For hormonal health, adrenaline, cortisol and blood sugar are our “master hormones” meaning that they control what your other hormones are doing as well.  

Stress has a huge impact on your overall hormonal health.  It directly affects a part of our brain called he hypothalamus, which is our center for hormone control.  It tells your body signals to the pituitary gland and from there your body knows when to release hormones necessary for reproduction, menstruation and so much more.

Stress increases a hormone called cortisol, which is produced in the adrenal glands and secreted in times where we’re under stress. 

Before cortisol gets a bad rap, let me explain – 

Cortisol is a life-saving hormone by inducing what’s called fight or flight that helps us get through acute extreme stressful situations that could threaten our survival.  Our body goes through many chemical reactions – resources go to the brain, eyes, heart and muscles to help you. 

In turn, your hormones, metabolism, reproduction and fat loss don’t get much attention because they aren’t important during that time. 

The problem is that this whole mechanism is only supposed to be switched “on” very rarely and unfortunately, many of us are constantly living here feeling symptoms such as anxiety, digestive distress, brain fog, fatigue, PMS, hormonal issues, low immune function and infertility.  

When you have high cortisol for a prolonged period, your body also starts on the road towards insulin resistance too because cortisol releases more insulin for your muscles when it’s stressed.

How To Lower Cortisol

I get asked the question “how do I lower cortisol?” and “how do I heal from adrenal fatigue?” daily. 

This is a multi-faceted approach. Sure, there are herbs and supplements you can take to soothe and calm your nervous system and boost up nutrients that are lost during times of stress, but my challenge to my patients is to ask “how did I get here?” “What aspect of my life is causing this whole thing to happen?”

I have gone through this before chronically and I took the herbs and supplements, but I didn’t realize that I needed to change my perfectionism and people pleasing tendencies because they were running me ragged, causing all kinds of negative self talk which is also threatening to your brain by the way, causing me to push myself too hard with little to no actually downtime and enjoyment.

Here are some tips I give regularly to my patients:

1. Rest.  Resting is the best way to soothe your nervous system and prevent the production of more cortisol and adrenaline from being produced. Sleep 8 hours per night, but also make sure you are getting down time and self-care time in every day as well. 

2. Practice gratitude. There have been numerous scientific studies that show much gratitude re-wires your brain and also has such a calming effect on your body.  It is the anecdote to anxiety.  You cannot feel anxious when you feel grateful – they are polar opposites.  

3. Laugh and experience joy. This is highly underestimated in my opinion.  Laughing has such as calming effect on your body and it also produces happiness hormones and neurotransmitters.  Watch comedy, hang out with friends and family that you enjoy, make time for your hobbies – it doesn’t matter what it is as long as your heart experiences true joy.

4. Deep breathing, yoga, meditation. These are all helpful techniques to tell your body that you’re safe and there is no need to produce stress hormones.  

5. Acupuncture.  Acupuncture is amazing at relaxation, producing endorphins, reducing stress and increasing your overall wellbeing and health.  It will also help to balance hormones.

6. Work on blood sugar regulation.  Make sure to eat a portion of protein at every meal.  If you’re active or workout regularly, I believe that women need about 100+ g of protein daily.  That will buffer the insulin response from the carbohydrates you are eating.

7. Challenge your self-talk, priorities, perfectionism and people-pleasing tendencies.  This is HUGE!  I could go on for days about this too.  These are all the things that you’re telling yourself all day-your inner dialogue.  We have tens of thousands of thoughts per day and yes, depending on what you’re saying, they can encourage the fight or flight response to switch on.  Do a deep dive into your life.  Are you happy?  Are you confident?  Are your priorities straight?  Are you running yourself ragged?  Are you pleasing other people at your own expense?  Do you have inner anger, worry, fear, rage, anxiety?  Those are just a gage that tells us that something isn’t quite aligned in our life like a check engine light.  Figure out what that is and see how you can change it. Figure out your insecurities.  Are they based on reality? 

Supplements to Reduce Cortisol

• Magnesium: Magnesium is quickly used in times of stress and it’s a key nutrient in calming our nervous system and getting us out of fight or flight.  You want to take magnesium glycinate or magnesium oxide for this effect.  Most supplements contain 400 mg.  I really like Integrative Therapeutics Tri Mag.  You can purchase that on my Wellevate account for 15% off. 
• Methylated B Vitamins: Help with the stress response by boosting the levels of more calming neurotransmitters GABA and serotonin.   You want to choose a B complex that contains choline and also has folate and methylcobalmin for B12. I like Integrative Therapeutics Active B from Wellevate.  For menopause, pregnancy morning sickness and PMS, taking B6 is helpful.
• Designs for Health Neurocalm: This supplement is great for relaxation, sleep, anxiety and calming the nervous system.  It contains a blend of several things to do this. 
• Integrative Therapeutics Lavela: This is a form of lavender essential oil that can be consumed and it works wonders for those dealing with too much adrenaline, cortisol and feeling anxious.  
• Adaptogenic Herbs: Adaptogenic herbs such as rhodiola, ashwagandha, schisandra maca root, reishi and medicinal mushrooms are wonderful for increasing your resilience to stress and also helping with the stress response.  I frequently use Innate Response Adrenal Response with my patients and I even use it personally.  Be patient with adaptogenic herbs.  They work amazingly, but they are slow and gentle, so I advise being on them for several months most of the time.

You can purchase all of these supplements and herbs through my professional dispensary at Wellevate for 15% off.  You simply create an account and order all your quality supplements.