Cortisol is the key hormone produced by the body that regulates stress levels in the body. It is an essential hormone for managing a lot of bodily functions, including energy levels, metabolism, and more, and is the primary driver behind the body’s fight or flight response, which makes it essential for survival.
However, when produced by the body in excess, it can lead to significant issues such as weight gain, especially in the belly, which is difficult to get rid of and is termed cortisol or stress belly But it’s not impossible to fix, and here we tell you how.
Ways To Minimize Cortisol Levels
1. Improve Sleep Pattern
One of the most powerful ways of reducing cortisol levels in the body is not only prioritizing sleep but also improving sleep patterns. Poor sleep hampers the natural circadian rhythm of the body, which leads the adrenal glands to release excessive cortisol. This is challenging because the elevated cortisol levels can further hamper sleep quality.
At the same time, having an inconsistent sleep schedule is equally bad. To improve the quality of rest, it is essential to create and follow a consistent bedtime schedule that provides a good 7 to 8 hours of sleep.
2. Adopt A Healthy Diet
The second improvement you must make is to improve your diet. If you have a habit of eating a lot of junk food, refined food, and consuming a lot of sugar or other harmful elements, you will significantly drive up the cortisol levels in your body. It is essential to make sure that you adopt a healthy diet that focuses on protein, good fats, and regulated amounts of carbohydrates.
Your cortisol levels will start improving significantly. At the same time, practices such as eating slowly, preventing overeating, being on a calorie-deficit diet, or following crash diets should also be incorporated.
3. Incorporate Relaxation Time
A very important step for lowering your cortisol levels is carving out time for relaxing. Working all the time, ignoring relaxations, or keeping yourself ‘busy’ all the time leads to excessive cortisol production. Although in today’s time it may seem impossible, relaxation is a necessity for a healthy body, especially for the purpose of managing cortisol levels.
If you have an overactive mind, this can prove to be a challenge, but you must take proactive steps to address that and allow some relaxed time. Practices like journaling, meditation, and listening to soothing music can help calm a chaotic mind.
4. Setting Boundaries
One of the toughest things people need to do to promote better mental health, which helps lower cortisol levels, is setting boundaries. Whether it is at home, at work, or in social circles. Prioritize your health; do not overdo or keep going out of the way for other things at the cost of your own health. Learn to say NO.
5. Incorporate Exercise Into Your Routine
Integrating physical exercise not only has a lot of physical benefits but is also great for promoting a healthy mind, relieving stress, and, thus, lowering cortisol levels in the body. 30 minutes of exercise, whether walking, running, yoga, gym workouts, all help significantly.
Regular movement also helps in targeting belly fat, which is vital for addressing the cortisol belly issue.
6. Surround Yourself With Positivity
If you are surrounded by negativity or negative energy, your cortisol levels will always remain elevated, posing a consistent threat to your health, both mental and physical. So, it is essential to focus on creating a positive circle around you, whether at home, work, or in your social group.
A positive social group can be pivotal for working in complex situations and navigating through negative feelings, thereby lowering stress.
7. Focus On Deep Breathing
A very simple yet powerful way of handling stress is to practice deep breathing. This helps in activating the nervous system of the body, which acts in a counter manner to the body’s natural stress response, thereby helping lower stress and cortisol levels. Practice focused deep breathing for 10 minutes every day to see a significant result.
8. Practice Gratitude
If you look around yourself, you will find a lot of things that are not going your way. At the same time, if you look around with a positive mindset, you will see a lot of positive things that surround you.
Focusing on the positives and practicing gratitude for them is one way in which you can help lower stress in your life and promote minimizing cortisol levels. A great way to incorporate this into your routine is to keep a gratitude journal, where you note down at least one thing every day that you are thankful for.
9. Hydration Is Key
Staying hydrated is important for saying goodbye to a cortisol belly. If your body is dehydrated, there will be an increase in the production of cortisol, because a dehydrated body is a recognized stress trigger.
Make sure you consume ample water throughout the day, and you will notice a stark difference in your cortisol levels.
If you wish to address the issue of stress and elevated cortisol levels in your body and learn the best ways to handle stressors, connect with us at Mindspa Psychiatry. We are a nurse-owned, compassion-driven, one-stop healthcare provider focused on mental healthcare.
Based in Boynton Beach, Florida, we not only restrict our services to the region, but by virtue of our telemedicine services, patients all across Florida can connect with our experienced team of professionals and get personalized care at affordable prices and guided help to work through complex issues.
Conclusion
Cortisol is an essential hormone but also a big villain when left unchecked. The stress hormone plays a vital role in regulating key bodily functions, but in excess, it causes a lot of trouble to reverse or control which a lot of conscious effort and consistency is required.
If you feel you have a stress belly, try the above-mentioned measures in order to start reversing the issue and lowering the level of cortisol in your body, thereby improving overall health. For more help, connect with Mindspa Psychiatry.