Cortisol is known as the stress hormone, and that may bring negative connotations to mind. However, cortisol is not all bad. It plays an important role in body functions, aside from being part of a stress response. When cortisol is ever-present due to persistent and chronic stress, it causes damaging health problems.

Let’s take a look at how cortisol works and when stress impacts your health.

What Does Cortisol Do?

Cortisol helps in regulating blood pressure, producing glucose for metabolism, keeping inflammation down, controlling your sleep-wake cycle, formulating memory, and many other essential automatic behaviors. Continue reading →

The body has a network of different glands, called the endocrine system, that produces hormones essential for good health and well-being. Let’s take a look at our adrenal glands, which produce a variety of hormones.

Atop your kidneys are two small triangular-shaped glands. These are your adrenal glands. There are two parts to the adrenal glands, the outside layer, which is the cortex and the inside part, which is the medulla. Each part plays its role in producing different hormones which are essential for various body functions.

They help to keep certain processes working harmoniously and in balance, such as your metabolism, blood sugar levels, and blood pressure levels. They also help keep salt and water balanced in the body and aid in sexual development. Adrenal hormones also help you respond to stress and keep sex hormones balanced. Continue reading →