Adverse Effects of the Stress Hormone Cortisol

The stress hormone cortisol is released by your adrenal glands when your body is under physical or emotional stress. It helps regulated blood pressure and the use of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and when found in anormal levels for prolonged times can cause severe illness. If you are under chronic stress or think your cortisol levels may be too high you should see a doctor to get the appropriate tests done!

Cortisol And Blood Pressure

When your body feels stress coming on, it releases the stress hormone cortisol which helps the body prepare for dealing with the stress by influencing certain biological functions. One of these is blood pressure which can become elevated under times of both physical and emotional stress. If you are stressed all the time then this could have adverse affects. High blood pressure can cause the heart to strain and can also damage the blood vessels and has been linked to hardening of the arteries.

Cortisol And Memory Loss

Recent studies reveal that the stress hormone cortisol can have adverse effects on the memory. This hormone belongs to the glucocorticoids family of hormones that can effect the energy supply to cells in the brain that are involved in memory. In tests, subjects who were given cortisol were shown to have impaired memory function.

Cortisol And Weight Gain

Do you gain weight at times of stress? It could be the stress hormone cortisol. Lots of people turn to food to deal with stress but it may not be just for emotional reasons. When the body is under stress, it releases cortisol along with other hormones to help the body cope. One role of cortisol is to make sure the body gets energy quickly which involves stimulating insulin release which in turn can result in an increase in appetite. If you are under chronic stress, your cortisol levels could always be high. This can vary between individuals and some never even experience high cortisol levels during stress.

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