Cortisol And Adrenal Health: Unlocking The Magic Of The Human Body

Menopause Matters: Kate Wells

All those organs working together to wake us up in the morning, get us going through the day, process food and waste, move fluids around, and firing off thousands of vital chemicals to make sure we make it to sleep time. And with sleep, the magic continues. Overnight clean-up restores much of the equilibrium of the body and we wake, ready to do it all again.

A Powerhouse Organ – The Adrenal Glands:

One of the quiet powerhouse organs in the body is the adrenal glands. About the size of walnuts and sitting on top of the kidneys, the adrenal glands pump out a range of hormones, the primary hormone being cortisol.

Cortisol is vital in regulating many functions including 

• metabolism 
• immune function 
• blood sugar control, 
• blood pressure regulation 
• morning waking,
• breaking down fat supplies to make energy 
• controlling the flight or fight response – a.k.a. the stress response.

Cortisol has a regular daily pattern. Overnight it is low and then it begins to rise in the morning surging to a peak around 30 minutes after waking. This surge is what alerts the body and brain, “good morning, good morning, start working again, we have things to do, places to go, food to gather, lions to watch for, people to see”. 

“One of the quiet powerhouse organs in the body is the adrenal glands.”

Cortisol’s Role:

In response, blood pressure rises, blood sugar control kicks in, the brain is on high alert, and we bounce out of bed ready to go. Cortisol levels then drop gradually through the day until they are low at bedtime, when it’s dark, allowing the body and brain to slow and be ready for sleep. The pattern is known as the cortisol curve.

This role that cortisol plays is very, very, old; it’s been around as long as there have been humans, loooong before we invented wheeled vehicles and had drive-through coffee shops. When humans evolved thousands of years ago, waking up was dangerous – there could be lions outside the cave, or a marauding party from a nearby tribe; the body evolved to make this kick-start hormone that woke us up and got us ready for anything.

Stress Response:

Cortisol’s stress response puts the body on high alert:

• The heart beats harder and more rapidly ready to pump blood and oxygen to where it might be needed.
• Breathing automatically becomes more rapid – and higher up in the lungs.
• The thyroid gland stimulates metabolism.
• Larger muscles automatically receive more oxygenated blood.
• There will be a surge of increased immunity (in case of wounding).
• Lower sensitivity to pain.
• The brain makes the decision to fight, freeze, or flee.

After the stressor passes, cortisol drops, all the other stress-related chemicals drop, heart rate and breathing slow, metabolism adjusts, and muscles relax.

“Burning that candle at both ends is all fueled by extra cortisol.”

Physiological Strategy For Cortisol And Adrenal Health:

Now – this is an awesome physiological strategy if there really is danger – the aforementioned lion circling the hearth in hope of snatching you up as a morning snack.

But – in modern life, so many people have reached the point where the body’s stress response is active so often that the body does not have time to return to normal, resulting in a state of chronic stress. In response – the adrenal glands just keep pumping out cortisol. With a bit of swagger, they sit there on the kidneys thinking “We got this. Here’s some more cortisol. You are the queen – you go lady! You can do everything. I got you”.

This is the phase where cortisol levels are elevated. Working, running a household, attending 20 sports events a week, exercise classes, volunteering, rushing through traffic. Burning that candle at both ends is all fueled by extra cortisol.  

Eventually the adrenal gland message changes to: “Hey, hey, a little help here lady. We are doing our best, but you gotta meet us halfway. Start making choices”. The adrenal reserve, the ability of the adrenal glands to make cortisol, begins to diminish. This is when it’s vital to remember all the other things that cortisol does – regulate metabolism, immunity, blood sugar, and fat burning, for example. It’s at this point that the body doesn’t feel so good. There isn’t as much energy for all the things. Sleep gets disrupted, the weight starts to creep on despite all the exercise, and we start to crave sugary foods to get the fast energy we need to keep going.

If the message is unheeded and life continues on at a hectic pace, eventually the message from the adrenal glands is: “We asked nicely, did you listen? No. Well tough luck lady, we need a rest. Cortisol is off the menu and you are on your own”.  

The Most Awful Downward Spiral:

When there is only the smallest amount of cortisol produced it’s not just the stress response that is diminished, many of the body’s key function are diminished as well. It’s easier to get a cold and harder to get rid of it.

Weight starts to pile on. Chronic fatigue sets in. Blood pressure varies, setting the scene for cardiovascular disease. Overall inflammation starts to increase and joints start to ache. The ability to handle normal everyday pressures goes flying out the window, along with cups and plates and sharp knives when you get irritated. Depression and self-loathing follow. It’s the most awful downward spiral.

Enter anxiety, and the really annoying thing is that even if a perceived stressor isn’t real – anyone starting to feel anxious about a situation will still trigger the stress response. This is why anxiety is such a concern – it kicks the brain into the stress response all the time. Perceived stress, like worrying about a non-existent lion is just as bad as real stress such as an approaching wildfire.

Well, isn’t all of this cheerful!! 

The Good News!

The good news is – we can make choices every day to not allow ourselves to get into this place, or to implement ways to unwind it. Women’s lib was great – really changed a lot for women’s opportunities, and I am the most ardent of feminists. Yet for many women, this led them to take on MORE.

” The good news is – we can make choices every day to not allow ourselves to get into this place, or to implement ways to unwind it. “

When my daughters were in middle and high school, I was pretty much it. I realized I had to make some changes to stop the overwhelm. I worked and parented, and took care of the house and yard. I stopped most of my volunteering, reduced the range of things I was involved in, and paid for a cleaner every two weeks. I knew it was temporary, but I had my limits. I decided to nurture myself as well as my daughters. You can too:

• List all the things you do and sort them into (real) must do/nice to do
• Evaluate the stories you tell yourself about the “must dos”
• Identify if there is someone else who can take on some of the “must dos”
• Pick 1 -2 of the “nice to dos” so you have some joy
• Require others in your household to help you – insist on this calmly and with confidence that you are worth support
• Question the stories you tell yourself about having it all
• Find little ways to work your body – 15 squats while the kettle boils for tea, five minutes of hip rotations on the floor to release that stored stress
• Eat plenty of green vegetables which contain vitamin C because Vitamin C is good for cleaning up inflammation in the body
• Set a timer to help you get into a pattern of doing a 3-minute meditation every 2 hours
• Breathe DEEPLY down into your diaphragm – this signals your body “all is good”

Understanding how stress works within the body can go a long way to helping women know WHY it is important to make the choices that nurture and support themselves.  We have so much to bring to the world – let’s not let stress diminish that!

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About the Author:

Kate Wells is a hormone expert and true biochem nerd who has been educating practitioners about hormones for many years. Starting out as a High School science teacher, and then pivoting to the business world, Kate new she wanted to combine her passions for science and business and found the perfect match in leadership roles at labs specializing in hormone testing and hormone formulation.

She currently runs her own bioidentical hormone product companies where she writes educational articles and continues to educate practitioners on the role of hormones in optimal longevity. Beyond nerding-out on the latest research, Kate is an avid hiker, regularly putting in 20-mile hikes in the beautiful wilds of Colorado, loves to build stuff, swing dance, and work with fabric to make colorful quilts. Kate is the author of A Forecast for Health and is the CEO and co-founder of Parlor Games LLC. Kate holds a BS, MBA, and has completed a Fellowship in Herbal Medicine.