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Symptoms of a Cortisol Imbalance in Men

Cortisol is an essential hormone. It helps the body deal with stress, assists with glucose metabolism and gives the body the energy it needs to handle high adrenaline situations. While it has many benefits, too much or too little can wreak havoc on a man's body. This imbalance manifests itself through symptoms that affect his body in many ways.

  1. High Blood Pressure

    • An imbalance of cortisol in a man's system can cause his blood pressure to elevate to dangerous levels. Because men with improper cortisol levels often have difficulty managing stress, this too can contribute to the increase in blood pressure as well. If this persists, damage to his arteries and possibly aneurysm can occur.

    Hyperglycemia

    • Glucose levels are harder to maintain when the body is under the effect of fluctuating cortisol levels. The combination of improper cortisol levels damages his body's ability to correctly absorb the glucose being released. Furthermore, in times of excess stress, more glucose is released than is necessary for the body's proper function. Left untreated, this can easily lead to type 2 diabetes.

    Obesity

    • Men who suffer from a cortisol imbalance often have an area of fat around their stomachs. This occurs because the unabsorbed glucose that's released from excess stress--having nowhere else to go--turns into fat at the end of each day. Unfortunately, the stomach is where this particular fat seems to reside, and it's in a most dangerous area. Men with this type of fat around their midsections are at a greater risk of heart attack and stroke.

    Lowered Immunity

    • Lowered responses from the immune system are quite common with elevated cortisol levels. Wounds and infections take longer to heal, and he may become more susceptible to colds and viruses. Cortisol acts as an immunosuppressor and causes the body's natural killer cells from being able to defend the body from outside invaders. When cortisol levels are high, immune cells all but disappear from the blood. With a compromised immune system, illness is more prevalent. In fact, illness after a time of extreme stress is quite common because of this reason.

    Adrenal Gland Dysfunction

    • The adrenal glands are important to the body's function. They help the body break down carbohydrates and fats and assist with turning fats into usable energy. They are also responsible for regulating blood sugar levels. As excessive cortisol levels circulate through the body, the adrenal glands eventually tire. When this occurs, they can no longer effectively release cortisol, and an excessive amount of immune system cells have free reign in the blood stream. This can lead to joint inflammation.

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