The word stress just brings up bad vibes, right? So, it
makes sense that cortisol, "stress hormone" would have a bad
reputation.
But "cortisol is not, in itself, bad—it's just a
hormone," says Mike Molloy, Ph.D., founder of M2 Performance Nutrition,
who's studied microbiology and immunology. "But the dosage and amounts of
cortisol in the body need to be right."
And one of the things that can throw (or keep) your cortisol
levels off is exercise—especially when the rest of your life is stressed out.
But (!!) that doesn't mean you should swear off sweating in the name of being
stressed.
Scroll down for a crib sheet on cortisol, its relationship
to exercise, and what you need to know about keeping yours in check.
What Is Cortisol, Anyway?
Cortisol may be nicknamed the "stress hormone,"
but this steroid hormone does way more than that. In fact, "cortisol is
the most important hormone in the body because it touches literally every other
system in the body," says board-certified endocrinologist Elena A.
Christofides, M.D., F.A.C.E. It helps control blood sugar levels, regulates
your metabolism and blood pressure, affects your sleep quality, impacts your
sex life, assists with memory-making, and even aids in fetal health during
pregnancy.
If your adrenal glands (which make cortisol and are located
on top of your kidneys) were to be removed from your body, you would be dead
within 24 hours—faster than if your thyroid or pancreas were removed, and both
of which also produce hormones, she says. (Related: The 20 Most Important
Hormones for Your Health).
Your cortisol levels are controlled by your pituitary
glands, which are located in your brain. They use their spidey senses to tell
if your blood has the "right" amount of cortisol. Too much or too
little cortisol in the body? The pituitary glands tell the adrenal glands to
adjust.
Generally, your cortisol levels follow a circadian rhythm,
peaking in the morning and declining at the end of the day, according to
Molloy. Of course, they can also fluctuate based on what you're ~experiencing~.
"Stress is anything that triggers the adrenal glands to produce more
cortisol, so any stress (be it mental, emotional, or physical) can cause a
cortisol response in the body," he explains.
When Cortisol Becomes a Problem
To understand how, why, and when cortisol can become a
problem, first think about how different our life stressors are now compared to
2 million years ago.
"In Paleolithic times, cortisol played a very helpful
role in times of 'fight-or-flight' from an enemy or animal," explains
Morgan Nolte, D.P.T., a board-certified clinical specialist in geriatric
physical therapy in Omaha, Nebraska. The human body has evolved so that
cortisol levels spike for a short period of time when you're in danger and then
return to normal once the stressor disappears, she explains. This spike of
cortisol was a good thing, giving you the extra boost of energy you needed to
flee or put up a fight.
Flash-forward to the 21st century, and we may not be facing
the "stress" of lions, tigers, and bears (oh my), but we're
experiencing other (and way more) stressors that cause a cortisol response in
the body.
"In general, modern stress is a different beast
compared to the type and amount of stress the body has evolved to deal
with," says Molloy. Nowadays, people are almost always under stress at
work, he says, and then there's all the "little" stressors of
everyday life like a passive-aggressive slack message, an ex watching your IG
story, a troll on Twitter, an email with no exclamation marks, train delays,
traffic, etc. that also cause a cortisol response in the body.
Unfortunately, "our bodies haven't evolved or adapted
to the amount of stress we're constantly throwing at them," says Dr.
Christofides. "So our stress response is constantly telling our systems
that we're under attack, even when that 'attack' is just the go-go-go pace of
everyday life." (Related: This Is
Your Brain On Stress). And over time, "this can cause your cortisol levels
to get out of whack," says Molloy. And that's when cortisol can become a
problem. (See More: Chronic Stress Can Shorten Your Life Span)
For example, you might have a natural cortisol increase
before a CrossFit competition or work presentation. Again, this is still a
typically good thing because a brief spike in cortisol is associated with
benefits such as improved memory and a higher pain threshold.
But because most people are experiencing more instances of
stress more frequently than ever before, "sometimes your cortisol levels
get out of whack," says Molloy. And that's when cortisol can become a problem.
(See More: Chronic Stress Can Shorten Your Life Span)
Sometimes wonky cortisol levels are caused by a nodule in
the adrenal gland, triggering it to make too much cortisol (known as Cushing
syndrome), or adrenal gland making too little cortisol (known either as adrenal
insufficiency or Addison's Disease), adds Nolte. But these aren't the cortisol
issues most people are facing. Typically, the issue is excess stress.
How Exercise Affects Your Cortisol Levels
Remember how Malloy said that a stress responses can be
triggered by emotional, mental, or physical stimuli? Well, if you've ever been
through a break-up, gotten in a fight with your Mom, or had an unreasonable
school or work deadline, you probably understand emotional and mental stress.
But do you know what counts physical stress? It can be anything from a muscle
tear after a soccer game or an injury after a car accident to general fatigue,
dehydration/malnutrition, or exercise, according to Dr. Christofides. Yep,
exercise causes physical stress.
Don't read it wrong: Exercise isn't bad! What is bad is the
high-stress culture. And if you're under a lot of mental/emotional stress,
exercising can sometimes help because it forces your cortisol levels to spike,
which can then lead cortisol levels to stabilize, explains Dr. Christofides.
What comes up, must come down, right? Well, it doesn't always work like that.
Sometimes, exercise exacerbates pre-existing cortisol
imbalances, she says. "Because exercise yields the body's stress response,
when cortisol levels aren't in homeostasis, it can cause cortisol levels to
just remain high," she says. This is especially likely if you exercise at
the end of the day, for a long period of time, or at uber-high intensities.
(See: Is Your Really Intense Workout Making You Sick?)
"If you work out at the end of the day when your
cortisol levels are supposed to be on the decline, it can cause your cortisol
levels to deviate from their circadian rhythm," says Molloy. Usually, it's
a short-term deviation and your cortisol levels return to normal. But
exercising at night can exacerbate preexisting cortisol issues, he explains.
(That's why exercising in the morning can be part of the solution, but more on
that below).
The population most at risk for cortisol imbalances are
endurance exercisers, according to Dr. Christofides. That's because endurance
exercise increases the amount of time your body is under physical stress,
according to a study on the topic published in the journal
Psychoneuroendocrinology. If you're biking or running for two to three hours a
day a few times a week, that's a lot of time with elevated cortisol levels, she
says. So for people who already ('already' being the key word here!) have
messed up cortisol levels, due to a really stressful out-of-the-gym life or a
preexisting condition, endurance training can exacerbate the issue. While this
shouldn't scare you out of training for a marathon, it should encourage you to
prioritize your emotional health, mental health, and recovery during training.
(See: How I Learned to Love Rest Days).
Molloy says he also sees cortisol problems in communities of
people who consistently perform strenuous workouts such as HIIT and CrossFit.
"If you're going through a break-up, divorce, or crunch-time at work, you
probably don't want to be doing a workout that's landing you flat on your
back," he says. That's because, during these high-stress periods, your
cortisol levels are already way up. So if a workout is leaving you flat, it
probably spiked your cortisol levels even higher. Doing a workout that's going
to majorly spike your cortisol levels when you're at a high-stress period of
life is like trying to put out a fire with fuel—it makes the situation worse.
Symptoms and Side Effects of Cortisol Imbalance
If you love your current workout routine, the thought of
dialing it back may sound counterintuitive, but "the cost of working out
at 100 percent when your mental and emotional stress levels are at 100 percent
is compromised muscle mass, strength plateaus, weight gain, and generalized
exhaustion," says Molloy of the side effects of cortisol imbalance.
There are other non-exercise related symptoms, too—most of
which are similar to the symptoms of overtraining syndrome. Some other symptoms
of a cortisol imbalance are:
*Reduced libido
*Mood changes
*Depressive or anxious
thoughts
*Trouble sleeping
*Short-term memory
issues
*Headaches
*Exhaustion
*Lack of menstrual
cycle
Because the whole endocrine system is interconnected, this
is just the tip of the iceberg, says Len Lopez D.C., a chiropractor and fitness
expert. For example, "your body needs progesterone to make cortisol. When
there's an overproduction of cortisol, it can cause an imbalance in your
progesterone and estrogen levels, which can lead to estrogen dominance,"
he says. (That in itself can lead to a number of other health issues such as
obesity, cardiometabolic diseases, and even cancer.)
It's also worth mentioning that mental health issues like
anxiety and depression have a direct relationship with cortisol. Some studies
have linked heightened cortisol levels with mental health issues, while others
have found that chronically elevated cortisol levels increase your risk for
mental illness in the future.
Because, again, cortisol touches every single system in the
body, chronically elevated cortisol levels can lead to other scary health
issues such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
What to Do If You Think Your Cortisol Levels Are Off
If you think you're experiencing a cortisol imbalance, it's
a good idea to chat with an endocrinologist. If that's indeed the case, there's
good news: You probably don't have to stop working out completely. Instead, you
may have to make some adjustments to both to your gym and out-of-the-gym
routines.
For starters, try going to the gym in the morning. This will
align your exercise-induced cortisol surge with the surge that happens
naturally, explains Dr. Christofides. "Just don't go to the gym in the
morning in place of sleeping a full seven to eight hours. That's the number one
way to make this worse," she says.
If you're an ultra-marathoner or self-identified Cardio
Bunny, you may need to schedule in an off-season where you're *not* logging too
many miles. Or, you may simply need to incorporate more low-intensity weight
training or yoga into your routine.
What if high-intensity exercise is your jam? Good news:
"I would never say to stop doing CrossFit or HIIT," says Adam
Splaver, M.D., cardiologist (and passionate CrossFitter) with The Doctor's Dr.
This kind of exercise is tremendously beneficial, he adds. (FYI: Check out more
on the health benefits of CrossFit and the health benefits of high-intensity
interval training.)
The trick isn't to cancel your box or HIIT studio
membership, but rather to go less often or work out at a lesser intensity.
Molloy is a fan of the former: "If you're stressed, try performing these
workouts at 70-85 percent of your max intensity." (Related: How Much HIIT
Is Too Much?)
Of course, "it's almost impossible to prescribe an
exact workout regime that would reduce the risk of this because it's so
individual," says Dr. Splaver. What's important, he says, is to tune into
(and then listen to) your body.
From there, a few lifestyle changes can go a long way in
balancing your cortisol levels:
- Sleeping a full 7 to
8 hours a night
- Fueling properly (and
eating enough)
- Smoking and drinking
less (or not at all)
- Taking adaptogens
(specifically ashwagandha and astragalus)
- Journaling
- Going to therapy
- Spending more time
with friends
- Laughing more
- Meditating
"It's amazing what a difference journaling for three
minutes before bed can do for your overall stress levels," says Molloy.
(See more: All The Ways Journal Could Make Your Life Better)
How Long Until Your Cortisol Levels Return to Normal?
"You can see some real differences within one or two
weeks," says Molloy. "But it all comes down to how out-of-whack your
cortisol levels are and how much you're able to change your lifestyle to
address them." And of course, continuing to manage your stress levels is
key to keeping them from spiking too high again, he says.
If you think your cortisol levels are doing something wonky,
head to your healthcare provider to chat about solutions. And even if you're
not convinced your cortisol levels are off, your health and wellness routine
could probably benefit from the aforementioned lifestyle changes
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