Your adrenal glands produce cortisol, a hormone your body requires for proper function. Its primary purpose, though, is helping you meet the challenges stress imposes by providing you with energy, keeping you alert and maintaining a healthy heart rate and blood pressure. During stressful times, your cortisol levels increase, but they are not meant to remain high. Consistently high levels of cortisol can lead to Cushing's syndrome, fibromyalgia, a weakened immune system and depression. Rather than blocking cortisol completely, your focus should be to restore healthy adrenal function. This, in turn, will lower cortisol to normal levels.
Step 1
See your doctor for a checkup. If you have any signs of high cortisol levels and experience a large amount of stress regularly, make an appointment with your doctor. He can order a test to determine what your cortisol levels are. Lab Tests Online explains a doctor usually orders this test when he suspects you have symptoms of cortisol-related diseases such as Cushing's syndrome. The results of the test helps your doctor determine the best course of treatment.
Step 2
Take medications to control cortisol production. According to MayoClinic.com, consistently high levels of cortisol contribute to Cushing's syndrome. In some cases, doctors order medications to control cortisol production as a form of treatment. These medications include ketoconazole, mitotane and metyrapone.
Step 3
Find ways to reduce stress. Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, of the Women to Women website, suggests finding ways to relieve stress. Doing this alleviates your body's need for cortisol production. Write down any triggers and avoid them. Try relaxation techniques for triggers you cannot avoid. Deep breathing exercises are one option, while yoga classes are another. Find the technique that works best for you.
Step 4
Follow a meal schedule. Allowing your blood sugar levels to drop causes your body undue stress and may result in unhealthy adrenal function. Create a meal schedule to ensure this stress does not occur. Your cortisol levels are their highest early in the morning, between 6 and 8 a.m., slowly tapering off through the day. Marcelle Pick recommends eating breakfast at 8 a.m., lunch between 11 a.m. and noon and a snack between 2 and 3 p.m. This helps prevent the dip in cortisol, which occurs between 3 and 4 p.m. Dinner should be the smallest meal of the day. Eat this between 5 and 6 p.m.
Step 5
Make time for rest. David Zava, Ph.D., a biochemist, breast cancer researcher and author, explains that cortisol is released throughout the day, but reaches its peak in the morning. If you do not receive enough rest throughout the night, your cortisol levels remain high, and insomnia can result.
References
- Women to Women; Eating to Support Your Adrenal Glands -- Small Choices Can Make a Difference; Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
- MayoClinic.com; CortiSlim: Can Cortisol Blockers Help With Weight Loss?; Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D.; February 2010
- Women to Women; Adrenal Imbalance -- The Effects of Stress and High Cortisol Levels; Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
- Virginia Hopkins Test Kits: How Cortisol Levels Affect Thyroid Function and Aging
- MayoClinic.com; Cushing's Syndrome; September 2010
- Lab Tests Online: Cortisol
