Dear Fitness Family
I hope that you had a great week so far. On Wednesday 14th Novemeber I relised that it was national Diabetes Day and I if had have known this, todays blog would have been dedicated to it, however I had
prepard this blog, so therefore next week I will be looking at diabetes!!!!
So whats on the blog this week? Cortisol!!!!, another BUZZ word
that you might have heard about. But do you know what it is why and how it is
produced? how it effects the body and the side effects to too much? Well I hope to answer all these questions in this article.
So I will cover
What is Cortisol, why and how it is produced?
How it effects the body,
Side effect of high levels of cortisol.
What is Cortisol, how it is produced and why?
Cortisol is an important hormone required by the body and is secreted by the adrenal glands. You may have heard Cortisol deemed as the stress hormone because it’s released in higher levels during the body’s fight or flight response to stress. It is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects however too much can have some adverse effects. It has been established that Cortisol levels are at its highest in the morning, and at its lowest at night.
Lets know look at how it effects the body.
Cortisol is inviolved in many bodily funtions and is essential for evryday
life such as-
Helps regulate glucose metabolism,
Regulates blood pressure,
Helps release insulin for blood sugar maintanence,
Immune function,
Inflammatory response,
Enables quick burst of energy for survival reasons,
Enhances memory functions,
Lowers sensitivity to pain,
Helps maintain homeostasis (a balance) in the body.
Side effect of high levels of cortisol
So now we are aware of why Coritsol is important. But what if there are prolonged periods where Cortisol levels are elevated. After a stressful event it is vital that body relaxes so it can regain balance. However with stress levels rising due and staying constant due to work falmily money commitments this doesnt always happen and as such the body stays in a in a state of stress.
Higher and prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have
been shown to have negative effects, such as:
Impaired cognitive performance, memory impairment, low
concentration,
Lower thyroid function,
Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia (too muh sugar),
Decreased bone density,
Decrease in muscle tissue,
Higher blood pressure,
Loweredmmunity and inflammatory responses, e.g slower healing,
Increased abdominal fat, putting you at risk of other health related issues.
So how can you prevent this???
You can make lifestyle changes for example
Exercise regulary,
Relise the triggers, talk them through with someone to avoid times of stess,
Healthy diet.
Well I hope that after reading this you are a little clearer on the topic Cortisol!!!!
If you have any question please feel free to leave me a comment.
Until next week. Be stress free and stay healthy.
Jill
I hope that you had a great week so far. On Wednesday 14th Novemeber I relised that it was national Diabetes Day and I if had have known this, todays blog would have been dedicated to it, however I had
prepard this blog, so therefore next week I will be looking at diabetes!!!!
So whats on the blog this week? Cortisol!!!!, another BUZZ word
that you might have heard about. But do you know what it is why and how it is
produced? how it effects the body and the side effects to too much? Well I hope to answer all these questions in this article.
So I will cover
What is Cortisol, why and how it is produced?
How it effects the body,
Side effect of high levels of cortisol.
What is Cortisol, how it is produced and why?
Cortisol is an important hormone required by the body and is secreted by the adrenal glands. You may have heard Cortisol deemed as the stress hormone because it’s released in higher levels during the body’s fight or flight response to stress. It is responsible for several stress-related changes in the body. Small increases of cortisol have some positive effects however too much can have some adverse effects. It has been established that Cortisol levels are at its highest in the morning, and at its lowest at night.
Lets know look at how it effects the body.
Cortisol is inviolved in many bodily funtions and is essential for evryday
life such as-
Helps regulate glucose metabolism,
Regulates blood pressure,
Helps release insulin for blood sugar maintanence,
Immune function,
Inflammatory response,
Enables quick burst of energy for survival reasons,
Enhances memory functions,
Lowers sensitivity to pain,
Helps maintain homeostasis (a balance) in the body.
Side effect of high levels of cortisol
So now we are aware of why Coritsol is important. But what if there are prolonged periods where Cortisol levels are elevated. After a stressful event it is vital that body relaxes so it can regain balance. However with stress levels rising due and staying constant due to work falmily money commitments this doesnt always happen and as such the body stays in a in a state of stress.
Higher and prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have
been shown to have negative effects, such as:
Impaired cognitive performance, memory impairment, low
concentration,
Lower thyroid function,
Blood sugar imbalances such as hyperglycemia (too muh sugar),
Decreased bone density,
Decrease in muscle tissue,
Higher blood pressure,
Loweredmmunity and inflammatory responses, e.g slower healing,
Increased abdominal fat, putting you at risk of other health related issues.
So how can you prevent this???
You can make lifestyle changes for example
Exercise regulary,
Relise the triggers, talk them through with someone to avoid times of stess,
Healthy diet.
Well I hope that after reading this you are a little clearer on the topic Cortisol!!!!
If you have any question please feel free to leave me a comment.
Until next week. Be stress free and stay healthy.
Jill
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