Have you ever wondered what it means if you have high cortisol vs low cortisol?

Cortisol is our stress hormone.

During periods of chronic stress, we can have high or low cortisol and both indicate an imbalance in our stress response system (HPA axis).

When I went through burnout years ago, my lab tests showed extreme burnout, because my cortisol and DHEA were very low.

DHEA is a hormone that balances out cortisol. DHEA naturally opposes the effect of cortisol – which depletes the metabolic reserve of virtually every tissue.

This is why chronic stress is linked to many diseases.

When we're stressed, our body's normal day-to-day functions are not a priority, and all reserves are used by the fight-or-flight response.

There is a model of stress adaptation, how our body ‘adapts' or maladapts' to stress, that shows the cortisol changes.

Three stages of stress adaptation:

Stage 1: Acute stress

This initial stage of stress is associated with high cortisol.

Symptoms include: anxiety, overwhelm, panic attacks, sleep disturbances, irritability, sugar/salt cravings, hair loss, sometimes reduced appetite, and weight loss

Stage 2: Chronic stress

Cortisol may be within lab range, but DHEA is low. This means that cortisol is dominant without enough DHEA to balance it.

Symptoms include: fatigue, anxiety, low moods, depression-like symptoms, brain fog, cravings, sleep disturbances, and weight gain.

Stage 3: Burnout

Associated with low cortisol and low DHEA.

This stage is referred to as having high or extreme burnout.

Symptoms include: Exhaustion, low moods, low motivation, depression-like symptoms, difficulty keeping up with work and daily tasks, teary, lack of joy, weight gain, insulin resistance, and prone to metabolic syndrome.

Long-term stress impacts multiple systems in the body. I've seen many women stuck in the stress-burnout cycle, for years, leading to thyroid issues such as under-active thyroid, Hashimoto's or Graves disease, and others conditions like fibromyalgia.

What Next?

There is a lot you can do to restore your cortisol and DHEA to normal levels, experience less stress, and elevate your energy, mood & metabolism.

If you would like to know how, join the masterclass.

See you there!