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Is Cortisol adding to your Stress Levels?

Categories: Health, menopause

During the menopause your cortisol levels increase. If your weren’t stressed enough already, the hormone responsible for your stress levels increases, in this vicious cycle.

Cortisol does have an important role to play in your body but it’s important to make sure it doesn’t take over.

You need cortisol to increase blood sugar, to give energy and keep us alive. It can stabilise blood pressure, neutralises inflammation if it recognises something is trying to harm our body. Pre menopause the body can manage this more easily. But as you enter the menopause and progesterone levels drop, the buffer that this provides for cortisol is reduced and therefore levels can increase.

The increase in cortisol in your body has a number of negative effects; the list I’ve put together includes just a few of common menopausal symptoms.

Do any of these ring a bell for you?

  • Weight Gain, especially around your middle, due to the increase of cortisol storing body fat.
  • Insomnia
  • Low energy and fatigue
  • Lots of illnesses
  • Cravings
  • Bloating
  • Achy joints and muscles
  • Low sex drive
  • Low mood and anxious

Lots of these cross over from the low vitamin D levels I spoke about last week.

The important thing is how you can create a better balance of cortisol level in your body to help prevent these things from happening.

How to get a better balance of cortisol:

  • Regular time to get up in the morning; help your body natural circadian rhythm
  • Sunlight exposure, help to set body clock to reduce cortisol levels later in the day
  • Incorporate regular exercise into your routine, help endorphins flow of the feel good hormone
  • Mindfulness or meditation to relax your body
  • Eat a healthy breakfast which includes protein, fibre and good fats to stabilise your blood sugar

On the 1st of October I’m starting a 6 week Menopause Wellness Programme and I’m looking for 4 women who would like to harness the power of their hormones so they’re working for them, rather than against them.

If you’d like to join me complete this application form and we’ll have a chat.