Are You Addicted to Cortisol?
Nowadays being constantly busy seems like the norm. Our modern day lives make it hard for us to simply find a minute to relax, which means that most of us end up feeling stressed.
But if you find yourself always on edge, running on adrenaline, and struggling to unwind everyday, you may be dealing with something more than just typical stress.
You could be addicted to cortisol.
Yes, being addicted to the stress hormone cortisol is a very real phenomenon and it can cause a lot of problems to both your mental and physical health.
But how do you know if you are addicted? And more importantly what can you do to fix it?
Read this blog to find out.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands when you are feeling stressed.
It’s part of your natural fight-or-flight response that helps you deal with a stressful or frightening situation.
In short bursts, cortisol is extremely helpful. It boosts your energy, sharpens your focus, and helps you handle stressful situations.
However, when you’re stressed for long periods of time, your body keeps releasing cortisol, even when it’s not needed.
Over time, this can lead to negative effects on your physical and mental health and cause you to become addicted to cortisol.
But how do you develop a cortisol addiction?
Afterall, stress is, well, stressful and not a feeling you would think you could become addicted to.
So, how does it happen?
How Do You Become Addicted to Cortisol?
While cortisol doesn’t give you that dopamine-fueled high like sugar, alcohol, or scrolling on your phone, your body can still crave it.
When you are constantly in a state of stress, your body becomes reliant on the flood of cortisol to maintain focus and energy and thus needs stress to function normally.
While it may seem like it's helping you in the short term, in the long run, it leads to burnout and health problems.
Some of the common health effects of having high cortisol levels include difficulty concentrating, trouble sleeping, a weakened immune system, mood swings, anxiety, depression, and even an increase in belly fat.
These symptoms occur because your body isn’t designed to operate with high cortisol levels for extended periods.
It’s meant to be a temporary response to stress, not a constant state of being.
How Stress Affects Your Hormone
But stress doesn't just cause cortisol addiction, it also has a knock on effect on the other hormones in your body which can make the mental and physical symptoms of stress even more worse.
Yes, that’s right, stress can cause you to experience other hormone imbalances that can affect your sleep, mood, sex drive, gut health and even fertility.
So it's important that you take care of both your stress levels and your hormones, to feel at your best.
How to Know If You Are Addicted to Cortisol
If you are wondering whether you might have a cortisol addiction then here are a few common signs to look out for:
You feel constantly on edge or wired, but also exhausted.
You have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, even when you’re tired or are experiencing insomnia.
You reach for coffee or sugary snacks to get through the day.
You feel the need for high-intensity activities to burn off stress, even when you're physically tired.
If these symptoms sound familiar, it’s possible that your body has become reliant on being in a constant state of stress.
Essentially, you’re addicted to cortisol.
Breaking the Cortisol Cycle
The positive news is that you can break the cycle, hit reset on your stress levels and get your hormones back in balance.
Here are a few tips to get started:
1. Remember to Breathe
While you can’t eliminate stress altogether, it’s important to find ways to manage it. Mindful breathing and meditation are simple but effective methods to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels. So, remember that whenever you are feeling a bit stressed, take a few minutes to breathe.
2. Prioritise Your Sleep
We all know a great night's sleep can do wonders but getting enough sleep is also essential for balancing hormones, including cortisol. Establish a regular bedtime routine and make sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep a night. This can help regulate your body’s cortisol production and bring down your stress levels.
If you are struggling to get to sleep or want better quality sleep, then find out how our melatonin capsules can help.
3. Watch Your Caffeine Intake
While it might feel like caffeine gives you the energy boost you need, too much can raise your cortisol levels even higher. Try cutting back, especially in the afternoon, and see how your body responds.
4. Eat a Balanced Diet
Eating balanced meals with a focus on protein, healthy fats, and fibre helps maintain stable blood sugar levels, which can prevent cortisol spikes throughout the day.
5. Exercise, But Don’t Overdo It
While regular exercise is great for stress relief, intense workouts can sometimes increase cortisol levels. Consider mixing in some lower-intensity exercises like walking, yoga, or stretching to help your body relax.
Remember, stress isn’t all bad. It’s a normal part of life that we all experience on a daily basis. It’s what helps us nail that last-minute deadline or stay focused and alert in times we really need too.
But, when it becomes chronic and starts to negatively impact your life, this is when you need to take action.
By recognising the signs of cortisol overload, and making smart adjustments to your lifestyle and routine, you can break the cycle of cortisol addiction and feel a lot less stressed.
How Hormones + You can help
We are here to empower people to take charge of their hormone health through doctors developed hormone treatments that are personalised to you.
Stress is known to deplete testosterone levels which impacts your energy, mood, motivation, muscle mass and sex drive.
Our hormone treatments, like our bioidentical testosterone cream are designed to help restore balance.
While our progesterone cream helps tackle the symptoms of stress, from getting better sleep, to helping you to stay calm with its anti-anxiety effect.
If you think you need some help to rebalance your body, then start an online consultation now and take back control of your hormones.
