Cortisol, often known as the stress hormone, can wreak havoc on your weight and overall health when it’s consistently elevated. High cortisol levels are linked to weight gain, especially around the midsection, hip/thighs, increased cravings, and disrupted sleep.
For women in their 40s and 50s, managing cortisol is crucial, especially during perimenopause and menopause. Cortisol is also DIRECTLY linked to your nervous system, and in my opinion regulating the nervous system is IMPERATIVE when it comes to trying to lower and manage cortisol.
By adopting the right strategies, you can balance this hormone and improve your overall well-being.
What you may not have heard out there in all the “social media” chatter when it comes to Cortisol, is that Cortisol is actually about ACCEPTANCE. It’s about creating safety in the body. And as we age, this “ACCEPTANCE, SAFETY, CHANGE” literally disrupts ALL of that!
So as we look at Cortisol and how to manage this as we navigate aging and hormonal changes, it’s important to look at the WHOLE picture - Nutrition, Inflammation, Work, Relationships, Boundaries, Acceptance and Safety.
Strategies for Reducing Cortisol:
Know Your Cortisol Levels - The best way to get an accurate picture of your OVERALL cortisol levels is to do a DUTCH test. Normal blood labs will only check your AM Cortisol.
Mental Awareness: Taking a few minutes each day to assess your stress levels is important. Knowing your stress triggers and having strategies to relieve those is key.
Nutrition: Managing blood sugar levels and inflammation is a sure way to help lower and balance cortisol levels in the body. Blood sugar controls feelings of satiety/hunger, so if your hunger is all over the place and you have lots of cravings, chances are both your blood sugar and cortisol is out of whack.
Nervous System Regulation: You must find more peace and enjoyment in your life. Simple practices like meditation, yoga, breath work, toning, etc. have a profound impact. This also helps with resetting patterns. We have to do something different in order to disrupt those messengers that are sending out those stress signals to our brain.
Supplementation: I am a huge believer in supplementation to help support the body both physically and emotionally. Just be sure you aren’t just randomly selecting supplements for cortisol. Cortisol levels can be extremely high OR extremely low, and that can really play into what supplements may benefit you.
As you can see, there is no “One-size fits all” when it comes to health. And certainly no magic pill. One of the most important steps is educating yourself and knowing your own environment and body.
Xo
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