Cortisol - the hormone of an imperceptible, but very necessary gland

Cortisol is a hormone that attracts many by its mysterious nicknames. Who among you, hearing the phrase "cortisol - the hormone of death," would not want to know why he was so nicknamed. And exhausted from the never-ending flow of problems and ailments, you often hear from the doctors: you need to check the level of cortisol. What for? If it is not enough, the organism surrenders to difficulties, if it is a lot - it causes even more difficulties. And when the boss is again dissatisfied with the work, the noodles are transported in the transport, the bread with mold was sold in the supermarket, and at home the children did not do the lessons, only the stress hormone cortisol will help to survive.

This hormone is given to us by the adrenal glands. The kidneys in a person are very small in size and located deep inside the body. Above them are conveniently located even smaller glands, which give the body a lot of various hormones. This diversity is possible due to the heterogeneous structure of the adrenal glands.

The outer layer is covered with bark, the cells of which secrete cortisol, the hormone hydrocortisone (the scientific name of cortisol), and the inner layer is the adrenal gland. This substance supplies the body with catecholamines. Both of them perform a lot of complicated work so that a person can live without pain and experience comfort. But back to cortisol.

So, cortisol is a hormone that begins to develop if the pituitary gland sends a signal to the adrenal glands. This signal comes in the form of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Under the influence of this substance, the adrenal glands from cholesterol begin to produce cortisol. All the hormones that synthesize the outer (cortical) layer are similar in chemical composition, since they are made from cholesterol and for this reason belong to steroids. In addition to cortisol, the outer layer of the adrenal glands also synthesizes estrogens and androgens. Ready cortisol enters the blood either by itself, or together with proteins or red blood cells. In each of these types of cortisol performs certain tasks.

The most important goal of cortisol is to provide the body with energy. He does this by extracting glucose. To put in the body the required amount of this substance, cortisol converts fats into fatty acids, and then into glucose. It works in tandem with insulin, which helps cells absorb glucose supplied by cortisol. The most active work of cortisol begins early in the morning, before dawn. It is this process that gives courage in the morning.

A person constantly needs energy, but if he experiences stress, the cells of the body need glucose especially. That's why in stressful situations, increased production of cortisol begins, as more workers are needed to produce glucose. Hence the nickname: stress hormone - cortisol. Only he does not create stress, but helps him survive.

But if the stress is prolonged, the person does not calm down, cortisol begins to split into glucose all in a row, switching from fat to proteins. All internal organs are made up of proteins, so an excess of cortisol leads to destruction of the tissues of internal organs, and autoimmune reactions begin. So our assistant becomes a murderer under the name of cortisol - the hormone of death.

What else is cortisol busy with? The hormone does a lot of work in other directions. It is the normalizer of the balance of sodium and potassium in the blood, helps immunity stop in time, so as not to destroy even the right cells, that is, cortisol triggers an anti-inflammatory reaction when the lymphocytes have already completed their tasks. However, if you experience stress, an increased amount of cortisol, which is produced in response to stress, destroys in the body all the lymphocytes. The immune system is weakened, the body is exposed to diseases. This is another danger of chronic stress.

Cortisol is a very busy hormone. Among his tasks, one can also mention activities to maintain the heart muscle, influence the neurons of the brain, compress and expand the walls of blood vessels and many other irreplaceable cases. The balance of cortisol in the body is restored during night sleep. Conclusion: to be healthy and be friends with cortisol, you need to appreciate the opportunity to sleep at night.