Constantly stressed and tired? You may have symptoms of cortisol imbalance

Stress is a normal part of life and everyone feels stressed sometimes. However, if you’re experiencing chronic stress and exhaustion affecting your daily life, it could be a sign that something deeper is going on. In some cases this can lead to a disturbed cortisol balance.

Both high and low levels of cortisol – also known as the ‘stress hormone’ – can cause you to experience symptoms that make you feel different from yourself. Fortunately, there are things you can do to monitor your body and better manage your cortisol levels. However, if you think you have a cortisol imbalance or are concerned about your health in general, consult your doctor before making any changes.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone, says Melissa Groves Azzaroa registered dietitian and author of A Balanced Approach to PCOS. The hormone is produced in the adrenal glands in response to internal or external stressors.

Most people know cortisol for its role in the “fight or flight” response, which is important, but cortisol actually plays a lot other roles in the body.

In addition to curbing bodily functions that aren’t essential in a fight-or-flight scenario, cortisol can also:

The majority of your body’s cells contain cortisol receptors, so it is an important hormone, but like any hormone, too much or too little of it can be harmful to your body and health.

Signs of a cortisol imbalance

Everyone’s experience with a cortisol imbalance will differ, especially when distinguishing between high and low cortisol levels.

Symptoms of high cortisol levels include:

• Weight gain, especially in the abdominal area
• Anxiety and irritability
• Problems falling asleep and staying asleep
• Nervousness
• Shakiness
• High heart rate
• Blood sugar and blood pressure instability

Symptoms of low cortisol include:

• Low energy all day
• Feeling “wired but tired.”
• Severe fatigue and lack of focus
• Cravings for sugar and salt
• Apathy
• Low libido
• Memory problems

What Causes a Cortisol Imbalance?

“In general, a cortisol imbalance can develop as a result of extremely high stress or prolonged stress,” says Azzarro. “Although there are clinical diagnoses of high (Cushing’s syndrome) and low (Addison’s disease), which require medical treatment, there is a wide spectrum of ‘out of range’ cortisol levels or inappropriate cortisol patterns that can affect our daily lives.”

Importantly, cortisol imbalances are not always simply a matter of high or low. A cortisol imbalance can also mean that your cortisol is too high at certain times of the day and too low at other times, rather than a constant surplus or deficit.

Either way, there are some common culprits behind cortisol imbalances of all types.

Tension

Excessive and prolonged stress is the main cause of cortisol imbalance, both high and low.

“High cortisol occurs when the body senses a stressor,” says Dr. Tara Scotta functional medicine doctor. “Your brain doesn’t know if you’re running from a bear or if you have a deadline at work.”

Too much cortisol increases your heart rate, makes you more alert by increasing norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter that can also make you anxious) and increases your blood sugar levels, Scott explains.

“Low cortisol happens after prolonged stress, when your body sends a negative feedback signal to the brain saying, ‘We have enough cortisol down here, don’t stimulate more production!’” says Scott. So your brain reduces the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH, the hormone that stimulates the production of cortisol) and periods of low cortisol occur. Levels can fluctuate throughout the day or be low all day, Scott says.

Excercise

Exercise is considered to some extent eustress, or good stress, says Azzaro. ‘Although there is an immediate increase in cortisol with exercise, the overall impact is an improvement in mood and reduced stress. But if we overloadthe stress becomes harmful,” she says.

Azzaro recommends taking your overall life stress into account when planning an exercise regimen. If you’re not getting enough sleep and are dealing with high stress at work, it may not be the best time to do high-intensity exercise, Azzaro explains.

“If you find yourself getting sick more often or feeling exhausted after a workout, instead of feeling energized, you’re probably training too hard for your current cortisol level,” she says.

Power supply

The foods we eat can help reduce or boost cortisol, says Lauren Minchen, registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for Fresh bit. “Processed foods that are high in carbohydrates and sugar may help lower cortisol immediately initially, but the blood sugar spikes caused by these foods can actually increase stress, inflammation, and cortisol levels in the body over time,” says Minchen.

“Sugar is known to be one of the biggest cortisol triggers, and foods containing white refined flour produce a similar blood sugar spike and cortisol effect, so regularly eating foods high in these ingredients can lead to elevated cortisol over time.”

Alcohol And caffeine also affects your cortisol levels, and if you consume too much of either or both over time, it will affect your cortisol levels. Alcohol increases inflammation, which puts stress on the body, stimulating cortisol production. Withdrawing from intoxication also stimulates more cortisol in the bloodstream, Minchen says.

“Depending on how much coffee a person drinks regularly and how high their cortisol level is on a daily basis, increasing caffeine intake may have little to no effect on raising cortisol even more,” says Minchen. “This effect can actually cause you to feel more tired as you consume more caffeine, due to adrenal burnout. The adrenal glands can only work so hard before they are no longer able to continue increasing cortisol production.”

On the other hand, eating healthy whole-food carbohydrates such as whole grains, fresh fruits, legumes and potatoes can help manage cortisol. Also consuming a balanced amount proteins, carbohydrates and fats helps your body receive the energy it needs to keep blood sugar levels available and stable, which ultimately helps keep cortisol in check, Minchen says.

How to Fix High or Low Cortisol Levels

“It’s not super sexy,” says Azzaro, “but your body is telling you to rest. The dirty work of correcting a cortisol imbalance is identifying what’s causing the imbalance and then correcting that to get cortisol back up.” to balance.”

We’ve discussed the common causes of cortisol imbalance above, but dig deeper. Go past “diet” or “exercise” and ask yourself if your hormone levels are crazy because of:

• Your job
• Relationship stress (significant other or family)
• Busy culture/doing too much
• Lack of sleep
• Too much of one type of exercise (probably HIIT)
• Alcohol or caffeine consumption
• Lack of mindfulness or stress management practices

It’s also important to identify your specific imbalance, says Inna Melameda pharmacist and functional medicine doctor. Ask your doctor if they perform hormone tests or if they can refer you to an endocrine specialist. Or order an online cortisol test to take at home and send to a laboratory.

This step is crucial because what works to correct high cortisol levels may not work to correct low cortisol levels. To really get to the root cause: “Tests should ideally be for both cortisol, DHEAsex hormones and even melatonin, just to get a better idea of ​​adrenal gland health,” says Melamed. Your symptoms may be the product of multiple hormonal imbalances.

Resolving a cortisol imbalance will take a lot of work and patience. First and foremost: get some rest. When you feel rested, try making a list of all the possible stressors in your life – and be honest.

Then write down how you can reduce each stressor. Perhaps you reduce your weekly exercise routine from five to four sessions; maybe you’re having a serious conversation with your partner about stress levels and responsibilities at home; maybe ask your boss to lighten your load for a while (or better yet, take some time off altogether).

High or low cortisol levels can make life much more difficult than it should be. Combating constant stress, anxiety and fatigue is not easy, and as always, if you need mental health care, use the resources available to you.