(NaturalHealth365) Make no mistake – a rapid increase in your cortisol levels can save your life.  Specifically, when you’re under extreme stress – it’s cortisol to the rescue, mobilizing fat and carbs to give you instant energy.

The problem – if your body begins overproducing this lifesaving hormone – over time, your body begins to suffer.

In fact, even conventional ‘wisdom’ has dubbed coritsol “public enemy No. 1.”

Fortunately, there are many natural ways to reduce cortisol.  From lifestyle and diet changes to adding supplements, it is possible to naturally lower cortisol levels and prevent the harm caused by hormonal imbalances.

What happens to your body when cortisol levels are too high?

Studies continue to show that even moderately high levels of cortisol can result in poor health problems.  High cortisol has been linked to chronic complications like type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and high blood pressure.

It also hampers immune function, which can increase your likelihood of infections.  Research even found that cortisol contributes to brain fog and interferes with memory.

Are you feeling fatigued?

Cortisol can interfere with the hormone cycles that affect sleep, resulting in fatigue. Even that extra weight that you’ve gained over time could be the result of excess cortisol since this hormone increases your appetite and signals your body to begin storing fat.

Discover these natural supplements designed to reduce cortisol levels

Worried about how cortisol levels are affecting your health?  Like we said, you can lower cortisol levels naturally.

Reducing stress with meditation, regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and fostering healthy relationships are all effective, research-backed ways to reduce cortisol.

Certain natural supplements also help lower levels of cortisol, including:

• Probiotics and Prebiotics – Probiotics and prebiotics go beyond promoting a healthy gut.  Studies show they’re helpful in reducing cortisol, and they offer many other health benefits as well, such as reducing stress, improving allergy symptoms, and boosting immune health.

• Ashwagandha – Often called Indian ginseng, Ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb, and its ability to reduce cortisol levels has been researched for several decades. Studies have found that this supplement has the ability to reduce cortisol in adults with chronic stress.

• Fish Oil – Fish oil supplements also prove useful for lowering cortisol, and it’s the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil that works to reduce this hormone.  Several studies have found that fish oil supplements lowered cortisol in response to stress.

So, as you can see: high cortisol levels can damage your body, causing many health problems like high blood pressure, fatigue, diabetes, and more. Reducing stress, making lifestyle changes, and adding natural supplements to your diet offer effective, natural ways to reduce cortisol, resulting in improvements in your overall health.

And, finally, if you don’t have a good doctor (yet) – make the effort to find one.  In many cases, this can really help when you have questions and need professional advice about your health.

Sources for this article include:

PsychologyToday.com
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
Tandfonline.com
NIH.gov
NIH.gov
NaturalHealth365.com
NaturalHealth365.com