Which Herbal Supplements Should You Choose
Adaptogen herbs are plants that help the body resist physical, chemical and biological stressors. Below are a few supplements we recommend.
Ashwagandha is an Indian herb used as a nervine tonic, which calms the nerves. Its an important herb of Ayurveda and is well-known for its wide range of health benefits. Often referred to as Indian ginseng or Winter cherry, Ashwagandha is used for immune system regulation and easing anxiety.Ashwagandha is also used to treat asthma and cancer. Further studies are being conducted exploring its effectiveness for enhancing memory, promoting reproductive balance and aiding the bodys resistance to stress.
Ashwagandha is available in capsule, pill, powder or elixir forms and its safe for all ages the suggested dose is 300 mg twice daily.
Holy basil, also known as tulsi, is an aromatic shrub and comes from the basil family. For centuries, Holy basil has been effective in addressing physical, chemical and psychological stressors. It can protect tissues and organs from pollutants and heavy metals, and help reduce physical stress, particularly stress connected to prolonged exertion. Holy basil can also help manage blood glucose, blood pressure and lipid levels. It has anti-depressant properties and may help improve brain and memory function.Holy basil can be taken in capsule, essential oil or tea forms the suggested dosage is 600 mg multiple times/day.
Get A Good Nights Sleep
Sleep deprivation increases cortisol, particularly the evening after the lack of sleep has occurred. Cortisol is produced by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is also responsible for regulating sleep cycles. If the HPA axis is activated by stress, illness, or poor nutrition, it can have a knock-on effect on your sleep and subsequent stress hormone levels.
The best way to ensure you get restful sleep is to incorporate good sleep hygiene. Make your bedroom a peaceful environment by limiting things that disrupt your sleep, like noise and light. Blackout curtains, an eye mask, earplugs, or a noise machine can help.
The Dangers Of Excess Cortisol
Before we look at how to lower cortisol, lets take a look at why too much of it is so hazardous to your health and mental well-being.
When you face a potential threat or danger, your bodys stress response, often called the fight-or-flight response, is triggered.
First, the stress hormones norepinephrine and epinephrine are released in a quick burst.
They quickly dissipate after the stressful situation is over and dont hang around to do any damage.
That is followed by the release of cortisol.
” High levels of cortisol can kill brain cells by literally stimulating them to death.
When your life is one crisis after another, your body continuously pours out cortisol.
This leads to a chronically elevated cortisol level, and this has some serious health implications.
Dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and cacao nibs also act as prebiotics.
Lastly, be sure to drink plenty of water and other liquids.
Being dehydrated is a physical stressor that increases cortisol.
Start the Day Right
If you grab coffee and a donut for breakfast, youre setting yourself up for higher cortisol levels for the rest of the day.
Sugar triggers a boost of stress hormones that can last up to five hours.
And it can take anywhere from five to ten hours to metabolize half the caffeine you consume.
Regular caffeine consumption can more than double your blood cortisol level.
Try Tea
If you get your caffeine from coffee, soda, or energy drinks, you may want to switch to tea.
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Foods That Help Lower Cortisol Levels And Weight Gain
Listed below are some of the best foods that help lower cortisol levels. Try working these nutritious foods into your daily diet.
Asparagus contains folate, a B-vitamin which helps reduce cortisol production in the body by reducing inflammation in your body, returning blood vessels to their normal state, and reduces your body’s sensitivity to adrenaline.
Like asparagus, avocados contain folate. In addition, avocados contain glutathione, a substance that keeps the body from absorbing fats that can cause oxidization damage in your body.
Containing high levels of anthocyanin, an antioxidant, berries are also a good source of vitamin C, which has been shown to lower blood pressure, cortisol production, and overall stress in test subjects.
Providing a much-needed source of protein and fat, cashews also provide a source of zinc, which helps fight anxiety and depression, leading causes of stress, which leads to cortisol production.
High in antioxidants, chocolate, especially dark chocolate, can help lower blood pressure and increases your feeling of calm. Chocolate also contains polyphenols and flavonols, antioxidants that help protect your body from free radicals.
While green tea does contain caffeine, it also has L-theanine, an amino acid that counteracts the tendency of caffeine to encourage the body to produce cortisol. Green tea also boosts your mental performance, with brain fog a side effect of high cortisol levels.
How To Reduce Cortisol: Take The Next Step
Chronic stress leads to the continual release of the stress hormone cortisol.
And a chronically elevated cortisol level is very harmful to both your physical and mental health.
Fortunately, you can moderate cortisol production with healthy lifestyle adjustments.
Eating the right foods, getting a moderate amount of exercise, breathing properly, and employing stress reduction techniques like meditation and tapping can offset the damaging effects of cortisol and decrease its production.
Additionally, you can take cortisol-lowering supplements.
Its easy to get caught up in aspects of life that stress you out work, money, relationships, and health issues, to name a few.
Give yourself permission to have fun!
Engage in activities like hanging out with friends, playing with your pet, and enjoying art, music, and creative hobbies that feed your spirit and make you happy.
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Mind Lab Pro is the brain supplement we recommend because, by boosting your brain health, it can help you:
- Improve your mental clarity and focus.
- Boost your memory and your ability to learn.
- Increase your capacity to think critically, solve problems, and make decisions.
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Ways To Lower Your Cortisol Levels
26 September, 2021
Taking care of your mental health is always important, but it is crucial when stress levels around COVID-19 are substantial. Long-term anxiety and stress can harm your physical and psychological health. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands. It increases when we are anxious or stressed, and it decreases when we are relaxed. When cortisol levels go up, all of the bodys energy is directed toward dealing with the stressor rather than controlling other body processes such as the immune and digestive systems. While cortisols brief discharge can support you to flee the threat, when cortisol levels are too high for far too long, this hormone can harm you more than it helps. This can contribute to a plethora of health problems later in life.
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But Dont Hit The Gym Too Often
By contrast, that same study from The Journal of Endocrinological Investigation showed that moderate- to high-intensity exercise provokes increases in circulating cortisol levels. In other words, when it comes to exercise, more may not be better. A separate 2012 study confirmed that long-term cortisol exposure was significantly higher in endurance athletes.
As clinical psychologist Candice Seti, PsyDa.k.a. The Weight Loss Therapistput it, Skipping the second trip to the gym and taking it easy can also be good for reducing cortisol levels. that over-exercising can actually lead to an increase in the hormone. This, in turn, can lead to slower weight loss.
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But Don’t Hit The Gym Too Often
By contrast, that same study from The Journal of Endocrinological Investigation showed that moderate- to high-intensity exercise provokes increases in circulating cortisol levels. In other words, when it comes to exercise, more may not be better. A separate 2012 study confirmed that long-term cortisol exposure was significantly higher in endurance athletes.
As clinical psychologist Candice Seti, PsyDa.k.a. The Weight Loss Therapistput it, “Skipping the second trip to the gym and taking it easy can also be good for reducing cortisol levels. that over-exercising can actually lead to an increase in the hormone. This, in turn, can lead to slower weight loss.”6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e
Cultivate Good Sleep Hygiene 24/7
Prioritize good sleep hygiene all the time as it keeps your sleep debt low and your body clock in circadian alignment to combat excess cortisol the natural way. From perfecting the ideal sleep environment to cutting off your caffeine consumption, healthy, sleep-promoting behaviors help you get the hours of sleep you need for better energy during the day.
In particular, well-timed light exposure is of vital importance. Light is one of the most potent circadian cues that reset your internal clock. Expose yourself to bright natural light the moment you awake. Steer clear of artificial light sources in the few hours before bed. We recommend wearing blue-light blocking glasses before bedtime to protect your eyeballs from the wavelengths that dampen melatonin production. Doing so helps keep your circadian rhythm running smoothly and meet your sleep need more easily.
Strategic light exposure is only one of the many pieces to the puzzle of optimal sleep hygiene. Only when you have all the tabs in place will you be able to form the full picture of healthy sleep practices and their benefits. To learn the gamut of good sleep hygiene, check out our in-depth Sleep Guide.
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Take Steps To Lower Unnecessary Stress
Maybe this seems too obvious, but its important to say. Its also sometimes easier said than done.
Chronic and acute stress are different conditions. Acute stress is experiencing temporary tension, anxiety or worry due to things like a work project, an upcoming performance, or even something as normal as a first date. After the event takes place, however, the stress is relieved.
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Chronic stress is more long-term and leads to unhealthy cortisol levels. This can be the result of toxic relationships, untreated mental health issues, disease, physical or sexual abuse, as well as many other factors.
While some people might be able to easily cut chronic stress out of their lives, others find that seeking help through therapy, counseling, or getting needed medical attention for an illness is the first step in learning how to remove chronic stress from their lives.
Choline Bitartrate To Reduce Cortisol
Choline bitartrate is found in many foods, such as eggs, meat and dairy. The human body also produces a small amount. Even though choline is easily accessible through food, a large majority of the population is deficient in it. Choline is great for improving memory and focus, but it’s also great for reducing cortisol levels and anxiety.
There was a study done that tested humans with lower amounts of choline in their body during and after surgery. Those people had a greater chance of elevating cortisol, adrenocorticotropic hormone, prolactin and -endorphin concentrations. Studies have also shown that choline can reduce immune inflammation and suppress oxidative stress in patients with asthma. To make sure you aren’t deficient in it, take choline as a precautionary measure. The more deficient you are in choline, the more likely you have elevated cortisol levels in stressful situations.
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How To Find A High Quality Cortisol Support Product
Stress is known as the silent killer. Our bodies work overtime to fight the impact stress has on our lives. Our adrenal glands, located above our kidneys, produce cortisol which is a hormone necessary to help our body to cope with stress. However, when there is an imbalance of these hormones, and the adrenal glands produce too much or too little, it can have a detrimental effect on our overall health and well-being. This usually results in fatigue, sleeping problems, weight gain, and sugar cravings. The prolonged effects of stress and imbalanced cortisol levels can lead to increased blood pressure, chronic pain, weakened immune system and frequent illness. Maintaining healthy adrenal function and healthy cortisol levels is essential for our overall health.
As a result, manufacturers have been crawling out of the woodwork to create supplements that help regulate cortisol levels which they claim are the best on the market or the most effective. Oftentimes, unfortunately, they even manipulate the facts to claim that their product is the #1 choice without any real evidence of efficacy of results.
These wild claims are often not backed up with scientific support or any real explanations as to why they have formulated their version of an adrenal product in the way that they have or how exactly they work!
Cortisol And Blood Glucose
Cortisol acts as a catabolic hormone to increase glucose availability to the brain. This occurs via several pathways. High cortisol levels induce gluconeogenesis in the liver which will then be delivered into the bloodstream. The body must use amino acids to complete this process and the bodys most readily available supply of protein is skeletal muscle.Therefore, muscle tissue is broken down, glycogen stores are emptied, and the muscles decrease glucose uptake. Additionally, cortisol instructs the pancreas to decrease insulin production to keep the circulating levels of glucose higher .
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How To Remove Cortisol From The Body Naturally
Cortisol is the primary hormone that is released by the body during the times of the stress. It is a steroid hormone released by the adrenal glands and it plays various bodily functions such as controlling the levels of the blood sugar. Cortisol is high in the blood in the morning but gradually decreases as the day goes.
Why Is Higher Cortisol An Issue
Stress triggers the release of cortisol.
The body relies on effective communication between the following three parts of the body to release the correct amount of cortisol:
- the adrenal gland
- the pituitary gland
- the hypothalamus, which is part of the brain
Between them, they stimulate the production of cortisol when the body needs it and block it when the levels need to drop back down.
Both too much and too little cortisol can have an adverse effect on the body.
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Is There A Pill To Reduce Cortisol
Cushings syndrome is a condition in which there are very high cortisol levels in the body. Doctors may perform surgery to remove a tumor of the adrenal glands or radiation therapy to treat a pituitary tumor in the brain causing high cortisol. They may also prescribe a medication that manages excessive cortisol production, such as metyrapone , mitotane , or ketoconazole. Mifepristone is approved for Cushing syndrome patients with type 2 diabetes or glucose intolerance.
The injection Signifor and the oral pill Isturisa are newer medications for Cushings syndrome.
What Is Cortisol How Is It Related To Chronic Stress
Cortisol is the bodys primary stress hormone. It is produced by the adrenal glands, then released when the body is dealing with stressful situations or imminent danger .
It is important to keep stress levels under control because the prolonged presence of psychological stressors can lead to an overproduction of cortisol. While the body needs cortisol to manage stress, too much cortisol can lead to a chronic stress response. This can impact various organ systems in the body and have negative effects on the immune system, digestive system, mental status, metabolism, and overall health.
Studies have shown that moderate to high levels of cortisol can increase the risk of chronic disease, including heart disease and diabetes. It can also lead to weight gain and obesity, interfere with sleep, cause brain fog, and impaired immune responses against infection.
Besides external stressors, a rare but serious disease called Cushings syndrome can result in very high cortisol levels in the body.
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Sleep Hygiene Tips For Lower Cortisol Levels
- Go to bed at a regular time each night.
- Set an alarm to get you up at the same time each morning.
- Wash your bedding and night clothes regularly.
- Keep distractions, like noise, tv, and phones, to a minimum before bed.
- Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.
- Dont exercise in the evening.
- Avoid bright lights and screens before bed.
FACTShift work from early adulthood is associated with increased, prolonged cortisol levels and a higher body mass index .
Signs Of High Cortisol
Staying in a state of high stress is both physically and mentally unhealthy.
Sometimes its nearly impossible to avoid, like being in a highly stressful work environment, and it may be necessary for some people to seek low stress jobs as the only way out.
Understanding the signs of high cortisol levels can be important for knowing when to slow down and address the problems in our life that lead to chronic stress.
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What Does Anxiety Feel Like
In addition to certain foods, nutritional supplements may promote lower cortisol. Fish oil, a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, has been shown to decrease cortisol and, in some studies, may be linked to weight loss. However, the mechanism behind this is poorly understood . Ashwagandha is another supplement that may reduce cortisol. One study looking at 64 adults with chronic stress found lower cortisol levels in those taking ashwagandha supplements compared to the placebo group .
With these or any other supplements, be sure to discuss options with your healthcare provider. Much more research is needed in these areas.
How Does It Work
Your hypothalamus and pituitary gland — both located in your brain — can sense if your blood contains the right level of cortisol. If the level is too low, your brain adjusts the amount of hormones it makes. Your adrenal glands pick up on these signals. Then, they fine-tune the amount of cortisol they release.
Cortisol receptors — which are in most cells in your body — receive and use the hormone in different ways. Your needs will differ from day to day. For instance, when your body is on high alert, cortisol can alter or shut down functions that get in the way. These might include your digestive or reproductive systems, your immune system, or even your growth processes.
Sometimes, your cortisol levels can get out of whack.
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