Health and cortisol. A new patented alarm clock reduces stress and stress hormone levels.
This can be a huge threat to your health because abdominal fat is more dangerous - and increases disease risk more - than fat located in any other part of the body. Excessive abdominal fat is linked directly to serious health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. Women in particular have been found to accumulate more fat around their waists while they're under stress.
In fact, a Yale University study showed that even otherwise - slim women who are under high stress levels are prone to put on weight on around their abdominal area.
The Cortisol Connection. What's the connection? When we are stressed out, our bodies release a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has been proven to encourage fat storage in the abdominal area. The worst part is if you don't learn to alleviate stress, cortisol levels stay high even when the original source of stress has subsided. The prolonged effects of cortisol will cause even more fatty deposits to find their way to your middle even when the stress seems to have passed. A recent retrospective study (Nutrition, 2010, Oct 8., Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna, Italy) investigated the relation between daily urinary free cortisol excretion rate, as a marker of cortisol production rate and waist circumference.
Obese women had significantly higher urinary free cortisol excretion than the normal-weight women. Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have been shown to have negative effects, such as: weight gain, overweight, impaired cognitive performance, depression, suppressed thyroid function and blood sugar imbalances, decreased bone density, decrease in skeletal muscle tissue mass and power, skeletal muscle wasting, high blood pressure, lowered immunity, decreased testosterone levels, impaired erectile function, menstrual abnormalities, fatigue, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, headache, migraine, fibromyalgia, muscle pain and poor digestion.
The skin can present with symptoms such as oily skin, acne, eczema, and roughness. Elevated cortisol also decreases the skin's ability to regenerate leading to wrinkles, sagging, and impaired wound healing.
Elevated cortisol in pregnant mothers influences cortisol metabolism during the baby's crucial development periods.
Marathon running and cortisol.
Running marathon halves testosterone level and increases the stress hormone cortisol. It is important that the body's functions can return to normal following stress and stressful events. To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, an innovative adaptive stress free alarm clock, "The Gentle Alarm" (patent pending) for iPhone and iPod touch was developed by a clinical neurologist. The new gentle alarm adapts itself to the users' particular needs within a few nights. Running marathon halves testosterone level and increases the stress hormone cortisol.
By the end of a marathon, men's cortisol levels have doubled and their testosterone levels have just about halved, according to a study done at Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, and published in Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia e Metabologia. The researchers monitored twenty health men aged between 25 and 42 for several days before, during and after they ran the 42.2 kilometre race. The researchers measured the levels of hormones and muscle damage-markers in the subjects' blood. Immediately after finishing the marathon the subjects' testosterone level halved, falling from 673 to 303 ng/dl. The cortisol level rose sharply, from 20.3 to 42.5 microg/dl. A day after the race, the cortisol level had not returned completely to the starting level. A marathon, triathlon or ironman race may cause marked physical stress, resulting in a distinct hormonal imbalance and cellular damage.
In fact, a Yale University study showed that even otherwise - slim women who are under high stress levels are prone to put on weight on around their abdominal area.
The Cortisol Connection. What's the connection? When we are stressed out, our bodies release a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol has been proven to encourage fat storage in the abdominal area. The worst part is if you don't learn to alleviate stress, cortisol levels stay high even when the original source of stress has subsided. The prolonged effects of cortisol will cause even more fatty deposits to find their way to your middle even when the stress seems to have passed. A recent retrospective study (Nutrition, 2010, Oct 8., Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, S. Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, University Alma Mater Studiorum, Bologna, Italy) investigated the relation between daily urinary free cortisol excretion rate, as a marker of cortisol production rate and waist circumference.
Obese women had significantly higher urinary free cortisol excretion than the normal-weight women. Higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol in the bloodstream have been shown to have negative effects, such as: weight gain, overweight, impaired cognitive performance, depression, suppressed thyroid function and blood sugar imbalances, decreased bone density, decrease in skeletal muscle tissue mass and power, skeletal muscle wasting, high blood pressure, lowered immunity, decreased testosterone levels, impaired erectile function, menstrual abnormalities, fatigue, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, headache, migraine, fibromyalgia, muscle pain and poor digestion.
The skin can present with symptoms such as oily skin, acne, eczema, and roughness. Elevated cortisol also decreases the skin's ability to regenerate leading to wrinkles, sagging, and impaired wound healing.
Elevated cortisol in pregnant mothers influences cortisol metabolism during the baby's crucial development periods.
Marathon running and cortisol.
Running marathon halves testosterone level and increases the stress hormone cortisol. It is important that the body's functions can return to normal following stress and stressful events. To keep cortisol levels healthy and under control, an innovative adaptive stress free alarm clock, "The Gentle Alarm" (patent pending) for iPhone and iPod touch was developed by a clinical neurologist. The new gentle alarm adapts itself to the users' particular needs within a few nights. Running marathon halves testosterone level and increases the stress hormone cortisol.
By the end of a marathon, men's cortisol levels have doubled and their testosterone levels have just about halved, according to a study done at Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo, and published in Arquivos Brasileiros de Endocrinologia e Metabologia. The researchers monitored twenty health men aged between 25 and 42 for several days before, during and after they ran the 42.2 kilometre race. The researchers measured the levels of hormones and muscle damage-markers in the subjects' blood. Immediately after finishing the marathon the subjects' testosterone level halved, falling from 673 to 303 ng/dl. The cortisol level rose sharply, from 20.3 to 42.5 microg/dl. A day after the race, the cortisol level had not returned completely to the starting level. A marathon, triathlon or ironman race may cause marked physical stress, resulting in a distinct hormonal imbalance and cellular damage.