Elevated Cortisol: What You Need To Know For Women’s Fitness and Health

I’m in my late thirties and noticing things like weight not budging despite following the same diet and exercise routine I always have; a sudden increase in loose fat around the belly; and feeling tired for no reason on most days. I know I’m not alone in the way I am feeling about my body. I also know I’m not alone in the frustration and confusion about what to do. After doing some research about why this might be happening, two factors caught my attention: elevated cortisol levels in the body and possible hormonal changes due to perimenopause (when estrogen and progesterone levels begin to decline around the age of 40).

Personally, after learning more, I felt more empowered about small changes to make in my life to better manage the changes my body is experiencing.

NOTE: I am not a doctor. Everything written in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult a doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is an important hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which regulates the following functions in the body:

• The body’s response to stress: cortisol triggers the release of glucose to give you energy to fight stress.
• Metabolism: cortisol helps control how the body breaks down fats, proteins and carbohydrates for energy in conjunction with other hormones.
• Blood sugar (glucose) levels: cortisol increases blood sugar levels to counterbalance the effect of insulin, a hormone that lowers blood sugar levels.
• Sleep-wake cycle: cortisol levels are highest in the morning right before waking when you need to be alert and functional and naturally lower in the evening to prepare for sleep.
• Inflammation: cortisol in small amounts can suppress inflammation in the body.

What is elevated cortisol?

Elevated cortisol is when the body has high cortisol levels for a prolonged time, which is out of the ordinary range. It usually happens when the body perceives it is under stress.

Causes of elevated cortisol

Cortisol elevates in response to two types of stress:

• Acute Stress: Short-term stressors, like a work deadline, dangerous situation or an intense workout, cause a temporary increase in cortisol to help the body respond.
  
• Chronic Stress: Prolonged exposure to stress—such as financial worries, relationship issues, demands of caregiving, lack of sleep, overexercising—leads to consistently elevated cortisol levels.

Catabolic and anabolic processes in the body

Without getting too deep into the complex science of things, it’s important to note that hormones support two different and opposing processes in the body to keep our internal systems balanced and regulated.

• Catabolic: breaking down larger molecules into smaller ones
• Anabolic: building complex molecules from simpler ones using energy

Here is a simplified example to illustrate how catabolic and anabolic processes work together in the body to regulate blood sugar (glucose) levels.

During an intense workout (an acute stress trigger) the body releases cortisol to begin the catabolic process of breaking down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates into glucose molecules to release into the blood for the body to use for energy. This results in increased blood sugar levels. For the body cells to convert glucose from the blood into usable energy by cells, the anabolic (building up) hormone insulin from the pancreas is released and triggers cells to let glucose in. The cell then converts glucose into glycogen (glucose molecules linked together) and is either used or stored as an energy source in the liver and muscles. This lowers blood sugar levels back to normal levels.

What can happen in the body with elevated cortisol?

Hormonal imbalance in women approaching perimenopause

Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone begin to decline in women in their late 30s to early 40s, as they approach perimenopause. Estrogen is an anabolic hormone. It is vital for female reproductive health and central to other processes in the body such as increasing metabolism, muscle mass, bone density, and collagen production.

Lowering estrogen levels make it harder for the body to regulate high cortisol, which leads to consistently elevated blood sugar levels in the body and can result in fat storage around the abdomen. It’s a tricky cycle because these hormonal changes coupled with mood swings, feelings of stress, lethargy, decrease in exercise, and irregular sleep from perimenopause all also contribute to elevated cortisol levels.

Insulin resistance

Imagine you have a very stressful and intense job. This means that your cortisol levels are chronically elevated, resulting in a consistently high demand for glucose to give you the energy to fight the stress (remember cortisol manages the body’s fight or flight response to stress). In this example, cortisol is released during a non-physical stress situation, so this means no energy is used and the excess glucose is getting stored. Over time the consistently high demand for glucose can lead to reduced sensitivity of the cells to insulin. This is known as insulin resistance. It means the cells don’t react properly resulting in excessive glucose in the blood, which is eventually stored as fat around organs, especially in the abdominal area.

Suppressed thyroid function due to elevated cortisol

Elevated cortisol can also suppress thyroid hormones (T4 and T3). T3 is the active form and T4 is the inactive form that needs to be converted to regulate metabolism. The conversion of T4 to T3 can be impacted due to high cortisol levels and lead to feelings of fatigue, weight gain, and a slow metabolism.

Muscle loss

When you are very stressed the body (cortisol) responds with an immediate release of energy. Since cortisol is a catabolic hormone, it will break down muscle tissue for instant energy. With muscle loss, the body’s metabolism lowers and it’s harder to maintain or lose weight. To compensate for the muscle loss, the body stores more fat.

Increase food cravings

When you are very stressed food cravings, particularly for sugary snacks and carbohydrates, increase. In response to the stress, cortisol triggers the release of blood sugar to give you energy to “fight or flight”. Unless the excess blood sugar is expended through physical activity or you stop being stressed (aka lower your cortisol levels), the body believes that you need more energy and triggers hunger signals, which lead to cravings. Sound familiar?

The cortisol-stress cycle

It’s easy to get caught in the cortisol-stress cycle. There are many different things such as work deadlines, relationship conflicts, financial worries, lack of sleep, poor diet, or over-exercising causing stress. This leads to elevated cortisol in the body and triggers increased blood sugar levels to respond to the stress. However, if you are in a prolonged state of stress, blood sugar levels remain leading to increased food cravings and fat storage. All of this contributes to more stress and then you’re stuck in a vicious cycle. You might also experience sleep issues, mood swings, and anxiety.

How to manage elevated cortisol

Strength training and medium intensity exercise

• Effective exercise routine. Exercising regularly helps the body become more efficient at managing cortisol release and clearing excess cortisol out from the bloodstream after a workout. The most favorable combination of exercise includes medium-intensity activities like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming coupled with strength training (weightlifting) 2–3 times a week to build muscle and improve metabolism.
• Always workout with relaxation and/or cool down. Breathing exercises, stretching, or shavasana bring cortisol levels back down.
• Do mindfulness activities. Yoga, meditation, or walking for a positive mindset and to focus on yourself.
• Avoid over-exercising or overtraining. This can elevate cortisol levels.

Recovery & balanced nutrition

• Sleep 7-9 hours. The body needs time to recover properly. This is arguably even more important than exercise. If you had to choose between getting more sleep or exercise, sleep always wins.
• Balanced meals. Proteins, healthy fats, and carbs. Don’t try to cut calories. Eat well and move well. Balance is key.
• Reduce caffeine and sugar. Both are known to spike cortisol, so be smart about how much you are consuming.
• Stress management and self-care. Find what makes you calm and happy and do more of that every day. Knowing how to manage your stress (through exercise, mindfulness activities, self-care, snuggles with your pet etc.) is important to avoid elevated cortisol.

Stress management & positive mindset

• Set boundaries. Make a list of all the stressors in your life and now make a promise to cut them out. Stick to your boundaries.
• Build and nurture your community and support systems. Friends, family, pets, colleagues, and even your local barista. Make time to connect with people around you. Having a community and support systems around you is important for your mental and emotional well-being.

NOTE: I am not a doctor. Everything written in this post is for informational purposes only. Please consult a doctor before making any changes to your diet or exercise.

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