Top Priority Hormone: Cortisol

Cortisol hormone secreted from the pituitary gland in the early hours of the day makes us energetic, lively, and healthy. It regulates our internal chemistry during times of danger, enabling us to cope with threats. Although cortisol is often associated with stress and unwanted belly fat, if secreted at the necessary times, it is a valuable hormone that ensures our survival.

Although human appearance has evolved since the Stone Age and become more well-groomed with the transition to modern life, our internal chemical balance, or homeostasis, has been maintained with the same principles for tens of thousands of years. As we discover the vital secretions, enzymes, fluids, heat, salt, blood, cell, intracellular and extracellular formations presented to us by the macrocosmos we are a part of, we realize that the real miracle in life is once again the unity of mind and body.

Cortisol is the sibling of the adrenaline hormone. In a moment of danger, adrenaline is released into the bloodstream first, which is the hormone that protects us from a wild animal attack or famine in the Stone Age. Cortisol then accompanies it. Adrenaline allows us to react by either fleeing, fighting, or freezing as required by the situation. The initial panic and rapid shock sensation we feel when faced with danger is the effect of adrenaline. At that moment, adrenaline sends a message for cortisol secretion, which will keep us on alert until the danger passes. If adrenaline continued to be secreted until the danger passed, a person would die of heart failure before reaching the age of 50.

What happens when adrenaline steps down and cortisol takes its place?

Cortisol is secreted too often and in excessive amounts because the natural living environment of humans has changed significantly. The threat of a lion appearing while we were hunting in the forest has been replaced by deadlines, dialogues with bosses, relationship problems, heavy traffic, livelihood problems, and children’s problems.

Nature did not consider that life would become so modern or that humans would have such a long lifespan. It only gave us one stress response, but this response cannot distinguish between real and perceived threats. When things are like this, our reaction is the same, whether the threat is real or virtual.

If there is a real threat, we either quickly escape and get away, or we fight and use all the available sugar for the high energy requirement. However, if the threat is virtual, unfortunately, such energy consumption does not occur, and excess sugar settles immediately in the waist area.

If a real threat does not end with death, the person returns to their cave, home, or private space to hide, rest, and heal. The over-triggered sympathetic nervous system relaxes, and when the body begins to rest, the parasympathetic nervous system starts to work. However, if life itself has become a virtual and chronic threat, the body never enters the rest mode, and the sympathetic nervous system remains constantly on alert. Cortisol is constantly pumped into the bloodstream, as if the cortisol button is pressed. Considering that cortisol also has the property of being pumped more into the blood than the previous one, the cortisol level in the blood increases.

While the adrenal glands produce cortisol, the digestive system is disrupted. Mineral and vitamin deficiencies, stomach and intestinal problems are frequently seen in people under long-term chronic stress. When the body is stimulated by cortisol hormones, it immediately stops fat burning and slows down metabolism. It goes into energy and fat storage mode. This explains why the basal metabolism of people under chronic stress is very low and why they have excess fat around their waist.

When the cortisol level in the blood reaches saturation, the immune system goes to sleep because it is not time to fight infections and viruses but to escape from the chasing lion behind you. We cannot have an urge for reproduction and sexuality while running from home to work and from work to home; sex hormones are completely suppressed, and sexuality is completely put on hold. 90% of the secondary infertility cases we classify as stress-related.

Although there are different types of stress sources in our lives, everyone’s hormonal response to stress is the same. Sometimes we have difficulty identifying or distinguishing stress.

Let’s examine stress factors under different headings in general:Physical: Trauma, accident, illness, surgery, aging, allergy, infection, inflammation, hunger, low blood sugar.

Emotional: Grief, losses, depression, fear, anxiety, loneliness, anger, feeling of guilt, divorce, relationship problems, feeling insecure, fear of not being loved.

Nutrition Habits: Alcohol, caffeine, trans fats, refined carbohydrates, food chemicals, nutrient deficiencies, allergenic foods, and hunger.

Medications: Anti-inflammatory drugs, antacids, birth control pills, and hypertension drugs such as statins.

Environmental: Pollution, chemicals, toxins, indigestibles, excess heat, noise.

Lifestyle: Smoking, drugs, inactivity, excessive exercise, poor sleep, shift work.

We need to learn to identify and change the way we perceive our sources of stress, otherwise, we will inevitably face different diseases. Being able to manage our cortisol hormone means being able to manage our stress. In the yoga tradition, this is achieved through various yogic practices such as breathwork, physical postures, concentration, and meditative states. Among our stress-focused, multi-targeted practices, we can include hormone yoga therapy, relaxation techniques, guided meditations, and yoga nidra.