Chronic Stress and Your Cortisol Curve
I recently went to the A4M Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) symposium in Nashville, TN. And while I learned so much there, one lecture really stood out. I listened to Dr. Andrew Heyman discuss chronic stress and how our body reacts to cortisol.
He truly blew my mind! I have always believed chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels will lead to adrenal fatigue (the adrenals essentially burn out). He changed my whole perspective.
Let me explain what elevated cortisol does to the brain and the immune system.
In the brain, cortisol mostly effects the hippocampus since this area has the most receptors. The main function of the hippocampus is learning and memory. Cortisol has a catabolic effect on this tissue which means it breaks it down. Have you ever noticed when you have high stress that your memory and focus are not as sharp? When the brain notices that high cortisol levels are destroying tissue it will send a signal to the adrenals to slow down or stop cortisol production.
Chronic cortisol will also negatively impact our immune system. It disrupts the balance of our T lymphocytes and suppresses our innate immunity. Cortisol and our immune system have an inverse relationship. Meaning, if one goes up, the other will go down.
A flat cortisol curve (curve does not spike) may not indicate high stress, it may be an infection. If the body is exposed to a virus, bacteria, fungus, parasite it would down regulate the adrenal glands from producing cortisol so our immune system could be high functioning!
So the main take away from the lecture is that in these cases the adrenals do not “burn out.” The brain may shut down cortisol because it is tired of being “fried” (Dr. Heyman’s term). Or the immune system may need to be ramped up against a pathogen, so cortisol gets suppressed.
Now what can you do?
Well, everyone needs to reduce unnecessary stressors and learn to manage the necessary ones. I read a book once “How to Stop Losing Your Shit with Your Kids” by Carla Naumburg. Carla describes kids as button pushers. They will always push your buttons because they are learning and testing different situations. But what you can do is make your buttons smaller!
This means taking care of yourself:
-Sleep 7-8 hours without drinking alcohol so you can get into that REM sleep.
-Eat fruits and vegetables every day.
-Drink your water.
-Move your body.
-Meditate.
-Journal.
Also avoid your triggers! I know that at home, if the washer and dryer are running, the TV is on at a high volume and a phone is playing a Tick Tock or FB video I will lose my cool even with the smallest irritation.
We can also check YOUR cortisol curve and see if other interventions are needed. This is a salivary test that can be shipped to your home!
Heyman, A. (2022) Stress and the Immune Response. A4M BHRT Symposium
Foster, Rinaman & Cyan (2017) Neurobiol Stress. Doi: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2017.03.001