Depression can interfere with circadian cortisol regulation
Depressed people have problems with circadian cortisol regulation. Normally, cortisol goes up in the morning before you wake up to help you mobilize glucose, raise your blood pressure, and get ready for the day. By the time nighttime arrives, cortisol levels are in the sewer. This circadian rhythm of cortisol is missing in depressed subjects: their cortisol is always up and you can’t even suppress it with medications.
References
- Lustig, H., Robert. The Hacking of the American Mind Chapter 10. Self-Inflicted Misery The Dopamine-Cortisol-Serotonin Connection (Location 2013). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Psychiatry Status:☀️