Your body naturally produces cortisol, which is a stress hormone crucial to your health. However, if your body overproduces cortisol you can suffer serious health problems ranging from anxiety to diabetes. And over time too much cortisol can lead to Cushing’s Syndrome.
There are a number of signs that can indicate you have elevated levels of cortisol, including weight gain in the face, upper back and stomach. You see, that’s because although the adrenal glands produce the cortisol steroid, it’s actually the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis that determines how much is released into your body. Those symptoms arise when too much is released.
Fatigue can be a sign of too much cortisol because high levels of cortisol in your system can sap you of energy and make you feel run down. And Acne can be another sign of too much cortisol since the balance needed for healthy skin is disturbed by too much of the hormone in your blood stream.