8 Signs Of Cortisol Overload

Young woman resting beside a laundry basket filled with clothes.

The human body is amazing. When something is wrong, our bodies know how to fix it.

Broken bones knit back together, cancer cells are attacked, infections are fought and damaged skin is regenerated. But what happens when our brains are running on empty? When you are stressed to high levels, your body activates its ‘flight or fight’ response and secretes the cortisol hormone into your bloodstream.

Cortisol in normal doses is essential to survival as it regulates blood pressure, plays a role in anti-inflammatory processes and immune funciton, however large doses of cortisol into the bloodstream can cause stress-related changes such as;

  • high blood pressure
  • blood sugar imbalances
  • lowered immunity
  • impaired cognitive function
  • increased abdominal fat, which can in turn lead to heart attack, stroke, metabolic disease and cholesterol issues
  • slower wound healing
  • decrease in bone density and muscle tissue

Yet some people are simply addicted to the high that stress, and cortisol, gives them.

So how can you tell if you are addicted to stress? Here are eight signs that you have high levels of cortisol in your bloodstream and could be at risk.

1. Belly Fat

Despite eating well and exercising, you are gaining weight around your middle. Cortisol causes a ‘thickness’ around the mid-section.

2. Always Exhausted

Even though you crash as soon as your head hits the pillow, you feel exhausted all day. High levels of cortisol deplete the adrenal glands (from which it is secreted) and make you more prone to chronic fatigue. So if you feel like you haven’t slept at all when you wake in the morning, you are probably highly stressed.

Next Page: More Signs Of Cortisol Overload

author avatar
Clare Whitfield Chief Editor
Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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Responses to “8 Signs Of Cortisol Overload”

  1. Robyn Avatar
    Robyn

    Excellent read and very interesting! ! This sounds like me..but I stress unknowingly very easily..but I do have a strong streak in me too..

    1. Stay at Home Mum Avatar

      Hi Robyn – unfortunately stress runs in my family so I have to try and take it easy. 🙂

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