All about Cortisol and How to Reduce Its Levels

Have you ever heard your doctor or a health expert talking about the significance of eating healthy and doing workout for healthy living? If yes, then maybe you are also aware of the 3^rd and frequently ignored element to a healthy lifestyle, i.e. stress management. Here, CORTISOL, which is a most influential stress hormone in our body, is a relevant term and in fact an important topic we are going to discuss today. The main duty of cortisol is actually to let our body know how to respond when we have stress. 

You should consider cortisol as nature’s integral alarm system. It is good to know that it works with specific parts of your brain to have power over your mood, spur, and fright. And if we talk about adrenal glands, these are responsible for creating cortisol which plays a noteworthy role in various things your body performs.

Know How Your Body Responses during Stress

According to the health experts, when stress takes place in our body, cortisol levels increase to provide us a flow of energy to help get away “danger.” Here, this hormonal response doesn’t make a distinction between good stress (such as the one that comes with a challenging work in the office) and bad stress (like that happens due to joblessness). No matter the stress type, with it cortisol increases your blood sugar and BP while decreasing the immune system response. The consequential “fight or flight” energy burst can feel good for approx ten to twenty minutes. When it's gone, it leaves you with a feeling of tiredness and nervousness.

Indeed, maintaining the levels of blood cortisol is a vital part of feeling good, staying hale and hearty, and controlling weight. And when its levels go up excessively, it prompts the body to accumulate fuel in the form of fat, more often than not around the waist. Luckily, you have numerous ways to keep the cortisol levels controlled. Well, here the best solution is to shift your body from the stress response to the recreation response. And the good thing is it is not at all hard to do. And when it takes place, the cortisol levels go down and the body’s self-restore systems get back to work. Now, let’s take a quick look at several verified ways to reduce your cortisol levels and relieve your nervousness:

- Eat a balanced diet. 

Consume plenty of whole grains, proteins, fruits, veggies, and fiber to help regulate cortisol and anxiety. Consider talking to your doctor or pharmacist about taking dietary supplements such as vitamin B complex, vitamin C, and fish oil, as intake levels vary. Avoid caffeine, sugar, and processed food. Better-eating guru Michael Pollen’s quote “Eat foods from a plant, not made in a plant,” is a good reminder to eat food that is natural and whole.

- Take Part in Daily Physical Activity

Believe it or not but the fact is that fair work out does wonders to alleviate anxiety and reduce cortisol levels. Find a physical activity that you really love and do it at least 3 times a week.

- Practice Meditation 

There is no doubt in that even a few minutes of meditation everyday has an optimistic effect on the anxiety levels. Here, you can also consider taking a deep breath.

- Proper Rest Is Must

Sleeplessness can also raise the cortisol levels and disturb daily hormone patterns. It’s important to make a pattern of sleeping and waking up every day. Make sure you get 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep. Certainly, this helps in balancing your stress hormone naturally.

- Talk to People

According to the studies isolation also gives rise to stress, nervousness, and gloominess. So, it is vital to come across different ways to become socialize to manage the stress.

- Laugh As Much As You Can

 It’s also verified that laughing considerably brings down the stress hormone levels up to 50%. So, whenever you feel anxious, it is a good idea to watch a comedy TV program or a humorous movie. 

In the last, it is also recommended to limit your habit of drinking alcohol. A lot of people might think it relaxes them, but for them it is important to make out that alcohol consumption increases cortisol to a great extent.