Do you get morning anxiety? An afternoon slump? Maybe you find yourself exhausted all day long but then you get a surge of energy right before bed. These are all symptoms of dysregulated cortisol. Now cortisol isn’t bad, per se, but it’s the dysregulation that’s the issue.
The goal is to have high cortisol in the morning and a low cortisol in the evening.
So what is cortisol? It’s a hormone produced by the adrenal gland to support us in moments of stress. When we are stressed we want high blood pressure, high alertness, and glucose to provide energy energy. When we understand what its purpose is, we can start to understand how dysregulation affects the body.
What are the systemic symptoms of a dysregulated cortisol? That can look like weight gain in the face, between the shoulders, and around the abdominal section. It can also look like high blood sugar, diabetes, high blood pressure, and even osteoporosis.
Hey, if this sounds like you, here are some ways you can make tweaks to your daily habits for lasting results. First, we will talk about AM habits.
AM Habits
Sleep
Priority number one is sleep. Try to get 7-8 hours of sleep at night to help get you to the rising level of cortisol and REM sleep. Cortisol rises significantly in the 7th and 8th hour windows. Remember we want it high in the morning! If you are only getting 5 or 6 hours of sleep then you are missing out on valuable cortisol creation time.
Morning Hydration
Drinking water when you wake helps you recover from nightly dehydration and it wakes up your metabolism. Better yet, try grapefruit juice. Grapefruit juice impedes your breakdown of cortisol so it helps keep you higher and alert in the morning. Be careful with grapefruit if you are on blood pressure medications as it lowers blood pressure so chat with your doctor first. Then, ultimately we want to try and delay our caffeine intake by an hour. This helps with morning anxiety by reducing the impact. Then, it also allows your natural cortisol response to peak and give you sustaining effects throughout the afternoon. Bingo, no more afternoon slump.
Morning Sunshine
Getting outside not only boosts your mood, but guess what, it also raises your cortisol levels. There is so much science coming out now about the direct benefits of getting morning sunshine. If you get outside within the first 30 minutes of waking, you will feel more energized throughout the day, you support your immune system, it helps with stress management, and it resets your circadian rhythm which helps you fall asleep at night. All you need is 10 minutes even on cloudy mornings. The goal is to have the morning red hue. One key thing about this is that you want the light to hit your eyes. This means no windows or contacts. You can sit through a screened door though or on a three season porch if necessary.
Daily Habits
Stress Reduction
The goal really for general daily habits is to reduce the stress levels. This can look like a lot of things such a breathwork, massage, gentle movements, asking for help, delegating, self-care, and of course chiropractic.
Chiropractic
Adjustments help support the vagal tone in your body. We live in a world with chronic stress. Each adjustment brings you back to a state of rest and digest. Specifically, C1 adjustments at the top of your spine have the most influence. This is why when you get adjusted you feel relaxed and rested.
Eating
We want to try and eat every 2-3 hours as women. It helps support our hormones and overall body systems. But, we shouldn’t just eat anything. We should try to eat a protein or a fat every time we eat. This ensures that we are focusing on nutrition first that will allow for a lasting fullness feeling.
PM Habits
Avoid Working Out
Okay, yes, I do want you to find movement in your daily life but I do not want it to happen before bed. Working out gives you a cortisol boost and that means we will be on high alert right before bed. That is not the best case scenario when we are trying to get 8 hours of sleep at night. Try to get your workout in earlier in the day.
Mood Lighting
Once again, light has an influence on our body. This includes the light bulbs that we have in our home. After dinner, dim the lights in the house. The best case scenario would be to use candles, salt lamps, and incandescent bulbs. The light change tells our body it’s time to slow down. Plus, this lighting is closer to the hue of the sunshine outside before bed. We are trying to mimic nature here.
Technology
We all know that we should limit our technology use before bed. Why? Because of light! Here we are with more light talk. The blue light on technology specifically has an influence on our body. This is the light that is shining in the middle of the day outside. When we look at our phones before bed, our brain perceives it to be the middle of the day. Suddenly, it’s hard to fall asleep. If you still want to watch your favorite tv show or a football game, change the light to a more red hue on the tv or dim the brightness. Another thing you can do with your phone is make it so the screen is red before bed as well. This can be a setting you change on your phone and we talked about it on the facebook community page. Send me a message if you are having a hard time finding it.
Chamomile Tea
Finally, finish your evening with a cup of chamomile tea. Studies show that it significantly reduces your cortisol levels which is what we want before bed.
With all that information I know it can be a lot. That being said, I made a cheat sheet for you to refer to the most important items. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.