Things You Can Do to Lower Cortisol Levels

The holiday season is arguably one of the busiest times of year; between planning travel to see family, get togethers with friends, shopping for presents and sending out seasonal greeting cards, it’s a lot to juggle. Combine these with the usual day-to-day tasks of working, planning dinner, finding time to exercise and getting the kids to school and soccer practice and you’ve got a perfect storm for mental strain. The natural result of a hectic schedule is a cluttered mind and increased stress levels. But what is really behind the feeling of stress, and why does it happen?

The answer is a chemical called cortisol. Cortisol is a naturally-occurring steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands (located just above your kidneys). Just like the other chemicals your endocrine system produces, cortisol has a special job to help keep you up and running. Its main purpose is to regulate your body’s response to stress, and it does that in a few different ways.

Cortisol is categorized as a glucocorticoid hormone, which is a type of hormone used to control your metabolism and regulate your sleep-wake cycle, among other things. It works in nearly every part of your body, including tissues and organs, and must be kept in a very precise balance in order to be effective.

One of the main purposes of cortisol is to regulate your body’s physical stress response. Stress is a natural reaction in the body but can present some challenging symptoms when it gets too intense. There are three different types of stress:

• Acute stress (the fear of sudden danger, such as narrowly avoiding a car accident)
• Chronic stress (caused by ongoing situations that cause anxiety)
• Traumatic stress (when you have a near-death experience)

Our bodies and brains react to stress in a number of different ways, so cortisol’s job is to keep everything working as it should be. When cortisol is released by your adrenal glands, receptors in other parts of the body are ready to receive it and make use of it. One example is the nervous system: the nervous system is one of the first bodily systems to feel the effects of stress. There are two parts of the overall nervous system, the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the stress responses you can feel, such as increased heart rate, sweating, and an increased rate of breathing. Cortisol is released and received by the nervous system to help keep your body on the alert in case you are in danger. In other words, it prolongs the effect of the sympathetic nervous system so that you stay in fight-or-flight mode until the perceived “danger” is gone.

The work cortisol does in cahoots with your nervous system is actually an evolutionary advantage: by producing a chemical dedicated to keeping you in fight-or-flight mode, your adrenal gland allows you to respond to danger much faster. But what if we don’t need that extra boost in our everyday lives? How do we handle an excess of cortisol?

Overproduction of cortisol can have a detrimental effect on your overall health.

Symptoms of too much cortisol can include:

• Irritability
• Weight gain
• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Increased blood pressure
• Respiratory problems
• Stomach aches and other digestive issues
• Muscle pain

All of these symptoms make the daily grind harder, so checking in with your body and taking steps to maintain healthy stress levels is key to keeping your schedule (and peace of mind!) under control. The good news is, there are plenty of natural ways to reduce your cortisol levels and keep your body’s stress management system in check.

Spending time outdoors is a great way to lower overall stress and anxiety. Just spending twenty minutes outside in nature can lower your cortisol levels. Bonus points if it’s sunny outside, since vitamin D has also been shown to reduce feelings of stress!

Exercise plays a huge role in regulating your endocrine system. Working out sends a rush of endorphins into your system (a feel-good hormone), allows your body to work through that fight-or-flight urge that cortisol creates, creates distractions from mental stressors and improves sleep. Going for a brisk walk or jog, playing a game of HORSE with friends, or even playing with your dog are easy ways to reap the benefits of exercise. Heck, turn on your favorite song and shake your booty for a few minutes. You’ll feel a difference.

Meditation and yoga are two more terrific tools in your cortisol-lowering arsenal. Yoga Journal says, "often, people who take up yoga report that they feel more relaxed almost immediately. And science now says there's a physiological explanation for that: Yoga can reduce levels of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone."

Eating a balanced diet and avoiding too much caffeine is another way to keep your endocrine system happy and healthy. By giving your body the nutrients and fuel it needs to thrive, you take unnecessary strain off of each bodily system so they can do their jobs. Caffeine consumption is fine in moderation, but too much can make you more likely to feel stress and anxiety throughout the day. Limiting your caffeine intake to about 1-2 cups of coffee (100-200 milligrams) per day is recommended to prevent unwarranted stress responses.

Nurturing personal relationships is a solid way to keep your stress levels under control. If you find yourself spending less time with friends or becoming antisocial when your schedule gets hectic, try to carve out time to see the people you love. Spending time with friends and family can give you a boost of dopamine, a feel-good chemical that works hand-in-hand with endorphins.

If you’ve tried relying on natural remedies for controlling stress and haven’t found success, consider talking to your doctor. There are plenty of prescription medications available to regulate stress hormones and keep you balanced. Additionally, you might try talk therapy with a licensed counselor or psychologist to try getting to the bottom of what’s causing you so much anxiety.

Remember, stressors will always come and go. Learning how to respond to stress in a healthy way will benefit you every single day.

For more health and wellness content, visit the INTEGRIS Health For You blog.