I have practiced hormone, weight, health, and mind optimization for over forty-five years. I retired 9 years ago; at least, that is what I thought. When I retired, my wife and I owned and operated seven medical clinics specializing in hormone and weight optimization. As we enter our pauses (menopause and andropause), our hormones become disrupted, causing us to gain weight, suffer from the inability to lose the extra weight, sleeping disorders, hormonally induced anxiety and depression, loss of interest in being intimate, and lose our motivation to be social. Our internal chemistry, our hormones, governs how we feel, look, live, and think. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, which over 30,000 'paused' women and men already have, by entering your email address below and learn the tools we use to optimize our hormones and weight ‘naturally.’
"Doc, how does cortisol affect my sleep?"
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"Doc, I keep hearing about cortisol. Is it possible that it's what's causing me not to get a good night's sleep?" Cortisol has been nicknamed the "stress hormone," but like melatonin, it's more of a rhythm hormone. Where melatonin is the soft and subtle, the pianissimo, of your daily hormone cycle, cortisol is loud and harsh, the forte of your daily hormone symphony. The 2024 election results came in while I was sleeping. My dog jumped on the bed and pounced on Vicky and me. He wasn't excited about the results; he was scared because the zealous voters of the winner were shooting guns in the air just outside of our neighborhood. I woke up and comforted my dog. The gunshots eventually stopped, and then I was able to calm him down. He fell back to sleep, but I couldn't. Have you ever woke up at two in the morning and couldn't go back to sleep? That's cortisol. The shock of my frightened dog jumping on me and then hearing all the gunshots made my fight-or-flight hormones elevate. The primary flight or fight hormone is cortisol. CORTISOL "Cortisol wakes you in the morning and allows you to sleep at night." Doc Mac Though cortisol is nicknamed the stress hormone, it is actually a fantastic hormone that has many beneficial effects, including:
Your body continuously monitors your cortisol levels to maintain steady levels (homeostasis). Higher-than-normal or lower-than-normal cortisol levels can be harmful to your health. CORTISOL AND RHYTHM As we sleep at night, our cortisol levels increase until they reach a level that wakes us. If your dog jumps on you in the middle of the night while you are sound asleep, and then you hear gunshots, those cortisol levels skyrocket, and now you're wide awake. Cortisol peaks around sunrise, waking you. As your day progresses, your cortisol levels slowly arc downwards until they reach their nadir. That is when sleep becomes easy. CORTISOL AND SLEEP "If you can't fall asleep at night, cortisol may be too high. If you have difficulty waking in the morning, cortisol may be too low. If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep, cortisol may have reached its peak in the middle of the night." Doc Mac CHRONIC STRESS AND CORTISOL "I define stress differently. If cortisol is elevated, you're stressed." If you suffer from chronic stress, your cortisol levels will remain high throughout the day, making it very difficult to fall asleep and very difficult to be cool, calm, and collected. Life will feel like a wire is connected to your body, constantly admitting electrical current into your body, keeping you in an irritated, agitated state. Chronic stress and its correlated high cortisol levels will cause
After practicing for forty-four years and helping tens of thousands, I have found two ways to restore cortisol's natural rhythm. Breathing The best way is to:
I have put together a series of exercises that take approximately 15 minutes. Do this daily first thing in the morning. If you are under more stress than usual, do them twice daily. I prefer to do the Tame Stress Exercises when I wake up and around 4 PM. Many of my clients prefer to do them just before they go to bed. You can download the tame stress eBook by clicking on the link below. Leisurely Exercise If you are serious about taming your stress and managing cortisol, you will do and master the exercises in the Tame Stress eBook. Try this leisurely approach if you're not overwhelmed with stress but would like to be a bit more relaxed. Two leisurely exercises will help. They are less efficient than the Tame Stress Exercises, but they will help. I have placed links to each exercise below. I call one exercise Strolling. It's all about taking a leisurely walk and letting cortisol be calmed. If the weather doesn't permit a leisurely walk, try a 15-minute leisurely yoga session. Click on the links below to learn about these two exercises. Most stress in the modern world comes from our thoughts. The key is to calm your thoughts. Doing the Tame Stress Exercises will teach you how to master thought management. Our thinking is the primary cause of stress because there's no Saber Tooth Tiger in the room. The only thing in the room is your thoughts. If you are stressed, you are either thinking regretful thoughts from your past or fearful thoughts about your future. Get in the present moment and realize nothing genuinely threatens you but your stinkin' thinkin'. That's what we do! If you don't like how you look or feel while in menopause, schedule a free coaching program. I believe not in telling but in showing. If you need to lose weight and wish to feel hormonally great, I will show you how. FOR FREE! In one week, I will show you everything you need to do, keep you accountable daily, and be available 24/7 throughout that week. Click the link below to get started on your transformation journey: TRANSFORMATION COACHING PROGRAM We threw a baby shower for one of our daughters in an art studio this weekend. Nearly forty people attended. Grandchild number 7 is almost here. It's a boy; we will soon have six grandsons and one granddaughter. Life is incredible. "Optimal health is achieved one meal at a time." 👶 Doc If menopause is making weight loss nearly impossible and your hormones are making you feel miserable, please accept my invitation to coach you for free for one week. HOPE FOR MENOPAUSE FREE COACHING PROGRAM © 2024 | Doc Mac Coaching The FDA has evaluated none of the statements on this website. Furthermore, none of the statements within this post should be construed as dispensing medical advice or making claims regarding the cure of diseases, nor can these products prevent disease. You should consult a licensed healthcare professional before starting any supplement, dietary, or exercise program, especially if you are pregnant or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases. |
Hi! I'm Doc Mac.
I have practiced hormone, weight, health, and mind optimization for over forty-five years. I retired 9 years ago; at least, that is what I thought. When I retired, my wife and I owned and operated seven medical clinics specializing in hormone and weight optimization. As we enter our pauses (menopause and andropause), our hormones become disrupted, causing us to gain weight, suffer from the inability to lose the extra weight, sleeping disorders, hormonally induced anxiety and depression, loss of interest in being intimate, and lose our motivation to be social. Our internal chemistry, our hormones, governs how we feel, look, live, and think. Subscribe to my free weekly newsletter, which over 30,000 'paused' women and men already have, by entering your email address below and learn the tools we use to optimize our hormones and weight ‘naturally.’
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