Can High Cortisol cause Afternoon Slumps?

[Rhsana]

Anyone out there know if there could be a link to my recent high cortisol levels and the insane afternoon slumps I'm experiencing. Or could this be due to not enough T3?

I feel like Prince valium in Spaceballs.

R xx

getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f80827...

[Saggyuk]

I have no real idea about cortisol so can't help you there but if others deem not be a problem with your cortisol, I used to have the same problem and was because of what I was eating for lunch so sometimes useful to rule out the basics just in case, my friend also has issues with blood sugar levels with same effect?

[Rhsana in reply to Saggyuk]

Hey Saggyuk ,

Yes. I have thought that may be the case- trouble is it happens regardless of what I eat and even if I don't eat anything. At the moment, its like clockwork. After my afternoon dose of T3 (even if I forget to take the t3) I hit a wall.

R x

[Saggyuk in reply to Rhsana]

hmm, mine at least was a little easier if I skipped lunch so maybe something else then. Can't be much to do with the T3 either if it happens whether you take it or not. If nothing comes of the cortisol, you could try getting a cheap blood sugar level test kit from the pharmacy to rule this out, otherwise, maybe think of anything. For example, do you have high levels of caffeine in the mornings, you can crash once this comes down - unless of course you keep taking more lol!! Do you get enough water?

[Rhsana in reply to Saggyuk]

Thanks Saggyuk , those are great suggestions, will monitor the blood sugar and see if that sheds some light! I drink enough water, and little caffeine. (It never effected me before but I will cut it out to see) I am slightly concerned as I have noticed on my fitbit heart monitor that every once in a while it will record a random spike in by HR. But I don't ever feel it, i only just ever see it on the chart afterwards.

[Saggyuk in reply to Rhsana]

It was more on the off chance you were like another friend of mine who downs caffeine like it's no tomorrow in the mornings and then doesn't have more til the end of the day lol. Some people are sensitive to it though

[Serendipitious]

Stop the thyroid madness is a great resource. Have you seen this page? stopthethyroidmadness.com/ps/

Are you sleeping properly at night? If not it could be that you are so tired by the afternoon that you're falling asleep. The other thing that has helped me is to avoid carb heavy meals especially for breakfast. I've stopped eating porridge for breakfast as much as I love it. I now have eggs. I'm avoiding gluten and dairy. I've found that since I've combined protein, a small amount of carbs, vegetables and a good source of fat such as some avocado with each meal I don't feel so tired or desperate to reach for a snack.

I also did an Adrenal Stress Profile test in December and my cortisol was also slightly above range but not as bad as yours. I think you need to address it with improving sleep and perhaps the use of certain adaptogens but I wouldn't know what to really suggest to you. All the best.

[Saggyuk in reply to Serendipitious]

Yes, to be honest for me also, removing gluten rid me of my crashes during the day and tiredness in general so worth a try also

[Serendipitious in reply to Saggyuk]

I can't say removing gluten has helped me or whether its because I am no longer yo yo dieting and eating balanced meals. Either way something has helped. I still feel tired but not totally shattered like I used to. Good to hear that being gluten free has helped you.

[Rhsana in reply to Serendipitious]

Thanks Serendipitious , yes I've seen the STTM site and books. So I am currently Gluten free/dairy free/ low carb and high fat and low sugar. But its early days- I am about to add caffeine free to the list as well.

R xx

[Saggyuk in reply to Rhsana]

Well if it's early days you might see some improvements. Gluten and dairy are the most likely but if this fails, you could try an elimination diet for six weeks to rule out anything else. Bear in mind you will need to get enough healthier carbs to keep your energy levels up even if not the crap carbs most people eat. It often takes a few week to get the "withdrawal" symptoms of things like sugar and gluten to dissipate.

[Rhsana in reply to Saggyuk]

This could well be it then , thank you! R x

[Rhsana in reply to Saggyuk]

Well I have been GF for 3 months and also 6 months at a time, I still had the crashes, but I know I was dealing with Candida (and now again) at the time. R x

[humanbean]

Oh yes - those afternoon slumps. I felt like a puppet whose strings had been cut. I felt as though I could fall asleep mid-conversation. I fell asleep practically anywhere.

When I started trying to lower my cortisol the effect was unsettling - the slumps starting moving around. I'd get up at 7am say, then slump at 10am. Or it might be 5pm or 7pm.

It did eventually settle down for a very short while. But sadly my body is fighting back now and I'm sleeping later and later at night again, and waking up later and later in the day.

[Rhsana in reply to humanbean]

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that humanbean , how do you manage at work? I am seriously thinking of leaving my job as I just can't seem to make it through the days 7:30 to 7:30 is a normal day most days.

[humanbean in reply to Rhsana]

I don't have a job - I'm a kept woman, thanks to my kind, wonderful, generous and long-suffering husband.

[Rhsana in reply to humanbean]

Ok, I think I may need to have words with the BF :p. R x

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

humanbean what did you do to try and reduce your cortisol levels?

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

I've been taking Holy Basil for about three months. Based on symptoms only, I would say it has been working very well for me. (I haven't bothered testing.)

I would have jitters, feelings of anxiety, feeling fearful for no reason, total inability to sleep at normal times. I also needed to raise my dose of T3 but the symptoms I just mentioned would get a lot worse so I couldn't maintain a higher dose.

When I took Holy Basil for a while all my symptoms diminished and I was able to raise my dose of T3.

Then, stupidly, I allowed myself to run out. Symptoms are coming back worryingly quickly. I'm going to do something about that ASAP I've decided.

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

So humanbean that sounds like an adaptogen. I get the exact same symptoms. In fact I'm feeling like that right now. I've bought some Ashwaganda but I'm too afraid to try it in case something similar happens but I clearly need something. I also take Relora for sleep but it doesn't always work.

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

Ashwaghanda is very popular on the forum, it frequently gets mentioned, so I doubt it is too scary a thing to try. Sorry, but I don't understand why you are scared to try it. My symptoms are only coming back because I allowed myself to run out of Holy Basil.

I've never tried Relora, so can make no comment on it.

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

humanbean I took a Adrenal Cortex supplement called Adrenavive iii in December and I was extremely sick for weeks on end so that's why I'm reluctant to try new things at the moment. However like you say Ashwaganda is well liked by people so I'll give it a go.

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

Oh, that's a bummer. I've never tried Adrenavive iii, and only heard the name for the first time very recently.

I'm confused. Do you have high cortisol or low cortisol?

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

It was recommended to me when my cortisol levels weren't known. I think it's for people with very low cortisol. I did the adrenal stress profile a few days later and saw that it was raised slightly. Anyway lesson learnt. I personally think I should not have been recommended it but that's another story. You can see my result in an older post.

Any ideas when and how much Ashwaganda to take? How much Holy Basil were you taking?

[humanbean in reply to Serendipitious]

I can't remember what dose of Ashwaghanda I took or what it was like - I tried it at least a couple of years ago.

With the Holy Basil I was taking this product :

healthmonthly.co.uk/swanson...

The suggested dose is 2 capsules, twice a day.

I got up to 2 capsules, 4 times a day then dropped back to 3 times a day and stayed there for a while, then dropped back again to 2 capsules, twice a day, with the occasional extra 2 if I got jittery or felt fearful.

[Hidden]

Those results are seriously high for cortisol & you need to ask to be tested for Cushing's disease! High cortisol levels will cause you to feel fatigued. Are you sleeping at night or suffering from insomnia? Have you gained a lot of weight, carrying most of it around your tummy. Any other symptoms?

[Rhsana in reply to Hidden]

Hi Hidden - well I have had bouts of insomnia on and off since I was about 14. But it did seem to get better in recent years- mainly because I have just been so tired all the time! I do however have disturbed sleep, yes a lot of weight - mostly on the tummy actually! I don't know about other symptoms as I just assumed they were all thyroid related R xx

[determined56 in reply to Rhsana]

I used to use herbal teas even those might be affecting my cortisol levels and how sedation/ anaesthetics 're-act on me.

It's individual choice if. You feel better, but do tell endo or anyone taking bloods as the actual outcome of results might tell a different story.

[determined56]

Hi there, when cortisol is normal it will slow you down at night waking in the morning to boost your system for the day.

7.5mg is the standard amount of cortisol the endocrine system generates.

The endocrine system is very complex.DO NOT try to self medicate to adjust cortisol levels.

I have not had any adrenal glands working since birth , this means my cortisol levels are closely monitored with my hydrocortisone tablets.(I am now 60 )

Once you start using any drug affecting the cortisol you will upset your adrenal output.

Please see an endocrinologist or get a referral.Adrenal fatigue, cortisol levels are not for self diagnoses or playing around with as you could be heading for more problems which you can well do without.

Gently hugs to all

[Rhsana in reply to determined56]

Hey Determined123 , do you consider Holy basil 'self medicating?' R xx

[TaraJR]

I'm very interested in this too. My saliva cortisol test came back quite like yours. I've started taking 2 x Holy Basil in the evening, taking it slowly. Haven't noticed much difference yet.

Humanbean, how long did it take to have any effect on you?

[Rhsana in reply to TaraJR]

Hey TaraJR , sorry to hear you have a similar issue, I hope you find some relief with Holy Basil. If you want people to know you have mentioned them in a comment so they get a notification. It helps to tag them like so with no spaces it would be the at sign plus the name (@ Humanbean) humanbean .

[humanbean in reply to TaraJR]

I got an effect reasonably quickly.

I'm taking Swanson Full Spectrum Holy Basil Leaf (Tulsi).

The dose given on the bottle is two, twice a day, and so I went up to that dose fairly quickly. I did think there was a slight effect at that dose so I went up to two, three times a day. Then I was sure I was getting an effect. The largest dose I've taken is 2 capsules, 4 times a day.

The effect I first noticed was feeling much calmer than usual. Then, the "internal vibration" I get, a feeling I interpret as anxiety and fear, went away.

I did find that the first couple of months on Holy Basil my sleep pattern, which has always been poor, went completely haywire. I couldn't stay awake. I spent large parts of Christmas asleep, then slept a lot of the night as well.

I reduced my dose back to 4 capsules, with the addition of an extra 2 if I felt anxious, after Christmas. For a change, I had a short period where I slept at night and woke up in the morning - a rare occurrence for me. Then I ran out of the Holy Basil and decided to go without for a couple of weeks. I'm rapidly returning to being semi-nocturnal. *Sigh* I ordered some more last night!

[t3rcam]

Try the RT3 yahoo adrenals group, they are very knowledgeable and have helped with many of the issues mentioned here.

[QUE6T-33]

Hi Rhsana - can I ask, was this a Blue Horizon test ?

[Rhsana in reply to QUE6T-33]

Hi QUE6T-33

It was a Genova one.

R x

[QUE6T-33]

Thanks Rhsana x