Cortisol: Is it really the bad guy?

The same mediators that are activated to help us adapt when overused become deregulated and cause us damage. –Bruce McEwen–

Talking about stress means talking about cortisol. Cortisol is considered the major stress hormone because it plays a fundamental role in the stress response. Since we hear so much about cortisol in relation to the damages of stress, the idea that cortisol is bad has become popular.

However, considering cortisol only in terms of ‘the stress hormone’ doesn’t do justice to what this important hormone does for us (not against us) in the body.

I believe it’s important to understand the authentic role of the molecules circulating in the body, because it helps you to see your body as a friend—a friend you can get to know better, without prejudice. Think about this: you can be an empath and resonate emotionally with another person, but you will never know how another person feels in her own body.

This is because our relationship with our body—and, therefore, with our health—is the closest and most personal relationship we will ever have. Just as we can’t have a good relationship with someone we believe is not there to support us when we need them, we can’t have a good relationship with our body if we think it will harm us because it’s got some ‘bad molecules’ in it.

Cortisol has one of the worst reputations among molecules because it is seen as absolutely dangerous.

However, evolution didn’t equip us with anything that is only or even primarily designed to hurt us. In other words, there are no such things as ‘good’ molecules and ‘bad’ molecules.

Cortisol is a main positive regulator of the stress response.

This hormone, in fact, protects us from the damage that bodily changes associated with the stress response can cause, but it has one condition: that the response doesn’t last for too long.

Problems begin when the stress response is activated too often and without enough breaks for the organism to return to a resting physiological state. When that happens, cortisol can have negative effects. Think of it this way: Cortisol handles emergencies very well, but when everything is always an emergency, it no longer responds the way it used to.

If you don’t have to escape a fire, prepare for a sport competition, or take an exam, but you are stressed out because you worry incessantly or never allow your body to rest and relax, then the surge of cortisol isn’t really doing you any favors; instead, it can increase your risk for illnesses, like high blood pressure or diabetes.

Cortisol doesn’t exist in the body to make us sick, but, if released in response to an excess of stress, it can damage our system.

Each dysfunctional mechanism in the body has a fully functional counterpart. Every biological process exists in the body because it has a vital function, and in its normal, fully regulated state, it’s necessary to keep us healthy and alive. Cortisol is no exception; it’s not bad, but it can become so.

Cortisol has a wide range of physiological functions that are essential to life.

1. It is involved in the normal physiology of the most fundamental systems: nervous, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, immune, respiratory, reproductive, and metabolic systems.

2. It promotes the correct development of tissues such as bone, cartilage, muscle, and adipose tissue.

3. It gives us a boost of energy every morning, as it rises 30-45 minutes after waking.

4. It has effects on the brain that promote learning.

5. It modulates the functioning of the immune system: Cortisol is known for its anti-inflammatory effects; however, it also helps to fight infections or repair a wound, depending on what the body needs at a given moment.

6. It supports our long-term memory of emotional experiences. This is true for both positive and aversive experiences.

Cortisol is an essential hormone for our vital functions, and it only becomes harmful when its levels are deregulated. This can happen in some types of cancer, because of thyroid dysfunctions, or as a side effect of some drugs. However, in our common usage of the word, cortisol is most often considered to be the ‘bad guy’ because of its association with stress.

In truth, both stress and cortisol have a physiological protective function. However, the excessive activation of the stress response can become damaging, and cortisol is only one of the many mediators contributing to that damage.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28781762

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3356084/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3907/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B978012800951200011X

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29132949