Episode 167. Stress Less, Weigh Less: All About Cortisol

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the Back on Track Achieving Healthy Weight Loss, where I help you get on track

[00:00:06] and stay on track with your weight loss journey. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly, so let's get started!

[00:00:27] Welcome to the Back on Track, Achieving Healthy Weight Loss podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Alicia Shelly.

[00:00:34] Now, if you tuned in last week, we discussed how to balance your hormones for weight loss

[00:00:40] in regards to the insulin because we talked about how important insulin was to the body and not only

[00:00:47] does it regulate blood sugar levels, but also if it's too high, it can actually lead to fat

[00:00:54] deposits. It can prevent fat breakdown which makes it harder for people to lose weight.

[00:01:01] And we talked about waste and brew or balance out that hormone by eating a balanced diet,

[00:01:07] which is a low carb diet choosing more complex carbs, limiting our alcohol,

[00:01:14] increasing our exercise and then of course getting a good nice rest. But this week, we're going to

[00:01:20] focus on cortisol, the stress hormone. Now, we don't talk a lot about cortisol and so I'm so glad

[00:01:28] to kind of maybe spend a little bit more time discussing cortisol and how it can impede your weight loss

[00:01:36] and how we can balance it out. Now, cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands,

[00:01:43] which is located on top of the kidneys and we have two kidneys right in left. When majority

[00:01:48] people do, I know some people aren't, I don't have it. And cortisol is often referred to as the

[00:01:54] stress hormone because it's released in response to stress but it also plays a vital role in many

[00:02:01] other bodily functions. I mean, we'll talk about this coming up, but it can also affect other hormones

[00:02:06] and run the body. So it is actually a very important hormone that we need to discuss. Now,

[00:02:13] when we talk about that stress hormone, cortisol is part of the body's fight or flight response.

[00:02:20] When you experience stress, whether it's physical, emotional or psychological,

[00:02:26] cortisol is released to help your body deal with the stressor. A good example is if you see a bear,

[00:02:33] you most likely will turn around and run the other direction. And what happens is that when you

[00:02:40] actually see that bear, your brain perceives a threat and it triggers the release of cortisol

[00:02:46] from the adrenal glands to spike in the body as you run our fly away. And when cortisol is increased,

[00:02:53] it actually increases the amount of glucose or sugar in the bloodstream, which basically provides

[00:02:59] more energy for the muscles to start running in the opposite direction. And it releases this glucose

[00:03:05] by signaling the liver to release glucose into the bloodstream. Also, it can convert protein into glucose

[00:03:13] or blood sugar. Now, the muscles have the fuel that it needs to was, again, run away from the bear.

[00:03:20] But cortisol also has some other functions as well. It influences how the body metabolizes

[00:03:26] proteins, fats, and carbohydrate. Like I mentioned before, it can help convert proteins into glucose,

[00:03:33] which ensures a steady supply of energy, especially during times the stress or low food intake.

[00:03:39] Also, it can help control your fat distribution, meaning that chronic high levels of cortisol

[00:03:45] can promote fat storage, especially in our abdominal area, which is very, very frustrating for people.

[00:03:54] Also, cortisol can have an anti-inflammatory effect, which is useful in controlling the immune

[00:04:00] response and preventing the body from overreacting distress or infection. So, in lower levels,

[00:04:07] cortisol can bring down that immune response and prevent the body from overreacting or becoming an

[00:04:13] anti-inflammatory. However, when they have prolonged high levels of cortisol, it can suppress the

[00:04:21] immune system. It can make it harder for your body to fight infections or to heal properly,

[00:04:27] which is important because if you're sick, you want to get better, but if you have really high

[00:04:32] chronic levels, then it can do the opposite of what you wanted to do.

[00:04:37] cortisol can also help regulate blood pressure by influencing how the blood vessels contract

[00:04:44] and respond and how the body responds to sodium, which helps maintain your heart,

[00:04:51] as stability during stress. So, when you're running, although your heart is beating fast,

[00:04:56] the blood vessels are responding appropriately during a fight or fight moment or stressful moment.

[00:05:03] Also, cortisol can affect your sleep, wake cycle, call your circadian rhythm.

[00:05:09] Now, cortisol levels are typically the highest in early morning, which is around 6 to 8 a.m.

[00:05:14] And then it gradually decreases throughout the day reaching its lowest levels at night.

[00:05:20] Now, in the morning you have a cortisol spike known as the cortisol awakening response.

[00:05:26] This helps you to wake up, feel alert by boosting your energy and stimulating

[00:05:30] production of glucose or blood sugar. And the lowest levels I can mention are in the evening,

[00:05:36] which allows your body to wind down and prepare for rest. And support the release of Melatonin,

[00:05:42] a horn on that helps you with improving your sleep, or inducing sleep and going to sleep.

[00:05:47] Now, how can you develop chronically high levels of cortisol? Well, it can be emotional or

[00:05:54] psychological stress, like anxiety, work stress, relationship stress, financial stress, burnout,

[00:06:02] also it can be physical stress, like chronic illnesses, infections, or even pain.

[00:06:07] Also, if you have a poor sleep packet, that too can increase your cortisol levels. And an unhealthy

[00:06:14] diet that's high in high sugar or even processed foods. And let's not forget the caffeine,

[00:06:21] frequent caffeine can cause chronic high levels of cortisol. And if you have deficiencies in

[00:06:27] vitamins or nutrients such as magnesium, b-vitomins, vitamin C, which help regulate stress response,

[00:06:34] they can contribute to abnormal cortisol levels. And excessive alcohol consumption and recreational

[00:06:42] drives can interfere with the body's ability to regulate cortisol and stress hormones.

[00:06:48] While alcohol may initially lower stress, like you feel like, whoa, it feels better.

[00:06:53] It's long term use can contribute to cortisol and balance. In certain medical conditions such as

[00:07:04] so what happens to your body if you have chronic cortisol levels? Well, like I mentioned,

[00:07:10] cortisol can cause back deposits, especially around her abdomen and can lead to weight gain.

[00:07:16] Also, it can lead to insulin resistance, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and some

[00:07:22] people. Also, it reduces your immune system, which makes the body more susceptible to infections.

[00:07:30] So for certain infections like shingles or you may find that if you're more stressed,

[00:07:36] pretend to catch an upper respiratory infection and that happens because of your suppressed

[00:07:41] immune system. Also, sleep disturbances when your cortisol levels are constantly high and you don't

[00:07:48] see that rhythm that you normally see, it throws off your circadian rhythm. And it can lead to

[00:07:59] cortisol can lead to high blood pressure and increase the risk of heart disease. And then, of course,

[00:08:06] move disorders such as anxiety, depression, irritability, cortisol can lead to that. And chronic

[00:08:12] stress can negatively impact your brain function, particularly in areas related to memory,

[00:08:18] learning, emotional regulation. And of course, it can be associated with brain frog, anxiety,

[00:08:24] and depression. So how can you balance your cortisol levels? Like, what can we do about this?

[00:08:30] Especially because they're now more important. Well, number one stress management,

[00:08:34] it's important to find the things that are triggering your stress and incorporate mindfulness

[00:08:40] practices. You can do prayer, meditation, yoga, deep breathing just to help the body to manage stress

[00:08:47] more effective. Also, exercising moderately such as regular physical activity, low impact

[00:08:54] exercise is like yoga, walking, can lower cortisol, avoid overtrend because sometimes at

[00:09:00] overtrend and can increase your cortisol levels and make it harder to lose weight as well.

[00:09:06] Also, prioritize your sleep aim for seven to nine hours of quality of sleep each night

[00:09:11] to support your hormonal balance. And of course, eating it healthy diet, focusing on whole,

[00:09:18] nutrient foods and reduce sugar and processed foods include foods that are high in magnesium

[00:09:23] and antioxidants Omega 3 which support your stress reduction, limit your caffeine and alcohol

[00:09:31] because too much caffeine and alcohol can lead to higher cortisol levels when consumed.

[00:09:37] It acts as so important to cut back on that and then having positive social interactions,

[00:09:43] spending time with people who support you and love you and can help reduce your stress and lower

[00:09:49] your cortisol levels. So in conclusion, cortisol is a vital hormone and when it's chronically

[00:09:57] high, it can lead to weight gain, it can lead to stress, it can lead to sleep disturbance,

[00:10:03] high blood pressure, a suppressed immune system, it can lead to so many things. And so by having

[00:10:10] a plan for stress management, exercising moderately, prioritizing sleep and having a healthy diet,

[00:10:17] these are ways that we can help balance out our cortisol. So then number one, we avoid the

[00:10:23] chronically high levels and we can reduce weight gain and help with weight loss. So I hope this is

[00:10:30] help stay tuned for next week as we continue to talk about hormones and how they affect your weight

[00:10:36] loss journey. I'm your host again Dr. Lisa Shelley, thank you again for joining us on the

[00:10:42] back on track achieving healthy weight loss podcast. If you liked this episode, please share with

[00:10:47] others like and subscribe and don't forget to leave a five-star repeat. It will see you next time.