7 Habits That Are Secretly Messing With Your Cortisol

There’s a lot of talk on social media about cortisol (often referred to as the body’s stress hormone), such as how to lower it, how to regulate it, and the signs that it’s too high.

But these posts may also confuse people about the role of cortisol.Arizona naturopathic doctor Saru Bala says, “Cortisol is an essential hormone involved in many aspects of your daily functioning, including your immune system, your sleep-wake cycle, blood sugar regulation and your body’s stress response. “

Cortisol isn’t a bad thing in itself, we do need it.But like any substance in our bodies, problems arise when cortisol levels are too high or too low over time.

Chronically high cortisol levels can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and heart arrhythmia, and if these problems become severe over time, they can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

An increased risk of anxiety, depression and insomnia is also associated with elevated cortisol levels.When these factors are combined, they are significant.These are actually common chronic diseases that most Americans face.

In summary, it’s important to do all you can to understand cortisol and reduce unnecessarily high cortisol levels.Experts say that many unconscious habits can disrupt your cortisol levels, whether it’s unnecessarily raising them or interfering with their primary task.These habits are listed below:

Been sleep deprived.

If you are constantly sleep deprived, your cortisol levels are compromised.

In addition, if you force yourself to stay up late every night, you disrupt your body’s circadian rhythm.This only makes it harder for your body to understand when you really need to sleep.

Wake up at a different time every day.

In the morning our cortisol levels were really high, which is important.Because we have what’s called the cortisol awakening response, which is part of our natural circadian rhythm.Around 6 to 8 a.m., when we see the morning sunlight, there are cells in our eyes that are telling our brainstem and brain that it’s morning and it’s time to secrete cortisol.

Because we have what’s called the cortisol awakening response, which is part of our natural circadian rhythm.Around 6 to 8 a.m., when we see the morning sunlight, there are cells in our eyes that are telling our brainstem and brain that it’s morning and it’s time to secrete cortisol.

Waking up at a different time each day is one way to avoid the cortisol awakening response.

Your brain doesn’t know that Tuesday is your morning meeting day, it doesn’t think “let me delay cortisol production from Wednesday to Monday until you have your Tuesday morning meeting” …… When the brain wakes up naturally, cortisol rises.

Meaning, if your body knows you wake up at 7 a.m. every day, it will naturally know when cortisol starts to rise, but if you wake up at a different time each day, your body won’t know when to start waking up to the cortisol response.

Watching a nerve-wracking program on TV or scrolling through troubling updates on social media.

Bad news: If you’re someone who enjoys watching triggering TV shows (like “Reindeer Jr.”) or constantly scrolling through disturbing news, you’re unknowingly raising your cortisol levels.

When you watch things that are constantly stimulating, it increases your cortisol status.

Stress can be internal or external……. When you watch, listen to, or hear something that triggers stress, your body doesn’t notice any difference, you just feel that experience at the time.It creates stress and increases your cortisol levels at the time.

While it’s never good to feel stressed at any time of the day, pre-bedtime stress is especially harmful because it can disrupt your sleep schedule.It’s best not to watch any stress-inducing shows, movies or update social media two to three hours before bedtime.

Drinking too much alcohol.

Excessive alcohol consumption also increases cortisol levels.So, we think that alcohol relaxes us – and it does, it calms us – but studies have shown that alcohol actually increases cortisol levels.

There is no single definition of excessive alcohol consumption.Official guidelines state that women should not drink more than one drink per day and men should not drink more than two drinks per day.

For some people, if you’re very sensitive to drugs, narcotics or alcohol, your body’s metabolism may be a little sluggish and one or two servings may be too much for you.

Too much caffeine.

You may want to reconsider whether or not you want to drink an extra cup of coffee.Excessive coffee consumption can also lead to elevated cortisol levels.

The need for coffee every morning may also indicate that your cortisol awakening response is not normal.

No sunshine in the morning.

Morning sunlight is another important way to keep sleep-wake cycles and cortisol levels stable.

If possible, it’s important to get 5 to 10 minutes of morning light within an hour of waking up.Just get outside in the sun and make the sunlight inside your house as bright as possible.

This could mean taking your dog for a walk, eating breakfast outside or walking to work instead of taking the bus.

Getting outdoor sunlight into your eyes is beneficial – even on cloudy days, you’ll still benefit from it.

When your eyes feel daylight, your body’s production of cortisol increases, helping you feel more awake and ready for a new day.

When our eyes are exposed to sunlight,it signals our brain to secrete cortisol and suppress melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep.

Doesn’t know how to manage stress.

A lot of people, when they think of cortisol, they’re afraid of cortisol and they want to reduce it, and I’m starting to say that cortisol is actually a normal response of our body.

The goal is not to get rid of cortisol altogether, but to realize that it is a natural response to stress and ultimately a better response to stress.

As humans, we all face stressors specific to our age and stage of life, so our goal is to reduce cortisol levels as soon as possible after they become elevated in order to limit the effects of cortisol on our bodies.

Having a healthy lifestyle (eating nutritious food, drinking enough water, exercising) is the first step, learning how to cope with stress when it hits is the second.Techniques for coping with stress can include deep breathing exercises, drinking botanical teas, forest bathing (spending about 30 minutes in nature) or doing something you find fun.

While stress relievers such as spas and vacations are great, it’s more important to think more about the stress relievers you rely on every day.

In other words, it’s the little things like getting seven to nine hours of sleep, going to bed at the same time every night and developing good relaxation habits