Ok, that might’ve been a tad harsh.
After asking around, we’ve realised a lot of people are not clear on what Cortisol actually is. So we’re here to set things straight. And although we were a bit strong minded towards it, Cortisol is essential for our body to do it’s thing. But when too much or too little is released into the bloodstream, things go south.
What even is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid (don’t worry it’s only a hormone), that your adrenal glands make and release. Cortisol is a steroid hormone among many others, but is one of the big guys. It affects almost every organ and tissue in your body and plays many important roles. However, as we said, sometimes your cortisol levels can get out of whack.
Now we’ve got past Cortisol’s status among the other hormones, let’s address a commonly asked question.
“Is Cortisol the stress hormone?”
While many of us associate Cortisol as the ‘stress’ hormone, it has many other duties besides regulating your body’s stress response. But let’s not add too much into the mix, and focus on Cortisol and stress. There are 3 types of stress:
- Acute stress: The “fight or flight” type of stress. The type of stress that rockets your heart-rate for a few seconds, whether it be a near miss on your way to work, or waiting in the doctors office for an injection. We like to think of it as the type of stress where you think “I’m gonna have to sit down after that.”
- Chronic Stress: The stress that overstays it’s welcome. It normally comes holding hands with a difficult, long-term situation in your life, such as a long-term illness or a job that makes you want to rip your hair out. Luckily, we can’t relate working for Lindsey and Russell. 😉
- Traumatic Stress: The stress that never truly goes away. Traumatic stress happens when you face a life-threatening event. Whether it be an abusive relationship or a serious car crash, it’s the negative energy that no one wants.
And you guessed it, all of these types of stress release Cortisol - “for f*** sake.”
Weight gain, a rounding face, acne, easy bruising, severe fatigue and thinning skin. To us, that doesn’t sound too fabulous. All of these (and quite a few more) are signs your cortisol levels are too high, and if we’re looking at the positive side, you can take it as a sign you should book a trip to Ibiza and let your hair down. That’s what we would do.
However, sometimes it’s not that easy. Here are some ways we love to help keep our cortisol levels in check, and ensure they don’t go off on a tangent. First, don’t set your expectations too high, and keep your boundaries sensible. Don’t worry if you didn’t make it to the gym 5 times this week, or at all. Don’t worry if you’ve reached for the snack drawer a lot this week. Don’t worry if your essay is due, it’ll get done.
If you want some weight lifted off your shoulders, our JOLT supplement, packed with 7 shit-hot ingredients to slow the ageing process and make you feel younger for longer, doesn’t leave all the dirty work to you. With a bit of movement, and a balanced diet, JOLT has your back.
Our second go-to, is the bedroom. Now we weren’t going to say getting down and dirty, (although that is a proven remedy) but getting a good 8 hours each night. Boringggg.
And we get it, it’s not as easy to snooze when you’re stressed, and quite frankly the sheep don’t jump like they used to. The ace up our sleeves is JOLT. During our recent clinical trials, every single participant reported not only a deeper level of sleep but improved sleep patterns.
For our final tip (and mums you might not like this) is to avoid caffeine. Don’t go anywhere though, we have a helping hand at the ready. Our JOLT formula has been proven to give you that pep in your step without the jitters of your morning coffee, who would’ve thought?
Attention: JOLT may induce a state of relaxation so profound, you might forget where you left your worries.