Many of us operate in high gear much of the day, putting out small (and large) fires, juggling schedules, dealing with traffic, and generally trying to keep our lives (and that of our families) in order. Even when our days and nights aren’t speeding along at a high pitch, levels of the stress hormone cortisol can remain elevated because we fail to effectively manage stress and return to a state of tranquility.
High cortisol levels raise the risk of several health dangers. One is that it triggers food cravings, which can send us dashing to the pantry for chips and cookies. That same cortisol can also prompt an enzyme in fat cells to transform cortisone into more cortisol. The fat cells in the abdomen have more cortisol receptors than do regular fat cells, which means high cortisol can translate into more belly fat, which, in turn, raises the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
