4 Signs Cortisol Is To Blame

4 Signs Cortisol Is To Blame

Four years ago, in the midst of COVID, I walked through one of the hardest seasons of my married life… miscarriage. After months of grieving the loss of what could have been and would never be, I finally reached out to my doctor to seek help via the antidepressant road. My husband and I were thankfully able to fall pregnant again fairly quickly, but after a long, difficult pregnancy, I brought home a baby who never slept, which triggered some serious PPD/PPA. With the help of a psychiatrist, my antidepressant dosage was upped… then upped again until I was maxed out on it. For years I was maxed out on an antidepressant, and while I didn’t feel in the depths of despair like I initially did, I often felt like the walking dead… functioning but not really living.

I will preface this by saying I absolutely needed an antidepressant during that time in my life. I am not in any way, shape, or form trying to tell people not to seek medical care if you aren’t feeling your best self. SSRIs have saved the lives of so many people who otherwise, likely may not still be here today. However, after years of being maxed out on a prescription that no longer felt was serving its purpose in my body or my life, I decided to slowly wean myself to a lower dose. I was rather nervous to do so, in fear that I’d be a raging lunatic in my house (think sweet Dr. Bruce Banner turning into The Hulk). Fortunately, at the exact same time, in walked a friend that was sharing about a “cortisol cocktail” that had helped her with a lot of the same symptoms I had experienced for years at varying levels.

After, I was quietly doing my own research on all the things cortisol, and all it can do to wreak havoc on a person’s body. And just like that… it’s as if I had an epiphany that high cortisol levels could have been the very thing that were turning me into the figurative “big green guy.” Cortisol, often known as the body’s “stress hormone,” is the body’s natural “fight or flight” mechanism that has kept human’s alive for many years.

While small doses of cortisol offer us several benefits, too much over too long, is like making a guest bedroom for Bruce Banner’s alter ego in your body.

If your body experiences an excess of this stress hormone, you may experience any number of less than ideal symptoms. The tell tale signs of high levels of cortisol include:

Weight Gain

One of the biggest tells of an excess of cortisol is weight gain or resistance to losing weight. Cortisol has the cells in your body crying out for more energy, which in turn can send signals to the brain that you need to eat. Those cravings for Ben & Jerry’s when you’ve had a rough day? It’s science… literally! There are studies that show a direct correlation between high cortisol levels and excessive calorie intake (particularly in women).

Fatigue

Imagine you decide to go for a run. You start running… everything is good. You’re feeling great, energized, and on top of the world! But then you keep running… and keep running… and keep… well, you get the picture. Eventually, if you don’t stop, you are going to be so fatigued that your body will straight up SHUT. DOWN! Now imagine that same thing happening on the inside of your body. When you are constantly in a state of “fight or flight,” fatigue is absolutely, 100% going to happen.

Irritability

An outstanding amount of studies have been done on the association between mood swings and cortisol levels. Cortisol rises, so does your irritability. So when you feel like a crappy mom for snapping at your kids or your husband… blame the cortisol. But really, again… that constant fight or flight has your body worn out, exhausted, and easily triggered.

Digestive Issues

When your body is in survival mode, it shuts down less critical functions (i.e. digestion). A close friend of mine who is a nurse told me their hospital patients often receive medication to prevent stress ulcers from being in the hospital. When that stress hormone is being pumped out constantly at high levels, our digestive system simply can’t do what it was meant to do… absorb food. Imagine the nightmare that happens inside of our bodies when we can’t properly digest our food.

How to Manage Cortisol Levels

Now that you know what cortisol can cause, I’m sure you’re thinking, “great… that’s me, but what now?!” There are a few common practices we can put into place to help our bodies perform at its absolute best!

Regular Exercise

If you’re rolling your eyes at me… sorry! But this is a big one. I’m far from a consistent attendee in the gym, but there’s a reason you feel that “high” after a good workout! Not only does regular, moderate exercise help to reduce cortisol, it helps to release endorphins (the “happy” hormone).

Tend to your Mental Health

Whether that means meeting with a medical professional, meditating daily, attending church regularly, mental health plays such a big part in the physical health of our body.

Take the Right Supplements

For me personally, I began taking the right supplements, and I noticed I was sleeping all night, less moody with my kids, and more “in the mood” with my husband… iykyk.

Less Screens

While I know this one may seem ironic because I’m typing this from a laptop and you’re reading this from an electronic device of some kind, blue light is known to trigger the release of cortisol in our bodies. This is why scientists recommend putting the phone away before bed or opting for a book instead of TV at night.

If you have more stress than you can manage on your own, please seek the help of a medical professional. however, a great place to start are with a few of the tips mentioned here.