Cortisol 101: what is it and how is it impacting your skin?

Picture this: a notification from your ex pops up on your phone. Your heart rate increases. Your palms get clammy. You feel stressed. And you haven't even opened it yet.

That's cortisol at work.

What actually is cortisol?

Maybe you've heard of it but don't actually know what it is. Cortisol is your body's built-in alarm system. It's made in the adrenal glands that sit on top of each kidney and gets released when you wake up, exercise, or experience stress. It propels you into action. Fight or flight. Cortisol is responsible.

What does cortisol actually do?

Cortisol is a one-babe band. It's responsible for a lot and doesn't ask for credit. Among other things, it:

• Controls your blood sugar levels
• Regulates your metabolism
• Reduces inflammation
• Helps with memory
• Regulates blood pressure and fertility
• Controls salt and water balance
• Regulates digestion

Cortisol also helps you react to and survive physical threats. When it's released, it causes your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar to spike. Lifesaving, if you're being chased by a tiger.

So what's the problem?

The problem is that things like increased heart rate and blood pressure are happening not only from physical threats, but emotional ones too, when they're not actually needed. Like an angry email from your boss. Did your heart just skip a beat?

Phones are a big cause of cortisol spikes. Research suggests cortisol levels rise when your phone is close by, when you hear it, or even when you think you hear a notification. Looking at it is one way to make the stress go away. Instant gratification. This creates a cycle of stressing, checking, stressing, checking, eventually leading to chronically high cortisol levels.

When your body is under constant stress, immune, digestive, reproductive, and growth functions get consistently out of whack. This affects memory, mental health, skin, weight, and sleep. Research has found that nearly three quarters of people have felt so stressed in the past year that they've been overwhelmed and unable to complete daily tasks. The connection between cortisol and stress is not a small deal.

What's the link between cortisol and sleep?

One of cortisol's most important jobs is managing your body's daily circadian rhythm. Cortisol should be high in the morning, giving you energy and getting you out of bed. As you go through your day it should decline, reaching low levels in the evening so you can switch off and fall into deep sleep.

When babes get less than 7 hours of sleep, cortisol takes a hit. The body feels more stressed and there's a higher chance of stress-related health conditions. Buzzing at bedtime is not the vibe.

How does cortisol impact your skin?

Breakouts. High cortisol levels can make your sebaceous (oil) glands produce even more oil. Too much of it clogs pores and causes breakouts to form.

Dehydration. A cortisol spike often goes hand in hand with an adrenalin spike. Adrenalin makes you sweat. If you're not drinking water, that makes your skin dehydrated. Don't be thirsty.

Premature ageing. An increase in cortisol affects the ageing process, with more fine lines, wrinkles, and age spots. You're beautiful at any age, babe. I just thought you should know.

Skin conditions. High cortisol levels put your immune system under stress and can trigger inflammatory responses in the skin.

Scalp issues. Cortisol can make your hair and scalp drier or oilier depending on how your body reacts. Dermatitis, resulting in scalp redness and flakiness, can follow.

6 ways to naturally lower cortisol levels

1. Stop scrolling

Have a phone-free hour when you wake up every day to allow your cortisol levels to rise gently, rather than spike the moment you open an app. Do the same at the end of the day. Keep your phone out of sight while you're working or eating lunch. The notifications can wait.

2. Stare at a tree

A daily dose of nature helps reduce cortisol. Go to a local park for at least 5 minutes until you feel calmer. Or until a mysterious stranger stops to ask for directions and you fall madly in love. Either works.

3. Clear your commute

Do you reply to emails before you get to the office? And again on the way home? Don't do that, babe. If you're going to feel stressed from work, at least feel it at times you're getting paid. Save your commute for meditating, music, a podcast, or phoning a friend.

4. Make time to wind down

Schedule time for yourself every night the same way you'd schedule any other appointment. It can be stretches, a walk, or a bath. Winding down stops you burning the candle at both ends. My In Your Dreams Sleep Scrub & Soak was made for exactly this kind of moment.

5. Move your body

Exercise like yoga, pilates, or dancing around your bedroom can help lower cortisol levels. I'll leave the specifics up to you.

6. Prioritise sleep

Getting more restful sleep isn't easy, but it's a long-term fix. Even if you can't get 7 to 9 hours, try to get better quality sleep. Go to bed at the same time every night and set your alarm for the same time every morning. Yes, even Saturday.

And when you've tried everything and all else fails: call a friend for a sleepover. At least you'll go through it together.

x frank