Fitness Alert

Instep Desk

If things are not going smooth in your life and you’re unable to maintain a happy balance, it has a lot to do with stress. When you’re stressed you take more time than usual to complete a task and find it difficult to keep things intact around you. However, it’s not you who is at fault, the culprit of this pressurized feeling that we all experience every now and then is a hormone called cortisol, which is commonly known as the stress hormone.

Cortisol is produced in the adrenal gland and releases into the bloodstream when we feel stressed. Higher levels of cortisol can adversely affect one’s mental and physical health resulting in headaches, fatigue and depression. Some of the factors leading to this include Cushing’s disease, corticosteroid medications and chronic or prolonged stress.

If you face these issues quite often and look for ways to lessen the mental and physical strain, here are five simple ways to naturally lower your cortisol levels.

Meditation

There are multiple ways to get into a meditative state. All you need to do is find the type of meditation that fits into your lifestyle. Once you’re aware, start incorporating it into your daily routine slowly. In the beginning it can be hard to switch off when you think about it or have a lot on your mind, so start out by adding meditative practices to your day such as a de-stressing yoga routine.

Oil therapy

Various essential oils have calming properties that help one cope with high levels of stress and anxiety and that too without consuming much time to implement. Simply diffuse oils like lavender or eucalyptus in the evening or add a few drops to your bath and that may be enough to make a world of a difference. Try it to believe it.

Workout

Exercise does not only benefit your physical health but is also important for your mental and emotional balance as it helps release hormones into the bloodstream. Their supply is reduced when we’re stressed. These hormones include neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin and endorphins, each of which contributes to feelings such as happiness, well-being and productiveness.

Adaptogens-rich diet

In order to treat conditions related to stress, sleep and anxiety disorders, adaptogens - natural herbs and supplements - are used for naturopathy. Adaptogens can aid in boosting your energy levels while removing inflammatory toxins from your body at the same time.

Sleep routine

One of the major reasons behind unnecessary stress is lack of sleep. If you don’t get an adequate amount of sleep, it can affect your body’s ability to regulate its hormones. But if you keep a check on your sleeping hours and make sure you get enough sleep, it allows your body to have the necessary time for physical repair and healing.