Understanding Cortisol And Neurotransmitters

When we discuss stress hormones, we often talk about two main players, cortisol and adrenaline. Norepinephrine is released by the sympathetic nervous system, and both norepinephrine and epinephrine are released into the bloodstream by the adrenal glands, specifically from a part of the gland called the adrenal medulla. These two chemicals also increase the amount of glucose, or blood sugar, available in your blood, which you’ll need when responding to stress, and they increase both your breathing rate and ability to get more oxygen to your muscles and brain, increasing mental alertness. Meanwhile, cortisol decreases other, less essential systems during an immediate stress response. Digestion decreases, since digesting food is less of a priority when your body is responding to stress. Hormone production also decreases, including hormones made by the ovaries, testes, and thyroid glands. Immune system function generally decreases during the stress response, although for some people the immune system shifts into an overactive pattern. The nervous system pumps out stimulating neurotransmitters and uses up calming neurotransmitters all at the same time. As soon as the stress response turns off, things go back to usual. The autonomic nervous system shifts from sympathetic to parasympathetic. Breathing slows, as does the heart. Digestive function and hormone production return to optimal.

The Beat Of Your Drum

The immune system goes back to protecting you from foreign invaders, and the nervous system calms down. Mastering stress is about having an optimal amount of cortisol and adrenaline. Let’s take a minute to learn more about the fascinating hormone called cortisol. Cortisol levels vary with our circadian rhythm. Cortisol levels rise in the early morning, coinciding with when you wake and giving you energy to start your day. From there, the cortisol level gradually decreases throughout the day until it reaches its lowest at night, while you are sleeping. Interestingly, your daily cortisol levels follow a pattern unique to you. Your body’s response is as unique as your fingerprints. Even when you are exposed to an immediate stress, your body will come back to its daily cortisol levels. And those levels will influence how you feel each day and the quality of your health over time. Let’s consider this in a bit more detail. Cortisol signals to all other areas of the body, all the time.

Is Everything Really Awesome?

In this way, it acts like a central manager for our bodies. These communications are essential for an effective stress response, but also for orchestrating all our daily functions and activities. These brilliant messengers set the speed of your brain and thinking. Neurotransmitters also influence our mood, energy, and sleep. Ultimately, it’s best to have a balance of stimulating and calming neurotransmitters. In fact, all our neurotransmitters are made from amino acids, which come from the protein in our diet. At least 90 percent of serotonin is produced in the intestines, not our brain. Our bodies include our minds and spirits. By thinking of ourselves as separate parts functioning independently, we create more stress and block our ability to understand ourselves deeply as whole beings. Metabolism is how our bodies turn our food into energy. Cortisol also affects the thyroid gland. T3 is stimulating, as it gives us energy to move around and get things done.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

It increases metabolism of nutrients into calories, which our muscles can burn as fuel. T3 signals throughout the body, affecting everything from mood and digestion to skin and energy. When cortisol levels shift higher or lower, the production of T4 and its conversion to T3 slow down. This can result in symptoms of low thyroid activity, such as fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, dry skin, and constipation. What’s more, the ovaries in women and testes in men are also influenced by cortisol, and their function decreases when cortisol is either too high or too low. This can affect estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone production, and increase or decrease fertility by influencing ovulation and sperm production. The body knows that times of stress aren’t optimal for reproduction. For men, they can result in low libido and fatigue. Cortisol communicates with the digestion system, as well. Think of this interplay as a balancing act or tightrope walk. When just the right amount of cortisol is present, your digestive system is ready to receive food, digest it, and allow nutrients to be absorbed into your body through the cells lining the intestinal walls. At the same time, the liver is processing toxins and making bile, which enters the intestines via the gallbladder. Fiber and waste exit your body in feces, and every part of this process requires consistent signaling from cortisol. At any point along the way, if a stress signal turns off the digestion, you won’t digest your food or absorb the nutrients from your food as well as you should. The healthy bacteria living in your intestines are disrupted, and your bowels may not move as consistently as when you are calm. It’s also possible that the originating stress signal came from your digestion, perhaps from a food triggering an inflammatory response or undesirable bacteria releasing a toxin. A signal is sent from the intestines to the brain, via cortisol and the vagus nerve, telling it to shut down normal digestive function in order to address the stress. It is so important that we’ll cover it in more detail later. Essentially, any slight variation in cortisol levels from minute to minute, hour to hour, or day to day can shift the signaling to your digestion and your ability to get nutrients from your food. It also shifts the function of your immune system. You see, the immune system works on a continuum and involves many different types of cells and signaling molecules/substances. When completely in balance and on track, your immune system is ready to protect you from anything it deems as foreign, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites. When it is askew due to stress exposure and cortisol levels that are higher or lower than your usual, your immune system becomes less able to fend off infections. What Is Adrenal Distress?