Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone synthesized from cholesterol in the two adrenal glands, located at the top of each kidney. It is generally released in response to events and circumstances such as waking up in the morning, exercising, and acute stress. The systemic effects of cortisol play many roles in the body to carry out its stress processes and maintain homeostasis..
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Cortisol (along with epinephrine) is known for its involvement in the "fight or flight" response and the temporary increase in energy production, to the detriment of other processes that are not necessary for immediate survival..
The following steps are a typical example of how cortisol operates in response to stress and as a survival mechanism:
So what is the problem? What happens is that with our increasingly fast and stressed lifestyles, our bodies end up pumping cortisol almost constantly, which can wreak havoc on our health. In this whole-body process, mediated by hormones and the immune system, cortisol plays a large role..
Blood cortisol levels vary constantly, but are generally highest in the morning upon awakening, and then drop throughout the day. This is called a daytime rhythm. In people who work at night, this pattern is reversed, so the timing of cortisol release is clearly related to patterns of daily activity. Additionally, in response to stress, cortisol is additionally released to help the body respond appropriately..
Cortisol secretion is controlled mainly by three intercommunicate regions of the body, the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland and the adrenal gland. This is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When cortisol levels in the blood are low, the hypothalamus secretes corticotropin-releasing hormone, which causes the pituitary gland to secrete another hormone, adrenocorticotropic hormone, into the bloodstream. High levels of adrenocorticotropic hormone are detected in the adrenal glands and stimulate cortisol secretion, causing blood cortisol levels to rise. As cortisol levels rise, they begin to block the release of corticotropin-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus and adrenocorticotropic hormone from the pituitary. As a result, adrenocorticotropic hormone levels begin to drop which in turn leads to a drop in cortisol levels. Creating the so-called negative feedback loop.
Excess cortisol over a long period of time can lead to so-called Cushing's syndrome. This can be caused by various factors, such as a tumor that generates adrenocorticotropic hormone (and therefore increases cortisol secretion), or taking certain types of medications. Symptoms include:
High levels of cortisol for a long time can also cause a lack of sexual desire, and in women, periods can be irregular, less frequent, or stop altogether (amenorrhea)..
Too low a cortisol level can be due to so-called Addison's disease. It is an autoimmune disease where the destruction of the adrenal glands occurs. The onset of symptoms is often very gradual. Symptoms can include fatigue, dizziness (especially when standing up), weight loss, muscle weakness, mood swings, and darkening of skin regions. An urgent evaluation by a specialist doctor is required when this type of disease is suspected.
Students often sacrifice hours of sleep and increase their consumption of caffeine and alcohol, all of which impact cortisol levels and therefore physiological markers of the stress response.
Acute sleep loss confounds the HPA axis and the regulation of glucocorticoid negative feedback is impaired. In one study, they found that plasma cortisol levels are higher, up to 45%, after sleep deprivation, an increase that has implications including immune response, cognitive impairment and metabolic disturbances.
The relationship between caffeine, stress, and cortisol secretion is also important. When we ingest a large amount of caffeine in a day, our cortisol levels increase. There is a clear positive relationship between caffeine consumption and cortisol release, and this relationship is exacerbated when other potential stressors are introduced. In this way, to the caffeine intake, we add the lack of sleep and the consumption of energy drinks, we may be causing a great hormonal imbalance in our body.
Finally, students often decide to celebrate the end of a period of academic stress by consuming alcohol, often in large quantities and for a short period of time. Ironically, this method of releasing stress actually stimulates the HPA axis and encourages the manufacture and release of cortisol. In fact, the elevation in glucocortioid levels as a result of alcohol consumption may be greater than the elevation in stress stimuli. Alcohol manages to activate the HPA axis because it depresses the nerve cells responsible for HPA inhibition, thus increasing the activity of the axis. As a result, the adrenal cortex secretes high levels of cortisol. It is not surprising then, that students later complain about their considerable level of anxiety and feelings of pressure, as these are our common responses to stress..
In short, lack of sleep, caffeine consumption and alcohol consumption work together to increase the amount of cortisol in our body, increasing the stress that we try to combat..
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