You're Stuck!!!! Why????: Trying to Understand Cortisol

Let's start off this article by saying that we are all beautiful and perfect in our own way.  The human body is a dynamic miracle that is amazing to watch function.  The goal of this article is not to make you think or feel that you should look a certain way in order to be healthy and beautiful.  But, rather to educate you on a behind the scenes look at what stress can do to your body. 
Here's a scenario:
You work out on a regular basis, but you're not getting any stronger, faster, and can't tell if your fitness level has improved.  You go on a diet, but you still want to lose that last 10 lbs or get rid of that obnoxious belly fat.  You have been busting your ass and these improvements just aren't happening.  You may feel like a hopeless case, and you throw in the towel......or would like to but don't want to be labeled a quitter.  Why is this happening? What's going on?
Here's the deal, you are over-stressed.  This may sound unbelievable to some of you, but it's true.  So, take a deep breath, relax, and soak in some knowledge.

First of all, let's meet the hormone Cortisol.  It is known as the "Stress Hormone" and produced by the Adrenal cortex in times of stress (you've all heard "Fight or Flight").  Cortisol is released in response to stress as it preps the body for what it feels is an IMMEDIATE threat. Cortisol suppresses our immune system and spares glucose for the Brain and our Muscles so we can survive. Honestly, Cortisol is our friend, he's a good guy.  We need Cortisol.  Besides helping our body cope with an immediate threat, it is a key component in proper glucose energy metabolism, helps to regulate our blood pressure, regulates proper insulin release for blood sugar maintenance, helps the immune system to operate properly, and makes sure we have a functioning inflammatory response.  The problem arises due to the simple fact that our modern world has us over-stressed.  The body is perfectly willing and able to handle an urgent, quick crisis.  Then, it should be allowed a long recovery period to reset and rebuild.  This is fine under perfect conditions, like maybe back when a caveman encountered a threat in the wild or something.  He ran for his life, made it, and recuperated in his cave or mountaintop.  He didn't grab a cup of coffee and work until 2am.  For us, we live in a world where we are constantly being stressed by things we willingly do to ourselves: by not getting enough sleep, eating a crappy diet, relying on medications to treat symptoms, over-training with our exercise, being in abusive relationships, taking on too much of a workload at work, not ever getting outside to get a little sunshine, and the list goes on.......there are countless things that indirectly stress us too, but the point is that we are dealing with Chronic Stress and our bodies are unable to reset and return to normal. 

When you are under chronic stress and Cortisol levels remain high bad things can happen:  impaired cognitive function (you can't think straight), suppressed thyroid function, high blood pressure, weakened immune system, blood sugar imbalances like hyperglycemia, decreased bone density, and increased Abdominal fat. 
Interestingly enough, the body doesn't differentiate the stressor....It doesn't matter whether the stress is psychological, physical, or emotional.  It will all create a stress response in the body. 
And chronically elevated Cortisol levels tell the body to preserve body fat.  It is programmed to handle this threat and the body needs energy to do that.  If Cortisol levels are too high, it can even eventually lead to the erosion of muscle mass, further weakening your body.  Elevated Cortisol levels tell the body it needs energy.  It wants quick energy, there is a spike in your appetite, and you want sugary foods.  This explains why we ALL have these cravings for "comfort foods".  There is such a thing as stress eating and eating these high fat, sugary, processed foods do relieve stress (there is a reward), but it is short-lived and gets you into a pattern of having to constantly do it (it's an addiction).  You cannot out-exercise poor food choices and eating these types of foods increase your visceral/abdominal fat and increase you chance of developing Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. 
So how do you know your Cortisol levels are high? I pulled this from a good article by Dr. Lissa Rankin called, "10 Signs You May Have Way Too Much Cortisol". 

1. You have chronic back and head aches.  High Cortisol levels and Adrenal fatigue can raise Prolactin levels, which increases the body's sensitivity to pain.

2.  You aren't sleeping well.  Cortisol levels are supposed to drop naturally at night. The problem is that a lot of us remain over-stimulated at night by lights, tv, night job, and other stressors.  We don't allow our bodies to come down.

3.  Even when you sleep well, you are still tired.

4.  You're gaining weight, especially around the Abdomen (even while "eating well" and exercising).
Remember, Cortisol spikes the appetite.  High levels have you craving sugary, processed foods.  Mixed with the fact high levels of Cortisol also have you preserving body fat, this makes it hard to lose belly fat or those last 5 to 10 lbs. 

5.  You catch colds and infections easily.

6.  You crave unhealthy foods

7.  Your sex drive is in the crapper.  Stress hormones counteract the Sex hormones.  If you're body is in a state of fight or flight, it's probably not thinking about making a little romance......

8.  Your GI System is acting up due to the fact that this system is sensitive to the stress hormones.

9.  You feel anxious often.

10.  You feel depressed; Cortisol suppresses Serotonin, the body's feel-good neurotransmitter.

 Good news, my friends, there are things we can do (yes, we; we are all faced with stress).  First things first we need to realize that we do deal with stress.  A lot of it we control and it comes in physical, mental, and emotional forms.  Lack of sleep, our jobs, too much exercise, and the food and drink we put in our bodies can be forms of stress.  Just like we have a "fight or flight" response in our body that is automatic, we have a relaxation response too.  "Relaxation Response" was a term developed by Dr. Herbert Benson in 1975.  We have a complex nervous system that has to be relaxed to work properly.  If we are chronically stressed, our nervous system is unable to activate natural repair mechanisms and heal.  We can help this relaxation response numerous ways, and here are a few examples:

• Meditation
• Yoga
• Listening to Calming Music
• Taking a Hot Bath
• Incorporating an Exercise program into our routine
• Getting a good nights sleep or taking a nap
• Drink Black Tea (antioxidants)
• Laugh regularly
• Get a Massage
• Do something Spiritual
• Chew Gum (calming and increases Brain blood flow)
• Breathing Exercises

Cortisol is a very important body hormone.  If Cortisol levels are constantly high, it leads to bad health problems.  Health practitioners can check these levels for you.  Take a look at your lifestyle, see if things need to change, and do what you can to feel good. No one knows your body like you do; so tune in and notice where stress is impacting your life.  These recommendations above are all great things that can be fun and enjoyable too.  Sometimes we just need to unplug, relax, and slow things down a bit.  Enjoy your life and do the best you can to feel good and have your body work in the condition it was intended to. 

Be Well
Keith and Jami