01/13/2019 / By Ellaine Castillo
Most people have accepted stress as a constant part of their lives, but there are so many reasons why you should not take this lightly. Countless studies have shown just how bad stress can be for a person’s health. One of the ways stress damages your health is by increasing cortisol levels in the body.
In small amounts, the stress hormone cortisol helps improve health. It is involved in many bodily functions, especially metabolism and the fight-or-flight response. During periods of stress, cortisol gives your body an energy boost to help you overcome the stress. This is why cortisol levels are typically higher during the morning and then decrease throughout the day. Moreover, cortisol is involved in the production of blood sugar and the conversion of metabolites like fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into usable energy.
Too much cortisol in the body, which can be attributed to stress, lack of sleep, infections, or white light exposure, can become a problem since it depletes the adrenals that also produce other hormones. This can lead to frequent headaches, hypersensitivity, chronic fatigue, and mood swings. Furthermore, excessive amounts of cortisol impair immune functions and contribute to weight gain, especially around the belly. Visceral belly fat is known to be harmful to be extremely dangerous and has been associated with increased mortality risk.
Diet is crucial to maintaining optimal health. So if you suffer from high cortisol levels, it should be one of the things that you should immediately address.
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It is important to follow a diet that has limited amounts of processed foods since trans-fats, sugar, and sodium found in these can worsen your condition. Instead, you should go for nutritious whole foods. Some of the most important nutrients that you should include in your diet to reduce cortisol levels include the following:
By including these nutrients in your diet, you can improve your cortisol levels even if you constantly find yourself in stressful situations. (Related: These supplements are proven to reduce cortisol levels.)
There are other ways to improve your cortisol levels naturally. Some examples of these include the following:
For more news articles on stress and how you can get manage it naturally, visit Health.news.
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Tagged Under: adaptogenic herbs, b vitamins, Cortisol, mental, mental state, natural health, natural remedies, nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, prevention, stress, stress management, stress relief, supplements