Heavy cortisol production suppresses the immune system.

[RottenWillow]

A newer member, donsj, started a thread recently that asked about a friend who experienced flu-like symptoms after a heavy leg workout. All I could offer at the time was that heavy leg workouts raise cortisol levels.


So that got me thinking about the possible implications of the increased cortisol levels. I found research that confirmed that high cortisol levels do in fact weaken the immune system, thereby putting you at increased risk of becoming ill. Apparently this is a well know health fact.

This seems to reinforce the importance of cycling the intensity of your training, both for maximum gains and overall health. Balls to the wall intensity every time will keep those cortisol levels perpetually high, and keep your immune response chronically low. So even with plenty of sleep and great food and you could still find yourself frequently under the weather if you dont train smart.

Here's the site I used to check this stuff out. You have to register but it's an amazing health resource. http://www.medscape.com

 

[bigstve12]

I dont believe that training will always raise cortisol levels...yes it is a fight or fight hormone, but i thought it was only raised after an hour of training?? If any one else has better info on that feel free to correct me. In addition to decresing inflammation and immune system, it also increases the breakdown of protein. Cortisol = bad for athletes

 

[wend]

Cortisol production kicks in after 40 min. of intense labor.

(In addition to suppressing the immune system, it also decreases your ability to grow muscle and causes your hair to fall out.)

 

[casualbb]

Cortisol is released in accordance with how long your workout is; longer does generally equal more. However, humans adapt to a length and intensity of workout.

So that long workout which originally was causing cortisol release after some period of time probably won't.

All in all, a good way to keep cortisol down is to not stress out about it.

 

[DrDillio]

This is interesting read. Can I print this out and show it to my friends?

 

[super_rice]

inreteresting read surely. i'd imagine the body would adapt to the increased level of work though yes? ie; that 40 minutes can increase or decrease depending on your lifestyle

 

[bigstve12]

All in all, a good way to keep cortisol down is to not stress out about it.

Well put

 

[RottenWillow]

All in all, a good way to keep cortisol down is to not stress out about it.

That would be one good way, yes, but the point of this thread was that there are also other less known ways to keep your cortisol levels from staying chronically high. A lot of us probably have already heard of the connection between stress and cortisol but I for one had no idea that hard training, performed too frequently, could actually make me ill.

It appears that when the levels elevate due to intense exercise they do not immediately drop, which is what may put us at increased risk of an opportunistic virus or bacteria. Then consider the lifter that trains balls to the wall every single workout, i.e. does not cycle his/her intensity, then you may have a situation where the cortisol levels stay elevated so much of the time you're really asking to get sick.

 

[casualbb]

Since the body adapts to work capacity (ie activity for a length of time), the solution to the cortisol issue is the following: do not jump headfirst into an intense program. That will certainly skyrocket cortisol and put you at risk of infection. Ramp up the intensity over a period of some weeks.

 

[Singleton]

Yoga lowers cortisol. Cardio, especially outdoors, will, too.

Cortisol and dopamine are enemies. Dopamine is the one you want