Low Energy, Cravings And Weight Gain: 10 Signs Of Cortisol Imbalance and Why You Should Have It Tested

Cortisol is the body’s key stress hormone.

You know that stress isn't great for your health but what you may not know is that we have the hormone Cortisol to thank for that. Cortisol plays a role in many body functions and needs to be in balance to keep our metabolism up, energy high, control our appetite, blood pressure + blood sugar and have refreshing sleep.

10 Signs of Cortisol Imbalance:

1. You're tired in the morning (but maybe you get a burst of energy in the evening or right before bed)

2. You're not sleeping well

3. You notice weight gain in your midsection

4. You crave sugar, salty foods or carbs

5. You notice memory or concentration problems (brain fog!)

6. You get sick often

7. You find it hard to build muscle mass or it takes a long time to recover after a workout

8. You feel stressed, fatigued or irritable

9. You experience anxiety or depressive symptoms

10. You're not cycling regularly or are struggling with fertility

Why Cortisol Matters

Cortisol is released from our adrenal glands as a response to stressors. When released at the right times, it can actually be very beneficial in getting our body into the fight or flight mode necessary to survive. In a stressful situation, cortisol helps to increase energy, alertness and temporarily shuts down processes such as digestion and immune function so we can use all our energy to focus on fighting that stressor.

As cave-people fighting off animals and serious threats, this system worked very well.

The thing is, nowadays most of our stressors aren't actual threats to our life. This means that we put our body in this fight or flight mode way more often then we need to -whether that's on our commute to work, trying to make a deadline, seeing dishes left out by your significant other or forgetting to pick up that one ingredient for your dinner. Even though we tend to ignore it, underlying stress and emotional stress are also play a role. This can throw off our body's natural cortisol rhythm.

Cortisol follows a natural cycle throughout the day.

It's important that our cortisol stays balanced to keep our metabolism up, energy high, control our appetite, blood pressure + blood sugar and have refreshing sleep.

Example of DUTCH cortisol testing

Cortisol levels should be higher in the morning - to give you energy to get your day started, and lower in the evening and overnight - to stimulate the release of melatonin so you can fall and stay asleep.

That's why if you've ever had your cortisol levels tested via blood work and the it's come back within the normal range, you're not getting the full picture.

Comprehensive hormone testing is one of the best ways to understand what the root cause of your concerns are and guide treatment in the right direction.

DUTCH testing, or the Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones, is a simple dried urine test capable of gathering an extensive amount of information on hormones and how they are metabolized in the body.

We're able to test:

• 8 estrogen metabolites (E1, E2, E3, 2-OH- E1, 4-OH-E1, 16-OH-E1, 2-methoxy-E1)

• 8 androgens (including Testosterone, DHT and DHEA-S)

• Progesterone (2)

• Cortisol (3)

• Melatonin (6OHMS)

• 8-OHdG

• The daily pattern of Free Cortisol and Cortisone, including the Cortisol Awakening Response

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The Good News: It is Possible To Rebalance Your Cortisol

The light at the end of the tunnel is it's very possible to rebalance your cortisol levels. Understanding where your cortisol levels are imbalanced (are they too high, low or peaking at the wrong times?) using proper testing along with following a comprehensive plan that takes into account all aspects of health is imperative to rebalance cortisol. Some common cortisol balancing tips are:

1) Focus On a Healthy Lifestyle

• Practicing stress reduction techniques daily can help to reduce stress and balance cortisol

  • Meditation

  • Deep breathing

  • Acupuncture

  • Have refreshing sleep... every night

    • One key cause of cortisol imbalance is poor sleep - that means not sleeping well, enough or at the wrong times

    • Having refreshing sleep is key to balance cortisol levels

    • If you're not having refreshing sleep, we need to work on it!

    • Exercise

      • Exercise is one of the best ways to lower and balance cortisol

2) Optimize Nutrition

This is where eating a balanced diet that is personalized for you and your lifestyle comes into play

• Focusing on protein and healthy fats helps to keep blood sugar, appetite and cortisol in check throughout the day

• Timing carbohydrates and reducing sugar help as well.

• Coffee can further worsen a cortisol imbalance. For some people, cutting it out can help dramatically.

3) Supplements can help... a lot!

Specific supplements are great for balancing and regulating cortisol levels. Supplements are an important part of a comprehensive plan because we can't just simply avoid all the stressors in our life. We can't just stop commuting to work or start avoiding our messy houses (although we may want to!). This is where supplements come in to help modulate the hormones that drive our bodys' stress response, like cortisol. Some supplements that can help are:

• Adaptogens like Rhodiola, Holy Basil and Ashwaghanda

• Melatonin

• L-Theanine

• Phosphatidylserine

• Magnesium

4) Test Your Hormones!

Comprehensive hormone testing is available from Dr. Courtney.

Always check in with your Naturopathic Doctor or other health care provider before starting any treatments or making changes to your healthcare plan.

If you are interested in optimizing your hormonal health and cortisol levels, I am a Naturopathic Doctor virtually, and in person in Toronto and Vaughan and would love to help you reach your health goals.  Feel free to reach out and check out available appointments here!

In health,

Dr. Courtney Ranieri, ND

References

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Cortisol | Hormone Health Network. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.hormone.org/hormones-and-health/hormones/cortisol

Dhuley, J. (1998). Effect of ashwagandha on lipid peroxidation in stress-induced animals. Journal Of Ethnopharmacology, 60(2), 173-178. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(97)00151-7

Duan, H., Yuan, Y., Zhang, L., Qin, S., Zhang, K., Buchanan, T., & Wu, J. (2013). Chronic stress exposure decreases the cortisol awakening response in healthy young men. Stress, 16(6), 630-637. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2013.840579

Harvard Health: Exercising To Relax (2019). Retrieved from https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax

Matousek, R., Dobkin, P., & Pruessner, J. (2010). Cortisol as a marker for improvement in mindfulness-based stress reduction. Complementary Therapies In Clinical Practice, 16(1), 13-19. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.06.004

Mattioli, L., & Perfumi, M. (2006). Rhodiola rosea L. extract reduces stress- and CRF-induced anorexia in rats. Journal Of Psychopharmacology, 21(7), 742-750. doi: 10.1177/0269881106074064

Rasmussen DD, Boldt BM, Wilkinson CW, et al. Daily melatonin administration at middle age suppresses male rat visceral fat, plasma leptin and plasma insulin to youthful levels. Endocrinology. 1999;140:1009–1012.

Siddiqui, A., Madhu, S., Sharma, S., & Desai, N. (2015). Endocrine stress responses and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Stress, 18(5), 498-506. doi: 10.3109/10253890.2015.1067677

Singh, N., Nath, R., Lata, A., Singh, S., Kohli, R., & Bhargava, K. (1982). Withania Somnifera(Ashwagandha), a Rejuvenating Herbal Drug Which Enhances Survival During Stress (an Adaptogen). International Journal Of Crude Drug Research, 20(1), 29-35. doi: 10.3109/13880208209083282

WebMD. What Is Cortisol (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-cortisol#1