1. What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a kind of glucocorticoid, the chemical name is cortisone or hydrocortisone, which is a hormone secreted by the human body in mental states such as stress, tension and fear. Generally speaking, cortisol is a hormone secreted by adrenal gland, which can raise blood pressure and blood sugar in the face of stress to cope with critical situations, so it is also called stress hormone or stress hormone.
Second, what is "high cortisol"?
Generally, the normal value of cortisol fluctuates between160-660 nmol/L. If cortisol is secreted too much (above 660), it is an abnormal phenomenon, but everyone's physical condition is different, so it is necessary to judge how high it is according to comprehensive factors.
Simply put, cortisol is a good comrade during normal secretion, which helps us to deal with normal stress, cope with external changes and metabolize fat. Excessive secretion will cause lasting harm to our health. Drinking alcohol can lead to an increase in cortisol, a human hormone. Many people like to drink a glass of wine before going to bed to relax, which may have the opposite effect.
There are also some case changes. Cortisol elevation is more common in pituitary adenoma, adrenal tumor, thymoma, small cell lung cancer and other diseases, and some cases have changed. Cortisol elevation is more common in pituitary tumors, adrenal tumors, thymomas, small cell lung cancer and other diseases.
Third, does drinking coffee lead to an increase in cortisol?
At present, it is found that drinking coffee may further increase the hormone level when the cortisol level of human body reaches its peak. Prolonged cortisol levels will damage the immune system and lead to health problems. However, there is still no long-term study on the health effects of elevated cortisol levels after drinking coffee.
Fourth, what effect will it have on the body?
1, women's irregular menstruation aggravates polycystic: stress causes our adrenal cortisol to secrete dehydroepiandrosterone, and the accumulated dehydroepiandrosterone will cause hair loss, hirsutism, acne/sores and induce polycystic.
2. Abdominal obesity: the increase of cortisol level will differentiate visceral adipocytes and increase the number of cells, leading to centripetal obesity (apple-shaped body).
3, hair loss: stress will cause dihydrotestosterone to accumulate on the scalp, dihydrotestosterone will lead to hair loss.
4. Insomnia: Sympathetic nerves are always active under pressure, which can lead to insomnia.
5, leading to insulin resistance: In order to cope with stress, the body will decompose liver glycogen and muscle protein, so that the blood sugar in our blood will rise, which will increase our insulin. Long-term high insulin level will lead to insulin resistance.
Benefits of verb (verb) cortisol
1, anti-inflammatory: In this case, the injured body has the effect of cortisol.
2, immunosuppression: such as allergic congestion, edema, exudation, rash, smooth muscle spasm and cell damage. It can inhibit the transplant rejection of tissues and organs and have a short-term effect on autoimmune diseases. (medicinal)
3, antitoxin effect: hydrocortisone and other glucocorticoids can improve the body's stress ability to harmful stimuli, reduce the damage of bacterial endotoxin to the body, alleviate the symptoms of toxemia, and have antipyretic effect on high fever caused by toxemia. (medicinal)
Sixth, improve cortisol secretion.
The long-term increase of cortisol level is very harmful to human body. Through some good daily habits and simple medical means, cortisol level can be reduced to some extent:
1, release stressor: cortisol, also known as stress hormone, is a protective sex hormone released by the body under stress to cope with stress situations. Under the psychological environment of stress and anxiety for a long time, cortisol will be continuously secreted and increased. This is also the reason why we get fat when we are stressed at work. Therefore, it is of great help to maintain a healthy secretion level of cortisol by adjusting your mentality and making yourself happy.
2, regulating sleep: Cortisol has a fixed day and night secretion law, that is, the most in the morning, the least at night, and the uniform decline from morning till night. The light of electronic products will stimulate the brain, make cortisol rise, lead to brain excitement, and then break the secretion rhythm of cortisol. This leads to sleep at night, and at the same time, cortisol secretion is not enough in the morning, and there is no mental situation. Caffeine intake in the morning will increase cortisol secretion and produce excitement, but it will further disrupt the secretion rhythm. We can use green tea instead of coffee. L- theanine is a powerful sedative compound in green tea, which can provide comprehensive relaxation for the body. Therefore, regulating sleep from the source is helpful to maintain the healthy secretion rhythm of cortisol.
3. You can take some carbohydrates immediately after training and exercise. The important role of cortisol is to ensure the body's blood sugar level. Blood sugar will drop after exercise. At this time, the increase of carbohydrate intake helps to reduce the secretion of cortisol. Especially in the case of overtraining, it will produce too much cortisol. At the same time, we should pay attention to the time of exercise, and try not to choose to exercise too late, which will affect sleep.