10 Signs You Have WAY Too Much Cortisol
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10 Ways to Reduce Cortisol

We all know stress is bad for us, yet many of us wear it like a badge of honor. We claim to want inner peace, but if life gets too calm, we go seeking our next hit of cortisol and epinephrine. 

It’s almost as if being stressed makes us feel important, valuable, and useful. But the biggest problem with being a stress addict is that it can destroy our health. Sustained high cortisol levels destroy healthy muscle and bone, slow down healing and normal cell regeneration, co-opt biochemicals needed to make other vital hormones, impair digestion, metabolism and mental function, interfere with healthy endocrine function; and weaken your immune system.

The body is equipped with natural self-repair mechanisms that can kill stray cancer cells, fight infections, and even slow the aging process. But these mechanisms only work when the nervous system is relaxed. When the body senses immediate danger (a screaming boss or a hungry tiger —the part of your brain that controls fear doesn't know the difference!), these repair mechanisms shut down so you can deal with the threat. 

So how do you know if you’re a stress addict? Here are 10 signs that you’ve made cortisol your drug of choice.

1. You experience backaches/headaches and Memory Loss.

When your cortisol levels are high over a long period of time, your adrenal glands start to get depleted. This raises prolactin levels, increasing the body’s sensitivity to pain, such as backaches and muscle aches. Excessive cortisol also hypersensitizes the brain to pain, such that even the slightest twinge can excite the nerves of the brain, causing headaches.

Stress has an enormous impact on your memory too. A mild dose of stress can actually stimulate memory and mental alertness, but long-term is definitely bad news: it puts too much of the hormone cortisol  into circulation, and this literally damages the brain. Raised cortisol levels have been linked to poorer memory and shrinking of the brain's memory sorting center. 
At night time, the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) should drop, calming your body and preparing it for sleep (meanwhile melatonin should kick in and makes you sleepy). If however, your cortisol levels are out of balance for any reason (usually stress and a diet high in sugar, caffeine and other stimulants), your ability to get you sleep through the night or wake up refreshed is impaired. If cortisol levels are high at night, this suppresses the release of growth hormone, which is essential for daily tissue repair and growth. This effectively speeds up the rate at which your body ages !

One way to reduce stress is to reduce your intake of sugar and stimulants (alcohol, cigarettes or caffeine which disrupts the melatonin levels).
With the right nutrition  and the right attitude, age-related memory loss doesn't need to happen to you. You CAN build new brain cells at any age!

2. You’re not sleeping well & wake up in the middle of the night

Cortisol levels are supposed to drop at nighttime, allowing your body to relax and recharge. But if your cortisol levels are too high, you might notice that, even if you’ve been tired all day, you get a second wind right around bedtime. You wake up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep! Then you toss and turn all night - and feel tired again the next day.

3. Even when you sleep well, you’re still tired.

Over time, high levels of cortisol deplete the adrenal glands and predispose you to chronic fatigue. So if you feel like you just can't get up and go anymore, you’re probably stressed. 

4. You're gaining weight.

You’re gaining weight, especially around your abdomen, even when you eat well and exercise. Cortisol tends to make you thick around the middle, even when you’re doing everything “right.”

5. You catch colds and other infections easily.
Cortisol deactivates your body’s natural self-repair mechanisms, which means that your immune system, perfectly designed by nature to keep you healthy, goes kaput, leaving you vulnerable to every cootie you encounter.

6. You crave unhealthy foods.
Cortisol raises your blood sugar, putting you at risk of diabetes. High glucose levels then bump up your insulin levels, which then drop your blood sugar, and all of the sudden—yes, you guessed it—you’re struck with wild cravings for Twinkies.

7. Your sex drive is in the crapper.
Consider cortisol the anti-Viagra. When stress hormones are high, libido-inducing hormones like testosterone drop and voila... nothing.

8. Your gut acts up.

Your gastrointestinal system is very sensitive to stress hormones like cortisol. You might experience nausea, heartburn, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, or constipation as a result of too many stress hormones.

9. You feel anxious.
Cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) can lead to jitters, a nervous stomach, feelings of panic, even paranoia. 

10. You feel blue.
High levels of cortisol suppress production of serotonin, and next thing you know, you’re awash in doom and gloom.

Last but not least, a result you might not know about. Most people want to be slimmer and lose a few pounds....but they should keep in mind that when they go for that "severe calorie restriction" type of diet, this will also cause elevated baseline levels of cortisol, leading to the cortisol-induced collagen loss in the skin, which is 10 times greater than any other tissue ! It is one of the biggest culprits of dull, thin, and sagging skin.

10 Ways to Reduce Cortisol

1. Cut back or eliminate all drinks with large amounts of caffeine in them. This includes all sodas, energy drinks, and coffee. Drinking caffeine causes a spike in cortisol levels. The good news, if there is any, is that cortisol responses are reduced, but not eliminated, in people who drink caffeine regularly.

2. Reduce the amount of processed foods in your diet. Processed foods, especially simple carbohydrates and sugar, cause a spike in cortisol. Too many processed foods increase blood sugar levels, which in turn causes you to feel anxious.

• The following refined carbohydrates are definitely things that you should try to avoid:
  
  • White bread
  • "Regular" pasta (not whole wheat)
  • White rice
  • Candies, cakes, chocolates, etc.

 3. Make sure you're getting enough water. One study has found that just a half-liter of dehydration can raise cortisol levels. Dehydration is nasty because it's a vicious cycle: stress can cause dehydration, and dehydration can cause stress. Make sure you sip plenty of water throughout the day to cut back on your chance of unhealthy cortisol levels.

• If your urine is darker colored when you go pee, it's probably a sign that you're not drinking enough water. Adequately-hydrated individuals have urine that is light, almost water-like, in appearance.

4. Try out Rhodiola when your cortisol is high. Rhodiola is an herbal supplement related to ginseng, and a popular folk remedy for lowering cortisol. It reputedly ramps up your energy, helps you burn fat, and lowers your cortisol levels while it's at it.

5. Get more fish oil into your diet. According to doctors, just 2,000 mg of fish oil per day lowers your cortisol levels. If you don't want to chew down supplements, you can eat the following fish for healthy supplies of fish oil (salmon, sardines, mackerel, sea bass).

6. Prepare a pot of hot black tea. Scientists have discovered that drinking black tea was found to lower overall cortisol levels in a group of people performing stressful tasks. So next time you feel the cortisol bubbling up and threatening to unleash itself in a torrent of stress, grab a cup of English breakfast tea and zen out.

7. Try meditation techniques. Meditation activates the Vagus nerve, which triggers a response in your body to lower cortisol levels, among other things. Meditation techniques can run the gamut, from taking deep breaths to allowing your mind to wander to a peaceful place. For best results, participate in meditation for 30 minutes a day, three to four times a week. After the first session, you should see a significant difference in how your body feels.

• Sit in a quiet, dark, room. Allow your mind to meditate. If you need help relaxing, visualize a quiet, peaceful place. Imagine how your body feels when it is relaxed. Try to recreate this feeling within your body. This helps to relieve muscle tension within the body.
• Allow the eyes to close. Take deep breaths in and out until you notice your heart rate slowing down. Notice the beating of your heart and its sounds when you are relaxed. Imagine that all of the tension is radiating out of your body through your fingertips and toes. Feel the release of tension throughout your entire body.

8. Watch a funny movie or listen to a funny story. Joyous laughter can actually curb your body's production of cortisol. So sidle up to a funny friend or remind yourself of a mirthful memory in order to lower cortisol.

9. Try adaptive exercises to target a lowering of your cortisol. Exercise is a stress-buster, right? So wouldn't all exercise be beneficial in lowering cortisol? Not exactly. The problem is that running and other cardio exercises raise your heart rate, ultimately increasing cortisol.

• Try yoga or Pilates for an adaptive exercise that burns calories, works your muscles, and lowers cortisol too.
• Try other adaptive exercises using the Wii console, for example, to get your heart rate up without that unhealthy spike in cortisol.

10. Listen to some tunes. Music therapy has been shown to reduce cortisol. So the next time you're feeling stressed or slammed, put on some soothing music and let it put a curtain on your cortisol.

Source: www.mindbodygreen.com ,  www.wikihow.com/Reduce-Cortisol , www.healthylivinghowto.com