A few tips on balancing cortisol levels:
a. Diet – Foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, like chia seeds or fish, or whole
grains, fruits and veggies help. Try to limit added sugars which can spike your cortisol
or saturated fats and limit your caffeine intake (sorry!)
b. Exercise – Even low-intensity exercise, done regularly, can help to alleviate and
regulate stress levels in the body
c. Sleep – Sleeping is the time for our body to repair ourselves. Dont underestimate the
power of a good night’s rest
d. Hydration – Hydration helps to regulate cortisol levels as dehydration actually can
result in elevated cortisol in the body! Hydration also helps to literally flush out the
cortisol from our bodies.
Why does the phenomenom of cortisol face happen?
– Cortisol can cause our face to become puffy by doing a few things: 1. Cortisol causes
our body to hold on to sodium (they are like friends). Sodium, in turn, holds on to water
and that increased amount of water retention results in the cortisol face. 2. Cortisol
causes collagen to break down, resulting in our skin, especially on our face, to become
more thin, showing all of the retained water as well as fine lines/wrinkles more easily. 3.
Cortisol results in increased fat storage fat being deposited specifically around our face
and neck. Think of cortisol like a squirrel preparing for winter. Just as a squirrel begins
to hastifully hoard nuts preparing for an endless winter, high cortisol levels tell our body
that we better hoard as much fat as we can for an endless period of stress! One of the
easiest places to store that fat is in our face and upper neck.
– Now, having said all of this, most commonly the puffiness or roundness that is
associated with cortisol, known as the “moon face” or the cortisol face is associated with long-term use of steroids or a syndrome known as Cushing syndrome.