For many of us, keeping cortisol levels low is an important goal. Not sure why? What about when you discover that its nickname is “the stress hormone”?
Why Keep Cortisol Levels Low?
When your body or emotions are distressed, cortisol is secreted into your body in large amounts. When this occurs temporarily, it can be beneficial. It can contribute to the fight or flight response which could help to keep you safe. It helps you to think more clearly and react appropriately in the face of danger or a perceived threat. However, the benefits rapidly fade away when it is happening all the time.
Chronic high cortisol levels are associated with an increased risk of life-threatening diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Therefore, if this has been happening too regularly in your life, it’s a good idea to find out how to get cortisol levels low and keep them there.
Beyond the physical, serious mental healthy conditions are also associated with chronically high levels of this hormone. This is particularly true of anxiety and depression.
Why Are High Levels So Bad?
When you fail to keep cortisol levels low, the body functions in a chronic state of stress. This forces the body’s systems to continually act as though they are facing a threat. The immune system, for example, is placed on high alert, continually seeking out potential pathogens that may not even be there. This is exhausting and can reduce immune function, making you more susceptible to contagious conditions such as the common cold and influenza.
How to Get Cortisol Levels Low
To get your cortisol levels low, it’s important to identify the triggers that were setting off production in the first place and come up with a management plan for those triggers. Often, this means that we need to better understand what is causing us to feel emotionally stressed and then discover ways to cope with and overcome those stresses.
Regularly practicing good self-care can make all the difference in getting cortisol levels low. This includes regular exercise, proper nutrition, weight management, sleep, and rest (which is not the same as sleep).
If you feel that you’re suffering from high levels of this hormone, add these strategies to your basic self-care routine.
Self-Respectfully Control Your Body Weight
If you are overweight or obese, it’s time to get your weight into a healthy range. This is not a matter of shaming yourself or hating how you look. It’s a medical step that you can take to actively reduce your body’s cortisol production. Avoid any fad diets and choose healthy lifestyle changes that you’ll be able to maintain over the long-term. Focus on eating and exercising properly and think of weight loss as a positive side effect instead of being your goal.
This strategy will help you to keep cortisol levels low as you control your weight, which will set up your body to more easily manage the release of that hormone. Practiced regularly, this self-care step develops a positive cycle for your body.
The sooner you begin, the easier it will be as this hormone is notorious for making weight loss challenging. Therefore, the higher your levels, the tougher it is to lose weight without the support of the right diet pills.
Keep Up a Physically Active Lifestyle
Exercise is great for both your physical and mental health and is fantastic for keeping cortisol levels low. It’s incredible and fast acting. If you’re feeling very stressed, an intense gym session may be just what you need. Even five minutes of intense activity can help to make you feel more energized, less stressed, and can reduce depression symptoms.
You may want to lie on the couch under a blanket and binge-watch an entire season of your latest show obsession but getting up and moving around – even for a handful of minutes – will do you a lot more good, particularly when you choose a cardio workout.
Don’t Hesitate to Turn to Therapy
If you’re really struggling to get your stress under control, consider speaking with a therapist. These professionals really can help. They can equip you with the tools you need for proper stress management. You’ll naturally keep cortisol levels low more often because you’ll be dealing with buried feelings of trauma, grief, anger, betrayal, resentment, or overall sadness.
Self-care in terms of your mental health is just as important as caring for your physical wellness to keep cortisol levels low.
For many of us, keeping cortisol levels low is an important goal. Not sure why? What about when you discover that its nickname is “the stress hormone”?
Why Keep Cortisol Levels Low?
When your body or emotions are distressed, cortisol is secreted into your body in large amounts. When this occurs temporarily, it can be beneficial. It can contribute to the fight or flight response which could help to keep you safe. It helps you to think more clearly and react appropriately in the face of danger or a perceived threat. However, the benefits rapidly fade away when it is happening all the time.
Chronic high cortisol levels are associated with an increased risk of life-threatening diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Therefore, if this has been happening too regularly in your life, it’s a good idea to find out how to get cortisol levels low and keep them there.
Beyond the physical, serious mental healthy conditions are also associated with chronically high levels of this hormone. This is particularly true of anxiety and depression.
Why Are High Levels So Bad?
When you fail to keep cortisol levels low, the body functions in a chronic state of stress. This forces the body’s systems to continually act as though they are facing a threat. The immune system, for example, is placed on high alert, continually seeking out potential pathogens that may not even be there. This is exhausting and can reduce immune function, making you more susceptible to contagious conditions such as the common cold and influenza.
How to Get Cortisol Levels Low
To get your cortisol levels low, it’s important to identify the triggers that were setting off production in the first place and come up with a management plan for those triggers. Often, this means that we need to better understand what is causing us to feel emotionally stressed and then discover ways to cope with and overcome those stresses.
Regularly practicing good self-care can make all the difference in getting cortisol levels low. This includes regular exercise, proper nutrition, weight management, sleep, and rest (which is not the same as sleep).
If you feel that you’re suffering from high levels of this hormone, add these strategies to your basic self-care routine.
Self-Respectfully Control Your Body Weight
If you are overweight or obese, it’s time to get your weight into a healthy range. This is not a matter of shaming yourself or hating how you look. It’s a medical step that you can take to actively reduce your body’s cortisol production. Avoid any fad diets and choose healthy lifestyle changes that you’ll be able to maintain over the long-term. Focus on eating and exercising properly and think of weight loss as a positive side effect instead of being your goal.
This strategy will help you to keep cortisol levels low as you control your weight, which will set up your body to more easily manage the release of that hormone. Practiced regularly, this self-care step develops a positive cycle for your body.
The sooner you begin, the easier it will be as this hormone is notorious for making weight loss challenging. Therefore, the higher your levels, the tougher it is to lose weight without the support of the right diet pills.
Keep Up a Physically Active Lifestyle
Exercise is great for both your physical and mental health and is fantastic for keeping cortisol levels low. It’s incredible and fast acting. If you’re feeling very stressed, an intense gym session may be just what you need. Even five minutes of intense activity can help to make you feel more energized, less stressed, and can reduce depression symptoms.
You may want to lie on the couch under a blanket and binge-watch an entire season of your latest show obsession but getting up and moving around – even for a handful of minutes – will do you a lot more good, particularly when you choose a cardio workout.
Don’t Hesitate to Turn to Therapy
If you’re really struggling to get your stress under control, consider speaking with a therapist. These professionals really can help. They can equip you with the tools you need for proper stress management. You’ll naturally keep cortisol levels low more often because you’ll be dealing with buried feelings of trauma, grief, anger, betrayal, resentment, or overall sadness.
Self-care in terms of your mental health is just as important as caring for your physical wellness to keep cortisol levels low.
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