How Can You Reduce Cortisol Naturally

Cortisol affects several aspects of your body. The primary function of this hormone is how we respond to stress. In some instances, people also referred to this as the "stress hormone".

Ensuring stable cortisol levels is essential to maintaining a healthy, stressless life. However, to control it, you must understand how these levels are increased and decreased.

So, how can you reduce cortisol naturally? Here's everything you need to know:

What are cortisol levels?

Your adrenal glands create the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol, which is then released into the body.

Hormones are substances that communicate with your organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues through your blood to coordinate various bodily activities. These messages instruct your body on what to do and when.

A class of steroid hormones is glucocorticoids. They regulate the metabolism of your muscles, fat, liver, and bones while reducing inflammation in all body tissues. Glucocorticoids also impact the sleep-wake cycle. Your two tiny, triangular-shaped adrenal glands, or suprarenal glands, are situated on top of your two kidneys. The endocrine system in your body contains them.

Every organ and tissue in your body is impacted by cortisol. It performs a variety of crucial tasks, such as:

  • Control of blood sugar.
  • Blood pressure stabilisation.
  • Management of inflammation
  • Assisting in regulating your sleep-wake cycle.
  • Controlling the stress reaction in your body.
  • Helps in regulating your body's metabolism, which is how it uses fats, proteins, and carbs.

Your body constantly checks your cortisol levels to keep them stable (homeostasis). Problems can occur when an imbalance (higher or lower than normal) can happen. These vary on the circumstance, so we'll discuss this below

Is high cortisol bad?

We're susceptible to Cushing's syndrome when our bodies produce too much cortisol. Adults are primarily affected, and more women than males. Type 2 diabetes, using a class of drugs known as glucocorticoids, an adrenal gland disease, or specific types of tumours can all contribute to it.

When high cortisol levels are in our bodies, there are many problems. Including:

  • Headaches
  • Bruising easily
  • Weak muscles
  • Mood changes
  • High blood pressure
  • Acne and skin issues
  • Brain fog or concentration issues
  • Extreme fatigue that sleep can't fix
  • Weight gain in the belly, back, and face

So, is high cortisol bad? Yes, it can be. The hormone affects almost every bodily function. It could significantly impact the rest of our body if it isn't stabilised.

What are the symptoms of high cortisol levels?

Your cortisol levels will determine how severe your Cushing's symptoms are. The following are typical warning signs and symptoms of elevated cortisol levels:

  • High blood pressure (hypertension).
  • Fractures and weak bones (osteoporosis).
  • Excessive hair growth (hirsutism) in females.
  • Between your shoulder blades, fatty deposits.
  • Abdominal stretch marks that are wide and purple (belly).
  • Gaining weight, especially around the face and tummy.
  • You have thighs and upper arms with weak muscles.

If you're experiencing one of the above symptoms, you should seek a medical examination. A professional will need to see whether your cortisol levels are regulating properly.

Typically, if your cortisol levels are high, you get appointed a list of lifestyle changes by a medical professional. Depending on your circumstance, this could consist of some of the following:

6 ways to reduce cortisol levels naturally

You will require medical therapy to lessen your cortisol levels if you have Cushing's syndrome (very high levels). Most treatments require either medicine or surgery. Additionally, you'll require medical attention if your cortisol levels are below average.

But how can you reduce cortisol naturally? There are several routine actions you may take to attempt to reduce your cortisol levels and maintain them within healthy limits, such as:

1. Get good sleep - Cortisol levels are raised by chronic sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnoea, insomnia, or working a night shift.

2. Regular exercise - Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular exercise enhances sleep quality and lessens stress, which can gradually lower cortisol levels.

3. Take it easy and laugh - Endorphins are released when you laugh, and cortisol is reduced. Hobbies and enjoyable activities might help you feel good, which could help reduce your cortisol levels.

4. Maintain healthy relationships - Relationships have a big role in our lives. Your cortisol levels might increase from stress brought on by having hostile and unpleasant interactions with family members or co-workers.

5. Practice deep breathing techniques - Your parasympathetic nerve system, often known as your "rest and digest" system, is stimulated when you practise controlled breathing. This lowers your cortisol levels.

6. Reduce your exposure to stress and unpleasant thought processes - Being conscious of your breathing, heart rate, and other tension-related symptoms can help you see stress early on and stop it from worsening.

Above are six well-known and professionally backed ways to reduce cortisol naturally. By implementing these into a daily habit, your levels can become stable, eliminating the side effects of high cortisol levels.

How can Nu Mind help reduce cortisol levels?

Now you've read the above; you should have a comprehensive understanding of what are cortisol levels, why they rise, their importance, and how to reduce them naturally. However, there's one more natural way to counteract high cortisol levels. By using our standard or probiotic natural stress support supplement, you'll receive the following benefits:

  • Boost overall wellbeing
  • Enhance mental clarity & focus
  • Improve sleep quality & duration
  • Reduce feelings of Stress & Anxiety

As you know by this post, the above directly reduces cortisol levels. Therefore, using Nu Mind's standard or probiotic natural stress support supplement can lower cortisol levels while obtaining a vast range of additional benefits.

Summary

After this post, you should understand cortisol levels better. We've discussed is high cortisol bad, the symptoms, and natural ways to reduce them.

As seen, this hormone plays an integral role in our bodies. Therefore, maintaining and ensuring proper, stable levels is essential to a healthy lifestyle. ' To achieve this, practice the natural reduction methods above and consider supplementing our natural stress formula at Nu Mind today.

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