Got stress? Lot’s of stress? If yes then you also likely have an excess of the hormone cortisol coursing through your veins.
Cortisol is our main stress hormone – meaning that in times of chronic stress (physical or psychological) our cortisol levels will be elevated. Cortisol has been called a “bad hormone”, the “flight or fight hormone” and even the “death hormone”. And while cortisol does serve important functions in the body, it becomes problematic when it is chronically elevated.
Cortisol is a hormone that appears to increase with age – which may be one reason why it has earned the nickname of the “death hormone”. When cortisol is too high for too long it takes away from our bodies ability to manufacture other, more “youthful” hormones such as: DHEA, progesterone, testosterone and thyroid hormones.
Side effects of excess cortisol in the body, and hormonal imbalance in general has been linked to:
-Low libido
-Depression & anxiety
-Low energy & brain fog
-Thinning and loss of hair
-Cardiovascular disease
-Blood pressure & blood sugar issues
-Weight gain and water retention
-Loss of muscle mass
-Wrinkles
-Increased mortality rate
The list of bad things that stress can do to you and your body goes on and on.
Traffic, work stress, family and relationship stress, exposure to lots of toxins in your environment (cleaning and personal care products, air pollution, maybe your job exposes you to lots of chemicals), poor sleep, poor diet, even things like exercising for too hard and too long all register as stress on the body and as a result more cortisol will be cranked out by the body.
So what can we do to reduce stress and thus support healthy hormone levels?
Utilize pure, therapeutic grade essential oils. Essential oils are the most concentrated and powerful, natural, plant based medicines available! Many therapeutic grade oils can be ingested, applied topically or inhaled for quick, powerful effects on the body. Simply inhaling the oils via a diffuser is a powerful way to uplift your emotions and support healthy stress levels. Our sense of smell is tied to the emotion center in our brain; the amygdala.
Set aside time for deep breathing, meditation, and or prayer. Starting AND ending your day with this practice is VERY powerful. Bonus points for incorporating your essential oils into this practice!
Get outside. Go for a walk. Walking anytime is a great way to get some low intensity exercise in and reduce stress levels. And walking in nature in particular – such as by a lake, in a forest, hiking up in the mountains etc has been shown to significantly lower cortisol levels.
Prioritize your sleep! Lack of sleep will register as yet another stress on the body and has been linked to hormonal imbalance and all the negative side effects of hormonal imbalance listed above. Do your best to turn off the Netflix and put the phone down in the evening. The blue light emitted from our electronic screens tells our brains that it is still daytime out and prevents natural melatonin secretion. Wearing blue light blocking glasses, especially at night is a cheap and powerful way to support your circadian rhythm and a good nights rest. Blue light glasses with a clear lens block approx 40% of blue light, yellow/orange tinted glasses will block around 75% and red tinted glasses will block approximately 98% of blue light. You might want a variety to choose from based based on the different social setting s you might find yourself in. Here are three different colors/options:
Eat a balanced diet and eliminate nutritional deficiencies! The vast majority of all Americans are deficient in several key vitamins and minerals and any of these deficiencies will register as a stress on the body. Magnesium and B vitamins in particular seem to be especially important here. They also appear to become rapidly depleted in times of chronic stress.
Using a topical magnesium spray is great as it bypasses the digestive tract and has a greater bio-availability than the majority of the oral supplements on the market. Adding some essential oils like lavender to the magnesium oil is great for their additional skin supporting and overall calming benefits! Here is a great magnesium oil for topical use:
Also, any diet that demonizes or greatly reduces an entire macro nutrient (fats, protein & carbs) will also register as a stress on the body. If you are currently under a lot of stress you may want to avoid the current low carb diet craze as these diets have been linked to elevated cortisol production.
Watch your caffeine consumption. A cup or two of coffee is fine, but when caffeine is consumed in excess cortisol levels will quickly rise.
Have fun! Watch comedies! Laugh a little! It has been shown in studies (linked below) that watching a comedic T.V. show or movie can significantly lower cortisol levels.
Have more sex. Enough said.
Utilizing pure, high quality supplements that contain specific essential oils, herbs such as aswaghanda, nutrients like phosphatidylserine and possibly precursor hormones such as DHEA (if you have tested low on a blood test) are other ways to keep cortisol levels in check and support the endocrine system.
Young Living offers several nutritional supplements that are helpful in supporting a healthy stress response in the body such as, but not limited to: Powergize, Cortistop, Super B, Multigreens, Ningxia Red and Thyromin. These are high quality, powerful supplements that will work with your body to help bring it back into balance – and with a little work on your part, keep it in balance!
Lastly, making bone broth and or collagen protein powders part of your regular diet is as great idea. In addition to them being great protein sources, they are also great sources of amino acids like glycine and proline, which are very calming the system and may help support a good nights sleep. We love the following two products:
Thank you for reading!
#Oilyevanstribe
Written by Will Evans
*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23439798
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9226731
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568835
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1470424/
Comments 0
Comments are currently closed
Subscribe to My Updates
Here's some information about the list that you're signing up for. It will populate the description from their account.
Free Email Class: Essential Oils 101
Learn all the basics on essential oils in my FREE Essential Oils 101 Email Course. I’ll also share DIY beauty and skin care recipes, homemade cleaners and other practical uses for essential oils to help you save money too.
Ready to begin a healthier life?
Get a Starter Bundle and SAVE!
Most of us begin our journey by choosing a Young Living Starter Bundle. The bundles offer considerable value for your money and they contain enough full-size items to ensure initial success using Young Living.
Check It Out
For Home, health, & fitness
Products for Everyone!
These products celebrate the harmony between nature, body, mind, and soul. Have you noticed that walking through lavender fields or a pine forest seems to instantly awaken your senses — from the energizing aromas to the feelings of well-being the smell evokes? Young Living infuses this into everything they create.
Next Event Title
This is a description of the event pulled from the user's account, talking about how awesome it is going to be.
