Cortisol
Imagine waking up to the sound of a snarling Saber Tooth Tiger?! How about a bomb outside your window?? There, no doubt, is a need for the stress hormone cortisol to be present in our body, but how much is needed in this day and age and in the environment, and time, in which YOU live?
If the place I was living presented me with constant threats to my well being, then yes, cortisol will likely save my life. In this day and age, in my cozy, little New England town- It’s killing me/us. Yes, literally. If you’re reading this article to figure out how to lower cortisol levels, I’m hoping it’s because you already know where I’m going with this.
I’m not diagnosing, treating, or advising you and I’m not your Doctor. You can see my full disclaimer at this link.
Cortisol is produced by a gland, that sits on top of your kidneys, called the adrenal gland. Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone, like a built in alarm system, so to speak. The pituitary gland and hypothalamus are also very important players in this space, because they monitor your blood for the right level of cortisol. The brain then lets your adrenals know to adjust how much cortisol is being released accordingly.
Unfortunately, there’s a lot of room for error here! What if your pituitary gland isn’t functioning right, your hypothalamus, your brain, your blood, your adrenals, your cells? There are receptors (think receivers) in most cells of your body for cortisol. A couple of MAJOR, potential issues here.
When that fight or flight happens and your body is in high alert, guess what cortisol does? It shuts down the function of things like digestion, growth, reproduction, and IMMUNITY!
Why is this concerning?
Besides the very obvious things such as sickness and more susceptibility to disease, if your immune system isn’t properly functioning, things like fighting off cancer and important life functions like heart rate and blood pressure can all be out of control.
What’s most frightening is that cortisol can get out of control quite easily in the environment we are perceiving that we live in.
What I mean by that is that we are living in an incredibly high stress day to day environment. Not because we are being chased by saber tooth tigers, but because we are working 60+ hours a week, stressing about day to day life and letting it affect us to a level that our body is perceiving imminent danger! So really it’s (e)ffecting us, not (a)ffecting us!
Conditions Caused by Excessive Cortisol
So what types of diseases and problems can turn up if the stress in your life is leading cortisol to not shut down properly when it’s not needed? Web MD lists:
- Cushing Syndrome (name given basically for having too much cortisol in the body)
- Weight Gain
- Headaches
- Heart Disease
- Anxiety & Depression (this seems ironic)
- Trouble With Sleep
- Digestion Problems
- Memory & Concentration Issues
- & Many Other Health Problems
Right! Many other health problems….. So let’s dig into this vague, daunting statement.
Besides the list above, Cushing Syndrome (having high cortisol over time) can cause osteoporosis, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and physical changes from fatty tissue deposits. Let’s make another list and try to fill in the “many other health problems:” The Mayo Clinic (as of 2/22/22 had listed):
- Weight Gain
- Fatty Tissue Deposits
- Striae (purple/pink stretch marks of the skin)
- Thin, Fragile, Easily Bruised Skin
- Slow Healing (infections, cuts, bites)
- Acne
- More Visible Facial/Body Hair (women)
- Irregular/Absent Menstrual Cycles (women)
- Decreased Sex Drive (men)
- Decreased Fertility (states men, but I would argue women as well if they’re not menstruating normally)
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Severe Fatigue
- Muscle Weakness (loss of muscle mass and strength)
- Loss of Emotional Control & Depression, Anxiety & Irritability (boy is this a conundrum and messy cycle)
- Cognitive Difficulties
- High Blood Pressure (new, or worsened)
- Impaired Growth (children)
- Osteoporosis (bone loss that can lead to fractures over time)
- Headaches
- Infections
- Skin Darkening (I’ve seen this and we’re not talking about a tan- think more like dark spots)
- Stratakis added temporal scalp hair regression, superficial fungal infections and facial plethora in their research article.1
Sound fun? It’s not a pretty picture, actually it’s terrifying. I know you’re still thinking, when are we getting to the part about how to lower cortisol? I’m getting there I promise. I just want you to truly understand how your stress is effecting your body, to paint a very clear picture of the danger here.
Why is Cortisol Getting a Bad Name?
Before really closely studying cortisol, I was a bit confused by the hormone, as I knew it to function as a regulator of inflammation, blood pressure and keeping your heart and blood vessels functioning normally. I knew that it played an essential role in converting carbohydrates, protein, and fat into energy. Web MD also makes mention of how cortisol functions as an energy booster to help you restore balance and handle stress better, so how is it to blame?
Well like all good things, too much is just not a good thing. Cortisol also plays a role in raising blood sugar, and it controls the sleep/wake cycle. Such an essential hormone, to so many bodily functions, has to stay in balance and remain normally functioning to not wreak havoc.
Cortisol & Cancer
A hormone responsible for regulation of inflammation is certainly a prime suspect in the cancer scene!
The research in this arena is vast. There doesn’t seem to be much argument as to a whether, or not, prolonged cortisol leads to cancer promoting conditions.
Prolonged presence of cortisol, such as in periods of stress, leads to an increase in both the proproliferative and antiapoptotic effects of the receptor creating transformation-promoting intracellular conditions.
Antanova et al.
The researchers went on to discus how stress-induced cortisol, binding to the receptor (receiver), actually changes the expression of apoptotic and DNA repair genes.2
Why is that important? Apoptosis is like an explosion of a dead tumor. At least that’s how I like to think of it! 😂 It’s actually better defined as cell death and the reason I picture it as an exploding dead tumor, is because I like visualization to get results. In this research they were discussing stress signaling in breast cells and mechanisms of stress induced breast cancer development, so yes we want apoptosis and normally performing DNA repair genes!2
The suppressive effect of cortisol on the apoptotic ability and DNA repair capacity of cells, as well as its negative effect on immunity, suggests that a connection between stress signaling and tumor development is biologically plausible.
Antonova et al
Success Leaves Clues- The Blue Zones
In light of looking for the bread crumbs success left behind. Turn your attention to those who are living longest.
There are at least five regions on earth that have been identified as regions where people live the longest, healthiest lives. These areas are officially referred to as the blue zones. In my opinion, less important is the location than the manner in which they live.
Location, however, probably can’t be ignored. If it’s warm outside year round, people tend to live more active lifestyles. Places that have certain foods indigenous to a region and/or a staple of a culture’s diet, may eat more nutritiously.
What really interests me, however, are the environments of the mind, body and spirit. A less stressful lifestyle inevitably must mean less sickness one would assume.
David Buettner, founder of blue zones, has been cited naming “5 tips from Earth’s blue zones on living longer, healthier lives.”3 Not surprisingly, 3 of the 5 incorporate some aspect of mindset, stress and relationships. How to lower cortisol seems to, apparently, be an essential step in a long, healthy life.
What To Do About It?
This is a topic that I will undoubtedly be delving into with my upcoming Podcast. Join my pop-up Facebook group to be first to know once it’s launched! How do we correct what we don’t even recognize as a contributing factor? Judgement of others is much easier than self reflection. In my podcast I want to help others in their journey of making improvements to mind, body and spirit.
No woo-woo here. Science backed facts. Laws of science and undeniable statistics that can change your way of thinking and allow you to receive the healing you deserve. How to lower cortisol is an essential step that every single human needs to embrace to fight cancer and disease.
The practice of pranayama, yoga and meditation on stress is substantial. The art of learning how to quiet the mind and tune your body into receiving healing energy is vital. Energy is all around us…. energy IS us (scientifically speaking) and learning how to control that energy through breath work and tuning your awareness into improved wellness could save your life.
Everyone has different ways of lowering their own stress. I touched on this in my recent article on emotional support animals. How to lower cortisol for you is likely different from how to reduce cortisol for your neighbor.
Swami Sivananda, the oldest living man on earth (125 years old) and the people within the blue zones of this planet, seemed to have unlocked not a secret, but a truth– mind, body & spirit must be healthy to achieve longevity.
Resources
1 Stratakis CA. Skin manifestations of Cushing’s syndrome. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2016;17(3):283-286. doi:10.1007/s11154-016-9399-3 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5181654/
3 Williams, Ashley. “These Places on Earth are home to the world’s oldest, healthiest people.” AccuWeather.com. Accessed Feb 23, 2022. https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/these-places-on-earth-are-home-to-the-worlds-oldest-healthiest-people/346768
Further Reading
Want more on topics of Swami Sivananda and Pranayama? Reading I enjoyed:
The Beauty of Pranayama by Sri Swami Satchidananda- Yogaville
Interested on learning more on how to lower cortisol and mind body spirit approaches?
Join my pop-up facebook group where this will be a hot topic! https://www.facebook.com/groups/619311002700518
