What you need to Know about Cortisol Metabolism in a Stressful Life!
Under normal circumstances, the body does a pretty good job of controlling cortisol secretion and regulating the amount of cortisol in the blood stream. Normal cortisol metabolism follows a circadian rhythm, meaning that levels tend to follow a twenty-four hour cycle with the highest cortisol levels typically observed in the early morning hours around 6 to 8am. And the lowest levels being in the wee hours of the morning around 12 to 2am. Cortisol usually show a rapid drop between 8am and 11am and a continued gradual decline throughout the day. Please see diagram below of natural cortisol levels.
The normal range for blood cortisol levels is fairly wide, 6 – 23 mcg/dl, but these levels can vary tremendously in response to stress, illness and even following meals. Cortisol levels can also be elevated by estrogen hormone therapy, exercise, pregnancy, depression, anxiety and caffeine as little as 2 to 3 cups of coffee.
Now, for some of the bad aspects of cortisol metabolism. Western lifestyles being defined by our fast paced, low sleep, fast food habits, it would be surprising to find people who did not experience elevated cortisol levels on a regular basis. There is scientific evidence to show that chronically elevated cortisol levels can be associated with obesity, hypertension, diabetes, fatigue, depression, irregular menstrual periods, decreased sex drive, or Alzheimer’s disease.
When ever our bodies are exposed to a stressor, cortisol springs into action to increase levels of fat and sugar in the bloodstream which can be used by the brain and muscles to deal with the stressor. Normally, cortisol levels are quickly depleted following the stress response. Because our bodies were only meant to deal with immediate short-term exposure to stress hormones, this chronic long term exposure to cortisol can quickly lead to breakdown in the body’s metabolic control systems. Most of the problems associated with elevated cortisol levels have their origins in a disrupted metabolism, causing elevations in blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, and body- fat levels. This usually is called syndrome X. Many people with syndrome X are easily recognizable because of their middle weight (abdominal) fat. One of the most notable effects of chronically elevated cortisol levels is an increase in appetite and cravings tend to be for calorie- dense sweets and salty snacks.
In closing, if you know someone that is dealing with stress on an on going bases or you notice the middle weight fat and know that they might have dealt with a great deal of stress in the resent days, you may want to tell them to ask there doctor about checking there cortisol levels. If this is you then, do the same thing, check your levels either by saliva test or blood test. Your Doctor can do this for you or contact your local compounding pharmacy and they can direct you where you could go.
Angie Fielden, Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Specialist at Solutions Pharmacy, has jive years' experience in counseling and educating patients. Solutions, 4632 Highway 58 North, has been named "the nation's experts in formulating Bio-identical hormones" by the American Medical Review. Call (423) 894-0423 for an appointment for a free in-house hormone assessment.
