Stress! Is it killing you?

We all know stress is not good for us. Some of us are stress junkies though and feel we are only working to our optimum capacity when we’re feeling stressed. It’s important to understand the relationship between and stress and cortisol and to know what they do to our bodies.

Cortisol is a stress hormone; in fact, it is a key stress hormone. Having elevated cortisol levels is a slippery slope and makes us crave sweet and salty foods that put us into a cycle of eat too much and the wrong foods, gain weight, diet, get sick of dieting, eat too much to feel better, gain weight…you get the picture.

Stress eating can lead to increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar and other health problems.

On the blog Appetite for Health, I read a really informative post written by dietetic intern, Minhchau Tran. She says, in part:

“With a non-stop schedule and calendar that is double and triple-booked… it’s common to feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed. Problem is, all that stress may be harmful for your health. There are different kinds of stress…Both have the risk of affecting your health.”

In her article, Minhchau Tran includes seven ways to manage stress and lower cortisol levels. They are good, common sense suggestions and I urge you to take a look at them. Choose one or two to implement to help when you feel overwhelmed and stressed.

Helping You Achieve Major Wellness in Your Life!

Cheryl A Major

Cheryl’s new book, “Eat Your Blues Away” in which she chronicles her recovery from depression is now available on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback!

This article was originally published on Cheryl’s blog at https://thinstronghealthy.com/stress-and-cortisol/