What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone that is released into our body when we feel hungry, stressed or have high levels of adrenaline (when we have exercised). Cortisol has been identified as one of our principal stress hormones. Having some stress is not a bad thing. When we are stressed, we release cortisol. Cortisol is our fight or flight hormone which allows us to solve problems head-on by increasing our heart rate and releasing adrenaline. We are designed to experience stress in short bursts but modern-day life can result in long periods of stress… So how do we solve this??
Facts about how cortisol affects us
Cortisol steal
All the hormones in our body are made up of all the same stuff. When everything is working together, it all gets apportioned nicely so there is enough to go around. There is enough to make oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone and also cortisol. The question is; what happens when we are in a long-term state of stress? Our endocrine system reacts to this by prioritising the release of cortisol which affects the balance of the other hormones. This can lead to other complications such as weight gain and sleep disturbance.
The impact on our digestive system
Choosing the correct type of food is key – If we eat too many sugary foods it will also have an impact on our cortisol levels. High sugar foods create a spike in blood sugar levels and once our body has dealt with this our blood sugar levels will fall suddenly which can send our body into stress, releasing high levels of cortisol and adrenaline. Our natural instinct is to then eat more sugar, e.g. grab the closest chocolate bar! At this point, our body is under stress (cortisol) which means our digestive system doesn’t work properly. This can have multiple effects including stress, the cortisol steal, plus weight gain.
The impact of e-devices on our cortisol levels
The average person usually wakes up to an alarm set on their phone, before waking up properly people have checked their emails, messages and various social media sites. Is this the best way to start your day? By looking at your device first thing in the morning you’re introducing yourself to potential stress before even getting out of bed! This can have a day-long effect on our routine as looking at our phone doesn’t just increase our stress levels but releases a reward hormone (dopamine). This hormone makes us want to look at our phones more and more throughout the day, meaning our activity levels decrease.
Challenge of the week
The challenge of the week for you is to spend two 15-minute blocks of your day decreasing your cortisol levels and increasing your ‘me’ time. I would recommend doing this as a ‘phone-free’ time. For example:
– Going for a walk
– Reading a book
– Stretch
– Sitting and drinking a coffee
– Cooking your favourite meal
– Relaxing on the sofa
– Listen to music or a podcast
The idea of this challenge is to give you some time to relax without the stress of the outside world.
If you want to chat about anything, I would love to hear from you – book a call here
Paul.