Part One
Stress… We all suffer from it on a daily basis. It has become a natural occurrence in the everyday lives of millions of people around the world. In fact, it is so common in the average household that most people tend to ignore their stress levels. How many of us will admit to that?
What many people do not know… their stress levels are doing more to their bodies than just giving them gray hairs. Stress releases a natural occurring steroid into your body, called Cortisol, and studies show that it is doing great damage to your system. Cortisol was not supposed to be common it was supposed to be only for emergencies. It is supposed to be released when the body needs to special power for a quick burst of energy for survival or to function in times of ultimate stress. It should never something that should remain at high levels in the blood for extended periods of time.
Cortisol is a hormone released by the middle zone of the adrenal cortex in connection with stress. Cortisol release is controlled by the hypothalmus in the brain. It spares the glucose in the body or energy stores away from the low priority activities like the immune system (long term very high priority I am sure you agree), for the brain and those functions more important in this perceived emergency. It counteracts what insulin job is which saves the energy or glucose for when you need it by removing it from the blood. Cortisol allows the blood sugar to go up so you have the energy to survive.
We do need this natural hormone when we are being chased by our neighbors giant dog or a mugger in a ski mask…..but do we need it to deal with the stress of our daily lives?
How does Cortisol affect your Body?
The answer in Part Two of the Cortisol story. It you would like to ask any questions about cortisol’s effect on you please call our experts at Beyond Biology at 888.908.0804.