Unfortunately, so many of us are leading such busy, hectic lives that this level of stress has almost become the norm. While this response is vital, it’s also important that cortisol levels return to normal once the stressful event has passed. Conversely, it makes sense that levels naturally drop in the evening when you’re preparing your body for sleep.ĭuring stressful periods, or at times when you’re in “fight or flight” mode, your body knows to make cortisol to help you deal with the stress. This ensures you get the burst of energy you need in order to start your day. In the morning, your body knows you need to “get up and go”, so your cortisol levels will naturally peak at around 8am. It’s normal for cortisol levels to fluctuate throughout the day. Let me give you an example. So how do you know if your cortisol levels are too high or too low? What does this mean for people looking to improve their adrenal health? Why is cortisol so important? What follows, are those all too familiar feelings of being zapped of energy, and a general lack of enthusiasm for life. In late stage adrenal fatigue, your body is no longer able to effectively regulate cortisol levels correctly. If this continues to happen more and more frequently, it will eventually lead to burnout. This can result in erratic spikes of cortisol at inappropriate times. When your adrenal glands are overworked and exhausted, the mechanisms that control this process can very quickly become dysregulated.

What is cortisol?Ĭortisol is produced in the cortex of the adrenal glands, and is transported around your body via the bloodstream. For this reason, it’s vitally important for anyone with adrenal fatigue to understand why cortisol is so fundamental for balanced adrenal health. Having too much, or indeed too little cortisol in your system can result in a number of devastating health problems. Also known as the “stress hormone”, cortisol is responsible for a number of important physiological processes, not least in determining your body’s ability to cope with stress. However, cortisol has an equally important role when it comes to adrenal health. Most people would be forgiven for thinking that adrenaline overload is the number one enemy for adrenal fatigue sufferers.

Adrenal medulla cortisol