How are your cortisol levels today? A few minutes on the internet may convince you that your body is either depleted of hormones or overflowing with hormones.
Cortisol, colloquially known as the “stress hormone,” plays a starring role in most of the physiological processes that make your body excited.But in recent years, it has sacrificed its own prestige and people Suspected of hormonal imbalance For illnesses such as “adrenal fatigue”, weight gain, fatigue, anxiety, and headaches.
Cortisol plays an important role in health. But are imbalances in cortisol levels really common? Here’s what you need to know about this important hormone, and why you may not need to worry as much as social media health experts think. I’ll tell you why not.
owner of physical power
Cortisol, a steroid hormone secreted by the adrenal glands located above the kidneys, is present in almost every tissue in the body.
“Honestly, I can’t do without it,” he says. Anat Ben Shlomoan endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at Cedars-Sinai University.
Cortisol allows the body to regulate everything from metabolism to sleep to immune function to inflammation, but it is perhaps best known for helping the body respond to perceived threats. , its role has earned it the nickname “stress hormone.”
(Do you have chronic stress? Look for these signs. )
When the body senses an internal or external threat, the sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering a complex series of hormonal responses. One such response is to prompt the adrenal glands to release cortisol, which helps give the body the energy it needs to cope with stress and restore homeostasis.
Is there too much of a good thing or too little?
There is such a thing as too much cortisol or too little.
Tumors in the pituitary gland can cause elevated cortisol levels, causing symptoms. called Cushing’s syndromecharacterized by weight gain, weakness, blood sugar problems, and bruising.
On the other hand, people whose immune systems attack their adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol and can develop chronic adrenal insufficiency (also known as chronic adrenal insufficiency). Addison’s diseasewhich can cause severe fatigue, dizziness, darkening of the skin, loss of appetite, and other symptoms.
“Diseases associated with cortisol deficiency or excess are very complex, multiorgan, multisystemic diseases,” says Ben Shlomo. They can be difficult to treat, and cortisol problems are often misdiagnosed because they share symptoms with other illnesses.
However, both are considered rare diseases, although experts suspect these symptoms are underdiagnosed.
The myth of “adrenal fatigue”
Despite the rarity of cortisol disorders, internet health gurus and alternative medicine practitioners believe that when stress continues, the adrenal glands burn out and can no longer produce cortisol, a set of symptoms commonly referred to as “adrenal fatigue.” It is argued that it can cause
However, Ben Shlomo says the term is a myth and is in 2016 literature. review Many studies suggest that this condition does not actually exist.
“It really takes a lot of insult to have adrenal dysfunction,” Anne Cappola, a professor of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, told National Geographic in July 2023. . Built-in redundancy. He has two adrenal glands. You don’t need one to work. ”
(Are your hormones balanced? What does that mean?)
Although serious endocrine disorders do exist, researchers have tried to “balance” hormones at home or self-prescribed supplements (most of which have no proven evidence) to prevent cortisol deficiency or excess. Warnings against doing so (not authorized or regulated).
If your symptoms are affecting your quality of life, see your doctor for more information. An endocrinologist can rule out adrenal problems and often identify other conditions such as perimenopause and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) that share symptoms with adrenal problems.
“The beauty of the adrenal glands is that they have a huge capacity to give you what you need to survive and withstand stress,” says Ben Shlomo.
Fighting chronic stress
Stress does not burn out your adrenal glands or deplete your body’s cortisol stores. But the effects are real and supported by a vast body of literature highlighting the link between high stress levels and poor health.
For example, multiple adverse childhood experiences They are more susceptible to a variety of health conditions, from mood disorders to obesity to stroke.Stress can cause or worsen many other symptoms and impairs a variety of body systems, leading one group of researchers to write In 2017, he said, “The medical community needs to become more aware of the important role stress plays in a variety of diseases.”
(These foods can help fight everyday stress. )
It may not be possible to prevent growing tumors or autoimmune diseases. However, you can change your experience of stress by making various lifestyle modifications. Ben-Shlomo and colleagues emphasize regular exercise, healthy eating, meditation and mindfulness, and getting enough sleep. These are factors that can treat or prevent a variety of conditions that some people may mistake for problems with cortisol production.
“Stress is bad,” says the doctor. “it is Proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. ”
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