The Cortisol Wave

Cortisol is one of our bodies hormones that regulates metabolism, blood sugar, blood pressure, hunger cravings, digestion, sleep and wake patterns, physical activity, immune response and response to stress

Normal cortisol levels are highest in the mornings and slowly lessen towards the end of the day

(The green line signifies a normal cortisol wave, with the black dots indicative of when cortisol is checked in a salivary cortisol test)

When cortisol is not balanced, it can have 3 unique trends:

Chronic Fatigue

Symptoms include mid-day energy drop, drowsiness and poor exercise recovery

Burnout

Symptoms include day-long fatigue, irritability, food cravings, insomnia and exhaustion

Chronic Stress

Symptoms include feeling “tired but wired,” food cravings, insomnia and anxiety

Where does this mighty hormone come from?

Let’s start with the hypothamalmus.

The hypothalamus is a gland located at base of the brain, near the pituitary gland. It plays a crucial role in functions such as releasing hormones and regulating body temperature.

Next is the pituitary gland.

Small, yet mighty (about the size of a pea) it is found at the base of the brain and otherwise known as the “master gland.” It produces many hormones, directs certain processes and stimulates other glands to produce hormones.

And lastly the adrenal glands.

These are 2 small glands located on top of each kidney. They produce hormones that we cannot live without such as sex hormones and cortisol.


When this feedback loop (HPA Axis) is working optimally, it will readily produce these hormones that we need. It will release a lot of cortisol in the morning and low levels in evenings to allow for sleep. However, when various lifestyle factors come into play that disrupt this loop, then these hormones are not produced in their optimal volume nor capacity.


This is otherwise known as HPA Axis Dysfunction

Sometimes referred to as “adrenal fatigue,” HPA Axis Dysfunction looks like this:

1. When much more cortisol is released

2. Adrenals are no longer responding to the hormone ACTH (a hormone that stimulates the adrenals to produce cortisol)

3. Cortisol keeps getting released, but it’s broken down too quickly because the body is working so hard to keep up. This can lead to one of the following:

  • Cortisol remains high all the time

  • Cortisol is low in the morning and high at night

4. This communication breakdown causes primary functions like digestion, reproduction, growth, and rest to shut down


Stress to some capacity or degree is needed. However nowadays, we are responding to nearly everything with the same degree of stress as we would to greater events. The way we respond to a car coming toward us should not be the same way we respond to an email from an upset manager.


Here is where chronic stress can negatively impact our health:

  • It greatly affects the physiology of the brain

    • Stress reduces gray matter volume in key areas of the prefrontal cortex and limbic regions - the areas involved in emotional stability, impulse control and reward regulation

    • It alters the way neural stem cells develop in the hippocampus - the region associated with memory and learning

  • It stresses the immune system

    • This makes you more vulnerable to getting sick and having flare ups

  • It disrupts your gut microbiome

    • This can increase your vulnerability to mood disorders, IBS, obesity and type 2 diabetes

So, what do we do about managing and balancing cortisol? Here are some tips:

  1. Get sunlight exposure first thing in the morning, before looking at your phone or other screens. If you live somewhere that doesn’t get sunlight in the morning, I love lamps such as Gembared

  2. Start your day slow, with practices that do not stress nor overwhelm you. Meditation, journaling, a walk, reading, physical activity, breathwork or making a cup of tea or coffee

  3. Have a breakfast that is well balanced with healthy fats, protein and complex carbohydrates

  4. Write out your goals and to do’s for the day, before looking at emails or starting your work day

  5. Keep yourself hydrated, get up from your desk every 30 minutes and walk around the office/your home/outside (bonus points for going outside and getting more sunlight exposure!)

  6. Realize that multi tasking is not ideal. The human species is actually not fit to multi task, so prioritize your tasks accordingly and work in that order one by one

  7. Be sure to eat a well balanced lunch and ideally not in front of a screen (checking emails while eating only cranks up cortisol even more, when during this time your cortisol should slowly be tapering down)

  8. End your work day with another form of relaxation, to bookend your day. Go for a walk (watching the sunset is another bonus point), practice restorative yoga, make dinner mindfully and without distraction, call a friend and chat

  9. As the sun begins to set, if Netflix is your nighttime must, wear blue light blocking glasses or download an app like Fluxe onto your computer. Blue light exposure greatly affects your cortisol and melatonin production (they go hand in hand)

  10. Do your best to be away from all screens 30 minutes before bed. Use that time instead to get ready for bed (my skin and oral care routine alone takes 15 minutes), do a word search or read a book (your eyes scanning back and forth across a page actually helps you fall asleep easier)

If you’re interested in learning more about your own cortisol pattern, consider a salivary cortisol test. Schedule a free consultation call with me to learn more about this test and let’s get you balanced

7 Common Causes of Cravings

Ah, cravings. While I don’t encourage the overindulgence of sugars and salts, the occasional enjoyment of a special craving is completely okay. My primary issue with cravings, is in the language around it.

“Cheat foods, cheat days, guilty pleasures.”


The issue with these words is that they all carry negative weight.

Language is very powerful, as our cells are constantly listening to our thoughts and our body’s physical response is a reaction to those very thoughts. As long as you continue saying or thinking words that carry negative weight, your body will carry that weight and keep you from making stride and growth in your journey.

Another thing, cravings aren’t BAD - they’re actually a sign from our bodies that there is an imbalance. When we feel or notice a craving, that is our body’s whisper to check in and nurture. See what I’m getting at?

Our bodies are SO INTELLIGENT.

  1. Lack of Vitality in Your Lifestyle

    Be it in your fitness routine, stress in your career or relationships or spiritual uncertainty.

  2. Dehydration

    The next time you feel a craving come on for something sweet or salty, drink a glass of water and wait five minutes.

  3. Yin Yang Imbalance

    There is an expansive versus contractive imbalance happening between the foods you’re eating. So eating more neutral balancing foods can help neutralize this imbalance.

  4. Emotions Taking the Lead

    Are there certain foods from your childhood that bring you comfort, joy, a good memory? And do you find yourself craving that food often? Bingo.

  5. Seasonal

    Perhaps you find yourself craving salads in the warmer months and soups in the colder months.

  6. Lack of Nutrients

    I find that those who crave red meat, may be lacking in B vitamins or iron. This is why eating foods in variety is so important, to have that nutrient density.

  7. Hormonal Imbalance

    Fluctuating testosterone and estrogen can cause an increase in certain cravings.

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Men's Health: Importance of Sleep

The secret to building muscle mass?

Sleep.

Here’s a success story from a former client:

Shane (35 years) was seeking support to help him understand why he wasn’t building the muscle mass he desired, despite spending hours in the gym and eating a healthy diet. He came to me curious and eager to find the root cause stalling his progress. The answer came during our consultation session when I asked him questions related to his sleep habits. He told me that he has always had a poor relationship with sleep, on average sleeps 4-5 hours per night and pulls all nighters often to get work done.

Based on our conversations, Shane had 3 primary focuses:

1. Improve his sleep routine

2. Optimize his productivity and work style habits (no more all nighters!)

3. Pay attention to areas of stress and address them head on (keep stress low = improve sleep quality and food intake)

Shane went from having 4-5 hours of interrupted sleep to 8 hours of restful slumber. He began seeing an improvement in his muscle mass and definition, has significantly lowered his stress levels and hasn’t pulled an all nighter since. 

Sleep deprivation is a serious issue and many are faced with it. Our society has drilled into us the notion that in order to succeed, sacrifices need to be made to put in more work hours and get the job done. And usually the first thing that is sacrificed, is sleep. You’ve likely heard the phrase “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” Warren Zevon and Bon Jovi both use it in song, Benjamin Franklin is quoted to have said “There will be sleeping enough in the grave.” I’m getting a feeling that Warren, Bon Jovi and Benjamin were all workaholics.

Sleep deprivation affects our health greatly.

1. It increases ghrelin, which turns on hunger.

When we only get a short amount of sleep, it can increase the hormone ghrelin. Gherlin (also called “the hunger hormone”), is primarily produced and released from the stomach. It controls our desire to feel hungry by stimulating our appetite, increase food intake and promote fat storage

2. It decreases leptin, which turns hunger off.

Leptin, another hunger regulating hormone, turns the feeling of hunger off. It aids us in feeling full or satiated after eating. When we have shorter sleep cycles, it can increase our appetite and food consumption. Lack of sleep also compromises impulse control, which is why for those who have poor sleep hygiene, having poor eating habits go hand in hand. When impulse control is compromised, feelings of food satisfaction also decrease, which prevents effective weight loss.

As previously mentioned, there is an association between sleep and nutrition. And there is a direct link between the number of hours slept and the intake of dietary nutrient categories (source). Individuals who have a later bedtime tend to consume a higher percentage of carbohydrates, fat, and protein than the average sleepers (source).

3. It increases cortisol, which turns on belly fat storage

Cortisol is a hormone that regulates our metabolism, blood sugar, blood pressure, hunger cravings, digestion, sleep and wake patterns, physical activity, immune response and bodies response to stress.

When we are not getting enough sleep, cortisol spikes. Our bodies become especially stingy about giving up fat, especially fat held in the belly. Muscle mass is thus depleted, while fat is retained. Reaching a desired outcome of being lean and toned becomes unlikely when you are cutting sleep short.

Additionally, impaired sleep directly affects growth hormone release and alters cortisol secretion, which has a direct impact on recovery from exercise and stress (source).

4.Lack of sleep affects muscle recovery and can lead to acute and chronic injury. 

Sleep debt decreases the activity of protein synthesis pathways (which aids in recovery) and increases the activity of degradation pathways (which encourages the loss of muscle mass). Lack of sleep also hinders muscle recovery after damage induced by exercise, injuries and certain conditions associated with muscle atrophy, such as sarcopenia (loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength) and cachexia (weakness/wasting of the body due to chronic illness). Sleep deprivation also increases pro-inflammatory cytokines, which are pain-facilitating agents that affect the immune system. When athletes in particular push their boundaries beyond what is capable, they tend to develop not just a poor sleeping pattern, but also an increased chance of illness and negatively impact their performance and recovery period.

Along with the above side effects related to sleep deprivation, here is how lack of sleep can affect muscle mass and build.

5. Lack of sleep significantly lowers testosterone levels.

Testosterone is primarily a male sex hormone that maintains bone density and plays a causal role in building muscle mass, bone density and strength. Testosterone levels in men decline by 1-2% a year as they age. Testosterone deficiency is associated with low energy, reduced libido, poor concentration, and fatigue. Males with low testosterone also tend to feel tired and fatigued all day. 

Testosterone affects almost every organ in the body. Other functions of testosterone include promoting spermatogenesis (production of sperm), maintenance of accessory organs, development of secondary sexual characteristics, erythropoiesis (production of red blood cells) and feedback to the hypothalamus–pituitary. The majority of the daily testosterone released in men occurs during sleep. Sleep fragmentation and obstructive sleep apnea are both associated with reduced testosterone levels (source 1) (source 2).

A study at University of Chicago examined a group of lean, healthy young males in their mid-20’s. They limited them to 5 hours of sleep and as a result, they all had a significant blunting of circulating testosterone levels. In just 8 nights of less than 5 hours of sleep, testosterone levels fell 10-15%. This study also concluded that skipping sleep reduces a young man's testosterone levels by the same amount as aging 10 to 15 years.

In another study concluded in May 2020, researchers had two groups of people. One who were given 5 and a half hours of time in bed and another group who were given 8 and a half hours of time in bed. The group who had 5 hours had more than 70% of lost weight come from lean body mass - aka muscle, NOT fat. Those who had 8 hours had over 50% of weight loss come from fat while preserving muscle. 

A study of 1274 men, researchers tested testosterone levels, muscle mass, handgrip strength and walking speed against sleep duration and disturbances. The results showed that testosterone levels increased when sleep duration was in the upwards of 9-10 hours and earlier wake up times were associated with having higher muscle mass. In comparison, those who had prolonged sleep latency were associated with lower muscle mass, weaker grip strength and slower walking speed. 

Studies will continue to show and prove that having a consistent sleep schedule and healthy sleep habits are crucial in contributing to overall health and well being. Especially for those that are wanting to increase muscle mass and tone their bodies, getting adequate sleep is clearly proven to contribute incredibly. It’s been shown that getting 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep can also promote regular GI motility and encourage healthy digestion.

Make it a non-negotiable to get quality sleep each night, sleeping and waking up at a consistent time each night (yes, weekends included!) and creating a ritual to wind yourself down at night so you can get that quality sleep. There’s really nothing to lose from getting good ol’ shut eye time.

For personalized and private support, discover working with me 1-1

Book your free call here