Low Cortisol: 7 Possible Causes You Need to Know About
LET’S TALK ABOUT LOW CORTISOL AND WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.
Cortisol is responsible for controlling how much sugar (glucose) and fat are stored in your body and how much is released for use as fuel. It is also the primary stress hormone in your body. When you are stressed, your adrenal glands release a surge of cortisol to assist you in coping, momentarily raising your blood sugar for an energy boost.
What happens if I have too little cortisol?
After periods of prolonged stress, trauma, and nutrient depletion in the body your cortisol output can switch from elevated to low.
Because cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands, chronically low cortisol levels are a sign of adrenal insufficiency, which occurs when the adrenal glands fail to produce enough cortisol.
Some common signs of low cortisol include:
Extreme fatigue
Weight loss and decreased appetite
Salt cravings
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
Anxiety and irritability
Muscle and joint pain
Darkening of your skin (hyperpigmentation)
Low blood pressure
Low cortisol can be caused by many different things and even multiple things at once!
Here are the 7 possible root causes of low cortisol:
Addison's disease- I’ve sent part for screenings from their Dutch results
Chronic disease
Low-calorie diets
Intense workouts
Nutritional deficiencies
Chronic infections
Sleep deprivation
Low cortisol levels and high cortisol levels require different types of support and nourishment for your HPA axis and adrenal glands, but one thing they both require is more rest.
So now that you know what it feels like to have low cortisol levels, here are some lifestyle factors to support cortisol levels.
Support your stress levels by getting outside in nature
Increase healthy fats in your diet and include some high-quality carbohydrates at each meal
Sleep (7-9 hours daily), balancing your blood sugar with your meals and focusing on low inflammatory foods is essential
Choose your exercise wisely and favour gentle exercises like walking, yoga or pilates
Avoid caffeine as this stresses the adrenals
Are you experiencing extreme fatigue and other symptoms of low cortisol these days?
If so you can learn more about ways to support low cortisol levels in my self-paced pace program Mend Your Menstrual Cycle.
Ready to explore getting some support from a practitioner? Take a minute to review the options for working together here.
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