The rhythm of modern life leaves almost no chance for women's he alth: constant stress, chronic overwork, high demands from society. Women are forced to combine several social roles at once: to be a mother, worker, wife, daughter. High demands on oneself and the desire to meet the criteria of society sooner or later plunge the fair sex into a state of chronic stress, resulting in an increase in the level of the hormone cortisol. This is a substance that the human body releases when it is "on the verge". Symptoms of elevated cortisol in women are described in the article.
What is chronic stress and what causes it
Reasons why chronic stress develops (and, accordingly, symptoms of elevated cortisol appear in women):
- Forced being in psychologically uncomfortable conditions - being on an unlovedwork, uncertainty about the future, financial problems. Such situations are present to some extent in the life of every woman, however, if the source of stress is not eliminated over time, depression and anxiety begin, certain psychiatric diagnoses can be diagnosed.
- Regular abuse of alcoholic beverages. Many women try to “relax” in this way, but this habit not only does not alleviate the psychological state, but plunges a person into a real depression, since ethyl alcohol is a powerful sedative that incapacitates not only the liver and pancreas, but also disrupts the balance of hormones, loosens the psyche and contributes to the death of hundreds of thousands of neurons.
- Chronic diseases of the adrenal glands and thyroid gland lead to an imbalance of hormones. As a result, even with external well-being, a woman can suffer from symptoms of depression, suffer from her alleged lack of fulfillment as a specialist, spouse, mother, daughter. In such patients, the condition and level of hormones level off after they drink the course of the necessary drugs.
- Deficiency of vitamins and minerals - in particular, pyridoxine, thiamine, magnesium, iodine, iron. Chronic stress develops, resulting in symptoms of elevated cortisol in a woman. In this case, it is enough to take a high-quality vitamin and mineral complex on a regular basis, eat right and give up bad habits. The state of the body stabilizes, as a result, the symptoms of elevated cortisol hormone in women disappear by themselvesto no. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies are perhaps the mildest of all causes of chronic stress.
- Diseases of the internal organs, as well as pathologies of an autoimmune nature, also often cause chronic stress and increased cortisol in the blood of women. Symptoms can be different, an accurate diagnosis can be made by an experienced doctor. With AIDS, diabetes, polycystic ovaries, the level of the hormone can also increase.
Functions in the body of the hormone cortisol: how to understand that a failure has occurred?
What role does cortisol play in the human body? It is often referred to as the "stress hormone", and rightfully so, as the hormone is produced in response to chronic stress. However, not everything is so simple: often, even in relatively calm and stable living conditions, a woman can experience high levels of cortisol. Symptoms of an elevated cortisol level in a woman often develop due to chronic diseases, therefore, in order to prevent such deviations, one should regularly take a biochemical blood test, as well as undergo an ultrasound of the internal organs, fluorography and, if pathology is suspected, an MRI and other studies.
Production of cortisol under stressful conditions is necessary in order to achieve the full functioning of the brain and all its departments in conditions that threaten life and he alth. The human body quickly and easily draws all the nutrients from muscle tissue (glucose, proteins, amino acids). ATTherefore, a constantly high level of cortisol in a woman's blood almost always leads to an increase in the percentage of adipose tissue and even to obesity.
Loss of vital energy, chronic stress leads to severe hunger of a "nervous" nature. Women, in principle, tend to "seize" stress, and when cortisol jumps, she is ready to "kill the bull" in the literal sense of the word. So cortisol is very insidious in terms of weight gain: it indirectly contributes to eating more food, stretching the stomach, and over time - to obesity. This is a kind of "salvation" from the impending threat to life, which the body expects with elevated cortisol. Treatment in women of this condition consists primarily in giving up bad habits, in stabilizing their psycho-emotional background. And only then, if the previous steps did not have the desired effect, you should resort to the help of pharmaceuticals.
Symptoms of elevated cortisol levels in women
They can be very individual and manifest in each individual case a little differently. However, it is still possible to identify common symptoms of increased cortisol in women:
- a sharp increase in adipose tissue can be observed even if a woman regularly devotes time to sports and tries to stick to a diet (weight gain is even faster if a woman does not follow her diet);
- exceeding normal resting heart rate as hormone causes constrictionblood arteries;
- constant strong appetite;
- a woman often catches a cold: viral and infectious diseases are "attracted" to her like a magnet;
- general psycho-emotional state leaves much to be desired: the girl is irritable, tearful, always out of sorts, unmotivated aggression may appear;
- menstrual irregularities;
- premenstrual syndrome is severe;
- disturbances in the work of the digestive tract - pain in the epigastrium, nausea after eating, bloating, pulling kind of discomfort in the left or right hypochondrium;
- migraine with or without aura, dizziness;
- excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) occurs in approximately 38% of women who have been found to have excess cortisol levels in their blood;
- problems with sleep phases: early or inability to fall asleep on time, frequent nighttime awakenings;
- about 30% of women found to have elevated cortisol levels had type 2 diabetes;
- wide striae (stretch marks) appear on the abdominal wall - this is a kind of dermatological marker that a woman's cortisol level is elevated;
- bone tissue becomes brittle - frequent fractures.
What to look for in well-being in the first place
The stress hormone (cortisol) is produced in the body of both women and men in response to stressful conditions. When a person experiences anxiety, the level of the hormone increases slightly. When a person experiences severe apathy,does not see the point in its existence - the level of the hormone is even higher. If a person falls into a state of depression, then we can say that the level of the hormone is consistently high. If a person experiences strong fear and horror, then not only cortisol is produced, but also adrenaline, norepinephrine. The human hormonal system is so complex that in some cases it is quite difficult to determine which hormone levels go off scale in a particular period of time. However, based on the mental and emotional state, a fairly accurate forecast can be made regarding such indicators.
The causes and treatment of elevated cortisol in women are always closely related to the psycho-emotional state. First of all, you should pay attention not to weight, not to diet, not to run to the pharmacy for hormonal drugs, but to normalize your state of mind, get rid of fears and anxiety, improve sleep.
Causes and symptoms: cortisol is elevated in a woman
The causes of the increase in the hormone are related to the following symptoms:
- if the hormone has increased due to physical diseases (diabetes mellitus, pituitary adenoma, problems with the adrenal glands), then the patient will sooner or later suffer from the accompanying symptoms that are characteristic of these pathologies - then the entire clinical picture will be clarified during the examination;
- if the hormone is elevated as a result of psychosomatic conditions - over time, mental abnormalities may develop, as a result of which, the woman will again go to the doctor withcertain symptoms;
- causes of increased cortisol in a woman may be in the dysfunction of the organs of the reproductive system - in this case, as a rule, the patient suffers from pain in the lower abdomen, menstruation disappears, libido leaves, she cannot conceive.
Which doctor to contact if you suspect an elevated level
You can go to the clinic for a consultation with a gynecologist or endocrinologist if there are suspicions of problems with hormone levels and treatment is required. Medicines and preparations for elevated cortisol in women can only be prescribed after receiving tests. The doctor should read the results carefully. Then it will become clear: the woman has elevated cortisol. Both symptoms and causes can be both indirect and direct.
Assume that for any human individual, regardless of age, sex, race and weight, the level of cortisol in a normal relaxed state does not exceed 10 mg. Cortisol levels fluctuate throughout the day. Starting from 80 mg, it is believed that you should take measures to lower the level of the hormone. And if the data exceeds 180 mg, then we are talking about a very high rate. This indicates the presence of severe stress, close to a state of shock, or very serious physical overwork, even exhaustion of all strength.
The consequences of increasing cortisol for the body
The main negative consequences for a woman of a jump in cortisol up:
- Percentage of lean body mass decreases,the percentage of fat mass increases. As a result, the outlines of the body take on an unpleasant appearance: the woman looks heavy, not athletic, unhe althy.
- The belly grows: the so-called abdominal type of obesity develops. The figure takes on the shape of an "apple".
- Over time, type 2 diabetes develops. It is worth considering that quite often it also causes increased cortisol in women after 40 years. The symptoms are characteristic: constant thirst, weight gain, weakness, dizziness, dry and itchy skin, etc.
- The level of all other hormones is disturbed, as a result of which the reproductive system suffers.
- Immune system decreases: a woman catches colds more often and suffers from various infectious diseases.
- The risk of developing pathologies of the cardiovascular system increases.
- Increased risk of osteoporosis.
How to achieve a stable level of the hormone in the body
There are simple rules to follow in order for the hormone to remain within the reference range:
- avoid stress;
- do not smoke and stop drinking alcohol;
- monitor nutrition throughout the day: maintain a balance of BJU, stop eating simple carbohydrates;
- exercise your body regularly with moderate exercise to stimulate muscle growth;
- at the first suspicion of an imbalance of hormones or he alth problems, consult a doctor or take tests yourself in a paidlaboratories.
Pharmacological therapy to stabilize hormone levels
Hormonal disorders cannot be left untreated. Medications for high cortisol in women are commonly used as follows:
- Metyrapone is a corticosteroid blocker and should only be taken with a doctor's prescription.
- A number of anabolic steroids that increase testosterone levels, thereby inhibiting the production of cortisol. These are very serious drugs, which should not be taken on their own.
- "Aminoglutethimide" is a drug that can affect the adrenal cortex, a corticosteroid blocker. Reception should be carried out only under medical supervision. "Aminoglutethimide" is strictly a prescription drug, but one of the most effective.
- There are also a number of herbal-based vegetarian preparations, the most popular being Relora.
Physical activity and cortisol levels
The importance of physical activity in a woman's life, regardless of her age, cannot be underestimated. Strength training is a kind of home treatment for elevated cortisol in women. The reasons that girls do not want to do physical education are usually laziness and lack of time.
Regular strength training increases testosterone levels. Do not be afraid of this: due to the peculiarities of the hormonal background, the girl will never “pump over”, on the contrary, her body will become slim, strongand flexible. And as a "bonus" cortisol will return to normal. Of course, if the patient suffers from serious autoimmune and endocrine diseases, then physical education alone will not be enough to restore the hormone to the reference values.
If no serious pathologies were found during the examination, and the level of cortisol is still going through the roof, you should definitely turn to the help of sports. It is not necessary to buy a subscription to an expensive gym - you can buy dumbbells and work out at home. The main thing is to train regularly, to expose all muscle groups to a load. Efforts will not be in vain: very soon a woman will notice the normalization of sleep and psycho-emotional background, she will become more cheerful, her working capacity will increase, her immunity will become much more active (they will stop pestering viral diseases that a woman is so susceptible to with a high level of cortisol).
