesize enzymes that remove cortisol from the blood.
About the need for blockers
When the hormone cortisol is in its normal physiological values, it regulates the interaction of body systems and is an effective anti-inflammatory agent. By the way, if the body did not produce cortisol at all, this could lead to death under the influence of any injury. And now is the time to understand why cortisol blockers are needed if it is so important for the body.
Recently, people have been talking about the hormone in the circles of people who are related to sports. The focus was on the fact that this hormone harms the body of a person engaged in fitness or bodybuilding. Therefore, drugs that block the release of cortisol have become very popular. However, before acquiring a particular cortisol blocker in a pharmacy, you must familiarize yourself with the instructions for its use.
Physical stress
In addition to conflicting and emotional life situations, there is such a thing as physical stress. The intense release of the hormone into the blood occurs, as we found out, under stress. Physical stress occurs when:
- excessive training volume, that is, the work "to wear";
- long cardio workouts;
- too long and heavy loads;
- poor nutrition, lack of protein, severe hunger;
- unhealthy night sleep.
In all of these situations, cortisol is released into the blood and muscle tissue breaks down into glucose and amino acids. Thus, cortisol is trying to replenish the system with energy, with the help of which the problem that caused stress can be resolved. Now it’s clear why cortisol blockers are needed. Thanks to blockers, the release of cortisol into the blood is reduced and, as a result, its concentration in the blood. This will be an obstacle to the breakdown of muscle tissue.
Cortisol Work Under Stress
If stress is constantly present in a person’s life, in addition to muscle destruction, cortisol harms the entire body: the immune system weakens, headaches and heartaches occur. In this situation, the use of blockers will be justified. We are talking about people involved in active sports who work for a result that is important to them. The body of an average person, not physically overloaded, is able to cope with stress by developing the enzymes he needs. The main thing is less nervous.
Natural Remedies - Cortisol Blockers
As it was found above, cortisol appears in the blood in elevated amounts during stressful situations. All kinds of relaxing techniques and listening to soothing melodies can be attributed to natural remedies that can help withstand stress or get out of it. Stressful situations at work can be avoided by creating a friendly and supportive atmosphere in the team. As you know, laughter and positive emotions do more good than sadness.
The body should not experience hunger, which is stress. Means should be allotted time for food and snacks. The issue of sleep and wakefulness should be addressed. A person who has not slept is more prone to irritation, which means stress. Food must contain omega-3 acids and vitamin C.
It is clear that by avoiding additional physical activity and negative emotions, it is possible to prevent excessive production of cortisol by the body.
Medicines
If you start from the fact that an athlete is a bodybuilder, and he fights with every gram of subcutaneous fat, it makes sense to do this with medications. Cortisol blockers inhibit catabolism after exercise. For bodybuilding, drugs prevent muscle breakdown. Thanks to blockers and specialized supplements, muscle loss after a course of steroids will be reduced. They also tend to act on adipose tissue without loss of muscle mass. From the available funds and inexpensive anabolics, one can distinguish:
- fast protein;
- leucine;
- protein-carbohydrate food;
- ascorbic acid;
- Relora is a vegetarian supplement based on Magnolia and Phellodendron extract.
The market of sports nutrition and pharmacology is saturated with a large number of drugs and nutritional supplements that inhibit the production of the hormone cortisol and reduce its negative effect on bodybuilders. It is in bodybuilding that this hormone restrains the set of muscle mass, and drugs allow you to save muscle from its destructive effect.
Cortisol blockers
What applies to them? These are serious drugs that are in great demand among professionals, such as Metirapon, Trilostan, Ketoconazole, Aminoglutetimide, Clenbuterol. By acting on the adrenal cortex, they inhibit the production of cortisol. In addition, they are also used in the treatment of fungus and oncology.
Anabolic steroids are drugs that increase testosterone in the blood but have a lot of side effects in such areas and systems as the psyche, cardiovascular activity, and the reproductive system.
Phosphatidylserine is not a chemical compound, but a natural cortisol blocker found in meat, fish and beef brains. A small amount is found in dairy products. This drug is a food supplement. After taking phosphatidylserine an hour before training, the level of cortisol drops by 25-30%. The drug copes with the function of suppressing the secretion of cortisol. In addition, it promotes the absorption of amino acids and is used after the completion of steroids, so that there is no collapse of the "mass". Athletes use Cortislim, Cortidrem, Cortibarn and other complex fat burners as sports supplements.
What is fraught with non-medical prescription of drugs?
It is not worth experimenting with drugs such as cortisol blockers without consulting a doctor or a fitness club specialist in the field of bodybuilding. The result of self-medication can be unexpected and deplorable.
Without analyzes confirming the excess of cortisol in the blood, it is impossible to assess the changes occurring in the body by its effect. It should be understood that blockers have side effects (discussed above) that can shift the hormonal background of a person. A drug has not yet been created that would not give complications to the human body. That is, when taking pills of various classifications of cortisol blockers, people should understand all the risks associated with this.
Summing up the above, we can safely say that such a hormone as cortisol is not an enemy of the human body. But, due to the constant stresses that each of us in the modern world is subject to, cortisol turns into the internal enemy of the person with whom he fights. No matter how strange it may sound in the context of this article, a good mood will be the best cortisol blocker.