Cortisol
aka "The stress hormone"
Am I right in thinking that it’s basically common knowledge at this point that stress is detrimental to our (physical) health? All mental/emotional challenges manifest in the physical body too. Unfortunately, hormonal balance is anything but immune to the power of stress 😩.
You can eat the most nutrient dense diet, incorporate all the right kinds of physical activity, limit toxin exposure, etc. but if you’re chronically stressed your hormonal balance will suffer and you may experience unwanted perimenopausal and PMS symptoms, blood sugar imbalance, infertility, digestive issues, poor sleep, weight loss resistance, etc. And these are just in the short term! The impact of long-term chronic stress is evident in later onset diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer, cardiovascular dysfunction, etc.
Cortisol is not all bad! It’s a hormone created and released by our bodies that is essential for all kinds of activites. We start our days with cortisol as it’s what helps wake us up and get out of bed ⏰. One of the main things cortisol does is regulate our stress response. I’ve spoken before about “fight or flight” mode and elevated cortisol is what triggers this state 🏃♀️.
Why elevated cortisol is detrimental to hormone balance
🐌 It slows digestion (which can lead to constipation)
📈It increases fat storage (because we’re going to need that energy to run for our lives)
🚨It disrupts our sleep (and therefore our body’s natural detoxification process is hindered)
🎢 It messes with our blood sugar balance (which leads to insulin resistance)
☠️It kills good gut bacteria and weakens the gut lining (thereby compromising our immune system)
All of the points listed above can lead to estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance is something I talk about nearly every week in this newsletter because it is so often the culprit behind PMS and perimenopausal symptoms, PCOS, endometriosis, infertility, etc. Furthermore, when the body is under stress it converts another hormone: testosterone into estrogen. Thereby creating even more estrogen floating around in the body!
The above are just a handful of the negative consequences of elevated cortisol but to add insult to injury, low cortisol is detrimental too! As a result of long-term stress our cortisol levels can actually become too low and then feelings of fatique and depression set in. Low cortisol often manifests as constantly feeling drained and lacking motivation 😞.
Does any of this sound familiar? Feel free to comment below or via DM.
Warm regards,
Donelle