A Season of Mixed Feelings
Welcoming the month of December, a month that, for many feels full of mixed blessings. On the one hand, no matter what your culture or background, there is generally some tradition that can be recognized and celebrated. These celebrations are an opportunity for reconnection with our communities and families, and they also encourage experiences and expressions of joy.
On the other hand, the sheer quantity of such experiences can sometimes seem overwhelming, especially during the winter season when our bodies are naturally pre-disposed to curling up in front of a fire before crawling into bed at an early hour.
The frenetic activity of the Holiday season can be a stressful time, so this month I’d like to write from the “Wellness” perspective of “Kintsu MedSpa and Wellness.”
Meet Cortisol: The Misunderstood Hormone
Specifically, I’d like to talk about a little hormone with a big personality: Cortisol.
Benefitting from a large body of research, and a constant stream of online health posts, cortisol has gained pretty bad rap over the past decade, earning the unpleasant moniker – “stress hormone.” Cortisol is, however, so much more.
Produced by your adrenal glands, this steroid shares a similar structure to other well known hormones like testosterone and estrogen. And cortisol is not just about stress! It regulates your metabolism and blood sugar, it reduces inflammation, it controls salt and water balance, and it supports your energy levels and “wakefulness” throughout the day via your circadian rhythms.
How Cortisol Flows Throughout Your Day
Your cortisol ebbs and flows during the day, peaking around 30-45 minutes after you wake up with what scientists call your cortisol awakening response (CAR.) After this morning boost to get you going, cortisol signals your metabolism to increase available fuel in the form of blood sugar. At the same time, it regulates your blood pressure and supports your ability to focus mentally – like a natural cup of coffee!
Then, as your day progresses, your cortisol levels naturally taper down, constantly finding the balance between adequate metabolic activity to synch with your food intake patterns, without tipping into “overstimulation” (so you don’t end up like an overtired toddler.)
Cortisol levels continue to drop to its lowest levels at around midnight which, in turn, allows your sleep hormone, melatonin, to rise. Your body relaxes, and focuses on digestion and tissue repair, assisted once again by CAR, which has also suppressed your immune system, just enough to allow it to perform these vital functions while you sleep.
The key principle throughout this entire process is balance.
When Cortisol Loses Balance
As we all know by now, cortisol levels can become imbalanced. When we are under stress our cortisol is triggered by something known as the HPA axis (the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal axis.)
Constant stress leads to chronically elevated cortisol levels, which then leads to a variety of unhealthy outcomes: weight gain, insomnia, anxiety, high blood pressure, mood disturbances, blood sugar dysregulation, and weakened immune systems. The longer it persists, the worse the symptoms get.
So this Holiday Season, I invite you to contemplate the beauty of this exquisitely balanced system. Be aware of your stress levels, no matter how “insignificant” you might think they are. And, if need be, practice some cortisol “resetting” activities like meditation, yoga, or walks in nature. Let’s get through the season of joy by finding ways to truly experience it.
Happy Holidays from all of us at Kintsu MedSpa and Wellness.