Do you wake up feeling 'okay-ish', but then decline into pain and inflammation? Your joints hurt, your head hurts, you gut hurts...some days it feels like everything hurts.
These symptoms are more common than you may think and often clients will share with me that this is how they've been feeling for so long, they can't remember when they felt good. It's become the norm, and they just push through it.
But what if you didn't have to push through it and you could felt rested and energized even before your alarm went off? Good news...you can! And, it all starts by supporting your cortisol natural release, in alignment with your body's master clock, the one that helps you rise and shine naturally.
Balancing Hormones Naturally requires honoring your body's innate wisdom, it's capacity and response to stress as well as it's natural hormonal rhythms. The hormone that holds the key and keeps this natural rhythm in check is cortisol. Known as the 'stress hormone', cortisol plays many vital roles by rising in the morning upon waking, and lowering in the evening helping you unwind for sleep. Plus, cortisol is a potent anti-inflammatory that functions to mobilize glucose reserves for energy and modulate inflammation. Cortisol is the power house!
When out of balance, it can lead to poor sleep and chronic stress, morphing into much biggest downstream health issues such as mental health disorders, cardiovascular problems and numerous autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Basically cortisol controls the show.
The Rise and Shine natural hormone process in your body has it's an official name: the Cortisol Awakening Response or (CAR). This single process occurs in your body daily. When working properly it gets your cortisol to rise in the morning, helping you Rise and Shine Naturally.
However, when cortisol is too high or too low, many things can go off track.
Here is what happens and what you can do about it....
Your brain is communicating with your adrenal glands, which release the hormone cortisol, letting them know that you're awake (when you wake up and open your eyes) and to release cortisol helping you feel awake. This is the Cortisol Awakening Response and it responsible to:
Switch you from conscious to awake state
Impacts your alertness and mood
Helps reduce inflammation
Increases your blood sugar (after fasting all night, your body is ready to wake up and needs fuel. Glucose is released helping you Rise and Shine Naturally. The body is so intelligent!
Also CAR helps with cancer outcomes and autoimmune regulation amongst other vital processes in the body, so it's kind of a big deal!
How do you know if your Rise and Shine Naturally (aka CAR) - internal clock is working properly?
Question to ask yourself to assess your cortisol levels:
When do you wake up?
Do you feel rested upon waking?
Do you need caffeine to wake up?
Do you wake up feeling anxious?
Do you wake up in pain?
Do you wake up feeling 'okay-ish', but then decline into pain and inflammation?
I ask my private clients these exact questions, helping us assess their cortisol levels. These questions help unveil if the hormones are working properly and what to do next.
If you're working with a health care provider, you can ask for a hormone test to get more accurate and personalized data. The most effective test is a cortisol saliva test which must be taken immediately upon waking (within 5 minutes), 30min later, and finally 30min later (60min upon waking). This will help you assess your baseline cortisol level compared to at 30min and at 60min upon waking. If your cortisol is rising too high or low (flat lined) you're likely feeling it and unable to rise and shine naturally. So a cortisol saliva test may be worthwhile to learn more and if you want to wake up feeling rested and energized.
If your cortisol is high in the morning, it triggers apoptosis; if your cortisol is low or flat you may notice inflammation or pain upon waking, because cortisol is a natural anti-inflammatory. As your cortisol raises throughout the day, you may start to feel a bit better, or you may just notice the inflammation and pain lasting all day and every day. Pay attention to these signs from your body. Symptoms are your body's way of communicating with you, trying to get you to pay attention and should not be ignored.
The one natural and proven way to balance hormones, specifically cortisol is TIMING. This means within 30 minutes of waking try the following, to initiate and signal to your HPA a healthy cortisol rise. Make sure to follow both Morning and Night routine, as they're co-dependent.
Morning Routine:
Use Full Spectrum Light
Get outside (take a few deep breaths as you say 3 things you're grateful for that day)
Take Supplements, like adaptogens, in the morning (within 30 min of waking). This is key, especially if you have low or high cortisol. One exception is those who are on thyroid medication which must be taken on it's own for 1hr solid before anything else enters the system.
Night Routine:
Sleep is key, get evaluated for sleep apnea if not done yet.
Remove electronics from bedroom.
Turn off phone or put on airplane mode.
Wear blue blocker glasses.
Ask your partner, do I snore or mouth breathe (these are signs, don't ignore them).
You may not realize that morning and night routine affect your ability to rise and shine naturally, but they directly hinder or nourish your hormone cortisol. Light snoring may not seem like a big deal, but it affects oxygenation to your brain, which has a downstream effect on how brain signaling happens. Having small lights in the room or night light - affects brain signaling. Make it easier on yourself by minimizing any light pollution and stimulants in your bedroom.
Take action:
How long does it take you to feel fully awake in the morning? If it's longer than 30 min or requires copious amounts of caffeine, you may want to assess your hormone levels or connect with me, so we can assess your internal clock and get you to Rise and Shine Naturally, feeling refreshed, restored and recharged.
Imagine waking up feeling light, rested, pain free, AND ready to embrace the day ahead.
Connect with me - book your complimentary Health Coaching Session with me today. Start feeling more nourished and alive.
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Nourish yourself today and every day!
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