What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone, one of the glucocorticoids, made in the cortex of the adrenal glands (one is located on each kidney) and then released into the blood, which transports it all round the body. Located inside the brain, the pituitary gland regulates the amount of cortisol released by the adrenal glands.
Cortisol is essential for life and almost every cell contains receptors for cortisol and so cortisol can have lots of different actions depending on which sort of cells it is acting upon. These effects include: controlling the body’s blood sugar levels and thus regulating metabolism, acting as an anti-inflammatory, influencing memory formation, controlling salt and water balance, influencing blood pressure and helping development of the foetus.
The Fight Or Flight Response
When our brains think we might be in danger (in the old days a lion attack, these days ANYTHING). Our ‘fight or flight’ response would kick in — the brain would send a message to the adrenals to release adrenaline and cortisol.
These days, not so many lions….But plenty of modern day stresses like pandemic viruses, job losses, isolation, relationship issues and lockdowns!
Unfortunately we only have ONE stress response. That’s the ‘fight or flight’ one that evolved to keep us alive.
it’s designed to be temporary — once you escaped or killed the lion, you could rest in your cave and recover. Our bodies have evolved and adapted in many ways since caveman times, but our adrenal stress response is exactly the same.
Since we can’t seem to escape from our modern day stresses — there is no rest & recovery time — it can be unrelenting.
Why Too Much of a Good Thing is Bad for You
If your entire life is high-stress and always in high gear, your body may constantly pump out cortisol. This has several negative effects.
- Increased blood sugar levels. Insulin typically helps the cells convert glucose to energy. As your pancreas struggles to keep up with the high demand for insulin, glucose levels in your blood remain high and your cells don’t get the sugar they need to perform at their best.
- Weight gain. As your cells are crying out for energy, your body may send signals to the brain that you are hungry and need to eat. Studies have demonstrated a direct association between cortisol levels and calorie intake in populations of women. False hunger signals can lead you to crave high-calorie foods, overeat and thus gain weight. Unused glucose in the blood is eventually stored as body fat.
- Suppressed immune system. Cortisol’s positive action to reduce inflammation in the body can turn against you if your levels are too high for too long. The elevated levels may actually suppress your immune system. You could be more susceptible to colds and contagious illnesses. Your risk of cancer and autoimmune diseases increases and you may develop food allergies.
- Digestive problems. When your body reacts to a threat, it shuts down other less critical functions, such as digestion. If the high-stress level is constant, your digestive tract can’t digest or absorb food well. It’s no coincidence that ulcers occur during stressful times and people with colitis or irritable bowel syndrome report better symptom control when they get their stress under control.
- Heart disease. Constricted arteries and high blood pressure can lead to blood vessel damage and plaque buildup in your arteries. They could be setting the stage for a heart attack or stroke.
- bone health is affected as increased levels of inflammation increases bone cell destruction.
- Finally our sex hormones are impacted — reproduction is surplus to requirements and the monthly cycle and sex drive can be affected
Stress and Oestrogen
Cortisol and the sex hormones are all made from the same precursor hormone, pregnenolone. So guess what happens when you are stressed? Pregnenolone gets the message to make more cortisol instead of sex hormones (as we know that our stress response takes priority over our reproductive function when we need to run away).
Stress Effects on the Brain
Studies show that from around the ages of 40–65 high cortisol levels correlate with brain shrinkage and decreased mental performance. Higher cortisol levels or greater cortisol reactivity may be one mechanism that links hot flushes and depressive or anxiety symptoms to perimenopausal decline in cognitive performance. Cortisol actually increases after a hot flush. Experimental administration of corticosteroids produces verbal memory impairment, and higher endogenous cortisol levels are associated with poorer performance on memory tasks. Source
Exercise and Brain Health
Surprise, surprise! Regular exercise is shown to have the effect of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. depression and anxiety. This is equally important for men and women however the benefits of exercise might be even greater for women.
Some excellent studies have followed women for around 40 years and determined that the level of fitness in mid life correlates strongly with your brain health. Regular exercisers having a 30% lower risk of dementia when compared with sedentary women.
The recommendation is simple: move your body. In fact moderate intensity works best particularly from peri-menopause onwards. Low intensity exercise shown to proffer lower gains, moderate intensity exercise gains are greatest and with high intensity exercise the gains actually go down!
The devil is in the detail and of course what is moderate for me might be lower or higher for you so a great way of deciding is to use the perceived exertion scale and work somewhere in the region of 4–6.
Pilates and yoga
Both of these activities definitely fulfil this guidance and the most gains come from doing something you enjoy. I always return to my soapbox at this point and wonder that there are so many experiences we have written off without even trying them. I am passionate about introducing Pilates and Yoga to new people, step outside your comfort zone, grasp the nettle and take your first steps along a path that may just change your life.
It’s Never too Late
A healthy midlife is the most accurate predictor of your health for the rest of your life. If you are past midlife then get going it just means you have to be more consistent. Start today and the benefits will last into your later life.
- Don’t follow fads
- Keep it simple and achievable.
- Taking the stairs
- Going for a walk.
- Push yourself if you can but if you can’t don’t feel bad.
Make an appointment with yourself today. If you need help with embedding exercise in your life then make an appointment with me!
Join me Online
As you know I am passionate about movement and during my Bone Healthy Pilates online sessions we will target the major muscle groups, incorporate the principles of ideal posture and alignment and move with precision and control. The membership option offers a recording which you can repeat at your leisure to fulfil the twice weekly recommendation.
My Mindful Movement online sessions will stretch muscles and provides an opportunity to put your joints through their full range of movement. Moreover the combination of breath-work and guided meditation will moderate brain activity which in turn positively impact the autonomic nervous system reducing overall levels of stress and anxiety.
