Gather round everyone, it's time to do a bit of learning about the human body.
It's packed full of all sorts of chemicals, endorphins and hormones which run things and help us react to what's going on around us.
One of these hormones us walking meatbags have inside us is called cortisol, and it's basically our body's natural steroid.
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What is cortisol?
It helps control your blood sugar level, helps you deal with stress and controls the pressure and circulation of your blood.
Cortisol is a very useful thing to have and you'd miss it if it was gone, but you can have too much of a good thing.
What happens if you have too much cortisol?
In this case, having too much cortisol in your body can lead to something called Cushing's syndrome, and it normally affects people who've been taking steroids as they also contain cortisol.
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Having too much of the hormone in your system can also produce a number of other reactions in your body which can essentially present as the symptoms of stress.
If you're constantly stressed, then your cortisol levels are going to be higher for an extended period of time and it'll start kicking off some symptoms.
What are the symptoms of having too much cortisol?
One of the signs to look out for is an increase in gaining weight, specifically around the chest and stomach, while the arms and legs are perhaps not as affected.
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You may also find that your face has become puffy and you're feeling pain more acutely.
The signs to look out for aren't just in terms of appearance either, as you'll be more likely to have mood swings and feelings of anxiety, while your sex drive will be through the floor as well.
On top of that you'll be more likely to get ill as stress makes it harder for your immune system to properly combat infections.
How you can fix your cortisol levels?
As for things you can do to sort this out, The Sun has been digging around for some potential solutions.
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Apparently your morning coffee isn't a great idea as the caffeine can make your body more stressed and that'll in turn release cortisol, so perhaps you ought to find a different warm drink.
You should also try not to get on your phone as soon as you wake up, which might be difficult to do, but bombarding your brain with information while it's still waking up is a bad idea.
Exercise may be good for you, but the more intense forms might be stressing you out more than you realise. Oh and you should also fight the desire to snack on unhealthy foods, which come with being a bundle of stress.
Topics: Health, Science, Food And Drink, Mental Health, NHS
Joe Harker