There are times when most of us experience nagging questions that pique our curiosity when it comes to weight gain, fatigue, appetite, and many other health-related conditions. We’ve outlined some vital information about cortisol, what it is, how it works and, most importantly, how we can work on decreasing our stress levels.
What is cortisol? According to WebMD, cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone. Your adrenal glands (located at the top of your kidneys) make cortisol. This important hormone helps to regulate changes that happen in the body in response to stress, including:
Blood sugar (glucose) levels
Fat, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism
Weight gain
Immune responses
Anti-inflammatory actions
Blood pressure
Heart and blood vessel tone and contraction
Central nervous system activation
Why is it important? If your body fails to respond to stress in a healthy way, you may end up with several health problems resulting from too much cortisol and/or from too little cortisol, leading to “adrenal fatigue” (when your adrenal glands become chronically fatigued).
When cortisol circulates continuously in your body, it can have negative results:
Impaired cognitive performance
Erratic thyroid function
Blood sugar imbalances
Decreased bone density
Sleep disruption
Decreased muscle mass
Elevated blood pressure
Lowered immune function
Slow wound healing
Increased abdominal fat,
Brain fog, cloudy-headedness and mild depression
Low thyroid function
Blood sugar imbalances, such as hypoglycemia
Fatigue
Sleep disruption
Low blood pressure
Lowered immune function
Inflammation
Minor depression
The list goes on and on. It’s extremely important that you’re aware of your stress levels and how it can impact your body’s systems. Here are some great tips on how to reduce your stress levels.
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