Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Determine if your cortisol level is low
• Part 2 of 3: Medical treatments for cortisol deficiency
• Part 3 of 3: Treating low cortisol naturally
• Warnings

Cortisol is a hormone that is naturally produced in the adrenal glands. Cortisol helps to control metabolism, regulate blood pressure and promote immune system function. So it is important to have a healthy level of cortisol in your body. Cortisol deficiency is a serious condition that could indicate that your adrenal glands are not functioning properly. Go to Step 1 to learn how to boost cortisol production to a healthy level.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Determine if your cortisol level is low

1. See if you have symptoms of cortisol deficiency. Many people fear that they are too a lot of have cortisol. Increased levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain, fatigue and other serious symptoms. But a shortage of cortisol can be just as harmful to health. If your adrenal glands are damaged, your body may not be producing enough cortisol to regulate blood pressure and the immune system. Here are some common symptoms of cortisol deficiency:
   • Weight loss and loss of appetite
   • Low bloodpressure
   • Pass out
   • Fatigue
   • Vomiting, nausea and pain in the stomach and intestines
   • Crave salt
   • Hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin)
   • Muscle pain or weakness
   • Irritability and depression
   • In women, loss of body hair and decreased libido
2. Get your cortisol levels tested. If you suspect your cortisol levels are low, make an appointment with your doctor before taking a cortisol test. During a cortisol test, blood is taken which is later examined in the laboratory for cortisol. Cortisol levels are usually highest in the morning and lowest in the afternoon and evening - the doctor may therefore decide to draw blood twice so that he / she can compare the different values. The doctor will be able to determine if you have low cortisol or Addison's disease by comparing your levels to normal cortisol levels.
   • The "normal" margin varies from lab to lab, but in general the adult and pediatric average in the morning is between 5-23 micrograms per deciliter (mcg / dL) or 138-635 nanomoles per liter (nmol / L). The average midday level is between 3-16 mcg / dL or 83-441 nmol / L.
   • Make sure you get your cortisol levels tested by a doctor and don't try to do this yourself at home. There are many saliva tests offered on the Internet, but they are nowhere near as reliable as laboratory blood tests.
   • There are several factors that can hinder the effectiveness of the research. You may therefore have to have your values ​​checked more than once. For example, if you are under stress, are pregnant, take certain medications, or have exercised just before the test, this can affect the amount of cortisol in your blood.
3. Find out why your values ​​are low. Once the doctor has confirmed that your levels are low, the next step is to find out what's hindering the adrenal cortisol production. The treatment that the doctor will recommend depends largely on the cause of the problem.
   • Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's Disease): This is when the adrenal glands do not function properly (and therefore do not produce enough cortisol) because they are damaged. This can be caused by autoimmune diseases, tuberculosis, adrenal infection, adrenal cancer, or bleeding in the adrenal glands.
   • Secondary adrenal insufficiency: is caused by damage to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces a hormone that stimulates the adrenal glands. It may be that the adrenal glands are fine, but that they are not producing enough cortisol because they are not stimulated to do so. Secondary adrenal insufficiency can also occur in people who suddenly stop taking corticosteroids.

Part 2 of 3: Medical treatments for cortisol deficiency

1. Take drugs as replacement therapy. The most common way to treat cortisol deficiency is through hormone replacement therapy. If your cortisol levels are so low that you need synthetic substitutes, the doctor will prescribe oral corticosteroids, such as hydrocortisone, prednisone, or cortisone acetate. Taking these drugs in tablet form every day will increase cortisone production.
   • You will need to have your cortisol levels tested regularly during hormone replacement therapy. This way it can be checked whether you do not have too much or too little cortisol in your body.
   • Oral corticosteroids can have many different side effects. For example, they can cause weight gain, mood swings and other unpleasant symptoms. Ask your doctor what you can do to minimize these side effects.
2. Ask your doctor about cortisol injections. If your cortisol levels are very low, stressful situations can be dangerous for you. Cortisol helps the body respond to stress. Without cortisol, your body could go into a coma. The doctor can teach you how to give yourself injections of cortisol in an emergency. When a stressful situation arises, give yourself a cortisol injection so your body can adequately deal with the crisis - without shutting down.
3. Treat the underlying problem. Hormone replacement therapy addresses the symptom, but not the underlying problem that prevents the body from producing enough cortisol. Ask your doctor about treatment options that could help restore adrenal function to its full potential.
   • If your adrenal glands have suffered irreversible damage, or if you have a chronic condition that causes your adrenal glands to always remain low-functioning, ongoing hormone replacement therapy is probably the best option.
   • If the cause of the cortisol deficiency is related to a secondary factor, such as pituitary disease, cancer, tuberculosis, or bleeding, there may be a treatment option that can restore the capacity to produce enough cortisol.

Part 3 of 3: Treating low cortisol naturally

1. Keep your stress in check. When cortisol levels are low, but not low enough to warrant hormone replacement therapy, it's important to keep your life as stress-free as possible. Learning to control the stress in your life can cause the amount of cortisol in your body to gradually increase, instead of being produced all at once in stressful situations. The more stress you are, the faster the supply of cortisol will be depleted.
   • Try stress management techniques such as yoga, meditation, or journaling to teach your body to produce regular cortisol and maintain healthy levels.
2. Follow a regular sleep schedule. The body naturally produces cortisol during sleep. Try to sleep at least six to eight hours a night, and try to go to bed about the same time each night.
   • Create a quiet environment without light or noise to be able to sleep as deeply as possible - and thus increase cortisol production.
3. Eat a balanced diet. Foods high in sugar and / or refined flour can cause cortisol levels to spike or drop to unhealthy levels. Eat plenty of whole grains, vegetables and fruits to help raise cortisol levels to healthy levels.
4. Eat grapefruit. Grapefruit and other citrus fruits break down the enzymes that limit cortisol production. Eating grapefruit regularly helps stimulate the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol.
5. Try licorice root supplements. Licorice root contains glycyrrizine-glycyrrizine inhibits the enzyme that breaks down cortisol. By inactivating this enzyme you will gradually increase the cortisol level. Licorice root is a very useful substance that can promote the production of cortisol.
   • Look for licorice root supplements in tablet or capsule form at the health food store.
   • Do not replace the supplements with licorice. Licorice does not contain nearly enough glycyrrizine to be of use.

Warnings

• Consult your doctor or pharmacist before making any dietary adjustments to increase cortisol levels. Do this even if you are going to take over-the-counter medications to do this. The doctor and / or pharmacist will be able to confirm that these supplements do not interfere with the effect of other medications.
• Licorice root lowers testosterone, so don't overuse it. It's about the happy medium.