Long-term exposure to large doses of cortisol is linked to increased suseptability to disease and death
Acute, short-term cortisol release is both necessary for survival and is actually good for you. It increases vigilance, improves memory and immune function, and redirects blood flow to fuel the muscles, heart, and brain. Your body is designed for cortisol to be released in any given stressful situation, but in small doses and in short bursts. Long-term exposure to large doses of cortisol will kill you … but slowly. When pressures are relentless, your cortisol response can remain elevated for days, months, or years. Evidence of the associations between job stress, psychological distress, elevated cortisol, depression, and disease is extremely compelling. Psychological stress in adolescence is directly linked to the risk of heart attack3 and diabetes4 in adulthood.
References
- Lustig, H., Robert. (2017). The Hacking of the American Mind Chapter 4. Killing Jiminy Stress, Fear, and Cortisol (Location 821). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Biochemistry Status:☀️