Cortisol. We have talked about it a few times and referred to it a few other times. But this time, I’m giving you the break down on what it is, what you can do and what you can’t do about it.

Enter a simple, attention grabbing elixir in a popular magazine. Confidently stating that cortisol can be lowered and managed by drinking this delicious summer concoction. How easy and lovely it would be to have such a simple and tasty solution to such a complex, not easy to track, very touchy hormone.

There has just been too much talk about cortisol lately!  Some is accurate and some is just down right ridiculous. So let’s get down to the nuts and bolts of this hormone.

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It is crucial in regulating many body functions, including metabolism, immune response, and the body’s response to stress. Cortisol is key to managing stress and managing energy levels, however, chronically elevated cortisol can lead to health issues such as Cushing’s syndrome and Addison’s disease.

How Cortisol Relates to Stress:

Cortisol levels are higher in the morning, they begin rising slowly by around 4am, and will peak by 9am. Ideally, these levels will come down as the day goes on and be the lowest at night when its time to sleep again.

Cortisol can rise throughout the day as a response to stress. That stress can be physical or emotional. This is normal and generally will not offset the regular flow of cortisol, unless it becomes chronic and the body is struggling to produce enough serotonin to bring the cortisol down naturally. Then this can lead to anxiety, depression, digestive issues and heart problems. This can also wreak havoc with your body burning body fat for energy, but that is a whole other issue that we won’t get to do in this article.

How Does this Relate to Peri/menopause?

Cortisol becomes more tricky as women enter peri-menopause and menopause. This is solely because as the body loses estrogen, the body relies on the adrenal system (where cortisol is produced) to manage all other activities in the body that estrogen used to do.

Another reason why some women will say that they just feel more anxious or that they are not recovering as well from stressful situations or workouts as easily. That they may not be sleeping as well too. The big issue with this, is that lack of sleep, leads to higher cortisol levels.

So What Can We Do?

There are a few things that can start to help cortisol, but remember, we cannot control the body. We can, however, support the body and a couple of good places to start are as follows:

• Get regular sleep and clean up your sleep routine. Allow enough time to wind down before bed and do try and stick to a regular sleep and wake schedule. Even on weekends. There is some flex to this of course, but the idea is not to be all over the place with sleep and waking up.
• Refrain from certain substances. Focus on the time leading up to sleep. Refrain from alcohol, nicotine and caffeine. All of these elevate cortisol and some stay in your system much longer. It takes a lot to metabolize these substances. Allow a solid 3-4 hours (caffeine requires a good 8 hours) where these will not be consumed before bed. I know, not what many people want to do, but truly, this is one of the things you actually can control and the pay offs are worth it! Even if this can happen 80% of your nights!
• Do try and get higher heart rate activity in earlier in the day. Again, to allow adequate amount of time for cortisol to come back down again. Weights later in the day can work well, as heart rate may raise, but is likely to be high for as long as cardio sessions typically are.
• Deep breaths. Yes, deep breathing and regular mediation can train your body to respond differently to stress and therefore, not raise as much cortisol at one time. I typically suggest that clients start by pausing, relaxing the body – either standing or sitting and take time to take 3-10 slow deep breaths a few times a day. Whether in the rest room, at your desk mid-morning, in your car before your start work or drive home, in your car when you get home before you get into the door and even before your go to bed. These regular exposures to higher oxygen and slowing the breath, will stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system (the system responsible for resting and digesting). When we can try and balance the field with equal or greater amounts of parasympathetic to sympathetic nervous system, our bodies feel so much better!

This is just a snap shot of what is possible with this particular hormone! If you want to learn more and how it relates to you, click the links below in order to start working together and or sign-up for my class on All Things Hormones: Gain clarity on the many hormones that are involved with perimenopause and menopause and how you can best support your body through these changes. We will take a deeper dive into the relationship between cortisol, insulin, hunger and fullness hormones, weight distribution, mood and more!

To work with Nicole:

Meet and Greet Before You Book – chat with Nicole K,RD,CD,CSSD to see how we can meet your needs and choose the appt that would fit you best! 

In-Person Consult with Nicole K, RD,CD,CSSD

Virtual Consult with Nicole K,RD,CD,CSSD

Lets Chat! – 30min Q&A session – this 30 min session helps get any and all of your questions answered about nutrition and exercise. Should you choose to work with me and get a personal plan developed with regular coaching, a portion of the cost of this session will be applied to your next!