Did you know that there are two kinds of stress hormones in our body?

One is cortisol, and the other is adrenaline, also known as epinephrine.

You have more than likely heard of both, but today we are going to focus on one stress hormone – cortisol which is made in the adrenal glands.

The reason for focusing entirely on this type of stress hormone today is that this is the main stress hormone in our body, and it can cause some pretty bad effects, for instance, when your cortisol levels rise, you can experience high blood pressure, sleep deprivation, weight gain over time, and so on.

Some of these tips below will also help calm down epinephrine as well, so after going through an adrenaline surge, these may just be able to help you feel a lot calmer and decrease cortisol levels so you can rest easier.

Why is it Bad to Have High Cortisol Levels?

The cortisol stress hormone contributes to many things going on in your body, for example, it will have a part in –

  • Regulating your body’s sleep-wake cycle.
  • Reducing inflammation.
  • Managing the way your body uses carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
  • Controls your blood sugar levels.
  • Controls your blood pressure.

As you can see it provides a lot to keep your body functioning, and, when the body increases your cortisol levels, the fight or flight response occurs helping you adapt to danger which can be quite a shock to the system, but it is necessary.

You will normally have high cortisol levels in the morning, but as the day goes on, your body will lower cortisol naturally throughout the day.

What Happens When Your Stress Levels Are High?

Despite the fact that cortisol can be an asset to your body and be a natural part of your day, dealing with things such as chronic stress can cause serious issues that not only affect mental health but continuously elevated cortisol levels will have an impact on physical health, which, in some cases, a rare but serious disease called Cushing’s syndrome can occur if cortisol production is not reduced.

There have been many studies on the effects of high cortisol levels, and here are some health issues that can occur.

Weight Gain

Cortisol can increase appetite and it can send a signal to the body to shift the metabolism to store more fat.

Chronic Disease

If your cortisol levels go on for long periods of time then it can increase the risk of high blood pressure, osteoporosis, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, as well as other cardio and chronic diseases that are linked to chronic stress.

Impaired Immune System

When your immune system is compromised it is harder and harder to fight off infections in your body, so you could become more ill over time unless you focus on lowering cortisol levels.

Lack of Energy

You may not be able to get a good night’s sleep or have satisfactory sleep quality when it comes to high cortisol levels meaning that throughout the day you will have low energy and find it difficult to concentrate or have brain fog.

How to Reduce Stress Hormones

Stress is not the only reason why your adrenal glands will be working overtime to produce cortisol levels in your body, it can also be linked to overactivity or cancer of the adrenal glands and pituitary glands, or medication side effects.

However, if your cortisol is elevated due to stressful situations or events, then now is the time to manage your stress and reduce cortisol production. Many people have their own specific ways to manage stress. Some prefer using cannabis products (like those at cheapweed) while others like to work out. Similarly, you might have your very own go-to method to decompress. But irrespective of what you do, you ought to follow the tips listed below:

Reduce Caffeine Intake

If you want to calm down the stress response in your body, then a good idea would be to reduce your caffeine intake when it gets the afternoon/evening.

Sometimes we need caffeine to wake us up first thing, and that is not necessarily a bad thing especially as properly brewed coffee can be good for you, but, many people seem to abuse that and will have multiple caffeine drinks throughout the day, including energy drinks which are packed full of sugar and sweeteners.

Be Wary of Food

Food also has caffeine in it such as dark chocolate, and whilst these are good at lowering oxidative stress, it is best not to have them close to bedtime as they will keep you up.

Stay Away From it at Bedtime

Do not drink caffeine close to bedtime, and if you still want a hot drink, go for decaf, or naturally decaffeinated drinks such as chamomile tea, this will relieve stress as well as help you drift off to sleep.

Get Enough Sleep

A lack of sufficient sleep can lead to elevated cortisol levels, resulting in morning grogginess and persistent fatigue throughout the day. Conditions like insomnia, sleep apnea, and shift work, where you’re required to be alert at irregular hours, have been associated with increased cortisol levels. This highlights the importance of obtaining quality sleep at night. If you struggle to achieve it naturally, consider implementing the steps mentioned below, whether it is establishing a consistent bedtime routine or exploring sleep-inducing aids like cannabis available at mmj Express and the like. Stay tuned to discover the full list of tips for improving your sleep quality.

Have a Bedtime Routine

Do things in a sequence that will help train your body when to know when it is time to sleep so that it can wind down ready for bed.

Sleep and Wake at The Same Time

If you keep to consistent sleep and wake schedule, you will keep your body in a pattern that will help improve sleep quality and stop you from waking up at all times of the night.

Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol, and Nicotine

All of these are going to be bad for you in some way near bedtime, but alcohol and nicotine are going to be the worst things in general anyway, as chronic use of them will not only affect your sleep quality but they will have detrimental effects on your health.

Don’t Use Your Phone Before Bed

The blue light will keep you awake as your brain believes it is morning, so you will find it hard to get to sleep, or your quality of sleep will be bad.

Turn off/put down your phone a couple of hours before bed, and don’t reach for it. Read a book instead with a bedside light instead of a full light as this can be too bright for the evening.

Take Something Sleep-Inducing

In the initial days when you are just starting to get into a habit, you may still find it difficult to fall asleep on time. During those days, you should consider taking some OTC medicines that are non-habit forming and can help you achieve the purpose. You can also explore the option of cannabis as an alternative remedy for stress and to aid in achieving restful sleep. If interested, you can check out a site similar to https://wccannabis.co/product-category/cannabis/craft-cannabis/.

Exercise (In a Specific Way)

Not all exercise is good before you go to bed, there are some exercises that will increase your cortisol levels and won’t calm down by the time you get into bed, so it is important that you are able to differentiate between which is best and which is bad.

It may be best to do exercises such as yoga and pilates, but routines that are not too strenuous and just focus on stretching out your body to help with relaxing the mind as well.

Exercise During The Day

Exercising in general is a good thing for your overall health, so it would be worth it to exercise at some point during the day anyway to keep your body fit and healthy.

Just make sure that the routine you are doing is either fine for the time you are doing it in, or it is a light one if later on in the day.

Do Some Deep Breathing Exercises

Deep breathing has been known to be incredibly beneficial in calming down the mind and giving people clarity.

Take yourself somewhere quiet and calm, settle in, and start your deep breathing exercises.

There have been studies that have said people who add deep breathing into their daily routines decrease their cortisol levels.

You can combine your deep breathing with meditation, tai chi, and yoga, these can be very calming for people to feel at one with themselves, plus tai chi and yoga can strengthen the body.

Have A Self-care And Massage Day

Every now and then, reward yourself with a self-care and massage day. You could relax in the comfort of your home with a much-needed skin and haircare routine, accompanied by some good wine and a movie to watch. You also have the option of visiting a centre that provides massage therapy in Boulder, CO, if that’s where you’re at. The idea behind this day is to make sure you rejuvenate your skin, hair, mind, and body, enabling you to get back into the daily grind with a lighter and more stress-free mindset. Besides, it could help combat the effects that stress can have on your skin and hair.

See Your Friends For Fun

Sometimes when we are seriously stressed about situations, we want to just be alone and deal with them ourselves as any interference can be distracting and not helpful, however, if you have hit a wall and you need to stop thinking about the problem, seeing friends can be very beneficial.

Being with them can lift your mood and distract you from what was going on in your mind. Then, later on, when you go back to thinking about the problem, you will have a clearer view of it and you might just be able to sort it out as you gave yourself some time away to have fun and re-group.

Conclusion

Stress can be incredibly exhausting to deal with, but what makes it worse is when there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. If you are going through this, it is important that you take some time and look at what can be done.

You are not doing yourself any favors by pushing harder and harder. You need to take some time out and see what the issue is so you can handle it in the right way and not force yourself to be ‘better’ too soon.