It’s important that you understand what cortisol is in order to be aware of how having too much or not enough cortisol affect your health. Cortisol is a hormone which is produced by your adrenal glands. It can have an effect on different parts of your body.
When you are in a stressful situation, the cortisol levels in your body increase, so that you are better able to deal with the issue you are facing. Cortisol also increases the metabolism of glucose in your body and helps with the control of blood pressure levels. All of these roles should be completed effectively if the cortisol levels in your body are balanced. Problems begin to occur when there is an imbalance.
When is cortisol released in your body?
Let’s start by looking at what normally happens in the body, when it comes to the release of cortisol. The production of cortisol by the adrenal glands is controlled by another gland in your body, the pituitary gland. This gland is only small but has a lot of power, as it controls several different functions in your body. When you take certain actions, such as waking up in the morning, or going for a run, the pituitary gland tells the adrenal glands to release the right amount of cortisol. The same thing happens when you are faced with a stressful situation.
What happens when there is an imbalance of cortisol
As with all hormones, your health can be adversely affected if there is an imbalance of cortisol in your body.
If you have too much cortisol in your body, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Unexplained weight gain, especially on your tummy or face.
- Thinning of the skin which causes wounds to take longer to heal.
- The appearance of facial hair in women which may be accompanied by periods that are irregular.
If you do not have enough cortisol in your body, you may experience symptoms such as:
- Ongoing fatigue
- A feeling of nausea which may be accompanied by vomiting.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Pains in the stomach.
Of course, all of these can be symptoms of other issues. Take a look at sites such as testochecker to see how levels of cortisol are checked.
How cortisol imbalance can be addressed
If you do have too much or too little cortisol in your body, there are things that can be done to help. If you do not have enough cortisol in your body, you may be prescribed corticosteroids by the doctor. These can help with the treatment of certain skin and inflammatory conditions, as well as Addison’s disease.
If you have too much cortisol in your body, there are actions you can take which should help. These actions include:
- Making sure that you sleep for at least 7-9 hours each night.
- Taking exercise such as boxing or jogging to help create the fight or flight response which helps to release cortisol.
- Meditating on a regular basis.
- Making sure that you have plenty of social interaction as a lack of this can cause cortisol levels to increase.
It’s important that any cortisol imbalance is corrected as effectively as possible, so if you have any concerns about the cortisol levels in your body you should seek medical advice.
