cortisol
"The big, bad stress hormone dictates our perception of stress in our world. Cortisol release is initiated from any stressful event. Cortisol is like the sun: rising in the morning and setting in the evening. Too much cortisol at the wrong time (night time) is bad as it blunts growth hormone and melatonin production. Too little cortisol (in the morning) is difficult as we need cortisol to help us get up, do what we need to do and function. Nowadays we are mismanaging our cortisol from our perceptions of stress (sitting in traffic, being late to a meeting, going too long in between meals) and
some dysfunction of cortisol results."
"Adrenaline's effects are dramatic and unmistakable, but because this hormone does not linger in your body, its effects are also relatively short-lived. On the other hand, cortisol, the stress hormone produced by the outer cortex, has more prolonged effects on your body. If adrenaline is like the whip that drives the horse faster and faster, cortisol is like the rider's boot, digging into the flank, keeping the horse going even when it's ready to quit."
"When it comes to your muscles, stress and in turn excess cortisol, is like letting termites loose in a wooden house. That's why someone on corticosteroids, such as prednisone, will experience muscle wasting."
"Stress isn't just something you feel in your head. It's something that trickles all throughout your body. Under stress, your body produces two hormones: adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline is like lighter fluid, and cortisol is like charcoal; the former quickly burns off the immediately available sugar in your blood, so you can fight or flee whatever is stressing you. Cortisol continues to fuel the fire, pumping more sugar into your blood so you have energy to burn. "
"The difference between the two is key. Cortisol is like the poor cousin of adrenaline - the street drug equivalent, if you will - complete with all the nasty side effects."
"Cortisol is like one of Aristotle's virtues. We must get the right amount at the right times; otherwise, your body fails."
"During the 9/11 attacks, among the multitude of people directly affected by the events of that day were roughly 1,700 pregnant women. Some of them unexpectedly went on to suffer from PTSD, however, their yet-to-be-born children were also found to be afflicted. Scientists at the Mournfully Weeping Institute of World-Souring Bleakness measured cortisol levels in pregnant women who were near Ground Zero during the attacks. Cortisol is like a chemical marker in PTSD victims. If cortisol is low, it indicates that the person more than likely has PTSD. The scientists found that all of the pregnant women they tested who developed PTSD had an abnormally low cortisol level. "
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