Can You ‘Sort Out’ Your Cortisol Levels?
Your cortisol levels control a lot of things in your body. One of them being your metabolism which is why there is such a strong link between cortisol levels and weight management. In short the better regulated your cortisol levels are the easier you will find it to manage your weight. But are cortisol levels just luck or genetic? Or can you ‘sort out’ your cortisol levels?
Can I Control My Cortisol Levels?
There are lots of supplements you can try. Magnesium being one option particularly if you have trouble sleeping and think your cortisol levels might be the reason. But essentially supplements can only make a small impact (at best) on your cortisol levels.
What you really need to think about is when/why you are stressed and how you can go about changing that. Of course we all want (and I agree it would certainly be easier) if there was some magic supplement you could take that would totally sort of your cortisol levels. But like with any supplement it is not, on its own, ‘the solution.’
There are 3 main steps to take to ‘sort out’ your cortisol levels. The 3 ‘A’s.’
1/Acceptance
You have to be willing to accept that stress and lifestyle factors are the main reason your cortisol levels are out of whack. And you need to accept this is what needs to be examined and ultimately changed if you want to sort out your cortisol levels.
2/ Awareness
By this essentially I mean ‘catch’ yourself when you are getting and feeling stressed. Just being aware that is it happening and noting it is a huge step in the right direction. Most people just go through life without ever thinking about it. You will probably notice that there are triggers or a pattern to your stress levels. It will likely be the same things that set off the stress response time and time again.
3/ Action
To be clear you are never going to eliminate stress from your life completely. Nor would you want to or need to. But once you identify what you main triggers are you can put a plan into place to address them. For example you may identify there are particular people in your life that make you feel stressed. Or it may be certain situations such as work deadlines, meetings, driving…It’s different for everyone obviously so going back to step 2 you will just have to observe yourself to begin with and see when/where the triggers are.
You will be amazed at how simply being aware of these situations alone with reduce your stress response. You can observe yourself getting or potentially getting stressed and automatically you will get a ‘calm down’ response’ from your body.
There are lots of others options for you in terms of taking action. My favourite is a simple deep breathing exercise. When we are stressed and/or panic slightly most people don’t breathe fully or properly. See for yourself if you your breathing gets short and shallow. Deep, slow breathing on the other hand calms the nervous system. So breathe in slowly through your nose deeply into your chest and stomach. And then hold the breath for a second then breathe out really slowly, actively relaxing everything as you do so. You can do this exercise when you feel the stress coming on, and just as a general daily habit to help keep your stress levels at a generally lower level.
Conclusion – Can You ‘Sort Out’ Your Cortisol Levels?
The short answer is yes. But it’s not going to be as easy as just popping a pill I’m afraid. Your responses with not change overnight, and therefore neither will your cortisol levels. Like any other skill it will take time and practice. It’s just like fitness training, it takes consistency to improve and achieve your goals. So stick with the 3 steps above and over time you will reap the rewards. The calmer you can be generally throughout the day, the more your cortisol levels will be regulated and the easier it will be to lose weight/keep the weight off (and the better you are likely to sleep!)