Cortisol: the Stress Hormone
Mother Nature did a beautiful job when designing the human body. Every part, every organ, every hormone, is multi-functional. Each and every one has yin and yang qualities as well as positive and not so positive attributes.
Cortisol is commonly called the stress hormone. It’s released by our adrenal glands when we get stressed as part of our fight or flight response.
But it’s not all bad. Cortisol has some important functions in our body to help us stay healthy. It helps regulate:
Blood pressure
Glucose metabolism
Immune function
Inflammatory response
Insulin release
Our cortisol fluctuates throughout the day to help us stay balanced. It’s typically higher in the morning when we want to get going and start our day, and lower at night, when it's time to wind down and rest. But it can also increase at times of stress, dubbing it the “stress hormone.”
It’s when we have too much cortisol that it becomes a problem. Staying in a state of fight or flight has negative effects on our overall health. It can lead to imbalances in all the systems cortisol helps regulate, like blood sugar issues, high blood pressure, lower immunity, slower healing. High cortisol is also linked to increased abdominal fat, suppressed thyroid function, decreased bone density, muscle tissue and cognitive function.
One key to managing your cortisol levels is your awareness of your daily stress at school. So often we start the day rushing around with preparations for the arrival of our students, and then stress continues to rise with things like interruptions, behavior challenges, and emails.
This is where our relaxation tools come in. Relaxation can help prevent us from going into fight or flight mode and bring us out of it when we’re stressed. Pausing to take 3 Centering Breaths, or 4-4-8 count breathing (inhaling for 4 counts, holding for 4, exhaling for 8) can do wonders to lower your cortisol levels. Remember to take these centering breaths before you eat your lunch so that your body isn’t in fight or flight mode!
Other relaxation tools include yoga, meditation, journaling, coloring, listening to music. Try these out with your students as well!
Cortisol, it ain’t all bad!
