{"id":73955,"date":"2023-03-27T08:19:20","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T13:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?p=73955"},"modified":"2024-04-06T05:08:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T05:08:09","slug":"the-truth-about-the-internets-favorite-stress-hormone","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/the-truth-about-the-internets-favorite-stress-hormone\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth About the Internet\u2019s Favorite Stress Hormone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cortisol gets a bad rap, but it\u2019s not so clear-cut.<\/h2>\n
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Credit…<\/span>Leon Edler<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Maybe you can\u2019t sleep. Or you sleep too much. Maybe you keep breaking out, or getting sick. Perhaps your stomach bloats, your skin sags, you feel shaky. Maybe you can\u2019t focus, eat or get rid of the tension in your spine.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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If you\u2019ve\u00a0scrolled through<\/a>\u00a0TikTok<\/a>\u00a0lately, you might be inclined to blame one or all of these things on your cortisol levels. Over the last year or so, users have flooded the app with stories about how their supposed cortisol imbalances have led to a range of health concerns \u2014 and have recommended that viewers look into their own cortisol levels.<\/p>\n

Cortisol, sometimes known as the\u00a0stress hormone<\/a>, is a chemical that helps regulate the way our bodies react to stress. \u201cIt\u2019s a hormone that connects the mind and the body together,\u201d said Martin Picard, an associate\u00a0professor of behavioral medicine at Columbia University. Nearly every organ has a receptor that responds to cortisol. It is crucial in helping us function throughout the day, whether by regulating blood pressure or combating inflammation.<\/p>\n

That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that cortisol imbalances are responsible for the various ailments that people are sharing on TikTok, said Nia Fogelman, an associate research scientist at the Yale Stress Center. \u201cI think it\u2019s completely natural and understandable why people want to A, figure out what\u2019s going on with their bodies, and B, to want some one thing that we can fix,\u201d she said. But it\u2019s not that simple.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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