What is cortisol “stress hormone” and should you actually be worried about it?
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Cortisol plays a starring role in most of the physiological processes that make your body tick. But in recent years, it has become a victim of its own fame, with people blaming suspected imbalances of the hormone for ailments such as “adrenal fatigue,” weight gain, exhaustion, anxiety, headaches, and more.
Cortisol does play a vital role in your health. But are imbalanced cortisol levels really that common? Here’s what to know about the critical hormone—and why it may not merit as much worry as some social media health gurus would have you think.
Secreted by the adrenal glands atop the kidneys, cortisol, known as a steroid hormone, can be found in nearly every tissue of the body.
Cortisol allows the body to regulate everything from metabolism to sleep to immune function and inflammation, but it’s arguably best known for helping the body respond to perceived threats, a role that’s earned it the nickname of the “stress hormone.”
When the body perceives an internal or external threat, its sympathetic nervous system activates, triggering a complex sequence 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 the stress and get back to homeostasis.
There is such thing as too much or too little cortisol.
Tumors in the pituitary gland can trigger too-high cortisol levels, leading to a condition called Cushing’s syndrome, characterized by weight gain, weakness, blood sugar problems, and bruising.
Meanwhile those whose immune systems attack their adrenal glands don’t produce enough cortisol and can develop chronic adrenal insufficiency, also known as Addison’s disease, which can cause crushing fatigue, dizziness, skin darkening, loss of appetite, and other symptoms.
Stress may not burn out your adrenals or deplete your body’s cortisol reserves. But its effects are real, and supported by a vast body of literature that underlines the association between high stress levels and compromised health.
You may not be able to fend off a growing tumor or an autoimmune disorder. But you can modify your experience of stress through a variety of lifestyle modifications. Ben-Shlomo and colleagues stress regular exercise, a healthful diet, meditation or mindfulness, and enough sleep—factors that can treat or even prevent a variety of the conditions some people can mistake for an issue with cortisol production. After all, acute stress may have its evolutionary benefits but most of us would prefer not to experience it.
“Stress is a bad thing,” the physician says. “That’s been proven beyond any doubt.”
Omega Human Aude Monciino
