Cortisol has always been related to the loss of muscle mass, which is why many athletes have sought to suppress this steroid hormone. She allows more than anything an important and necessary production of glucose in the blood; being the anti-inflammatory molecule by nature, which is extracted from cholesterol.
Therefore, we have an endogenous ability to release cortisol from the moment we get up in the morning, due to the things that happen in life. Anything that stresses our cells and makes them inflamed, including exercise, stimulates the production of cortisol in our adrenal glands.
This hormone is essential to adapt to the environment, allowing us to maintain sufficient cognitive control to adapt to life. The moment we get up and start walking we are in contact with situations that lead us to produce cortisone; such as, for example, everyday situations such as taking the bus, doing weights or receiving important news.
However, if we have too much cortisone production, thanks to excessive stress, our blood glucose will raise a lot at the level of the muscles and at the brain level; because our bodies are supposed to be ready to react with energy quickly at any moment in the face of imminent danger.
Instructions for taking cortisol
It is important to control cortisol, since a person subjected to too much stress or too much physical training can end up suffering from type 2 diabetes. You may also suffer from insomnia and chronic fatigue. In other words, as a consequence of an overproduction of cortisol you can become insulin resistant, enough to break down your muscles.
So, since a person does not see results with diet and exercise in some type of plan, what is actually overstressing him; usually, he’ll look to exercise more and cut out carbs altogether to start seeing the results he wants. However, this could be worse if what you are suffering from is overproduction of cortisol.
The consequence of having produced too much cortisol over long periods of time is called adrenal fatigue. This insufficiency of cortisol is due to the adrenal inability to produce said hormone for certain periods of time; what will happen with this is that everything will hurt, it will be very difficult for you to recover from activities that require physical or cognitive effort, and it will be very difficult for you to get up in the morning.
If you do not have enough cortisol in your body, your blood pressure will drop and you will be dizzy most of the morning, with fatigue and drowsiness. Also, the other hormones are affected; for example, testosterone goes down a lot, libido goes down, you won’t have good muscle recovery and you can get to suffer from hypothyroidism.
On the other hand, cognitively the lack of cortisol will make you unable to control adrenaline. This can keep you nervous, give you tachycardia, does not allow you to control daily stressful situations, leads to anxiety and makes you forget things a lot.
What do you need to take cortisol?
At the gastrointestinal level, cortisol is responsible for deflating the mucosa of the stomach and intestines. So if you don’t have enough cortisol you’re going to have a lot of food intolerances, gas, cramps, nausea, bloating and that sort of thing.
Finally, the most serious consequence of a lack of cortisol is chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. This disease is characterized by emotional cyclothymic. The constant emotional ups and downs will cause depression and pain throughout the body; especially muscle and joint.
So how to fix this? Rest days are essential for the regulation of cortisol in the body. Activities should be slowed down for regular periods of time; because if very demanding rhythms of life are maintained for long periods, there is a risk of exhausting the adrenal glands and stop producing cortisol.
Tips for taking cortisol
If you start taking medications to raise your cortisol, your body will be adapted to receive it externally and it can become worse. It is best to try to reactivate your cortisol production in a regulated way.
The first thing you need to do to control your cortisol levels is take a break. It seems incredible, but relaxing is the first step to stabilize hormonally. In order for your body to have anti-inflammatory capacity again, it is necessary to recover the natural production of cortisol through rest. The biorhythm related to the hours of sleep is vital. You will need to increase your hours of sleep to regulate the production of cortisol yes or yes.
As for the diet that you should follow, something crazy will appear to you; but if you do not consume enough fat you will not be able to produce cortisol, since this hormone is generated thanks to the cholesterol consumed. So you need to eat fat, especially on days when you are not physically demanding.
On the other hand, to control the overproduction of cortisol you can take licorice extract or enterococcus or ravioli. It’s also good to take supplemental magnesium or melatonin if you can’t get into a deep sleep at night. All this being always consulted with your family doctor.
