Elevated Cortisol Levels

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lesliefence
lesliefence Posts: 15
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey Everyone, I've been doing really good on my diet, but have seemed to suffer a recent setback. I was having some issues with constant headaches, dizziness, High BP and excessive fatigue. I finally broke down and went to my doctor who did some blood work that showed I have elevated cortisol levels. I had to go back a few days later so they could do a morning blood draw and an afternoon one. My cortisol levels are very high in the morning, but only slightly elevated in the afternoon. What does all this mean? My doctor isnt sure what to do about it, so she is sending me to a specialist. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm not really sure what to do. From the research i did on the internet, I know cortisol levels are effected by your adrenal glands. Please help!

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  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Cortisol is directly related to stress. If you're under a lot of emotional stress or if your body experiences physical stress, cortisol will be released. Since cortisol stimulates the production of belly fat, this is definitely something to be concerned about. all kinds of things, from caffeine to a deadline at work can cause your body stress. Think about everything that's going on in your life right now and try to pinpoint any stressors. Do what you an to eliminate stress from your life and figure out some coping methods, like deep breathing, to help you through stressful situations that come up.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
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    The body handles all stress in the same way. Diets and exercise are stress on the body. Combine that with daily stresses and I can see how your cortisol levels could shoot up. Maybe you're exercising too hard.? I'm not a doctor so I don't know. I am curious as to what is causing it though.

    Coffee is also known to increase cortisol levels.

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